# ATBACFNO: Acronyms To Be All Caps From Now On **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 2, 2003, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atbacfno-acronyms-to-be-all-caps-from-now-on/216386 "2003-12-02T01:21:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Torgo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@Torgo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Torgo)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2003, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atbacfno-acronyms-to-be-all-caps-from-now-on/216386/1 "2003-12-02T01:21:02Z")
[Spurred on by this exercise in profoundness](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=226557), I’ve decided that acronyms should always be capitalized, AP and Columbia be damned. Why? Let’s face it folks; when we see **NASA** spelled **Nasa** a little voice goes off in our heads: that looks _retarded_. Some of us think that once an acronym becomes a word, i.e. **scuba** or **laser** , it ceases to be capitalized. Yeah, well I’ve changed the rules on that one Chachi. I don’t care how excremently long it’s been in the general parlance, **scuba** henceforth is now **SCUBA**. News flash: the **Nasdaq** market is not named for Clarence Nasdaq. It’s the National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotation, or **NASDAQ** if you please. Like to watch them little nascars go fast around the track? Well, Cletus, you’ve the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, or **NASCAR** to thank for that. I wasn’t sure whether this belongs in the Pit or not. I figured if folks wanted to debate I’d best put it here. Just don’t move it to the Bbq Pit. ---
**Author:** ![racer72](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/racer72/32/3075_2.png) [@racer72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racer72)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2003, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atbacfno-acronyms-to-be-all-caps-from-now-on/216386/2 "2003-12-02T01:29:00Z")
WTF! Let’s make them big too. And don’t call me Cletus, NASCAR is always capalized. Only heathens type it Nascar. ---
**Author:** ![Already\_in\_Use](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a9adbd/32.png) [@Already\_in\_Use](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Already_in_Use)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2003, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atbacfno-acronyms-to-be-all-caps-from-now-on/216386/3 "2003-12-02T12:24:21Z")
If you want me to follow those rules, you’d better cough up some dough. After all, tanstaafl. ---
**Author:** ![green\_bladder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/73ab20/32.png) [@green\_bladder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/green_bladder)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2003, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atbacfno-acronyms-to-be-all-caps-from-now-on/216386/4 "2003-12-02T12:39:41Z")
ok ---
**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:** [December 2, 2003, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atbacfno-acronyms-to-be-all-caps-from-now-on/216386/5 "2003-12-02T13:41:48Z")
You’re perfectly free to use that as your own personal style, but everyone else can also do whatever they please about it, too. If they want to use Nasdaq (which, BTW, is not correct, since NASDAQ spells it all caps), that’s their choice. ---
**Author:** ![JohnBckWLD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d6d6ee/32.png) [@JohnBckWLD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnBckWLD)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2003, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atbacfno-acronyms-to-be-all-caps-from-now-on/216386/6 "2003-12-02T18:06:46Z")
What about acronyms that are also words & generally unknown? Like the US Army acronym: FUGAZI (Fucked Up, Got Ambushed, Zipped In) What about Gov’t Acronyms, that are also proper names? i e: Fannie Mae & Ginnie Mae What about an acronym with 2 different meanings, one with periods, one without? For example: IRA (Individual Retirement Account) & I.R.A. (Irish Republican Army). Does this sentence look correct? One would marvel at the Library of Congress’ MARVEL (Machine Assisted Realization of the Virtual Electronic Library). I don’t know about you, but asthetically, I prefer… Zip code over ZIP code.