# Amazingly Amusing Acronyms! Examples of Acronyms used for comic effect. **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 13, 2006, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazingly-amusing-acronyms-examples-of-acronyms-used-for-comic-effect/368558 "2006-08-13T15:58:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Only\_Mostly\_Dead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/f19dbf/32.png) [@Only\_Mostly\_Dead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Only_Mostly_Dead)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2006, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazingly-amusing-acronyms-examples-of-acronyms-used-for-comic-effect/368558/1 "2006-08-13T15:58:49Z")
In another thread, there’s a bit of a sidebar about the name of the “school” in the upcoming movie _Accepted_ - South Harmon Institute of Technology. S.H.I.T. In the same thread, it is pointed out that the Simpsons did the same joke earlier, with Springfield Heights Institute of Technology. This triggered an amusing little memory of the clever names used for a local community college near my hometown: Harford Community College, in Churchville MD. One such name for the school is UCLA. University of Churchville, Left of Aberdeen. A clever acronym that should have earned its creator an immediate acceptance of his Associates degree from the school. (Another less clever name, and not an acronym, is to just slur the word “Harford” a bit, and leave it at a one word name, and maybe drunk women will assume you said “Harvard.”) Once upon a time, my father was a teacher at Overlea High School in Baltimore MD. Every year they had a school golf tournament, teachers vs students clusterfuck, that they named the Overlea Senior High Invitational Tournament, or the OSHIT. My dad subsequently had OSHIT golf towels, OSHIT tees, maybe even a few OSHIT balls. Which, really, is nicely fitting if you’re a very amateur golfer as many high schoolers or teachers are likely to be. And, to turn it around to “we didn’t mean _that_!” accidental acronyms: I get a chuckle every time I walk past an office of the [Washington Telephone Federal Credit Union](https://www.wtfcu.org/). WTF indeed. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2006, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazingly-amusing-acronyms-examples-of-acronyms-used-for-comic-effect/368558/2 "2006-08-13T16:05:15Z")
It’s not a real acronym–I saw it in a magazine cartoon–but I found it clever and never forgot it. The cartoon dealt with an organization called “Aroused Citizens Representing Oppressed New York Minorities.” Or, simply ACRONYM for short. ---
**Author:** ![Gorsnak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gorsnak/32/7587_2.png) [@Gorsnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorsnak)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2006, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazingly-amusing-acronyms-examples-of-acronyms-used-for-comic-effect/368558/3 "2006-08-13T16:08:51Z")
Once upon a time in January 2000 two Canadian right-wing political parties, the Progressive Conservatives and the Reform Party, decided to merge and held a founding convention for the new party. The name the convention initially adopted for the new party? The Canadian Conservative Reform Alliance Party. They quickly recognized the ramifications of their choice, and it ended up being just the Canadian Alliance Party, but to this day some of us like to refer to the Conservative Reform Alliance Party. ---
**Author:** ![Dervorin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Dervorin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dervorin)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2006, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazingly-amusing-acronyms-examples-of-acronyms-used-for-comic-effect/368558/4 "2006-08-13T16:13:46Z")
I just found out today that a friend of mine used to go to the Frank Anthony Public School. That was almost as amusing as the fact that she’d never heard of the term “fap”, so I had to explain what I was roaring with laughter at. ---
**Author:** ![Turek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/turek/32/18782_2.png) [@Turek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turek)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2006, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazingly-amusing-acronyms-examples-of-acronyms-used-for-comic-effect/368558/5 "2006-08-13T16:20:03Z")
Several years ago, North Texas State University (NTSU) changed their name to The University of North Texas (UNT). They did NOT change their campus radio station letters to K-UNT. (Much to the disappointment of thousands of teenaged boys in the area.) ---
**Author:** ![Raguleader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Raguleader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raguleader)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2006, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazingly-amusing-acronyms-examples-of-acronyms-used-for-comic-effect/368558/6 "2006-08-13T16:29:25Z")
Nicknames for universities in Texas: UTA (University of Texas at Arlington) = “University of Texas… Almost” TT (Texas Tech) = “Tortilla Tech” (home of the Texas Tech Tortilla Tossers :D) And some Aggie in-jokes: TS (Transportation Services) = “Ticketing Services” (They were originally PTTS, short for Parking, Transportation (another T I could never figure out) Services. I’m pretty sure the second T was likely for “Ticketing” as well. ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2006, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazingly-amusing-acronyms-examples-of-acronyms-used-for-comic-effect/368558/7 "2006-08-13T16:44:59Z")
Perhaps not quite what the OP has in mind, but there’s a running gag on _The Daily Show_ where a wide variety of organizations are referred to by name, followed by “or NAMBLA.” e.g. “The National Rifle Association, or NAMBLA”…“The Organization of Petroleum-Exporting Countries, or NAMBLA”…and so on. ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2006, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazingly-amusing-acronyms-examples-of-acronyms-used-for-comic-effect/368558/8 "2006-08-13T16:59:18Z")
[QUOTE=Dervorin] I just found out today that a friend of mine used to go to the Frank Anthony Public School. That was almost as amusing as the fact that she’d never heard of the term “fap”, so I had to explain what I was roaring with laughter at. [/QUOTE] Explain? Do you mean fop? Fortran Assembly Program? I used to live in Idaho. The university in Boise is called Boise State University. The unofficial school motto for BSU is “the school where we put the BS in front of U”. ---
**Author:** ![Sternvogel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc79bd/32.png) [@Sternvogel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sternvogel)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2006, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazingly-amusing-acronyms-examples-of-acronyms-used-for-comic-effect/368558/9 "2006-08-13T17:04:25Z")
I’ve seen sneering references to the University of Southern California (USC) as the “University of Spoiled Children” and to Northern Arizona University (NAU) as “Not A University”. And, as anyone who was a USA resident during the Watergate era should remember, the pro-Nixon **C** ommittee to **Re-E** lect the **P** resident was known as CREEP. ---
**Author:** ![Dottygumdrop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ce73a5/32.png) [@Dottygumdrop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dottygumdrop)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2006, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazingly-amusing-acronyms-examples-of-acronyms-used-for-comic-effect/368558/10 "2006-08-13T17:35:05Z")
A friend of mine once went to [Armidale University](http://www.une.edu.au/), in New South Wales’ northern tablelands region. There are a couple of other small university colleges in the region and a few (read about 20) years back, there was a plan to unify them. The name suggested for the unified universities was the **C** ombined **U** niversities of the **N** orthern **T** ablelands. The name was nixed after someone pointed out the acronym! :smack: ---
**Author:** ![CanvasShoes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/74df32/32.png) [@CanvasShoes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CanvasShoes)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2006, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazingly-amusing-acronyms-examples-of-acronyms-used-for-comic-effect/368558/11 "2006-08-13T17:47:18Z")
[QUOTE=Dervorin] I just found out today that a friend of mine used to go to the Frank Anthony Public School. That was almost as amusing as the fact that she’d never heard of the term “fap”, so I had to explain what I was roaring with laughter at. [/QUOTE] Okay…I give. What is a fap? ---
**Author:** ![Spongemom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/278dde/32.png) [@Spongemom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spongemom)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2006, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazingly-amusing-acronyms-examples-of-acronyms-used-for-comic-effect/368558/12 "2006-08-13T17:55:56Z")
[QUOTE=CanvasShoes] Okay…I give. What is a fap? [/QUOTE] [An inherited condition](http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/diseases/facts/fpc.htm) caused by a mutation in a gene that is inherited in an autosomal dominant way. Or… [“Fap”](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fap) is also an onomatopoeia and a verb referring to masturbation, gaining popularity after its use in the webcomic Sexy Losers. The slang meaning for the word, “to masturbate furiously” ---
**Author:** ![CanvasShoes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/74df32/32.png) [@CanvasShoes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CanvasShoes)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2006, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazingly-amusing-acronyms-examples-of-acronyms-used-for-comic-effect/368558/13 "2006-08-13T17:59:01Z")
[QUOTE=Spongemom] Or… [“Fap”](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fap) is also an onomatopoeia and a verb referring to masturbation, gaining popularity after its use in the webcomic Sexy Losers. The slang meaning for the word, “to masturbate furiously” [/QUOTE] Ewwwww.. But SNORT!!! 😃 Thanks, I had no idea. ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2006, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazingly-amusing-acronyms-examples-of-acronyms-used-for-comic-effect/368558/14 "2006-08-13T18:47:02Z")
**G** et **R** id **O** f **S** limy Girl **S** ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_Wright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@Steve\_Wright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_Wright)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2006, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazingly-amusing-acronyms-examples-of-acronyms-used-for-comic-effect/368558/15 "2006-08-13T18:58:58Z")
I was at Newcastle upon Tyne Polytechnic at the time it became a university. The name “City University of Newcastle upon Tyne” was under consideration at one point. (They eventually settled for “the University of Northumbria at Newcastle”. Boring.) ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2006, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazingly-amusing-acronyms-examples-of-acronyms-used-for-comic-effect/368558/16 "2006-08-13T21:45:24Z")
[QUOTE=Spongemom] [An inherited condition](http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/diseases/facts/fpc.htm) caused by a mutation in a gene that is inherited in an autosomal dominant way. Or… [“Fap”](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fap) is also an onomatopoeia and a verb referring to masturbation, gaining popularity after its use in the webcomic Sexy Losers. The slang meaning for the word, “to masturbate furiously” [/QUOTE] It was also the favorite word in lieu of a curse word in an old comic strip, possibly Bringing Up Father, but something tells me maybe not. Anyway, whenever frustrated to anger, the character would say “Fap!” ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2006, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazingly-amusing-acronyms-examples-of-acronyms-used-for-comic-effect/368558/17 "2006-08-13T21:58:06Z")
[QUOTE=Sternvogel] I’ve seen sneering references to the University of Southern California (USC) as the “University of Spoiled Children” and to Northern Arizona University (NAU) as “Not A University”. [/QUOTE] UCLA is refered to by Trojans as the “Universal College of Lowered Aspirations.” Our school district dropped in a quick hyphen when they named the latest construction Parkview Middle School. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Khampelf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Khampelf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khampelf)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2006, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazingly-amusing-acronyms-examples-of-acronyms-used-for-comic-effect/368558/18 "2006-08-13T22:09:15Z")
In one of Trevanian’s Novels, I forget which, He mentions an Intelligence position known as the ‘Deputy International Liason Duty Officer’, who was always referred to by the acronym. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2006, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazingly-amusing-acronyms-examples-of-acronyms-used-for-comic-effect/368558/19 "2006-08-13T22:17:41Z")
You mean besides the Commitee for the Liberation and Integration of Terrifying Organisms and their Rehabilitation Into Society? ---
**Author:** ![Zahava424](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/76d3ee/32.png) [@Zahava424](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zahava424)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2006, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazingly-amusing-acronyms-examples-of-acronyms-used-for-comic-effect/368558/20 "2006-08-13T22:19:42Z")
In a Dilbert comic, the Pointy-Haired Boss’ secretary, Carol, ordered him new business cards. He came to her and told her that the next time she ordered new cards, she should write out his full title: **D** irector **O** f **P** roduct **E** nhancements, rather than using the acronym DOPE. Her response was that she hadn’t known that his full title was Director Of Product Enhancements. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazingly-amusing-acronyms-examples-of-acronyms-used-for-comic-effect/368558.md?page=2)