h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

You don't seem to mention bosses. In my experience, the characteristics of your boss make a great difference. I've met bullying bosses, and a boss who was so depressed that, when he went out, I used to worry that he might throw himself out of the window (we were on the 16th floor). The best bosses are those who are relaxed enough not to fuss about the small stuff but who can motivate staff when important work needs doing.

Our boss was a lovely woman. She spoke several languages, published papers in bibliometry, and swore like a trooper. She was a good cat-herder, but basically, we regarded ourselves as an autonomous collective.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-8bqQ-C1PSE

Your "Buttered no parsnips" translation reminded me of a deliberately silly translation that we came up with in the Renaissance choral group I once sang in. Monteverdi's "Ecco mormorar londe" became "Echoes murmur in the laundry."

But sometimes an apparently silly phrase turns out to be a simple idiomatic expression. " ¡Vete a freír a espárragos!" means "go fry some asparagus," but it's really telling you to go away and not be annoying.
http://madridfoodtour.com/5-spanish-food-idioms-and-how-to-use-them/

Bosses: In my experience, the best bosses are the ones that did not aspire to be one in the first place. They just rely on the assumption that you know best how to do the job and leave you to it. As long as you get the job done without anyone else complaining.

Office geekery: in my open office, when someone hums a few bars, we try to complete the song.

Did you know that on Dutch national radio there is an item where people can send in songs where they hear something different than originally intended. (I think this phenomenon is called a mondegreen)
example original lyric: "Money is the root of all evil."
Someone heard "Hanny is de moeder van Ivo" which translates back to "Hanny is the mother of Ivo"
Many a song has been ruined that way, because after hearing the alternative you can't go back to not hearing it.

Yes Mondegreen it is! A1091341

" They just rely on the assumption that you know best how to do the job and leave you to it. As long as you get the job done without anyone else complaining."

Yes, that is a good manager type for many jobs I've had a variety of experiences, from 'micromanagement that stopped the job getting done' to 'so laissez-faire they were reluctant to help when there was a problem the staff couldn't fix' but at the moment I am fortunate to be in the 'happy medium'

Is the medium the message, then?