# Acronym puzzle **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 8, 2003, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acronym-puzzle/173948 "2003-05-08T19:16:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![zut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zut/32/2875_2.png) [@zut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zut)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2003, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acronym-puzzle/173948/41 "2003-05-09T18:04:51Z")
How about **3M**? 3M = “Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing” gives 14. I note upon Googling, that 3M apparently also stands for “Maintenance and Material Management” = 14.3. ---
**Author:** ![Shade](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2bfe46/32.png) [@Shade](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shade)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2003, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acronym-puzzle/173948/42 "2003-05-09T18:06:59Z")
Maybe we should make connecting words count for the shortest acronym contest, but not the longest? PS. F=Fahrenheit scores 10 and passes the google test. I find this amusing for some reason, despite there being higher scores above. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2003, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acronym-puzzle/173948/43 "2003-05-09T18:10:52Z")
Here’s one that ties ITU SAO (Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory) = 11.6\_ ---
**Author:** ![Kaf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/fbc32d/32.png) [@Kaf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kaf)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2003, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acronym-puzzle/173948/44 "2003-05-09T18:14:04Z")
Hmm… searching Google for ‘F’ doesn’t seem to run up fahrenheit. However, the [top link on the page](http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=lang_en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&safe=off&q=f&btnG=Google+Search) gives us a link for the stock quotes for ‘Ford Motor Company’ with F as the symbol. Which gives us 16! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Parthol](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/dec6dc/32.png) [@Parthol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Parthol)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2003, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acronym-puzzle/173948/45 "2003-05-09T18:18:17Z")
Found on [this site](http://www.ulib.iupui.edu/subjectareas/gov/docs_abbrev.html) of U.S. government acronyms: INL: Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (score: 18.33) OES: Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs (score: 21!) -P ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2003, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acronym-puzzle/173948/46 "2003-05-09T18:19:34Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by dtilque \* > \*\*Actually 10 even. You can’t count the **of**. (note the rules that have recently been posted.) \*\* Actually what I did wrong is count the letters in “American Antiquarian Booksellers’ Association” before realizing I had the name wrong. By the way, I had a brainstorm and looked for an _international_ group. Unfortunately they are the ILAB, the International League of Antiquarian Booksellers. That’s still only a 10.25. ---
**Author:** ![zut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zut/32/2875_2.png) [@zut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zut)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2003, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acronym-puzzle/173948/47 "2003-05-09T18:21:26Z")
NOAA = National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration = 11.5 Not bad for four letters. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2003, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acronym-puzzle/173948/48 "2003-05-09T18:28:00Z")
The ones like 3M and 3C seem to violate the spirit of the question. Keeping a one-to-one relationship between acronym and words, I found IBO (International Baccalaureate Organization) = 12.6\_ ---
**Author:** ![Shade](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2bfe46/32.png) [@Shade](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shade)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2003, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acronym-puzzle/173948/49 "2003-05-09T18:31:42Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Kaf \* > \*\*Hmm… searching Google for ‘F’ doesn’t seem to run up fahrenheit. > > However, the [top link on the page](http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=lang_en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&safe=off&q=f&btnG=Google+Search) gives us a link for the stock quotes for ‘Ford Motor Company’ with F as the symbol. > > Which gives us 16! 😃 \*\* :smack: :smack: :smack: :smack: I thought he said to search for ‘f acronym’ not just ‘f’, to allow acronyms that happen to coincide with common words. Sorry, never mind. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2003, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acronym-puzzle/173948/50 "2003-05-09T18:33:11Z")
Even better, and I’m surprised I’m the first for this one ISO - International Organization for Standardization = 13.3… ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2003, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acronym-puzzle/173948/51 "2003-05-09T18:40:00Z")
BT (British Telecommunications) = 12.5. Just short… maybe “Telecommunications” is the key to finding a bigger one… ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2003, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acronym-puzzle/173948/52 "2003-05-09T18:51:10Z")
Good idea r\_k. How about MTI MOBILEPHONE TELECOMMUNICATIONS INTERNATIONAL = 14 The only problem is that it doesn’t seem to pass the google test. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2003, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acronym-puzzle/173948/53 "2003-05-09T18:53:39Z")
OTIA (Office of Telecommunications and Information Applications) = 11.75, even under the strictest rules. IMTC (International Multimedia Telecommunications Consortium) = 12.75 Or how about the [Leatherstocking Telecommunications Consortium](http://www.schopeg.org/ltc/) (LTC), for a whopping 14.33? ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2003, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acronym-puzzle/173948/54 "2003-05-09T18:56:27Z")
Oh okay, that one doesn’t pass the Google test either. But that’s a silly test. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2003, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acronym-puzzle/173948/55 "2003-05-09T19:10:24Z")
I agree it’s not a good test, as the acronyms of companies and organizations usually don’t pass it. For another high scoring one, there’s CTO Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation = 14 ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2003, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acronym-puzzle/173948/56 "2003-05-09T19:21:09Z")
I wonder if, during the days of apartheid, there was a Bophuthatswanan Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis Association (BPA), for a score of 23.66 😉 ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2003, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acronym-puzzle/173948/57 "2003-05-09T19:41:14Z")
I like that BPA, but change Association to Organization to make it 24 even. A better 4-letter one is ITSO International Telecommunications Satellite Organization = 13 ---
**Author:** ![Kaf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/fbc32d/32.png) [@Kaf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kaf)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2003, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acronym-puzzle/173948/58 "2003-05-09T19:51:10Z")
So … did the antidisestablishmentarianists have a society? Or a need for telecommunications? ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2003, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acronym-puzzle/173948/59 "2003-05-09T20:00:03Z")
What we need is an Organization that deals in Antiquarian International Telecommunications (telegraph cables?). ---
**Author:** ![The\_Controvert](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dec6dc/32.png) [@The\_Controvert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Controvert)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2003, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acronym-puzzle/173948/60 "2003-05-09T20:03:00Z")
I proposed the Google test, because it seemed like an easy way to agree on the validity of an acronym. Just posting a link seemed inadequate, since I could claim SSQ (29) for supercalifragilisticexpialidocious supercalifragilisticexpialidocious quantidebiggulation and simply create a web page that claims this is an acronym. Of course, now I realize Google is probably not an ideal test, since it changes over time. After a while, googling “ssq acronym” _probably will_ return this link, making it valid. To the critics, please suggest a better test. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acronym-puzzle/173948.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acronym-puzzle/173948.md?page=4)