(The Tear Down is an annoying business term and is just one of the 212 Most Annoying Business Phrases Managers Effuse, Confuse, and Overuse detailed in the hilarious must-have guide for every workplace: The 30,000-Pound Gorilla in the Room. Available right now on Amazon.)

The Tear Down

The basic definition of “tear down” should be clear to all; that is, to dismantle, disassemble, or even destroy something or someone. If this was the only way your annoying manager used these words, they wouldn’t be included here.

Today, managers and executives are requesting information in a most irritating way: they’re asking you to provide the tear down.

“Poremba, be sure and give me the tear down on that one.”

“We’re going to need to see the tear down before we move forward, Mike.”

Excruciating.

If hearing someone ask for the tear down doesn’t make you want to tear down the cubicle walls in the entire office, then you’re not paying attention.

Of course, it’s more than the misuse of the words that makes this one annoying; it’s the pretentiousness in the delivery that causes you to grit your teeth so hard you’ll give yourself a migraine.

Relax.

Don’t let the annoying workplace hordes win. Instead, fight back in the name of sanity and clarity.

When asked to provide the tear down, turn your head as if confused and simply reply, “The tear down?” Then stare at your annoying boss until she provides a clarifying word or phrase. Don’t let the uncomfortable silence affect you. Hold your stare, keep your blinking to a minimum, and shut up.

Do this every time you’re asked for the tear down, and she’ll likely get the message after no more than six or seven thousand utterances. (No one said any of this was going to be easy.)

Replacement phrases: Analysis; Inspection

See also: Do a Deep Dive

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The 30,000-Pound Gorilla in the Room is available on Amazon