Learn English – Is the word “suit” offensive (meaning “corporate-looking person”)

slangword-usage

You are in your workplace. Your father is visiting you. He sees one of your coworkers and asks you:

Who is the suit?

Is the word "suit" offensive in this context?

A usage of this : http://youtu.be/y8rzt-vj2gU?t=3m17s

Best Answer

This is synecdoche, and it is curt and slangy, and probably derogatory. Keep in mind that mildly derogatory slang terms can be used affectionately as well. A similar example comes to mind: say you're the driver to a ski trip? You might be referred to as "the wheels." It's derogatory in the sense that that's now your purpose, flattering in the sense that your pals trust you with the role, or think you are good with it, etc.

When you use synecdoche like this, you are saying that being a suit or the wheels is the person's only relevant function.

  • You could use it as a slur, e.g. "Suits aren't welcome here."
  • If you meet a friend with a businessperson and say "who's the suit?" that would be mildly offensive also.
  • "What's with that bar? Seems like there's a lot of suits in there." probably implies that you think suits are a type of person and probably a type you don't like.
  • A software developer might say to a colleague helping her on the project "oh he's just the suit" to mean "he's not important right now, because we're talking about technical stuff."
  • If you are an engineer you might introduce your partner as "the suit," which is affectionate because it is derogatory and no harm is meant. But, it is also an expedient way of saying "my partner does all the business stuff," which is ironically very important but also far removed from what "I" worry about.
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