Jargon Blacklist2

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Entry Date What jargon term annoys you the most? Why?
August 13, 2020 at 4:53 pm Gaming

"Gaming" refers to playing games, either online or in real life. It is not "gambling" and should not be used as a weasel word to make gambling seem nicer or less threatening. Especially by governments. "Minister for Gaming"? Really? How about "Minister For Exploitation"?
September 16, 2025 at 2:19 pm Jargon and Pledge

“Jargon” is itself a jargon word. It’s not something most people use in everyday conversation. If we’re trying to promote clarity, we should use simpler terms like complicated words or technical terms.
“Pledge” sounds formal and can feel out of place in a health or care setting. Make a promise is clearer and more relatable.
If we want people to understand and engage, we need to use language that’s familiar and easy to act on.
July 23, 2020 at 9:31 pm Convo

A conversation is a discussion between rational people
It’s not a Convo.
October 8, 2019 at 12:51 pm tachycardia

A patient will understand "fast heart reate" more quickly - why say tachycardia then have to explain what it is?
October 18, 2021 at 12:53 pm Anything that is reduced to an acronym

Acronyms are usually only understood by ‘inner circles’ so their use should be limited appropriately.
September 9, 2019 at 1:45 pm mechanical fall

ALL falls are 'mechanical' and should have the causal factors identified!
October 20, 2023 at 10:56 am DEFCON 5

All these military terms like DEFCON, HUMINT or CODE ORANGE which have crept into our daily lives need to be banned immediately. In the army they mean something. Running out of crisps is NOT a Code Red situation.
August 21, 2025 at 1:47 pm EOM

Always leaves me second guessing... End of Month? End of Monday? End of Message? Let's leave the end of our messages blank - no need to reiterate.
October 24, 2023 at 8:45 am Ballpark

Another American term which doesn't mean much elsewhere.
October 18, 2024 at 4:02 pm personality disorder

Are you saying they are a broken person? This is a stigmatising and judgemental diagnosis, like so many other clinical terms used to describe neurodiversity and social/relationship challenges.
October 14, 2021 at 4:53 pm CALD

Aren't we all Culturally and Linguistically Diverse People?

And who isn't the 'CALD' when we are delivering services and what to we call them? What/who is the Mainstream?

It (may) creates an Us and Them binary polarity or opposition.
October 20, 2021 at 9:26 am asymptomatic

As a health professional I understand that this means "without symptoms", but for my partner who doesn't have a health background and for whom English is not his first language, it meant that you have "a symptom".

Imagine how different the Covid-19 health information sounded once he learnt that? I often wonder how many other people still don't understand this term, and who have been following an entirely differently set of Covid safety rules as a result (ie, "stay home if you have symptoms, but you can leave the house if you have a (one) symptom".)
September 18, 2025 at 9:58 am asymptomatic

As a health professional I understand that this means "without symptoms", but for my partner who doesn't have a health background and for whom English is not his first language, it meant that you have "a symptom". Imagine how different the Covid-19 health information sounded once he learnt that? I often wonder how many other people still don't understand this term, and who have been following an entirely differently set of Covid safety rules as a result (ie, "stay home if you have symptoms, but you can leave the house if you have a (one) symptom".)
October 18, 2024 at 8:32 am Passed away

as a healthcare worker we use medical terminology in most other settings!
October 24, 2023 at 3:18 pm active consideration

As opposed to inactive consideration? just say consideration
October 6, 2022 at 9:59 am Capacity Building

Because capacity means take more on, not learn more skills.
September 9, 2019 at 1:43 pm acopia

Because it is:
- not a diagnosis
- negative and devaluing
- distracting from the real, and often multi-factorial, reasons why a person may be struggling to manage at home, including underlying medical issues
October 1, 2024 at 1:27 pm Accommodation

Because it means different things and it is easy to replace with 'house' or 'flat'
April 8, 2021 at 9:20 pm sciatica

Because it means different things to everyone!
October 10, 2022 at 3:00 pm evidence-based practice

because it means nothing to clients who just want a service
Entry Date What jargon term annoys you the most? Why?
Displaying 1 - 20 of 120 1 2 3 4 5 6