# Know any "recursive acronyms" ? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 21, 2000, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/know-any-recursive-acronyms/37828 "2000-10-21T23:13:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Flymaster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c4cdca/32.png) [@Flymaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flymaster)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2000, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/know-any-recursive-acronyms/37828/21 "2000-10-22T20:32:17Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by waterj2 \* > **Yeah, because it’s so hard to figure out from the context whether someone wants to get money from an automatic transaction machine or an asynchronous transfer mode. :rolleyes:** Actually, I worked in an office this summer, where one of my main duties was helping with the conversion from the token ring network that they were currently using to Cisco ATM switches. The fleet bank downstairs was kinda flaky, and their ATM was often out of money. It wasn’t uncommon to hear someone ask “What’s the status of the ATM?” In this context, it WAS difficult to tell whether they were referring to the ATM project, or the cash machine. > [@](#): > > **From their commercials, I used to figure ADAP stood for ADAP Discount Auto Parts. It seems to me that this trend is really confined to Unix applications, which are often the source of cheesy puns.** _dons asbestos BVDs_ Well, what ELSE would Unix be good for? 😃 > [@](#): > > \*\*And Flymaster, damn, I haven’t seen that in a while. It really does need to be updated, though. Half of campus has been remodelled since that came out. \*\* Yeah, it really could use a good updating. Someone has an html version floating around out there, but I lost my link. It’s still really outdated, though. ---
**Author:** ![Flymaster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c4cdca/32.png) [@Flymaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flymaster)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2000, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/know-any-recursive-acronyms/37828/22 "2000-10-22T20:40:04Z")
And just for the record, ADAP is “American Discount Auto Parts,” per [http://www.eserver.org/langs/acronym-dictionary.txt](http://www.eserver.org/langs/acronym-dictionary.txt) ---
**Author:** ![PRNYouth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9dc877/32.png) [@PRNYouth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PRNYouth)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2000, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/know-any-recursive-acronyms/37828/23 "2000-10-22T20:45:22Z")
(hijack) CMA Awards is actually correct and does not fit in the category of recursive acronyms (no matter which way you define that). CMA stands for Country Music Association. So the Country Music Association Awards makes perfect sense. [http://www.countrymusic.org/events](http://www.countrymusic.org/events) (/hijack) Since it’s been stated that “ATM Machine” and “PIN Number” are not recursive, what would you call these? Redundant Acronymic Designations? RAD? ---
**Author:** ![waterj2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/858c86/32.png) [@waterj2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/waterj2)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2000, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/know-any-recursive-acronyms/37828/24 "2000-10-22T21:42:29Z")
OK, I’ll accept that there is ambiguity, but those aren’t even a significant minority of the situations where the redundant “machine” is inserted. I was referring to old radio commercials that said “ADAP - discount auto parts”. Oh, and Unix would be good for times when you want a stable and reliable operating system. I’m also surprised that the site you linked to is there. The person who’s site that’s on is a fried of mine (I’m even listed on her “friends” page), and graduated over a year ago. Usually RPI eliminates accounts for people six months after they leave. ---
**Author:** ![Balance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Balance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balance)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2000, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/know-any-recursive-acronyms/37828/25 "2000-10-23T01:42:35Z")
Here’s a [link](http://info.astrian.net/jargon/terms/r.html#recursive_acronym) to my favorite reference’s info on recursive acronyms. Technically, a recursive acronym is one in which the acronym itself appears in its own expansion. I think it’s more of a hacker thing than specifically Unix–it’s just that the hacker-types who find this sort of thing amusing tend to gravitate toward Unix (or, more recently, Linux) because it gives them more control over their machines. People often find acronyms awkward; turning them into adjectives seems to make acronymophobes more comfortable for some unfathomable reason. ---
**Author:** ![3waygeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/3/e95f7d/32.png) [@3waygeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/3waygeek)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2000, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/know-any-recursive-acronyms/37828/26 "2000-10-23T12:23:06Z")
Here’s one, courtesy of the US branch of Amnesty International: FAST – Fast Action Stops Torture Check out this [link](http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200-3245297.html?tag=st.ne.1005.thed.ni) for more information. ---
**Author:** ![Mofo\_Rising](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Mofo\_Rising](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mofo_Rising)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2000, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/know-any-recursive-acronyms/37828/27 "2000-10-23T21:08:02Z")
"_Achilles:_ Oh, thank you so very much, Genie. But my curiousity is provoked. Before I make my wish, would you mind telling me who–or what–GOD is? _Genie:_ Not at all. “GOD” is an acronym which stands for “GOD Over Djinn”. The word “Djinn” is used to designate Genies, Meta-Genies, Meta-Meta-Genies, etc. It is a Typless word. _Achilles:_ But–but–how can “GOD” be a word in its own acronym? That doesn’t make any sense! _Genie:_ Oh, aren’t you acquainted with recursive acronyms? I thought everybody knew about them. You see, “GOD” stands for “GOD Over Djinn”–which can be expanded as “GOD Over Djinn, Over Djinn”–and that can, in turn, be expanded to “GOD Over Djinn, Over Djinn, Over Djinn”–which can, it its turn, be further expanded. . . You can go as far as you like. _Achilles:_ But I’ll never finish! _Genie:_ Of course not. You can never totally expand on GOD." -Douglas R. Hofstadter, **Godel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid** ---
**Author:** ![xanadu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/c4cdca/32.png) [@xanadu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xanadu)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2000, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/know-any-recursive-acronyms/37828/28 "2000-10-23T21:40:08Z")
I’ve seen a lot of people type “SDMB Message Board.” ---
**Author:** ![Edwardina](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Edwardina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Edwardina)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2000, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/know-any-recursive-acronyms/37828/29 "2000-10-23T23:01:21Z")
My friend had two fish. She named one GOAG, for Grumpy Old Asian Guy (which is what the fish resembled), and she decided on another acronym for the second fish when she acquired it, thus it became TING, for Ting Is Not Goag. ---
**Author:** ![Kyberneticist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/dc4da7/32.png) [@Kyberneticist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyberneticist)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2000, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/know-any-recursive-acronyms/37828/30 "2000-10-24T04:02:03Z")
From latest National Geographic. temper tantrum opening gambit ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2000, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/know-any-recursive-acronyms/37828/31 "2000-10-24T05:05:44Z")
Well, there’s a left-wing group called F.A.I.R., dedicated to the proposition that (huh???) the media are dominated by conservatives. F.A.I.R. stands for “Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting,” which seems like cheating, since “Fair” is part of the acronym. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/know-any-recursive-acronyms/37828.md?page=1)