For some reason people at my office regularly use the word bailiwick. I find this very odd. It is not a common word. Furthermore, they don’t use it in any legal sense. Rather, they say things like, “well that assignment isn’t really my bailiwick.” Bizarre! Firstly, there are any number of words that are far more common that one could use in that context (purview, jurisdiction, responsibility, etc..). Next, these are not people who are prone to flowery or baroque language. It would be much more normal if they said “That’s not my assignment” or “I don’t know anything about that.” Lastly, we aren’t English bailiffs from the 15th century. This is clearly some sort of etymological virus that’s spreading throughout the firm and I intent to stop it. It sounds silly.