Everyday Office Jargon · Vice President level

"Back of the napkin"

"Back of the napkin" describes a quick, rough calculation or initial idea sketched out without formal analysis or precision.

Say this instead: rough first estimate

How "Back of the napkin" shows up at work

Used by senior people to give rough numbers an air of scrappy genius rather than incomplete homework. Showing a spreadsheet means you had time to be wrong carefully; showing a napkin estimate means you had the instinct.

Buzzword

This is just a back of the napkin calculation, but we're looking at roughly $2M.

Plain English

This is just a rough estimate, but we're looking at roughly $2M.

Corporate Rank: Vice President · Category: Everyday Office Jargon

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