# Acronyms that don't stand for anything anymore **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 8, 2011, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acronyms-that-dont-stand-for-anything-anymore/573982 "2011-03-08T23:55:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![donnie\_darko](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecae2f/32.png) [@donnie\_darko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/donnie_darko)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2011, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acronyms-that-dont-stand-for-anything-anymore/573982/41 "2011-03-09T12:13:06Z")
laser! ---
**Author:** ![Philster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2011, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acronyms-that-dont-stand-for-anything-anymore/573982/42 "2011-03-09T12:37:19Z")
I nominate: GMC GMAC IBM ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2011, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acronyms-that-dont-stand-for-anything-anymore/573982/43 "2011-03-09T12:52:06Z")
GMC is a good one! I _think_ it means General Motors Commerical, as in commercial vehicles. These days, however, GMC’s are consumer vehicles, and the commercial vehicles have Chevrolet badges! ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2011, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acronyms-that-dont-stand-for-anything-anymore/573982/44 "2011-03-09T13:17:20Z")
SAT used to be Scholastic Aptitude Test and Scholastic Assessment Test, but now is the SAT Reasoning Test and since 1993, the letters **SAT** haven’t stood for anything. ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2011, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acronyms-that-dont-stand-for-anything-anymore/573982/45 "2011-03-09T13:22:58Z")
> [@Diceman](#): > > GMC is a good one! I _think_ it means General Motors Commerical, as in commercial vehicles. These days, however, GMC’s are consumer vehicles, and the commercial vehicles have Chevrolet badges! I thought it was General Motors Coach. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2011, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acronyms-that-dont-stand-for-anything-anymore/573982/46 "2011-03-09T13:33:29Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > GE still calls itself General Electric Company and GM still calls itself General Motors Company. Officially, but you’d be hard pressed to see them used in anywhere but the fine print on legal documents. GM does seem to use it, but GE always refers to itself and its brands as GE in all advertising. ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2011, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acronyms-that-dont-stand-for-anything-anymore/573982/47 "2011-03-09T14:15:07Z")
> [@AaronX](#): > > I think mp3 and USB still mean things, so they don’t count. Even MPEG (mp3 is actually MPEG layer 3) and JPEG still mean things. I agree. Just because many people do not know what an acronym stands for does not mean it does not stand for anything. > [@AaronX](#): > > However, if you want to count them, you might as well add IEEE. Doesn’t it still stand for Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers? (And if not, why not? Has the organization’s mission shifted or broadened significantly beyond supporting the professional interests of electrical and electronics engineers?) ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2011, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acronyms-that-dont-stand-for-anything-anymore/573982/48 "2011-03-09T14:15:58Z")
> [@Icarus](#): > > KFC No longer true-the official company line is that it once again stands for “Kentucky Fried Chicken.” [Cite.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kfc) ---
**Author:** ![The\_Hamster\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8edcca/32.png) [@The\_Hamster\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Hamster_King)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2011, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acronyms-that-dont-stand-for-anything-anymore/573982/49 "2011-03-09T14:18:08Z")
Exxon is a distant echo of Standard Oil --\> SO --\> Esso. ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Nader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Darth\_Nader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Nader)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2011, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acronyms-that-dont-stand-for-anything-anymore/573982/50 "2011-03-09T14:26:31Z")
LG really wants folks to forget they used to be Lucky / GoldStar. ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2011, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acronyms-that-dont-stand-for-anything-anymore/573982/51 "2011-03-09T14:38:29Z")
> [@A.Gwilliam](#): > > The NatWest (a bank in the UK) used to be the National Westminster Bank. It still is the National Westminster Bank; it’s just better known by its abbreviated name. Another example of this is the ruling Conservative Party; its full and official name registered with the Electoral Commission is actually the Conservative and Unionist Party. ---
**Author:** ![SimonMoon5](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@SimonMoon5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SimonMoon5)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2011, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acronyms-that-dont-stand-for-anything-anymore/573982/52 "2011-03-09T14:52:02Z")
GSN used to be the Game Show Network. But they apparently didn’t want to be tied down to such a niche genre… which basically means they can show high stakes poker (which is a show about a game, but isn’t technically a game show). ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2011, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acronyms-that-dont-stand-for-anything-anymore/573982/53 "2011-03-09T15:52:34Z")
A lot of United Nations agencies go through this kind of thing, I believe. There’s an agency called UN/CEFACT whose long form name is the U.N. Center for Trade Facilitation and Electronic Business. It was originally called the U.N. Center for Electronic Facilitation of Administration, Commerce, and Transportation. > [@tumbleddown](#): > > PNC Bank is another. It was once Pittsburgh National Corporation technically, but did business as Pittsburgh National Bank and was known colloquially as PNB, locally. Mergers, acquisitions and so on brought us to PNC today. I think it’s because when the Pittsburgh National Corp. and the Provident National Corp. (of Philadelphia) merged, “PNC” allowed them to avoid using a Pittsburgh name for its Philadelphia customers and vice versa. > [@Philster](#): > > IBM IBM is definitely not orphaned. It still appears as International Business Machines Corp. in formal and legal contexts, although the Associated Press stylebook allows for “IBM” on first reference. ---
**Author:** ![A.Gwilliam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ea5d25/32.png) [@A.Gwilliam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/A.Gwilliam)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2011, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acronyms-that-dont-stand-for-anything-anymore/573982/54 "2011-03-09T16:02:24Z")
> [@panamajack](#): > > I’m pretty sure HSBC is an orphan, given that the British interest in the cities isn’t what it once was (it’s the erstwhile Hong Kong & Shanghai Banking Corporation). I don’t follow your line of reasoning here about the British…? > [@psychonaut](#): > > It still is the National Westminster Bank; it’s just better known by its abbreviated name. Hm! I was **sure** that they’d formally adopted “NatWest” as their legal name; but you’re absolutely right, they didn’t. D’oh! :smack: What about the “WWF”? Used to be the “World Wildlife Fund”, but now I believe they’re the “Worldwide Fund for Nature”. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2011, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acronyms-that-dont-stand-for-anything-anymore/573982/55 "2011-03-09T16:33:39Z")
> [@A.Gwilliam](#): > > I don’t follow your line of reasoning here about the British…? HSBC was founded in 1865 in London as the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corp., a time when the terms “Hongkong” and “Shanghai” carried positive and intriguing suggestions for the British public. It remains a London-based bank, but its British public probably doesn’t have the same feelings about the terms “Hongkong” and “Shanghai” that were extant in 1865. ---
**Author:** ![A.Gwilliam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ea5d25/32.png) [@A.Gwilliam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/A.Gwilliam)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2011, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acronyms-that-dont-stand-for-anything-anymore/573982/56 "2011-03-09T16:48:48Z")
> [@acsenray](#): > > HSBC was founded in 1865 in London as the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corp., a time when the terms “Hongkong” and “Shanghai” carried positive and intriguing suggestions for the British public. It remains a London-based bank, but its British public probably doesn’t have the same feelings about the terms “Hongkong” and “Shanghai” that were extant in 1865. I was under the impression that it was founded in the Far East. Wikipedia agrees with me. (The name “Banking Corporation” certainly doesn’t sound British.) I think it only became London-based when they took over the old Midland Bank. Incidentally, there’s been talk in the news here recently that they’re considering moving their headquarters to Hong Kong. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2011, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acronyms-that-dont-stand-for-anything-anymore/573982/57 "2011-03-09T16:52:49Z")
> [@A.Gwilliam](#): > > I was under the impression that it was founded in the Far East. Wikipedia agrees with me. (The name “Banking Corporation” certainly doesn’t sound British.) Regardless, you get the point. It was founded by British people for (at least some proportion of) British customers. ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2011, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acronyms-that-dont-stand-for-anything-anymore/573982/58 "2011-03-09T17:35:12Z")
> [@Nars\_Glinley](#): > > I thought it was General Motors Coach. Could be. I checked the Wikipedia page for GMC, but it doesn’t say what the initials mean. ---
**Author:** ![Charley](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/97f17d/32.png) [@Charley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charley)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2011, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acronyms-that-dont-stand-for-anything-anymore/573982/59 "2011-03-09T19:22:48Z")
SAP - started as German, was reverse engineered to an English version, now doesn’t stand for anything. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2011, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acronyms-that-dont-stand-for-anything-anymore/573982/60 "2011-03-09T20:04:12Z")
> [@Diceman](#): > > Could be. I checked the Wikipedia page for GMC, but it doesn’t say what the initials mean. Well, the Wikipedia page does say that it was originally the General Motors Truck Co., and this gave way to GMC Truck. So, it seems to me that the _C_ is for _company_. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acronyms-that-dont-stand-for-anything-anymore/573982.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acronyms-that-dont-stand-for-anything-anymore/573982.md?page=4)