During a work presentation, an exec used the phrase “opening the kimono” in reference to showing business accounting books to potential investors. I had never heard it before, but my gut reaction was that it was some kind of prostitution/nudity reference, and kinda gross for a professional setting.
Maybe my mind is in the gutter, because allegedly it refers to a Japanese businessman coming home from work and wearing his kimono loosely to relax. Not really sure how that relates to transparent accounting practices.
Anyway, some words or phrases can be interpreted wrongly by others who have never heard them before. It’s not a reason to always ban them, but it does make sense to evaluate our language with outsider perspective in mind.
During a work presentation, an exec used the phrase “opening the kimono” in reference to showing business accounting books to potential investors. I had never heard it before, but my gut reaction was that it was some kind of prostitution/nudity reference, and kinda gross for a professional setting.
Maybe my mind is in the gutter, because allegedly it refers to a Japanese businessman coming home from work and wearing his kimono loosely to relax. Not really sure how that relates to transparent accounting practices.
Anyway, some words or phrases can be interpreted wrongly by others who have never heard them before. It’s not a reason to always ban them, but it does make sense to evaluate our language with outsider perspective in mind.