Word on the street Grass ceiling

What it means:No, it's not some topsy-turvy trend in home decoration; you're more likely to come across the grass ceiling in your workplace – especially if you're a female executive trying to get up those last few rungs of the corporate ladder. You may have overcome discrimination and sexism to reach your high-flying position in the company, but there may still be one green, well-manicured barrier preventing you from taking those final few steps to the top: the golf course. For all the advances women have made in the boardroom, golf remains a male preserve, and many exclusive golf clubs still exclude women. You gotta break through the grass ceiling, ladies, if you want to avoid the career sandtrap.

Where it comes from:Since prehistoric times, when cavemen whacked dodo skulls around a field with their clubs for sport, golf has been a way to forge business relationships, expand networks and get ahead in your career. You didn't play for pleasure – you played for power.

Golf has long been seen as an acronym for “gentlemen only; ladies forbidden”, but its days as a male bastion are numbered, as more women realise the benefits of golf as a business development tool. Last summer, former US secretary of state Condoleeza Rice was granted membership of the traditionally all-male Augusta National golf club in Georgia – more power to her.

How to say it:"They may have broken through the grass ceiling, guys, but they'll never get through the potting shed door."