Oxford University has advised staff to avoid everyday expressions such as “learn the ropes” and “find your feet”, warning they may confuse international students or rely on stereotypes.
The university’s official style guide recommends replacing familiar phrases with simpler alternatives, as part of its guidance on inclusive language and clear written communication.
The advice also cautions against using the word “blindspots”, suggesting “gaps in knowledge” instead.
Staff are encouraged to replace gender-specific terms such as “spokesman”, “chairwoman” and “mankind” with “spokesperson”, “chair” and “humankind”, respectively.
The guidance states common expressions “may not be familiar to international readers or may use stereotypes”.
Under the recommendations seen by The Sun, someone learning a new task could be described as learning “how to do that”, while a person “finding their feet” could instead be said to be “getting used to their new environment”.
The guide also advises staff to describe “deprived” students as “lower income”, or as having experienced “socioeconomic disadvantage”.
It also recommends using “they/them” pronouns rather than alternating between “he” and “she”.
The recommendations have drawn criticism from Lord Young, of the Free Speech Union, who argued international students should have the opportunity to become familiar with British culture and colloquial language.
He said: “Surely, one of the reasons international students come to Oxford is so that they can immerse themselves in our culture and master colloquial English.
“What’s next? Is Oxford going to insist all lectures have to be in Esperanto?”
Oxford defended the guidance, stressing it was intended to help staff communicate effectively rather than impose mandatory language rules.
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A spokesman said: “The style guide helps staff write clearly and consistently.
“The guide provides practical advice for written communications, from punctuation to choosing language that readers will readily understand.
“Its inclusive writing guidance is advisory and supports staff in exercising their judgment about language they use.”
The guidance forms part of the university’s broader approach to written communication, offering recommendations on everything from punctuation to word choice, while leaving staff free to exercise their own judgement over the language they use.
It follows a left-wing push to use more inclusive language in all areas of society, with Zack Polanski’s Green Party earlier this month issuing guidance to stop using words such as “nutter” and “lunatic”, alongside “mother”, “father”, and “elderly”.
The guidance points to gender-neutral phrases such as “parents and carers” instead of “mothers and fathers”, while the word “elderly” is described as “inappropriate”.
The phrase “black, asian and inority ethnic” is cautioned against, as “many people are uncomfortable with grouping diverse experiences under a single label”.
Terms such as “nutter” are also urged to be avoided, on the grounds they “reinforce negative stereotypes and stigma about mental health”.
Meanwhile, calling people “transsexual” and “homosexual” is deemed offensive according to the party because they exclude “non-binary” people.
A Green Party spokesman said: “This is an existing and standard equalities training document, similar to those found in other organisations that also take equalities seriously. It is a guide and nothing else.”
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