# 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:** 5\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2006, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazingly-amusing-acronyms-examples-of-acronyms-used-for-comic-effect/368558/41 "2006-08-14T19:45:43Z")
TSA (officially the Transportation Security Administration) is among airline folks said to stand for Thousands Standing Around. I had a friend who worked for NASA. At one point he was involved with developing standards for airliners that fly ocean routes. The acronym was ETOPS - Extended Transport Overwater Performance Specifications. The unofficial version was Engines Turn or People Swim. ---
**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 14, 2006, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazingly-amusing-acronyms-examples-of-acronyms-used-for-comic-effect/368558/42 "2006-08-14T20:34:03Z")
[QUOTE=Beware of Doug] I was told by an EECS\* major at Michigan years ago that the name of the programming language APL stood for “A Programming Language.” \*Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, pron. “eeks.” [/QUOTE] You were told right. (I spent three years of my life writing machine translation software in APL. Don’t ask why. Or how.) London-based commercial TV company Carlton is supposed, by some unkind souls, to be acronymically named - Calling All Real Londoners, Turn Off Now. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2006, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazingly-amusing-acronyms-examples-of-acronyms-used-for-comic-effect/368558/43 "2006-08-15T04:09:40Z")
[QUOTE=Sternvogel] the make and model names recast as acronyms[/SIZE] [/QUOTE] SAAB = something almost always broken ---
**Author:** ![Crowbar\_of\_Irony\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f08c70/32.png) [@Crowbar\_of\_Irony\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crowbar_of_Irony_3)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2006, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazingly-amusing-acronyms-examples-of-acronyms-used-for-comic-effect/368558/44 "2006-08-15T12:32:16Z")
Here in Singapore, there’s a rather famous school called **M** ethodist’s **G** irl **S** chool. What my friend like to do is to drop into their IRC channel, and ask, “Hey, does anyone know where I can find walkthrough for MGS?” MGS as in Metal Gear Solid. ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2006, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazingly-amusing-acronyms-examples-of-acronyms-used-for-comic-effect/368558/45 "2006-08-15T20:50:45Z")
Normally, newspapers will print the full name of an organization, the first time it is mentioned in an article, then use the acronym for subsequent mentions. A columnist named Jim Belshaw will, on occasion, write a column praising president Millard Fillmore. Several times during the column, he will mention an organization called the **S** ociety for the **P** reservation and **E** nhancement of the **R** eputation of **M** illard **F** illmore, **L** ast of the **W** higs. I think Mr. Belshaw is just trying to see if he can get a family newspaper to print the acronym in their Sunday edition. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazingly-amusing-acronyms-examples-of-acronyms-used-for-comic-effect/368558.md?page=2)