×
INTELLIGENT WORK FORUMS
FOR ENGINEERING PROFESSIONALS

Log In

Come Join Us!

Are you an
Engineering professional?
Join Eng-Tips Forums!
  • Talk With Other Members
  • Be Notified Of Responses
    To Your Posts
  • Keyword Search
  • One-Click Access To Your
    Favorite Forums
  • Automated Signatures
    On Your Posts
  • Best Of All, It's Free!
  • Students Click Here

*Eng-Tips's functionality depends on members receiving e-mail. By joining you are opting in to receive e-mail.

Posting Guidelines

Promoting, selling, recruiting, coursework and thesis posting is forbidden.

Students Click Here

Jobs

Not a Problem

Not a Problem

Not a Problem

(OP)
A good few years back I was part of a week long live-in, in-company welding conference. The then state host had decided the expression? "Not a problem" would be the catch-cry.
For 5 days & nights everywhere I went I heard "Not a Problem"
Everything that was said was punctuated with "Not a Problem".
The expression? seemed to lapse into obscurity but yesterday I heard it again.
Another is "you know what I mean?"
1)  How does one deal with "Not a Problem" and other similar catch-crys?
2)  Why do they come to exist in the first place and worse get mindlessly repeated?

RE: Not a Problem

(OP)
OK cries

RE: Not a Problem

Great questions.

1) I'm not sure I have an answer for this, as I am the one usually spouting this corporate mumbo-jumbo so people will leave me a lone so I can get back to whatever task is at hand.

2) I think they evolve as summary phrases that replace long, drawn-out explainations.  I would much rather say, "Not a problem" in response to be given a task to solve.  It's more economical than having to say, "I have a lot of confedence that my group can solve this problem after we have a chance to review the situtation and come up with a feasable solution."

Why they get "mindlessly" repeated, again I think it boils down to economical communications.

"But what... is it good for?"
Engineer at the Advanced Computing Systems Division of IBM, 1968, commenting on the microchip.
Have you read FAQ731-376 to make the best use of Eng-Tips Forums?

RE: Not a Problem

Yes, but then it is further shortened to: "No problemo" courtesy of AHHHHNOLD!

RE: Not a Problem

Catch-phrases are all annoying, but that one's actively bad.  Maybe okay as a mantra to oneself or one's team, meaning "We can do anything!" but as a response to a real inquiry it's incredibly dismissive.  As an engineer, my job is to recognize what IS a problem, and fix it.

The equivalent phrase from my boss is, "It's being taken care of."  I have had to explain to him repeatedly that when I ask, "What's going on with X?" I really do mean "What's going on with X?".  If I wanted to know whether or not X was being taken care of and didn't want to know what was actually happening, I would have asked, "Is X being taken care of?"

But the ranting about the boss thread is somewhere else.

We have a whole poster of motivational catch phrases up at the front desk--things like don't say "We don't have the budget," say instead "We'll work leaner and meaner".  Nice to know the slogan-writers have such a firm grip on reality.

If I ever get the energy and have enough of a need to waste time, I'll transcribe that poster and see what this group makes of it.

Hg

RE: Not a Problem

Methinks "No problemo" can be traced back to Cincinnati.  WKRP's very own Sales Manager, Herb Tarlek, to be exact.  At least that's where I remember first hearing that one (to go along with the double finger-pistol salute).

I'm convinced that most other "modern" catch phrases have their origin on The Simpsons.

Cheers,
CanuckMiner

RE: Not a Problem

Except for the older ones from Saturday Night Live.

Red Flag This Post

Please let us know here why this post is inappropriate. Reasons such as off-topic, duplicates, flames, illegal, vulgar, or students posting their homework.

Red Flag Submitted

Thank you for helping keep Eng-Tips Forums free from inappropriate posts.
The Eng-Tips staff will check this out and take appropriate action.

Reply To This Thread

Posting in the Eng-Tips forums is a member-only feature.

Click Here to join Eng-Tips and talk with other members!


Resources