I’m going to try featuring some occasional posts on corporate jargon, starting today.

• bucket – a noun entirely synonymous with the word “category.”

The best corporate jargon is a word or phrase that completely replaces a superior word or phrase in the language known as “English.” Bucket is a great example of this. In some companies, the word “bucket” has now completely replaced the term “category,” without conveying any additional meaning.

Bucket is in pretty common use, but it still surprises me. I haven’t figured out why someone with a perfectly good alternative would choose to use the word usually associated with floor mopping and a makeshift bedside sick container. Maybe it’s being borrowed from the computing term “bucket?”