Reach out

An expression confected by the Americans as a way of saying “speak to” while conveying an insincere tone of compassion and self-sacrifice on the part of the person uttering it, as if the act of “reaching out” will magically gladden the reachee’s working day, and not compound her already significant existential despair.

Fans of this expression should tread carefully: one can over-extend the metaphor. An unfortunate lady managing director at Goldman once offered to “reach around” a group of operations personnel in London, and was surprised with the enthusiasm with which her offer was taken up.

Dismaying variations:

• “reach out and touch”
• “reach out and connect with”