They find it hard to decipher figures of speech, facial expressions and tones of voice, and are frequently (but unintentionally) concise and literal to the point of rudeness.
Description: the 2010 top ten buzzwords is "quibble" magazine readers recommended by language experts, jointly selected after much discussion the council.
Mr Tenet's book would have had a better reception if he had spent less time justifying a phrase and more time explaining how to repair his damaged agency.