BS: Appropriate acronyms

Subject: RE: BS: Appropriate acronyms
From: darkriver
Date: 06 Mar 11 - 09:10 PM

An acronym that Dare Not Speak Its Name: First Unitarian Church of Kensington (California). Rather than resort to that, the church refers to itself as the First Unitarian Church of Berkeley (even though it is in Kensington).

Subject: RE: BS: Appropriate acronyms
From: Neil D
Date: 06 Mar 11 - 02:10 AM

One of the classic ones was Nixon's re-electon comittee in 1972. They were called the "Committee to Re-elect the President" and used the imperfect acronym "CREEP".

Subject: RE: BS: Appropriate acronyms
From: Newport Boy
Date: 05 Mar 11 - 12:52 PM

GODS has already been mentioned - it's also the acronym for the Gloucester Operatic and Dramatic Society. Appropriately, their small theatre was called the Olympus.

I always liked the fingerpost at the end of the street which said:

OLYMPUS - Home of the GODS

Phil

Subject: RE: BS: Appropriate acronyms
From: MGM·Lion
Date: 05 Mar 11 - 10:01 AM

···humorously ambiguous job references. Readers sent in many examples,
such as "You'll be lucky if you can get this man to work for you".
There's even a book of them, The Lexicon of Intentionally Ambiguous
Recommendations or LIAR for short.···

from Michael Quinion's Worldwide Words, 5 Mar 11

Subject: RE: BS: Appropriate acronyms
From: TheSnail
Date: 03 Mar 11 - 07:49 AM

I din't know if vegetarians are excluded from membership of the East Anglian Traditional Music Trust.

Subject: RE: BS: Appropriate acronyms
From: Jack Campin
Date: 03 Mar 11 - 07:38 AM

Back when Glasgow was City of Culture in 1991, the council sponsored an expensively pointless exhibition on the city's history, only to change its name shortly before it opened when somebody pointed out that "The Words And The Stones" might be read acronymically.

Subject: RE: BS: Appropriate acronyms
From: DMcG
Date: 03 Mar 11 - 07:18 AM

[Ok, that is, strictly speaking, an acrostic rather than an acronym]

Subject: RE: BS: Appropriate acronyms
From: DMcG
Date: 03 Mar 11 - 07:14 AM

An ex-boss of mine came up with a paragraph, the details of which are lots in the mists of time, but it was a description of a product made by the company 'Marconi', who we worked for at the time.

Taking the first letter of each word to create an acronym gave "Marconi lollipop man's Teatime Assorted Biscuits."

Subject: RE: BS: Appropriate acronyms
From: MGM·Lion
Date: 03 Mar 11 - 07:01 AM

SWAT team

{Special Weapons & Technology}

Subject: RE: BS: Appropriate acronyms
From: GUEST,Fred
Date: 03 Mar 11 - 12:12 AM

Mothers Against Dislexia - DAM

Subject: RE: BS: Appropriate acronyms
From: Mr Happy
Date: 02 Mar 11 - 08:00 AM

EETPU:

Electrical, Electronic, Telecommunications and Plumbing Union

Subject: RE: BS: Appropriate acronyms
From: MGM·Lion
Date: 02 Mar 11 - 06:31 AM

I learn from her obit in today's Times that Jane Russell founded a charity called World Adoption International Fund [WAIF].

Subject: RE: BS: Appropriate acronyms
From: MGM·Lion
Date: 26 Feb 11 - 11:31 AM

My first wife, an academic and writer, would often have to concentrate fiercely on her reading or her computer. At such times she would warn me off interrupting trains of thought &c with the useful code-word

INVEST

~~ formed from I'm Not VEry Speakable To.

~Michael

Subject: RE: BS: Appropriate acronyms
From: SPB-Cooperator
Date: 16 Feb 11 - 08:35 AM

Annoying
Concept of
Recycling
Old
Names with
Your own
Meanings

Subject: RE: BS: Appropriate acronyms
From: Rog Peek
Date: 16 Feb 11 - 04:47 AM

MtheGMs reference to French Connection reminds me of a t-shirt I saw in ireland, It had printed on it:
FCEK Made in Ireland

Rog

Subject: RE: BS: Appropriate acronyms
From: CheshireCat
Date: 15 Feb 11 - 08:34 AM

A software company I used to work for had a sales director who liked to think he knew a thing or two about the technical side of things as well and was looking for an impressive new job title to show it off. It was suggested by the real techies in a staff meeting that he be referred to as "Supreme Head of Information Technology", a title he adopted enthusiastically until someone spoiled it by explaining to him.

Subject: RE: BS: Appropriate acronyms
From: GUEST,Guest LDB
Date: 14 Feb 11 - 09:13 PM

Dave MacKenzie said :

"For a short time I chaired our office's Ferranti Users' Consultative Committee (FUCC)"

Good thing it wasn't a United group...

"Ferranti Users' Consultative Committee (FUCC)- United"

Subject: RE: BS: Appropriate acronyms
From: Little Robyn
Date: 14 Feb 11 - 01:57 PM

SWALBAKWS - Sealed with a lick because a kiss won't stick.
We used them on the back of our envelopes here in NZ as well!
Robyn

Subject: RE: BS: Appropriate acronyms
From: MGM·Lion
Date: 13 Feb 11 - 01:43 PM

HOOF ~~ Hands Off Our Forest ~~ from the Forest of Dean, my first wife's native country.. See Billy Bragg version of This Land Is My Land above the line.

~Michael~

Subject: RE: BS: Appropriate acronyms
From: MGM·Lion
Date: 11 Feb 11 - 11:57 PM

More, please?

~Michael~

Subject: RE: BS: Appropriate acronyms
From: HuwG
Date: 11 Feb 11 - 09:16 AM

I recall watching the finish of the RAC Rally at York Racecourse in 1975 or thereabouts, as a schoolboy. (Yes, I was sneaking off, but the rest of my class had also sneaked off to watch York City FC play Southampton in the FA cup.)

The BBC camera team kept asking bystanders to shuffle sideways, to conceal the logos of the Fiat Abart Racing Team from a shockable public.

Subject: RE: BS: Appropriate acronyms
From: Acorn4
Date: 11 Feb 11 - 07:01 AM

We used to make them up when I was teaching:-

Personal
Re-training in the
Art of
Talking
Twaddle

Further
Attempts to
Reorganise the
Timetable

Wasting
Everybody's
Time with
Further
Attempts to
Reorganise the
Timetable

Ascending
Rectum of
Senior
Executive in the
Hope of
Obtaining
Long
Expected
Scalepoint

There were others.

Subject: RE: BS: Appropriate acronyms
From: theleveller
Date: 11 Feb 11 - 06:36 AM

GODS = Growing Old Disgracefully Society.

Anyone over 50 can join.

Subject: RE: BS: Appropriate acronyms
From: MGM·Lion
Date: 11 Feb 11 - 06:13 AM

So have I, Eliza; but if any come back to me I shall certainly post them.

~Michael~

Subject: RE: BS: Appropriate acronyms
From: GUEST,Eliza
Date: 11 Feb 11 - 06:11 AM

MtheGM, can you remember any others? There were quite a few but I've forgotten them!

Subject: RE: BS: Appropriate acronyms
From: MGM·Lion
Date: 11 Feb 11 - 06:05 AM

SWALK ~~ sealed with a loving kiss ~~ another envelope backer.

Subject: RE: BS: Appropriate acronyms
From: GUEST,Eliza
Date: 11 Feb 11 - 06:02 AM

Deliberate acronyms in the forties put on the back of envelopes to loved ones from the front line include N.O.R.W.I.C.H. ('Nickers Off Ready When I Come Home)

Subject: RE: BS: Appropriate acronyms
From: MGM·Lion
Date: 10 Feb 11 - 11:02 PM

Really Easy For Rather Eccentric Submissions Here!

Subject: RE: BS: Appropriate acronyms
From: Slag
Date: 10 Feb 11 - 04:00 AM

TGIF? Sure Happy It's Thursday!

Subject: RE: BS: Appropriate acronyms
From: GUEST,CrazyEddie
Date: 10 Feb 11 - 03:41 AM

British Association of Plastic Surgeons.

BAPS

Subject: RE: BS: Appropriate acronyms
From: MGM·Lion
Date: 09 Feb 11 - 01:40 PM

A sort of related but reverse misfortune occurred to a cousin of mine. He founded a helpline in the early 1980s, and called it Aids ~~ just as the Acquired Immuno-Deficiency Syndrome became worldwide news.

Tough.

~M~

Subject: RE: BS: Appropriate acronyms
From: Slag
Date: 09 Feb 11 - 12:10 AM

MAD, Mutually Assured Destruction was one of the greats.

Subject: RE: BS: Appropriate acronyms
From: Bill D
Date: 08 Feb 11 - 08:35 PM

BART.. Bay Area Rapid Transit

Subject: RE: BS: Appropriate acronyms
From: maple_leaf_boy
Date: 08 Feb 11 - 07:34 PM

My favorite acronym isn't an organization, but a show. KOTH. It's a
shame it got canceled.

Subject: RE: BS: Appropriate acronyms
From: saulgoldie
Date: 08 Feb 11 - 06:19 PM

For the sake of accuracy in this thread, please note that an "acronym" is an "initialism" that can be pronounced as a word. An "initialism" is merely the first letters of a commonly used expression that does NOT suggest a word.

SNAFU--acronym for "situation normal, all fouled up."
FBI--INITIALISM that refers to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, not pronouncable as a word.

And yes, I WILL be back to call out anyone using these terms interchangeably, which they ARE NOT!!! NO ONE IS IMMUNE from my wrath!

Words and definitions DO MATTER!!!

Saul

Subject: RE: BS: Appropriate acronyms
From: C-flat
Date: 08 Feb 11 - 06:07 PM

Unfortunate Acronyms

Subject: RE: BS: Appropriate acronyms
From: Bill D
Date: 08 Feb 11 - 05:31 PM

There is a Quaker founded college in Wichita, Kansas which has spent years denying that their official name is "Friends University of Central Kansas".

Same with "Sam Houston Institute of Technology"

In both cases, tee-shirts have been made and songs written....so any students will know the reference.

Subject: RE: BS: Appropriate acronyms
From: GUEST,Eliza
Date: 08 Feb 11 - 04:55 PM

Progressive Management Systems PMS. (There is a website called Unfortunate Acronyms, which has quite a few presumably genuine howlers.)

Subject: RE: BS: Appropriate acronyms
From: MGM·Lion
Date: 08 Feb 11 - 06:30 AM

Not to mention the disingenuousness of the labelling of French Connection United Kingdom!

But enough of these ambiguities. Any more really appropriate ones, please?...

Subject: RE: BS: Appropriate acronyms
From: MGM·Lion
Date: 08 Feb 11 - 06:24 AM

In fact, now I bethink me, they are the Cambridge University Musical Theatre Society; which is even better...

Subject: RE: BS: Appropriate acronyms
From: MGM·Lion
Date: 08 Feb 11 - 05:49 AM

Reminds me that that Cambridge University Musical Theatre, a company whose productions I review occasionally, use their initials as an acronym. I can never decide if they are being ingenuous or disingenuous.

~M~

Subject: RE: BS: Appropriate acronyms
From: Dave MacKenzie
Date: 08 Feb 11 - 05:39 AM

For a short time I chaired our office's Ferranti Users' Consultative Committee (FUCC)

Subject: BS: Appropriate acronyms
From: MGM·Lion
Date: 08 Feb 11 - 12:59 AM

A thread ongoing on Best Organisation Names reminds me of my delight in appropriate acronyms {"acronym" used here in the true & correct sense, not just of an abbreviation, but of one pronounceable as a word in its own right, like NAAFI or NATO}.

Two which come to mind are MADD {Mothers Against Drunk Driving} and STOPP {Society of Teachers Opposed to Physical Punishment, from the days way back when there was still corporal punishment in some British schools}.

More, please?

~Michael~