When I landed in Washington, D.C., for my summer internship on Capitol Hill—I did this in May and June, and started at The Dispatch in July—I had a few rookie worries: business professional or business casual? Where exactly do I walk in on day one without looking completely lost? What if I accidentally get into an elevator with a senator? Still, one thing I was pretty sure about was that I spoke English.
That confidence took a hit in my very first meeting, when someone said we’d “circle back,” someone else mentioned “synergy,” and a third person wanted to “bump this to the top of the funnel.” I smiled. I nodded. And 15 minutes later, I was frantically Googling in a bathroom stall.
Turns out that was just the beginning. Over the summer, I collected a running list of phrases, acronyms, and buzzwords I nodded along to but only later decoded. I know I’m not alone: Nearly every intern I met had their mental dictionary and moments of quiet confusion. Here’s my unofficial guide to the language of Capitol buzzwords, where sounding fluent is half the battle.
Acronyms you’re supposed to know.
- CODEL: Short for “Congressional Delegation,” which is a fancy way of saying “Senator X, Senator Y, and Senator Z are traveling to Country A.” Think of it as Congress’ version of a study-abroad program—with fewer classes, more geopolitical drama, and just as much back and forth over where to order takeout and what time to fly out.
- FYSA: Stands for “For Your Situational Awareness.” It’s an upgraded FYI that makes you feel like you’re in the middle of high-stakes policymaking, even if it’s just being used to refer to a broken coffee machine. It’s the professional way of saying, “Hey, this might matter, so stay alert.”
- RAH: Another way to say “Read at Home.” It’s congressional-speak for the memos and documents they expect you to review after hours. In other words, it’s adult homework.
Buzzwords (and phrases) that deserve a gold medal.
- Top of the funnel: The very start of a process, whether it’s recruiting, fundraising, or outreach. Think of it like casting a wide net to catch as many fish as possible before narrowing down to the intended catch.
- Bandwidth: How much time or brainpower someone else has left (spoiler: usually not much). When someone says, “I don’t have the bandwidth,” it usually means they’re probably juggling eight meetings crammed into a four-meeting time slot and racing to pick up a toddler from music class, all before lunch.
- Synergy: A word that sounds like it should mean something … but doesn’t. In D.C., “synergy” is often used in meetings to imply collaboration, productivity, and a positive atmosphere. When someone says, “Let’s create synergy between our teams,” they usually mean: “Let’s schedule a meeting that could’ve been an email, and then forget to follow up.” Fun fact: Synergy is also the name of a kombucha brand, which feels fitting: slightly fizzy, vaguely healthy, and more fun to talk about drinking than actually drinking.
- Mission critical: Used when something absolutely must happen—or at least sound like it must. Declare your proposal “mission critical” and suddenly it’s top priority. It could, in theory, be nuclear deterrence. More likely, it’s optimizing snack deliveries.
- Low-hanging fruit: The easy wins you should probably tackle first, because who doesn’t love checking off quick tasks and feeling productive?
- Per my last email: The polite-but-not-so-subtle reminder that, yes, you already told them this. Sometimes it’s gentle, sometimes it’s passive-aggressive, sometimes it’s a helpful nudge to keep everybody on the same page.
- Square the circle: Trying to make the impossible possible, or at least sound like you did. For a real example, watch Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin—the self-proclaimed fiscal hawk—express concern about a ballooning budget during a Senate Homeland Security Committee hearing, then vote for the One Big Beautiful Bill Act anyway. Classic square-the-circle moment.
The implicit meaning of all of these phrases together is that language in D.C. isn’t just about clear communication—it’s a way of maintaining insider status. The jargon, acronyms, and buzzwords form a kind of code that can make even well-informed outsiders feel out of step until they learn the lingo.
Of course, insider lingo isn’t unique to Washington. Every place, from small towns to large cities, has its special way of communicating. But in the nation’s capital, where the decisions of some affect the lives of all, it’s worth considering how these linguistic barriers can block people from understanding and engaging with the democratic process. Indeed, those who campaign on bringing in outsiders and “draining the swamp” are responding to the reality that D.C. can be tough for anyone who doesn’t already speak its language. Mastering the jargon is often the first step to being taken seriously—but it also highlights how much effort is needed to make the system more accessible to all Americans.
By week 11, I stopped racing to the bathroom to Google terms and started building a mental glossary. I even found myself saying things like “mission critical” or “square the circle”—proof that D.C.’s language is contagious. While I’m still learning to nod with confidence while decoding in real time, I’ve realized this: In D.C., sounding like you know what you’re doing is half the battle. The other half? Having the courage to ask, or Google, afterward.
Please note that we at The Dispatch hold ourselves, our work, and our commenters to a higher standard than other places on the internet. We welcome comments that foster genuine debate or discussion—including comments critical of us or our work—but responses that include ad hominem attacks on fellow Dispatch members or are intended to stoke fear and anger may be moderated.
With your membership, you only have the ability to comment on The Morning Dispatch articles. Consider upgrading to join the conversation everywhere.