# Acronyms in common use with multiple meanings **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 22, 2009, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acronyms-in-common-use-with-multiple-meanings/490337 "2009-03-22T14:59:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2009, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acronyms-in-common-use-with-multiple-meanings/490337/21 "2009-03-22T17:13:44Z")
MILF - Moro Islamic Liberation Front or something altogether different. I was a bit flustered the first time I was offered STD insurance, too. šŸ˜ƒ ---
**Author:** ![Cub\_Mistress](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ea666f/32.png) [@Cub\_Mistress](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cub_Mistress)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2009, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acronyms-in-common-use-with-multiple-meanings/490337/22 "2009-03-22T17:37:50Z")
In nursing, SOB means short of breath, not Son of a Bitch. ---
**Author:** ![Rayne\_Man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/df705f/32.png) [@Rayne\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rayne_Man)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2009, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acronyms-in-common-use-with-multiple-meanings/490337/23 "2009-03-22T17:58:33Z")
> [@Larry\_Mudd](#): > > I was a bit flustered the first time I was offered STD insurance, too. šŸ˜ƒ Thatā€™s in case you dial the wrong number, and you end up by paying for an unwanted call. ---
**Author:** ![waterj2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/858c86/32.png) [@waterj2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/waterj2)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2009, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acronyms-in-common-use-with-multiple-meanings/490337/24 "2009-03-22T17:59:50Z")
> [@Zeldar](#): > > A current thread is dealing with AWB (Assault Weapons Ban) and I assumed (before the mouseover) that is was about [Average White Band](http://www.averagewhiteband.com/)(showing my age, Iā€™m sure). Thus this thread. AWB (second sense) may not qualify for the titleā€™s ā€œcommon useā€ stipulation, but at least itā€™s an example. > > Got some good ones of your own? AWB always make me think of the Automatic White Balance setting on cameras. ---
**Author:** ![KRC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/45deac/32.png) [@KRC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KRC)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2009, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acronyms-in-common-use-with-multiple-meanings/490337/25 "2009-03-22T18:04:21Z")
In the store the other day I saw a man with swaztikas and the initials SWP tattooed on his arm. I wondered why a neo-nazi would be a member of the Socialist Workersā€™ Party. Did the man have multiple personalities? Later someone told me that in the US SWP stands for Supreme White Power. ---
**Author:** ![TWDuke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e495f1/32.png) [@TWDuke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TWDuke)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2009, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acronyms-in-common-use-with-multiple-meanings/490337/26 "2009-03-22T18:16:05Z")
It always amuses my inner adolescent to see that someone has received a BS degree. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2009, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acronyms-in-common-use-with-multiple-meanings/490337/27 "2009-03-22T18:18:37Z")
Please permit me to get this off my mind since a post reminded me of it. A teacher asked one of her students what his initials OZ stood for. He replied ā€œHenri Xavier.ā€ (say it aloud) ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Knig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cdc98d/32.png) [@Typo\_Knig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Knig)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2009, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acronyms-in-common-use-with-multiple-meanings/490337/28 "2009-03-22T18:24:26Z")
MAC Just in the computer world it can stand for: Media Access Control Message Authentication Code Mandatory Access Control or Macintosh computer (not an acronym, but gimme a break) and [other things](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mac) as well! Yes, it would be easier if we just called them all Bruce. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2009, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acronyms-in-common-use-with-multiple-meanings/490337/29 "2009-03-22T18:26:41Z")
> [@PatriotGrrrl](#): > > ATM can be Automatic Teller Machine or Asynchronous Transfer Mode. ATM has other meanings too. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2009, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acronyms-in-common-use-with-multiple-meanings/490337/30 "2009-03-22T18:28:00Z")
SWF can be either Shockwave/Flash, in a Web technology context, or Single White Female, in a personal ad. There was some confusion in Cafe Society some time back when someone referred to the Babylon 5 spinoff movie ā€œLegend of the Rangersā€ as ā€œLotRā€. And around here, whenever anyone says ā€œMSUā€, they invariably mean Montana State University, but I understand most of the country has a different interpretation. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2009, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acronyms-in-common-use-with-multiple-meanings/490337/31 "2009-03-22T18:30:23Z")
> [@](#): > > ATM has other meanings too. Certainly, but I canā€™t think of any of them at the moment. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2009, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acronyms-in-common-use-with-multiple-meanings/490337/32 "2009-03-22T18:40:22Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Certainly, but I canā€™t think of any of them at the moment. I see what you did there. šŸ™‚ ---
**Author:** ![Stealth\_Potato](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Stealth\_Potato](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stealth_Potato)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2009, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acronyms-in-common-use-with-multiple-meanings/490337/33 "2009-03-22T18:44:17Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > And around here, whenever anyone says ā€œMSUā€, they invariably mean Montana State University, but I understand most of the country has a different interpretation. Yeah. Everywhere else weā€™d assume you were referring to _Michigan_ State University. ---
**Author:** ![Amp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Amp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amp)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2009, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acronyms-in-common-use-with-multiple-meanings/490337/34 "2009-03-22T19:00:45Z")
Everytime I see RPG I think of Rocket Propelled Grenade. Ninety-nine percnet of the time they are talking about a Role Playing Game. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2009, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acronyms-in-common-use-with-multiple-meanings/490337/35 "2009-03-22T19:11:06Z")
> [@Amp](#): > > Everytime I see RPG I think of Rocket Propelled Grenade. Ninety-nine percnet of the time they are talking about a Role Playing Game. There are times when I canā€™t even avoid thinking of the old programming ā€œlanguageā€ which I believe was Report Program Generator. ---
**Author:** ![Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/malleus_incus_stapes/32/3293_2.png) [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malleus_Incus_Stapes)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2009, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acronyms-in-common-use-with-multiple-meanings/490337/36 "2009-03-22T19:45:37Z")
> [@TWDuke](#): > > It always amuses my inner adolescent to see that someone has received a BS degree. Glad to see Iā€™m not the only one. ---
**Author:** ![LurkMeister](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3da27b/32.png) [@LurkMeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkMeister)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2009, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acronyms-in-common-use-with-multiple-meanings/490337/37 "2009-03-22T19:53:44Z")
CIA - Central Intelligence Agency or Culinary Institute of America. Unless, of course youā€™re a conspiracy theorist and think that the latter is a covert branch of the former, training chefs who work as undercover operatives. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2009, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acronyms-in-common-use-with-multiple-meanings/490337/38 "2009-03-22T19:58:30Z")
**ERA** used to be Earned Run Average or Equal Rights Amendment. ---
**Author:** ![Kerrigan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/49beb7/32.png) [@Kerrigan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kerrigan)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2009, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acronyms-in-common-use-with-multiple-meanings/490337/39 "2009-03-22T20:25:20Z")
AAA - all of these are dear to my heart American Automobile Association Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Or the highest level of a Major League Baseball teamā€™s minor league system. ---
**Author:** ![caveman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/caveman/32/7242_2.png) [@caveman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/caveman)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2009, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acronyms-in-common-use-with-multiple-meanings/490337/40 "2009-03-22T20:34:15Z")
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