I have struggled with this one for about a decade.

I wonder when it started – the use of “around” to mean “concerning” (or simply, “about”).  Thus – “During the meeting this morning, we had a discussion around the proposed merger,” or, “I really did not understand the candidate’s comments around contraception.”

Ack.

I am grateful that this usage has not seeped into my two online, frequently unreliable, dictionary sources.  In fact, I cannot find an entry in either of them that suggests that it is proper to use “around” to mean “about,” as in “concerning” or “regarding.”

Yet, I hear this usage frequently in the media and in corporate contexts.

“About” can clearly properly mean “concerning” or “regarding.”  “I am reading a book about modern warfare,” or, “I’m so glad we could express our feelings about what is going on in class.”

Several usage websites refer to this improper usage as “irritating jargon.”  I’m with them.

Perhaps “about” sounds too colloquial.  It’s not.

If one needs to sound educated or professional or cool, and just can’t say “about,” one should try “concerning.”