I still like Douglas R. Hofstadter’s “CYCOHATALAT?”. (“Could you come over here and take a look at this?”)
Um, technically an acronym is a pronounceable word made from an abbreviation, like NATO or Scuba (or LOL, gods help us.) Ones that you spell out, such as STFU, are just abbreviations. But it may be a little late in the day for this.
At any rate, I live for good acronyms. My affinity group in Quebec City was Fags ANd Dykes Against Neoliberal Globalization and Oppression, or FANDANGO. And I suggested a coalition for the peace marches last winter called QUeers Against Always Letting the US Destroy Everything, or QUAALUDE.
I also suggested the McGill Pagan Association be named the McGill University Pagan Paths and Esoteric Traditions Society, or MUPPETS. (It’s time to light the incense, it’s time to start the rite…) Unfortunately they didn’t go for it.
At least the McGill science students have some good ones, like the McGill University Chemistry Undergraduate Society or Biochemistry UnderGraduate Society.
MUPPETS would’ve been cool though. I was only involved with Amnesty International, so there’s not much you can do with the name of an established organization.
And I was in the Society of Linguistics Undergraduates of McGill.
Bit of a tangent, but the chemistry club at Iowa State is the Society of Chemistry Undergraduate Majors.
IDTSPU
I do that so people understand.
MOTO: master of the obvious
Of course, us CS types use abbreviations obsessively. And acronyms, too, but the abbreviations we use are rarely spoken aloud. They’re the written form of the language, shorthand for a more pronouncable spoken form. Sometimes, I wonder that ASCII hasn’t developed diacritical marks to hint at vowels long dead.
(Of course, nothing could help newbies understand what INTERCAL expands to, let alone why a sane man would use it.)
Usenet is another place rich in abbreviations. Here’s a sample conversation:
>> BTW, RTFM.
> WTF? IMNSHO, STFU!
YHBT. YHL. HAND.
The very model of civil discourse, no? And all of it as comprehensible as IBM assembly mnemonics!
Derleth, that’s why they allow voicecom, for us conscientious objectors to acronyms and abbreviations.
Quack: Oh, you mean the COAA? They’ll never win.
WTF makes you think I know what shit means. Please give us a break and s p e l l i t o u t. The other boards on the net do this, and they s u c k t h e b i g o n e .
THIS IS A HIJACK!!! The First Unitatarian Church in Kinsington is Called the First Unitatarian Church of Berkeley,
Spelling and grammer subject to change with our notice