A: Did your brother sign the contract with the private equity fund?

B: No, he went for a bog-standard analyst position with a bank instead, but with at least 50 percent more salary.

Note: This term means “having no special or interesting qualities, average.” Although first recorded in the early 1960s, this term has been in colloquial use in the U.K. before then. Given that it is quite a colorful-sounding phrase and that it is quite recent, it is surprising that a definitive origin can’t be found. Most of the early citations come from the technical world, either computing or engineering. The word “bog” has long been used in the U.K. to mean “toilet.” Some say it was coined in the BBC as a derogatory description of the production values of their rival ATV. For example: I’ve got a bog-standard computer, but it’s fine for just sending emails and surfing the Internet.