# I Pit ILMVI for Complaining Incessantly About Acronyms **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [May 29, 2021, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-ilmvi-for-complaining-incessantly-about-acronyms/943142 "2021-05-29T01:49:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2021, 8:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-ilmvi-for-complaining-incessantly-about-acronyms/943142/121 "2021-05-30T08:40:46Z")
Then click the fucking report button and leave it to the mods. Which you are not one of. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2021, 11:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-ilmvi-for-complaining-incessantly-about-acronyms/943142/122 "2021-05-30T11:27:05Z")
> [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](#): > > When I see that someone has posted an acronym or word that they should not reasonably expect their audience to know I might point that out to the writer because it lowers the level of discourse here. That’s Jr Modding, then. I thought maybe you were frustrated for yourself, but JFC, it’s not even that! You have made yourself arbiter of which board faux pas are ok and which are not and you’ve decided to make it your mission to correct them and to do it in a snarky, thread disrupting way. You’re just doing to “help the board”? Oh, and to please the Chicago-Sun Times, too. Bah, that makes it doubly obnoxious and the level of self- aggrandizing is amazing. I’m a technical writer and technical reader. What I expect from a technical journal or space is different from here. There are very good editorial standards for writing tech work, like defining an acronym _the first time they are used_. Thing is, generally people aren’t defining them and then using them through out a thread, as they would a journal article or lecture. It’s an informal space. So it’s awesome if they don’t forget their word or acronym is specialized and remember to define it, but if they don’t remember, who the fuck cares. I can nicely ask them to, or look it up. Dropping a jr modding obnoxious post is more disruptive to easy and pleasant conversation than the undefined acronym or bit of legalese. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2021, 11:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-ilmvi-for-complaining-incessantly-about-acronyms/943142/123 "2021-05-30T11:48:56Z")
> [@TokyoBayer](#): > > This was linked in the OP, but it’s worth looking at in full. > > In response to this post, … Here’s a funny. I followed your link to the now-infamous BVR thread. The guy who started it was @TGWATY. A man (?) whose acronym is so well-known he didn’t feel the need to define it. I suppose that’s the sign of a thread being accursed from birth; with a very first word like that, it couldn’t have grown into anything but an acronym train wreck. 🙂 Also, kudos to **ILMVI** for recognizing that “acronyms” and “initialisms” are two different things, then double bonus kudos for having the restraint to not bitch about everyone, totally including me, using the term “acronym” to wrongly refer to what are properly termed “initialisms”. The difference is technical and lazy English speakers have slowly morphed “acronym” into a colloquial basket term encompassing “initialism” too, but my inner pedant screams a little every time it sees that “mistake”. I chose not to call this “mistake” out in my big post to avoid an off-topic distraction and also chose to follow suit with everyone else’s misuse for the same reason. But not without gritted teeth. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2021, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-ilmvi-for-complaining-incessantly-about-acronyms/943142/124 "2021-05-30T12:00:20Z")
> [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](#): > > I never had anything personal toward the authors I call out who I barely even noticed. This is an admission of Jr. modding, and in the case that I linked to, it was done poorly. “BVR” had previously been used by another poster in the same thread before you jumped on them, as had a number of other acronyms and initialisms. How many people know what ROEs, CAP, RE, AWACS and EW stand for? ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2021, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-ilmvi-for-complaining-incessantly-about-acronyms/943142/125 "2021-05-30T15:51:15Z")
By the way, if anyone would like a good online source for finding out what acronyms, abbreviations, and initialisms stand for, [this is my go-to site.](https://www.acronymfinder.com) It’s not perfect, of course, but it’s pretty damn good, especially as you can choose to either see all definitions, or subsets related to Military & Government, Science & Medicine, Slang & Pop Culture, Business & Finance, etc. Users can add to it, too. It almost always has what I’m looking for, but I’ve added a few acronyms from time to time. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2021, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-ilmvi-for-complaining-incessantly-about-acronyms/943142/126 "2021-05-30T16:30:41Z")
I initially (acronymically?) thought this Pitting was excessively confrontational. But I think the Pittee’s contributions have now removed any doubt that it was justified. He has said: (a) his deliberate approach is to junior mod writing style based on his personal opinion of what he thinks is acceptable, whatever the type of thread, and regardless of whether he has any interest in participating in the discussion; (b) that he _just can’t help himself_ if he’s obnoxious about it; (c) that the main takeaway from this thread should be that _he is right_. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2021, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-ilmvi-for-complaining-incessantly-about-acronyms/943142/127 "2021-05-30T16:51:40Z")
> [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](#): > > When I see that someone has posted an acronym or word that they should not reasonably expect their audience to know I might point that out to the writer because it lowers the level of discourse here. Question for you then. In the thread about alternatives to Atlas Shrugged, @Stranger_On_A_Train use some “big words”, words that are not a part of normal vocabulary. The words, “consanguineous” and “surfeit” were words that I could more or less guess the meaning of from context, but in order to make sure I fully understood his point, I had to look them up. Should he have not used those words without defining them first, as there are probably quite a number of people who couldn’t give you the definition of them off the top of their head? Did he “lower the level of discourse” by using these words? ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2021, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-ilmvi-for-complaining-incessantly-about-acronyms/943142/128 "2021-05-30T16:57:37Z")
Yeah, I was totally on @I_Love_Me_Vol.I’s side, especially when he acknowledged his obnoxiousness. But then he started defending himself. Then he continued to defend himself. Then he got defensive about defending himself, and then he thought of more ways to defend himself… Dude, a mature human being would’ve posted ONCE (“Sorry, I hate undefined acronyms, but I’ll try to be less of a jerk about it.”). You, on the other hand, dropped in here yesterday, and have posted something like a dozen self-serving justifications just today. Free advice: Just say “Sorry” and drop it. (and this is from someone who hates ACRO\*s more than you do…) \*defined above :~} ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2021, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-ilmvi-for-complaining-incessantly-about-acronyms/943142/129 "2021-05-30T17:02:31Z")
> [@Spoons](#): > > Engineer: “So the user sees the C: prompt on the CRT…” > Me: “What’s a CRT?” > Engineer: “The screen. The monitor screen. ‘ **C** athode **R** ay **T** ube.’ Like a TV.” > Me: “So why don’t we just call it a screen in the documentation?” > Engineer: “That’s not technical enough.” Whenever I see the term cathode ray tube I think of Ernie Kovacs. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2021, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-ilmvi-for-complaining-incessantly-about-acronyms/943142/130 "2021-05-30T17:21:41Z")
> [@Riemann](#): > > I initially (acronymically?) thought this Pitting was excessively confrontational. But I think the Pittee’s contributions have now removed any doubt that it was justified. He has said: Yeah, I’ve come around to, “pittee should change his style.” Asking about a non-obvious acronym once, in a non-confrontational way, improves the flow of the thread for anyone who comes later. Making a huge stink about how evil it is to use acronyms, every time you come upon one you don’t know, is obnoxious. I followed those links when i first read the thread, but i only read the initial posts (which were sometimes too strongly worded, but sometimes okay). When i went back and read the pittee’s subsequent whiny comments i understood why he was pitted. That’s not helping anyone, that’s just hijacking a thread. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2021, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-ilmvi-for-complaining-incessantly-about-acronyms/943142/131 "2021-05-30T18:00:46Z")
> I really want to say **Your example is really and truly stupid.** The acronyms often have dozens of possible meanings. “consanguineous” and “surfeit” have fairly specific ones. > > You lowered the discourse with that post. So for once I will. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2021, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-ilmvi-for-complaining-incessantly-about-acronyms/943142/132 "2021-05-30T18:05:20Z")
Wow… The point was that like acronyms, they were undefined and may not be understood by the causal user. Seemed like a good example to me, especially since he went after legal terms (which are specific) with a hell of a lot of venom. ---
**Author:** ![Heffalump\_and\_Roo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heffalump_and_roo/32/7691_2.png) [@Heffalump\_and\_Roo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heffalump_and_Roo)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2021, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-ilmvi-for-complaining-incessantly-about-acronyms/943142/133 "2021-05-30T18:17:52Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > So for once I will. Just want to clarify - you’re quoting yourself there. As far as I can tell, no one else has said what’s in your quote box. You’re saying that you’ve wanted to say what’s in your quote box and that now you’re saying it. I don’t want anyone thinking that the quote was by the Pittee (if it wasn’t) and it wasn’t by the person you answered either. For the record, I agree with you. I just want to make sure it’s you saying it. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2021, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-ilmvi-for-complaining-incessantly-about-acronyms/943142/134 "2021-05-30T18:18:12Z")
It was actually a question, to specify what was meant when it was said, “someone has posted an acronym or **word** that they should not reasonably expect their audience to know”. To clarify any ambiguity as to what the meaning of the statement was. **I** don’t think that using somewhat obscure language lowers the level of discourse, I was asking if @I_Love_Me_Vol.I thought that that was the case. For instance, “Nolle Pros” has a very specific definition, and yet, [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I complained about it being used without it being defined.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-an-american-with-a-40-year-old-dui-in-america-visit-canada/943054/28) I realize that this is the pit and all, so let your insults fly, but I think you tried just a bit hard there to try for a put down, and really just made yourself look foolish in the process. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2021, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-ilmvi-for-complaining-incessantly-about-acronyms/943142/135 "2021-05-30T18:20:27Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > So for once I will. Well, this is a very confusing way of posting, with something that appears to be a quote from some unspecified person… that after much headscratching I gather is supposed to represent your internal dialog, which you are now deciding to say “aloud”? Or something? Seems like this is quite confusing, and lowers the level of discourse… it was a lot harder to figure out than an acronym.🙂 ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2021, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-ilmvi-for-complaining-incessantly-about-acronyms/943142/136 "2021-05-30T18:25:29Z")
> [@Heffalump\_and\_Roo](#): > > Just want to clarify Correct. > [@k9bfriender](#): > > For instance, “Nolle Pros” has a very specific definition, and yet, [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I complained about it being used without it being defined.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-an-american-with-a-40-year-old-dui-in-america-visit-canada/943054/28) > [@Can an American with a 40 year old DUI in America, visit Canada?](http://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-an-american-with-a-40-year-old-dui-in-america-visit-canada/943054/28): > > Nolle pros must be such a common term that everyone, even non-lawyers know its definition. Right? I mean, a few might not but prolly 90 to 95% of Dopers must know it. I mean, I don’t know it but I’m pretty dumb. So this is super-nice because now I get to look it up! Imagine if everyone defined the foreign and jargon terms they posted here. That would be awful because then I’d never get to look it up on Google. Well that link is a good example of ILMV1 being jerkish. It is a legal thread, I wouldn’t expect lawyers to have to explain all their legalese ahead of time. If I was talking programming with another programmer I don’t want to be called out for using terms or acronyms we easily understand for bystanders and flies on the wall. Sorry about the harsh reply. I really do try not to post anything like that. I should have deleted it after I wrote it and not got cute. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2021, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-ilmvi-for-complaining-incessantly-about-acronyms/943142/137 "2021-05-30T18:26:40Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > Sorry about the harsh reply. I really do try not to post anything like that. I should have deleted it after I wrote it and not got cute. Eh, it’s the pit, I don’t take any hard feelings. Just make sure to keep a cactus handy. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2021, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-ilmvi-for-complaining-incessantly-about-acronyms/943142/138 "2021-05-30T18:29:25Z")
> [@k9bfriender](#): > > Eh, it’s the pit, I don’t take any hard feelings. It’s pretty obnoxious to refuse to be offended, are we all just wasting our time insulting one another here? ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2021, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-ilmvi-for-complaining-incessantly-about-acronyms/943142/139 "2021-05-30T18:30:43Z")
I have a new puppy that I’d rather play with than hold a grudge. ---
**Author:** ![BippityBoppityBoo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bippityboppityboo/32/5745_2.png) [@BippityBoppityBoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BippityBoppityBoo)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2021, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-ilmvi-for-complaining-incessantly-about-acronyms/943142/140 "2021-05-30T18:34:16Z")
And I think we all deserve some new pictures of that puppy. That’s kinda a ‘put up or shut up’ but not intended to be cranky, just wheedling. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-ilmvi-for-complaining-incessantly-about-acronyms/943142.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-ilmvi-for-complaining-incessantly-about-acronyms/943142.md?page=8)