# On the use of acronyms **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [August 8, 2022, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-use-of-acronyms/969310 "2022-08-08T15:07:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![pjd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pjd/32/3009_2.png) [@pjd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pjd)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2022, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-use-of-acronyms/969310/21 "2022-08-08T17:29:37Z")
> [@GreysonCarlisle](#): > > I think that just automatically does what I did manually. Further investigation shows that this is indeed the case. But it’s automatic ! Doing it manually is open to ABUSE ---
**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:** [August 8, 2022, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-use-of-acronyms/969310/22 "2022-08-08T17:40:55Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > I have found that wording a Google search like this works best: > [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > Googling the word “ice” by itself will bury you in irrelevant information, but adding the key word “car”… Googling > XYZ acronym almost invariably gets you quickly to the correct result with short acronyms, even without adding context like “car”. I believe it works with every example mentioned in this thread. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2022, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-use-of-acronyms/969310/23 "2022-08-08T17:46:19Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > Where’s the “Define” option? I’m using Chrome on a PC. Is it browser-/app-specific? I can highlight a word, right-click, and “Define” appears in the contextual menu. MS Edge in Windows 11 on a desktop PC. I don’t know about other browsers, operating systems, or devices. ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2022, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-use-of-acronyms/969310/24 "2022-08-08T17:49:09Z")
> [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > My recommendation to readers is to either ask or look it up, without complaining. It’s not that your complaints are never justified, it’s just that they are always useless and lead to arguments. Further to this: by the time you complain, or even ask in the thread, you could look it up yourself. Then, if you want to throw shade on the poster who used the acronym without defining it, you can post "For those, like me, who didn’t know, “BOLO” means “be on the lookout.” Mildly annoying to everyone else, but still making your point. Which I assume was to be mildly annoying. Full disclosure: if you search my posting history, you will find instances where I complained about unexplained initialisms or acronyms. I think it was reading that pit thread that cured me of that forever. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2022, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-use-of-acronyms/969310/25 "2022-08-08T17:52:24Z")
I only have one request. Please don’t use acronyms you’ve invented. We can’t look them up. While this seems like a silly request, there are posters on this board who actually do that. I’d say it’s close to a violation of the rule that you need to post in English, unless you provide a translation, because you’re practically making up your own language. ---
**Author:** ![Reeses\_Monkey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reeses_monkey/32/2885_2.png) [@Reeses\_Monkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reeses_Monkey)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2022, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-use-of-acronyms/969310/26 "2022-08-08T17:55:27Z")
I think a plug in would be great. Ninety-nine percent of the time I visit the Dope I’m on either my phone or my tablet, which makes right clicking to highlight kind of impossible. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2022, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-use-of-acronyms/969310/27 "2022-08-08T17:56:06Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > If you’re in a discussion about plumbing, the people involved are probably mostly familiar with the terms of art, so you shouldn’t feel compelled to explain NPT. There are important exceptions to this. I’ve seen many threads started by people on plumbing or electricity or cars or a hundred other things who aren’t already experts and who don’t know the vocabulary. Vocabulary is a broader category than just acronyms. ( _NPT_ stands for National Pipe Tapered threads, also known as ANSI/ASME B1.20.1 pipe threads, says Google. Whoosh at 30,000 ft to me.) If a thread is started by an obvious notice, I’d recommend that the polite thing to do is spell out everything even when the experienced think it’s obvious. ---
**Author:** ![Reeses\_Monkey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reeses_monkey/32/2885_2.png) [@Reeses\_Monkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reeses_Monkey)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2022, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-use-of-acronyms/969310/28 "2022-08-08T17:58:31Z")
That’s what we’re taught in Journalism classes: Define the term on first use, then use the shorthand version. It’s up to the writer to communicate clearly with the audience. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2022, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-use-of-acronyms/969310/29 "2022-08-08T17:59:09Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > > [@Babale](#): > > > > I highlighted “BOLO” and hit “Define” which runs a google search for “Define BOLO”. > > Where’s the “Define” option? I’m using Chrome on a PC. Is it browser-/app-specific? Yes, specific to the default browser on Android. But it’s just a shortcut to going to Google and searching for “Define BOLO”. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2022, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-use-of-acronyms/969310/30 "2022-08-08T18:01:02Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > JFK immediately means John F. Kennedy to most of us I would think. Did you mean something else? He was JFKing (just effing kidding!) ---
**Author:** ![Seanette](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/seanette/32/9139_2.png) [@Seanette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seanette)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2022, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-use-of-acronyms/969310/31 "2022-08-08T18:01:25Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > I don’t know about other browsers, operating systems, or devices. I can positively state this doesn’t work in Chrome on a Windows 10 laptop. I just tried it. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2022, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-use-of-acronyms/969310/32 "2022-08-08T18:03:53Z")
I got two references explaining the BOLO acronym on the first page of Google search results for BOLO, though APB was explained at the top of the page for a corresponding search. True, not everyone is a “Dragnet” fan. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2022, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-use-of-acronyms/969310/33 "2022-08-08T18:10:52Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > I can highlight a word, right-click, and “Define” appears in the contextual menu. MS Edge in Windows 11 on a desktop PC. OK, I see that now in Edge. Chrome (for PCs at least) doesn’t have that feature. > [@Riemann](#): > > [Googling XYZ acronym] almost invariably gets you quickly to the correct result with short acronyms, even without adding context like “car”. I believe it works with every example mentioned in this thread. For ICE, the top hits using this method are Immigration and Customs Enforcement, In Case of Emergency, Information Center for the Environment, Intercontinental Exchange. For BDA, I get a whole assortment of results, but bomb damage assessment isn’t on the first page. I think providing context (via a keyword or two) gives more focused search results. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2022, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-use-of-acronyms/969310/34 "2022-08-08T18:14:40Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > did you mean you just went to Google and typed “Define BOLO” in the search window? No, on an Android phone you can highlight text and click the Define icon that comes up (sorta like a right click menu). But what this option DOES is simply open a new tab to Google with a search for the phrase “Define BOLO” prepopulated. This is functionaly identical to going to Google and typing in “Define BOLO” in the Search window. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2022, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-use-of-acronyms/969310/35 "2022-08-08T18:16:39Z")
> [@Reeses\_Monkey](#): > > percent of the time I visit the Dope I’m on either my phone or my tablet, which makes right clicking to highlight kind of impossible. Just hold your finger to a word for a couple seconds. ---
**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:** [August 8, 2022, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-use-of-acronyms/969310/36 "2022-08-08T18:43:02Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > I think providing context (via a keyword or two) gives more focused search results. Sure, it doesn’t hurt. But I have found that explicitly using the word “acronym” is the best starting point when searching, especially for short acronyms that may also be words in some language. By just googling “ICE acronym” witout additional context I see “Internal Combustion Engine” on the 4th google hit on the front page. By just googling “BDA acronym” without additional conext I see “Battle Damage Assessment” on the 3rd hit on the front page. Both of those results are visible without even clicking through the links into lists of acronyms. It would have taken me under 10 seconds to decipher any of the acronyms on this page by just googling “XYZ acronym”. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2022, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-use-of-acronyms/969310/37 "2022-08-08T18:47:23Z")
Just in case someone doesn’t know…what _you_ get for [a specific search] might not be the same as someone else, even if both are using the same browser or search engine. Your search results are tempered by multiple factors, many of which are not readily revealed to you. Some of these include: 1. Your browsing history 2. Your location 3. The current date and time 4. Your age (or apparent age) 5. Your personal settings 6. Unknown factors ---
**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:** [August 8, 2022, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-use-of-acronyms/969310/38 "2022-08-08T18:49:58Z")
True enough, but I really doubt that there is much personalized tuning of results for something like “ICE acronym”. Every hit on my front page is from a dictionary or an abbreviation/acronym list, plus [ice.gov](http://ice.gov). The biggest difference in search output is probably whether you are on a phone or laptop, just because of the real estate that is visible. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2022, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-use-of-acronyms/969310/39 "2022-08-08T19:29:51Z")
OK, how did you do that? ---
**Author:** ![pjd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pjd/32/3009_2.png) [@pjd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pjd)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2022, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-use-of-acronyms/969310/40 "2022-08-08T19:39:39Z")
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