HomeSeriesWhat They Actually Mean
A Home Truths series
What They Actually Mean
Free, complete glossaries of the language one trade uses when it means something else, then the printed version for a pocket. Estate agents first.
The books
All booksWhat Estate Agents Actually Mean
What Job Adverts Actually Mean
What The Office Actually Means
What Teachers Actually Mean
What Car Dealers Actually Mean
What is the What They Actually Mean series?
What They Actually Mean is a Home Truths series. Free, complete glossaries of the language one trade uses when it means something else, then the printed version for a pocket. Estate agents first. Every factual claim in every book is traced to a named source, and the sources are printed in the back.
Start here if
- sold stc meaning is what you searched for: What Estate Agents Actually Mean.
- competitive salary meaning is what you searched for: What Job Adverts Actually Mean.
- circle back meaning is what you searched for: What The Office Actually Means.
- working towards meaning school report is what you searched for: What Teachers Actually Mean.
Every book in the series
| Book | Who it is for | What it covers that the others do not | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| What Estate Agents Actually Mean | sold stc meaning | The pilot decoder. Estate agent language in two registers: the technical terms that change what you pay, like sold STC, guide price and vacant possession, and the flattering ones that cost you a wasted Saturday, like deceptively spacious. Every entry says what to say back. | in production |
| What Job Adverts Actually Mean | competitive salary meaning | A job advert has to attract you and commit to nothing, and the whole vocabulary lives in the gap between those two jobs. Forty-five phrases decoded, from competitive salary to other duties as required, each with the question to ask before you apply rather than after. | in production |
| What The Office Actually Means | circle back meaning | Office jargon is not stupidity, it is a tool doing a job: it lets people disagree without a row, close a subject without cancelling it, and decline without saying no. Forty-five phrases, each with what it means, where you will hear it, and the sentence that ends it. | in production |
| What Teachers Actually Mean | working towards meaning school report | Teachers write in a second language and they have to: a report goes home to a parent who may be delighted or furious and has to be true either way. Forty-four phrases decoded, from working towards to a pleasure to teach, with what to ask at parents evening. | in production |
| What Car Dealers Actually Mean | cat n meaning car | Buying a used car means reading two languages at once: the technical one where misreading a term costs thousands, and the one the trade speaks to itself and would rather you did not follow. Thirty-five phrases, including the ones about finance that nobody explains. | in production |
Frequently asked
- What is the What They Actually Mean series?
- What They Actually Mean is a Home Truths series. Free, complete glossaries of the language one trade uses when it means something else, then the printed version for a pocket. Estate agents first. Every factual claim in every book is traced to a named source, and the sources are printed in the back.
- Which What They Actually Mean book should I get?
- Match the book to the person rather than to the occasion. What Estate Agents Actually Mean is the pilot decoder. Estate agent language in two registers: the technical terms that change what you pay, like sold STC, guide price and vacant possession, and the flattering ones that cost you a wasted Saturday, like deceptively spacious. Every entry says what to say back. What Job Adverts Actually Mean is a job advert has to attract you and commit to nothing, and the whole vocabulary lives in the gap between those two jobs. Forty-five phrases decoded, from competitive salary to other duties as required, each with the question to ask before you apply rather than after. What The Office Actually Means is office jargon is not stupidity, it is a tool doing a job: it lets people disagree without a row, close a subject without cancelling it, and decline without saying no. Forty-five phrases, each with what it means, where you will hear it, and the sentence that ends it. What Teachers Actually Mean is teachers write in a second language and they have to: a report goes home to a parent who may be delighted or furious and has to be true either way. Forty-four phrases decoded, from working towards to a pleasure to teach, with what to ask at parents evening. What Car Dealers Actually Mean is buying a used car means reading two languages at once: the technical one where misreading a term costs thousands, and the one the trade speaks to itself and would rather you did not follow. Thirty-five phrases, including the ones about finance that nobody explains.
- Do the books repeat each other?
- They share a structure and not their content. The tables, the years and the observations are specific to each book, which is the whole reason there is more than one rather than one book with a variable printed on the cover.