Everyday Office Jargon · Vice President level

"Smoke and mirrors"

"Smoke and mirrors" means a presentation or explanation that is deliberately confusing or deceptive, hiding the real situation behind a distracting appearance.

Say this instead: misleading

How "Smoke and mirrors" shows up at work

Said about competitors' demos, rival teams' decks, and occasionally leadership's last quarterly forecast. The accusation is sharper than saying something is misleading because it implies the deception was deliberate.

Buzzword

That vendor demo was impressive, but I think it's mostly smoke and mirrors.

Plain English

That vendor demo was impressive, but I think it's mostly misleading.

Corporate Rank: Vice President · Category: Everyday Office Jargon

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