Definition

Numbers used to prove you're succeeding, chosen specifically because they're going up. Rarely represent what actually matters.

Example Usage

Our metrics show we're reaching more people, even though engagement is down.

Source: Business analytics terminology

Related Terms

Beginner

Wheelhouse

Someone's area of expertise, borrowed from baseball by people who have never watched a single game. If everyone stayed in their wheelhouse, nothing would ever get done because wheelhouses apparently don't overlap.

💼 Corporate / Business
Intermediate

outsource

The corporate strategy of paying someone else to do work your employees could do, theoretically saving money while definitely creating communication nightmares. This business practice involves transferring jobs to external providers, usually overseas, then spending the "savings" on conference calls across seventeen time zones. It's how companies reduce costs on paper while increasing complexity in reality.

💼 Corporate / Business
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day planner

A paper-based organizational tool, often a bound book or binder, that combines a calendar, to-do lists, and note-taking space to help users schedule their time and track tasks. It was the dominant productivity tool for professionals before digital applications replaced it.

💼 Corporate / Business
Beginner

photo booth

A small enclosed booth where people insert coins to take a series of instant photographs, typically printed as a strip of 4-6 small black-and-white or color photos. Popular at arcades, malls, and events since the mid-20th century.

💼 Corporate / Business
Intermediate

Half the hot dog

Corporate and academic slang for submitting incomplete work or doing a half-hearted job on something that clearly needed your full effort. It's the professional equivalent of turning in a book report after only reading the first three chapters. The phrase perfectly captures that "I tried but not really" energy.

💼 Corporate / Business
Beginner

ladders

The hierarchy or ranking system that determines how far you can climb at a company—metaphorically speaking, though some corporate offices actually have questionable structural integrity. Also, the rungs that appear when your code has a ladder-like structure.

💼 Corporate / Business

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wthru

Who the heck are you...