Arthur’s jargon buster
What does “Move the needle” mean?
Make a noticeable difference.
“An impressive phrase. Which needle?” — Arthur
In context
It is often used when someone wants meaningful progress. Without a measure, nobody knows what counts as enough.
A clearer version
“Reduce unanswered customer emails from 40 a week to 10.”
Where it gets vague
Add the result you hope to change and how you will recognise it.
Try it in the translator →