Everyday Office Jargon · Managing Director level

"Line in the sand"

"Line in the sand" means a stated limit or boundary that a person or organization refuses to cross, signaling that further compromise is not possible.

Say this instead: hard limit

How "Line in the sand" shows up at work

Usually announced right before someone crosses it. The phrase shows up in negotiations and stakeholder meetings when someone wants to signal resolve without having to explain exactly what happens if the line is crossed.

Buzzword

This deadline is our line in the sand; we are not moving it again.

Plain English

This deadline is our firm limit; we are not pushing it back again.

Corporate Rank: Managing Director · Category: Everyday Office Jargon

Stop sounding like the buzzword.

Buzzkill highlights "Line in the sand" and 634 other buzzwords in Gmail and LinkedIn, and rewrites them to plain English in one click. Free to try, 100% local.

Add to Chrome, free

More Everyday Office Jargon: 30,000 ft. View · 800-pound gorilla · A day late and a dollar short · A lot on my plate · Above my pay grade · Ace in the hole

All Everyday Office Jargon · The full library · What's your Corporate Rank?