# Word question: emcee
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/word-question-emcee/39583
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [November 3, 2000, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/word-question-emcee/39583 "2000-11-03T18:22:21Z")
**Posts on this page:** 19
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@obfusciatrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obfusciatrist)
#### Post date: [November 3, 2000, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/word-question-emcee/39583/1 "2000-11-03T18:22:21Z")
I was thinking about history of the word “emcee”.
Started out as “Master of Ceremonies” and a familiar acronym developed “MC”.
This is a frequent process. But then we became so familiar with the acronym “MC” that we started to actually spell it out, “emcee.”
I’m probably being dense but I can’t think of any other words that went through that last step. Are there any other acronyms or abbreviations that we spell out the sound of the letters?
NOTE: mountain --\> MT. --\> empty does not count.
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### Author:  [@AWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AWB)
#### Post date: [November 3, 2000, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/word-question-emcee/39583/2 "2000-11-03T18:23:24Z")
Old Kinderhook or Oll Korrect -\> OK -\> Okay
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### Author:  [@AWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AWB)
#### Post date: [November 3, 2000, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/word-question-emcee/39583/3 "2000-11-03T18:25:28Z")
WAG:
roast beef -\> RB -\> Arby’s
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### Author:  [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)
#### Post date: [November 3, 2000, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/word-question-emcee/39583/4 "2000-11-03T18:27:42Z")
Like emcee, “deejay”.
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### Author:  [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)
#### Post date: [November 3, 2000, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/word-question-emcee/39583/5 "2000-11-03T18:29:05Z")
Eminem ? 🙂
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### Author:  [@scratch1300](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scratch1300)
#### Post date: [November 3, 2000, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/word-question-emcee/39583/6 "2000-11-03T18:32:40Z")
**gigi**! 😉
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### Author:  [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)
#### Post date: [November 3, 2000, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/word-question-emcee/39583/7 "2000-11-03T19:52:50Z")
OJ ?
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### Author:  [@obfusciatrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obfusciatrist)
#### Post date: [November 3, 2000, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/word-question-emcee/39583/8 "2000-11-03T21:51:59Z")
So, deejay seems to be a legitimate example.
Arby’s probably is, but it is also somewhat artificial.
Haven’t seen any stories about the price of ohjay.
Isn’t there some question as to the validity of the old kinderhook/oll korrect --\> ok theory?
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### Author:  [@scratch1300](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scratch1300)
#### Post date: [November 3, 2000, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/word-question-emcee/39583/9 "2000-11-03T22:18:58Z")
As for “OK”, [Cecil says…](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a2_250.html)
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### Author:  [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)
#### Post date: [November 3, 2000, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/word-question-emcee/39583/10 "2000-11-03T22:25:17Z")
This thread stinks - peeyew!
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### Author:  [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)
#### Post date: [November 3, 2000, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/word-question-emcee/39583/11 "2000-11-03T22:40:33Z")
Teevee is also sometimes used, although it isn’t as snappy as the more common TV.
Jaycee as in Junior Chamber of Commerce.
Veejay (the video jockeys on MTV and VH-1)
And let’s not forget such familiar acronyms as snafu, fubar, and scuba.
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### Author:  [@Lamar\_Mundane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamar_Mundane)
#### Post date: [November 3, 2000, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/word-question-emcee/39583/12 "2000-11-03T22:49:33Z")
**K** nock **O** ut
First it wen’t to KO’ed (redundant), now it’s seen in print as **kayoed**. And yes, I did check.
Also **R** un(s) **B** atted **I** n has become “ **Ribbie** ”.
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### Author:  [@iampunha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iampunha)
#### Post date: [November 4, 2000, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/word-question-emcee/39583/13 "2000-11-04T01:12:54Z")
Junior Varsity—\>JV—\>jayvee
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### Author:  [@brachyrhynchos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brachyrhynchos)
#### Post date: [November 4, 2000, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/word-question-emcee/39583/14 "2000-11-04T02:03:07Z")
Dubya?
:: ouch, stop pinching me! ::
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### Author:  [@Cantrip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cantrip)
#### Post date: [November 4, 2000, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/word-question-emcee/39583/15 "2000-11-04T02:18:33Z")
effing (as in, **David B** has had enough of thread titles with that effing word)?
Larry Niven used “tanj” (there ain’t no justice), which I really like and wish would go into more general use.
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### Author:  [@Cantrip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cantrip)
#### Post date: [November 4, 2000, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/word-question-emcee/39583/16 "2000-11-04T02:20:31Z")
Now that I review the thread, I realize that neither of my examples fits. :o
Right, carry on.
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### Author:  [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)
#### Post date: [November 4, 2000, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/word-question-emcee/39583/17 "2000-11-04T02:22:17Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by AWB \*
> roast beef -\> RB -\> Arby’s
Arby’s is the abbreviation for (hold on to your hats):
American Roast Beef, Yes Sir!
Wait a minute. I always repeated that since I read it in the newspaper, without thinking. But being a member of the SDMB has taught me skepticism, so I decided to check at the Arby’s web site. [Here’s what they have to say](http://www.arbys.com/arb01.html):
> [@](#):
>
> Arby’s was founded in 1964, but the concept for a roast beef sandwich franchise was rooted many years earlier. Forrest Raffel, a graduate of Cornell University School of Hotel and Restaurant Administration and his younger brother Leroy, a graduate of Wharton School of Finance, University of Pennsylvania, bought an uncle’s restaurant equipment business in the 1950s. Raffel Brothers, Inc. became a fitting introduction to the foodservice industry for the brothers.
>
> …
>
> The idea was born. The only kink in the chain’s orderly development came with choosing a name for it. The partners wanted to use the name “Big Tex,” but were unsuccessful in negotiating with the Akron businessman who was already using the name. So, in the words of Forrest, “We came up with Arby’s, which stands for R.B., the initials of Raffel Brothers, although I guess customers might think the initials stand for roast beef.”
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### Author:  [@Celyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Celyn)
#### Post date: [November 4, 2000, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/word-question-emcee/39583/18 "2000-11-04T02:55:23Z")
Re. the O.P. - surely acronyms **are** the ones where “we spell out the words of the letters” as opposed to abbreviations. I really don’t mean to be unfriendly here, but “MC” cannot be called an acronym. Surely not. 🙂
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### Author:  [@AWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AWB)
#### Post date: [November 4, 2000, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/word-question-emcee/39583/19 "2000-11-04T04:45:53Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Arnold Winkelried \*
> \*\*
>
> > [@](#):
> >
> > The idea was born. The only kink in the chain’s orderly development came with choosing a name for it. The partners wanted to use the name “Big Tex,” but were unsuccessful in negotiating with the Akron businessman who was already using the name. So, in the words of Forrest, “We came up with Arby’s, which stands for R.B., the initials of Raffel Brothers, although I guess customers might think the initials stand for roast beef.”
>
> \*\*
Cool! My WAG was halfway right!