| 1 | * The exciting render engine of the software suite Blender (version 2.8 onward) was nicknamed Eevee, which may or may not have been inspired by that renowned Franchise/{{Pokemon}}, and which was jokingly justified as standing for "'''E'''xtra '''E'''asy '''V'''irtual '''E'''nvironment '''E'''ngine". |
| 2 | * In the UK, an executive branch of the department of Health, the "National Institute of Health and Care Excellence", elected to forgo the logical contraction, drop the H, and decided on '''NICE'''. |
| 3 | * The UsefulNotes/GeorgeWBush administration originally referred to the 2003 Iraq War military operation as “'''O'''peration '''I'''raqi '''L'''iberation,” but after recognizing the implications of [[PublicSecretMessage this name]] (that is, playing into the assumptions of many people that the war was in order to gain control of Iraqi oil reserves), changed the name to “Operation Iraqi Freedom.” |
| 4 | * The super PAC “Carly for America,” which supported Carly Fiorina’s presidential campaign, [[http://www.nbcnews.com/meet-the-press/fiorina-super-pac-tests-legal-limits-campaign-coordination-n428056 was forced to change its name]], since super PAC's are not legally allowed to reference a candidate. So the PAC changed its name to “'''C'''onservative, '''A'''uthentic, '''R'''esponsive '''L'''eadership for '''Y'''ou and for America.” |
| 5 | * Latin American political parties seem particularly fond of this. As one example, Bolivia's current governing party is MAS (Movimiento al Socialismo), with ''mas'' in Spanish meaning "more"[[note]][[GrammarNazi To be precise]], "more" in Spanish is written "más", with an accent on the "a"[[/note]]. Multiple parties in South American countries have succeeded in constructing names that produce the acronym PODEMOS, translating to "We can". |
| 6 | * Superbly trolled with by Democratic Party in June, 2017. Two weeks after UsefulNotes/DonaldTrump sent the viral tweet with the text "Despite the constant negative press '''covfefe'''"[[note]]he probably meant "coverage"[[/note]], Democratic Representative Mike Quigley filed legislation titled the '''C'''ommunications '''O'''ver '''V'''arious '''F'''eeds '''E'''lectronically '''f'''or '''E'''ngagement (COVFEFE) Act. The bill would amend the Presidential Records Act to cover social media, thus requiring tweets and other social media posts by the U.S. President to be preserved under law. |
| 7 | * Before 1999, France's Commando Parachute Group was known in French as '''C'''ommandos de '''R'''echerche et d''''A'''ction en '''P'''rofondeur, and yes, ''that was the actual acronym''. Meaningless in French, but hilarious in English. |
| 8 | * There is a certain ''French Connection'' shop at Heathrow Airport, which has its email address written in big block letters: '''FC.UK''' |
| 9 | ** French Connection lives and breathes entirely on this trope. Christmas campaign? 'fcuk christmas'. Denim range? 'fcuk denim'. It's clearly the best thing about the shop. |
| 10 | ** In 1999, French Connection [[http://www.theguardian.com/business/1999/sep/16/studentpolitics.politics sued Conservative Future UK]] for rebranding themselves CFUK, claiming a trademark on the letters FCUK "in any order..." |
| 11 | ** This was in fact French Connection's whole advertising identity, even outside the United Kingdom, for several years in [[TheNoughties 2000s]]. |
| 12 | ** It's worldwide. A shop with the large sign reading FCUK exists within a prestigious shopping complex in Malaysia. |
| 13 | * The '''M'''icro'''S'''oft '''C'''ritical '''U'''pdate '''N'''otification '''T'''ool. [[CountryMatters Type it out]]. |
| 14 | * SCRAM - '''S'''afety '''C'''ontrol '''R'''od '''A'''xe-'''M'''an - an emergency shutdown of a nuclear reactor (and is precisely what you'd want to do in the event of a meltdown). |
| 15 | ** The acronym goes back to (or at least references) the first nuclear reactor ever built, [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago_Pile-1 CP-1]]. One of the safety measures on this crude early reactor was an additional emergency control rod, held up by a rope. There would be a man stationed next to the reactor with an axe, whose job was to chop through the rope in the event of an emergency, causing the rod to fall and halt the reaction. |
| 16 | ** The nuclear industry ''loves'' giving reactor designs acronym names. The Canadian nuclear industry's reactor uses heavy-water (in which ordinary hydrogen's heavier isotope ''Deuterium'' replaces said "ordinary" hydrogen) as its neutron moderator, allowing it to run on natural (read: un-enriched) uranium, thus giving their reactor design the name '''Can'''ada '''D'''euterium '''U'''ranium spelling '''CANDU'''. (It helps that because of how light hydrogen is, the neutron doubles deuterium's mass which actually does appreciably change chemistry, so Deuterium is one of only two isotopes to have a distinct chemical symbol from its element's most prevalent isotope, the other being Tritium, which is also a hydrogen isotope. Deuterium's symbol is D, and Tritium's symbol is T) |
| 17 | *** Also from Canada, the '''M'''ultipurpose '''A'''pplied '''P'''hysics '''L'''attice '''E'''xperiment reactor design is, to this day, one of the most popular reactors worldwide for use in the production of radio-isotopes that are used almost exclusively for medical applications. Conveniently its initials spell out the name of Canada's official national tree. |
| 18 | *** Again from Canada, '''Tri''' '''U'''niversity '''M'''eson '''F'''acility is the national accelerator laboratory for nuclear and particle physics, hosting the world's biggest cyclotron (accelerating 520MeV particles). Based in Vancouver, it was originally named for its three founding universities (SFU, UBC, and UVIC), but it is now a collaborative project between 19 universities. |
| 19 | *** One predecessor to the CANDU was SLOWPOKE, which stood for '''S'''afe, '''Low'''-'''Po'''wer '''[[XtremeKoolLetterz K]]'''[[XtremeKoolLetterz ritical]] '''E'''xperiment. |
| 20 | *** Before even SLOWPOKE, there was the first ''ever'' nuclear reactor to activate outside the United States, Canada's '''Z'''ero '''E'''nergy '''E'''xperimental '''P'''ile (it had more than zero energy but none of it was actually harnessed meaningfully). |
| 21 | *** Meanwhile, in the 'States, one Department of Energy design developed in the Argonne Nat'l Lab in Chicago was the ARGONAUT, or '''Argo'''nne '''N'''uclear '''A'''ssembly for '''U'''niversity '''T'''raining. |
| 22 | *** At one point, the US had a nuclear lab on the island of Puerto Rico, where scientests developed the '''Bo'''iling '''Nu'''clear '''S'''uperheater. |
| 23 | *** NASA actually led some research into devising nuclear-fission reactors that could provide an energy-supply for unmanned spacecraft in the '''S'''pace '''N'''uclear '''A'''uxiliary '''P'''ower experiments. The only American reactor to see actual launch and successful operation was the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SNAP-10A SNAP-10A]] reactor. |
| 24 | *** Idaho National Lab also developed a so-called "zero-power" unit called the '''Z'''ero '''P'''ower '''P'''hysics '''R'''eactor (pronounced "zipper" for short) |
| 25 | *** As part of tests to determine how safe a coolant water would be if a watercooled reactor overheated, the Department of Energy conducted the '''Bo'''iling water '''R'''e'''a'''ctor E'''x'''periment. Five such reactors were tested, some to (intentional) destruction to gather data for use in calculating safety margins for commercial reactors in use to this day. |
| 26 | *** Across the Pond, the United Kingdom built the '''G'''raphite '''L'''ow '''E'''nergy '''E'''xperimental '''P'''ile, a long-lived research reactor and the first purpose-built nuclear reactor in Western Europe. |
| 27 | *** CERN's most famous Tokamak-type fusion reactor is located in Oxfordshire, England, and is known as the '''J'''oint '''E'''uropean '''T'''orus. |
| 28 | *** The first machine to split the atom Down Under was the '''Hi'''gh '''F'''lux '''A'''ustralian '''R'''eactor, or HIFAR for short, and today, the Ozzies operate the '''O'''pen '''P'''ool '''A'''ustralian '''L'''ightwater reactor, whose initials spell out the name of one of that nation's prized mineral exports. |
| 29 | *** One plant in northernmost San Diego County, California is the '''S'''an '''O'''nofre '''N'''uclear '''G'''enerating '''S'''tation. Of note, it is no longer producing power and is being decommissioned, but you don't really want to hear ''that'' tune.... |
| 30 | *** South Africa too has long done nuclear physics research, and their first foray into the field was the '''S'''outh '''A'''frican '''F'''undamental '''A'''tomic '''R'''esearch '''I'''nstallment '''One''', or '''SAFARI 1''' for short. |
| 31 | *** One popular model of nuclear research reactor is called the '''T'''raining, '''R'''esearch, '''I'''sotopes (by) '''G'''eneral '''A'''tomics (the last two words being the name of the company that designed it). |
| 32 | *** Austria developed a research-reactor and named it '''A'''daptierter '''S'''chwimmbecken-'''T'''yp-'''R'''eaktor '''A'''ustria (translated into English approximately as: Adapted Swimmingpool-Type Reactor Austria) |
| 33 | *** One of the proposed designs for a next-generation fission reactor that's generated a lot of interest is the '''L'''iquid '''F'''luoride '''T'''horium '''R'''eactor or LFTR (pronounced "lifter") for short. That acronym was popularized by nuclear engineer Kirk Sorensen. |
| 34 | *** While there is an official report on the nuclear disaster at the Chernobyl Nuclear Plant, its veracity is, to be polite, widely challenged from commentators on all sides of the debate. The findings of the study released by Western sources in an effort to "shed more light" on the incident is almost universally known by the informal abbreviation, '''T'''he '''O'''ther '''R'''eport on '''Ch'''ernobyl. |
| 35 | *** There is currently a new fusion research reactor under construction in the south-east of France called the '''I'''nternational '''T'''hermonuclear '''E'''xperimental '''R'''eactor. (Iter is Latin for 'The Way' as in, the way forward.) |
| 36 | * '''DDT''': The debugger on the CP/M Z80 microprocessor platform was called DDT, '''D'''ynamic '''D'''ebugging '''T'''ool. This acronym goes all the way back to DEC's PDP-1 computer with its '''D'''EC '''D'''ebugging '''T'''ape, based on the '''FL'''exowriter '''I'''nterrogation '''T'''ape debugger for MIT's one-of-a-kind TX-0 computer. |
| 37 | -->Confusion between DDT-10 and another well-known pesticide, dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane (C[[subscript:14]]H[[subscript:9]]Cl[[subscript:5]]), should be minimal since each attacks a different, and apparently mutually exclusive, class of bugs. |
| 38 | * ELF, the '''E'''xecutable and '''L'''inkable '''F'''ormat, a common standard file format for executables, object code, shared libraries, and core dumps. |
| 39 | ** Which was created along with its debugging data format called [[OurDwarvesAreAllTheSame DWARF]], '''D'''ebugging '''W'''ith '''A'''ttributed '''R'''ecord '''F'''ormats. |
| 40 | ** Bonus point for DWARF being an actual backronym. At first it was simply named that way because it sounded cool with a format named ELF. |
| 41 | * The British Government's emergency committee, convened in cases of regional, national or international emergency and the doings of which are highly classified, is generally referred to in the press and by the public as COBRA. Most feel makes up for the fact that it actually stands for the thoroughly prosaic ''Cabinet Office Briefing Room A'', and it has previously been suggested that the words 'Cabinet Office' were added to the acronym to make it more, in the words of Website/TheOtherWiki, 'virile'. And possibly to prevent the acronym in question from spelling BRA. |
| 42 | * '''JAP''': The slur acronym for and one of the stereotypes of Jewish women, '''J'''ewish '''A'''merican '''P'''rincess. |
| 43 | ** Also, the acronyms for '''J'''ava '''A'''non '''P'''roxy (a.k.a. '''J'''ava '''A'''nonymous '''P'''roxy or Jon Donym) a proxy system designed to allow browsing the Web with revocable pseudonymity (a state of disguised identity), the '''J'''ournal of '''A'''pplied '''P'''hysics, a scientific journal published by American Institute of Physics, the '''J'''ournal of '''A'''pplied '''P'''hysiology, a scientific journal published by American Physiological Society, and '''J'''ust '''A'''nother '''P'''umpkin, a dark green pumpkin with small to medium-sized, light yellow splotches and spots on its skin. |
| 44 | ** And the British engine manufacturers J. A. Prestwich, thanks to whom many motorcycles had JAP engines long before the Japanese motorcycle industry got going. |
| 45 | * The motto of the state of UsefulNotes/{{Austria}} is perhaps the most ambitious of all: '''A.E.I.O.U''', which stands either for Latin ''Austriae est imperare orbi universo'' (Austria shall rule the whole orb, i.e. Earth) or German ''Alles Erdreich ist Oesterreich Untertan'' (All the world is subdued to Austria). It may be well that all of these (and there are many more) are EpilepticTrees; AEIOU was the motto of emperor Friedrich III, but he never gave a definition. In other words, he said AEIOU, but he didn't say [[{{Pun}} why]]. |
| 46 | * The '''W'''orld '''H'''ealth '''O'''rganization is a rather high-profile example. |
| 47 | * The name of the central command of NATO military forces? '''S'''upreme '''H'''eadquarters '''A'''llied '''P'''owers '''E'''urope. Seriously. |
| 48 | * The term "'''S'''pecial '''W'''eapons '''A'''nd '''T'''actics" worked out very well for the public image of {{SWAT team}}s. Well enough that they could ignore the fact that, by standard acronym rules, it really ought to have been SWT. SWAT originally stood for '''S'''pecial '''W'''eapons '''A'''ssault '''T'''eam, but this acronym was rejected by higher-ups in the Los Angeles Police Department for sounding too military. Referring to a police squad as an "assault team" was considered to give the wrong impression, even though that's exactly what SWAT teams are. |
| 49 | ** The Mexican version of the SWAT teams is named '''GATES''' ('''G'''rupo de '''A'''rmas y '''T'''acticas '''ES'''peciales/'''S'''pecial '''W'''eapons '''A'''nd '''T'''actics '''G'''roup) |
| 50 | ** The Japanese equivalents of the SWAT teams are named '''SIT''' ('''S'''pecial '''I'''nvestigation '''T'''eam) and '''SAT''' ('''S'''pecial '''A'''ssault '''T'''eam). |
| 51 | ** The Brazil version of the civil police tactics team is '''CORE''' (Coordenadoria de Recursos Especiais, Portuguese for Coordination of Special Assets) |
| 52 | * '''S'''ouvenir '''A'''nd '''N'''ovelty '''T'''rade '''A'''ssociation. |
| 53 | * Subversion: During the UsefulNotes/ColdWar, the US kept an airborne command center ready to take off with the President at moment's notice in the event of a [[EarthShatteringKaboom Global Thermonuclear War.]] This '''N'''ational '''E'''mergency '''A'''irborne '''C'''ommand '''P'''ost had the unpronounceable acronym '''NEACP''', but quickly became unofficially known as 'Kneecap'... |
| 54 | ** Less humorously and more meaningfully known by its nickname: "the Doomsday plane". |
| 55 | ** NEACP replaced the 1960s version, which was essentially the same equipment, plus a substantial amount of bulk, mounted in a modified aircraft carrier, called the National Emergency Command Post Afloat. |
| 56 | * As readers of Eric Flint's ''Literature/SixteenThirtyTwo'' novels well know, the 17th-century King Gustav Adolf II of Sweden frequently disguised himself as a commoner to live and work among his people, using the name "Gars": '''G'''ustavus '''A'''dolphus, '''R'''ex '''S'''ueciae (Latin for Gustav Adolf, King of the Swedes). Which makes Gustavus Adolphus GAR [[HilariousInHindsight before GAR became]] [[MemeticMutation a meme]]. |
| 57 | * And this entry could not be complete without the U.S. Navy's '''C'''ommander '''In''' '''C'''hief - '''U'''nited '''S'''tates Fleet ('''C.In.C.U.S.''', which sounds like "sink us"). The position's name was changed to '''[=ComInCH=]''' almost immediately after the attack on Pearl Harbor. |
| 58 | * The names for the Jeep and the Humvee are thought to be a pronunciation of GP ('''G'''eneral '''P'''urpose) and HMMWV ('''H'''igh '''M'''obility '''M'''ultipurpose '''W'''heeled '''V'''ehicle). (The British Forces slang term "Gimpy" (pronounced 'jimpy') is known to be a pronunciation of GPMG ('''G'''eneral '''P'''urpose '''M'''achine '''G'''un), so this makes some sense). |
| 59 | ** Same goes for the [=DShK 1938=] "Dushka"[[note]][[ICallItVera "Sweetheart"]][[/note]], a Soviet heavy machinegun. |
| 60 | ** [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MIM-104_Patriot#Patriot_equipment Patriot]] Missiles have the '''R'''adio '''L'''ogic '''R'''outing '''I'''nterface '''U'''nit (pronounced ROO-LE-ROO) and '''S'''witch '''M'''ultiplexor '''U'''nit (pronounced Schmoo) try telling your fellow (non-air defense) soldiers that the [[CloudCuckooLander RLRIU is up but the SMU is down....]] |
| 61 | * At one point, the teachers of the First United Methodist Church of Grand Rapids' senior-high sunday-school class had briefly considered the name '''S'''enior '''H'''igh '''I'''nstruction '''T'''eam. They wisely decided against adopting the moniker. |
| 62 | * A similar use comes from the a joke regarding the naming of the University of Central Florida, suggesting that at one point--alternately when originally naming the school, or when renaming it from its original name of Florida Technological University--they considered '''F'''lorida '''U'''niversity-'''C'''ape '''K'''ennedy. |
| 63 | * '''W'''ashington '''A'''ir '''N'''ational '''G'''uard detachment. Funnier in that it wasn't actually spelled out; you just had to guess by context what sort of WANG you were calling for. |
| 64 | ** '''WA'''ashington '''A'''rmy '''N'''ational '''G'''uard doesn't have it much better. |
| 65 | * '''P'''rovince of '''O'''ntario '''L'''and '''R'''egistration '''I'''nformation '''S'''ystem |
| 66 | * The LAPD has a section called the '''C'''ommunity '''R'''esources '''A'''gainst '''S'''treet '''H'''oodlums. |
| 67 | ** The original name was '''T'''otal '''R'''esources '''A'''gainst '''S'''treet '''H'''oodlums. It was changed due to activists stating that the name was demeaning. |
| 68 | * There's a collegiate honor society called '''S'''igma '''T'''au '''D'''elta. |
| 69 | * Then there's '''G'''lucose '''O'''xi'''d'''ase, quite possibly the most sacred enzyme of all time. |
| 70 | * Dublin has a light rail system called '''D'''ublin '''A'''rea '''R'''apid '''T'''ransit. - DART |
| 71 | ** Dallasites also have a transit system known as DART: '''D'''allas '''A'''rea '''R'''apid '''T'''ransit. The governing body of which, of course, is the DART Board. |
| 72 | *** Followed by many jokes in Dallas regarding the name of the transit system in twin-rival-city Fort Worth.[[note]]It's called the Fort Worth Transportation Authority, or simply The T, for those not toilet-humor-minded.[[/note]] |
| 73 | ** The Metro Transit system in King County, WA also has '''D'''ial '''A''' '''R'''ide '''T'''ransit. Which could also stand for '''D'''isabled '''A'''ccess '''R'''apid '''T'''ransit. |
| 74 | * In a very similar vein, the San Francisco Bay Area has an intercity regional transit system called the '''B'''ay '''A'''rea '''R'''apid '''T'''ransit- BART. As with Dallas and Fort Worth, cracks about a hypothetical system in nearby Fresno are common. |
| 75 | ** When it began operation in the early 1970s and was still working the kinks out, [[VomitDiscretionShot "Bay Area Rapid Failure"]] was offered by some as an alternate name. |
| 76 | * Those of us a little more north will be getting the '''S'''onoma-'''M'''arin '''A'''rea '''R'''apid '''T'''ransit line - the SMART line as an extension of BART (running from Cloverdale to San Francisco). |
| 77 | ** And every kid in the western U.S. jokes about what it'd be called if it started in '''F'''ullerton, '''F'''elton, '''F'''resno, etc. Supposedly, a Fairfield Area Rapid Transit once existed. |
| 78 | *** And speaking of Fairfield (still in California), the city's main bus service which also serves next door Suisun City is called '''F'''airfield '''A'''nd '''S'''uisun '''T'''ransit- FAST. |
| 79 | ** Their prayers are answered. The local transport company of Ticino canton, Switzerland, is '''F'''errovie '''A'''utolinee '''R'''egionale '''T'''icinese. [[http://www.centovalli.ch/ Linky]] - check the bit at the bottom. [[note]] And yes, they are aware of it, and find it ''absolutely '''freaking''' hilarious!'' [[/note]] |
| 80 | ** The buses in the suburbs of Detroit are run by the '''S'''uburban '''M'''obility '''A'''uthority for '''R'''egional '''T'''ransportation. |
| 81 | * A lot of cities with light rail go out of their way to create acronyms like that. Portland Oregon has MAX ('''M'''etro '''A'''rea e'''X'''press), Atlanta has MARTA ('''M'''etropolitan '''A'''tlanta '''R'''apid '''T'''ransit '''A'''uthority)[[note]]which further lends itself to the sarcastic "'''M'''oving '''A'''fricans '''R'''apidly '''T'''hrough '''A'''tlanta" because of low numbers of ridership among whites, especially outside of rush hour[[/note]], and so on. |
| 82 | ** When Atlanta was awarded hosting-rights for the 1994 Super Bowl and the '96 Olympics, they turned to some software engineering students at their hometown university, Georgia Tech, to develop a system that could monitor traffic-flow in real-time and provide continuous, adaptive adjustment of traffic-light timing patterns to help prevent traffic backups. The resulting computer program was christened, "'''T'''raffic '''E'''vent '''R'''esponse & '''M'''anagement for '''I'''ntelligent '''N'''avigation '''U'''sing '''S'''ignals", which appropriately enough, spells out the city's original name it was founded under, Terminus, a reference to its role as a transfer point between trains on a route connecting Savannah with Chattanooga. |
| 83 | * Averted in Charlotte, where the light rail system, '''LYNX''', isn't really an acronym so much as a homophone pun (as it "links" parts of the city together), though it does fit the theme established by its "parent", the '''C'''harlotte '''A'''rea '''T'''ransit '''S'''ystem.[[note]]The "Lynx" name also fit the "big cats" theme of the city's two main professional sports teams at the time—the [[UsefulNotes/NationalFootballLeague Carolina Panthers]] and [[UsefulNotes/NationalBasketballAssociation Charlotte Bobcats]] (the latter having since been renamed the Hornets). Adding to the "big cats" theme: the binomial name of the bobcat is ''Lynx rufus''.[[/note]] |
| 84 | * Seattle had the '''S'''outh '''L'''ake '''U'''nion '''T'''rolley. When they realized what it spelled the name was officially changed to South Lake Union Streetcar, but the [[http://www.ridetheslut.com/ original name stuck.]] |
| 85 | * Nuremberg, Germany has RUBIN: '''R'''ealisierung einer automatisierten '''U-B'''ahn '''I'''n '''N'''ürnberg. (Realizing an automated subway in Nuremberg) |
| 86 | * Toledo, Ohio has '''[=TARTA=]''' ('''T'''oledo '''A'''rea '''R'''apid '''T'''ransit '''A'''uthority) |
| 87 | * Until the late 1990s/early 2000s, the city of Grand Rapids, Michigan had a bus system called '''[=GRATA=]''' which stood for '''G'''rand '''R'''apids '''A'''rea '''T'''ransit '''A'''uthority. Sadly, rides weren't ''gratis'' (Indonesian for free) on [=GRATA=] and they changed their name to "the Rapid" in the early '00s. |
| 88 | ** The Rapid has since adopted other acronyms, one of which was '''D'''owntown '''A'''rea '''Sh'''uttle. |
| 89 | * Michigan's capital city Lansing has '''CATA'''--'''C'''apital '''A'''rea '''T'''ransportation '''A'''uthority. Its logo is [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Cata_logo.png the silhouette of a big cat]]. |
| 90 | * The city of '''S'''an '''L'''uis '''O'''bispo, CA has been known to have fun with its name with lines like "Live life in the '''SLO''' lane" and "Take it '''SLO'''." Their bus system is called SLO Transit. |
| 91 | * Pottstown, Pennsylvania's public bus system used to be called simply '''P'''ottstown '''U'''rban '''T'''ransit, but recent upgrades have resulted in it now being called '''P'''ottstown '''A'''rea '''R'''apid '''T'''ransit -- along with the slogan "take PART." (Connections are available to SEPTA -- '''S'''outh'''E'''ast '''P'''ennsylvania '''T'''ransit '''A'''uthority, serving the greater Philadelphia area and surrounding suburbs.) |
| 92 | * A rather funny example, the '''S'''t. '''C'''harles '''A'''rea '''T'''ransit, and the '''S'''arasota '''C'''ounty '''A'''rea '''T'''ransit. [[https://youtu.be/UpdIEtTJ8O0?t=23 Yes.]] [[https://www.stcharlescitymo.gov/779/SCAT-Transit-System---I-70-Commuter Really.]] |
| 93 | * Dun and Bradstreet's system for providing a unique serial number for businesses is known as the '''D'''ata '''U'''niversal '''N'''umbering '''S'''ystem. |
| 94 | * The '''P'''lain '''L'''anguage '''A'''ssociation '''In'''ternational ('''[=PLAIn=]''') is an organization whose goal is to ease back on the use of obscure {{Technobabble}} in academia, government, law and business. (You know... [[IronicName Like unnecessary, opaque acronyms]].) |
| 95 | * From 1978 through TheEighties, Subaru sold a car-based 4x4 pickup called the "Brat". At first they insisted it was a " '''B'''i-drive '''R'''ecreational '''A'''ll-terrain '''T'''ransporter". Wags described it as '''B'''arely '''R'''ecognizeable '''A'''s a '''T'''ruck. |
| 96 | ** Similarly, the first FIAT (Fabrica Italiana Automobili Torino) cars brought to the U.S. had a bad reputation, [[TheAllegedCar to say the least]] and were quickly given the backronym '''F'''ix '''I'''t '''A'''gain '''T'''ony. |
| 97 | * UsefulNotes/JimmyCarter's effort to encourage rationing of gasoline during the oil shortage of the 70s was called the Moral Equivalent of War, a phrase taken from UsefulNotes/WilliamJenningsBryan. Unfortunately, when made an acronym on buttons, it spells out ''MEOW''. |
| 98 | * The German Military Counterintelligence Agency is called '''''M'''ilitärischer '''A'''bschirm'''d'''ienst''. |
| 99 | ** German Magazine/{{MAD}} suggested several times that they renamed the organization to avoid confusion. They also made some suggestions for the new name which were this trope, like MÜD (German for tired), DUMM, WURST and BANANAS (can't remember the details). |
| 100 | * The identical acronym for the strategy of '''M'''utually '''A'''ssured '''D'''estruction is usually considered quite appropriate. |
| 101 | ** Also its opposite, [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_utilization_target_selection Nuclear Utilization Target Selection]], NUTS. Hence a common question among IR students: Are you MAD or NUTS? |
| 102 | * {{GIRL}}: '''G'''uy '''I'''n '''R'''eal '''L'''ife |
| 103 | * '''L'''ight '''A'''nti-tank '''W'''eapon. |
| 104 | ** Then there is the '''S'''quad '''A'''utomatic '''W'''eapon. |
| 105 | *** A ''Series/MythBusters'' episode had the Build Team use various firearms, including the SAW, to test if it's possible to cut a tree down with bullets. Tory, while discussing the weapons, noted "How ironic" when he got to the SAW. |
| 106 | ** The '''S'''pecial Operations Forces '''C'''ombat '''A'''ssault '''R'''ifle, in both '''L'''ight (5.56) and '''H'''eavy (7.62) versions. |
| 107 | ** The '''M'''issile d´'''I'''nfanterie '''L'''éger '''AN'''tichar, a French anti-tank missile. "Milan" means "kite" (like the bird) in French. |
| 108 | ** And for an odd case, everyone knows RPG stands for '''R'''ocket '''P'''ropelled '''G'''renade (except [[{{RPG}} when it doesn't]]). Except it doesn't. It actually stands for ''ruchnoy protivotankovy granatomyot'', Russian for "handheld antitank grenade launcher". |
| 109 | * '''H'''igh '''E'''xplosive '''A'''nti-'''T'''ank Warhead. |
| 110 | ** There's also '''H'''igh '''E'''xplosive '''A'''rmour '''P'''iercing, or '''H.E.A.P.''', '''H'''igh '''E'''xplosive '''S'''quash '''H'''ead, or '''H.E.S.H.'''... there's tons. |
| 111 | ** Worth mentioning is the '''MOAB''', or the '''M'''assive '''O'''rdinance '''A'''ir '''B'''last bomb, at one point the most powerful non-nuclear weapon ever designed, and colloquially known as the '''M'''other '''O'''f '''A'''ll '''B'''ombs. |
| 112 | *** Unfortunately subverted though with the '''A'''rmor-'''P'''iercing '''F'''in-'''S'''tabilized '''D'''iscarding '''S'''abot which is the primary antitank munition for the US Military...so people just nicknamed it "The Silver Bullet". |
| 113 | ** You cannot leave any discussion of silly-sounding military acronyms without mentioning the one describing the FIM-92 Stinger and its class of weapons: '''M.A.N.P.A.D.S.''', or '''Man''' '''P'''ortable '''A'''ir '''D'''efense '''S'''ystem. It may be something all low-flying combat aircraft fear, but that doesn't stop it from sounding like underwear liners for guys. |
| 114 | ** The British L6 recoilless rifle was better known as the '''W'''eapon '''O'''f '''M'''agnesium, '''B'''attalion '''A'''nti-'''T'''ank. |
| 115 | ** And, of course, there's the '''T'''ube-launched '''O'''ptically-tracked '''W'''ire-guided missile, which tows a wire from the launcher behind itself for guidance. |
| 116 | ** The Australian military uses a multipurpose eating tool, combining a spoon, a can opener and a bottle opener, officially titled '''F'''ield '''R'''ation '''E'''ating '''D'''evice. Of course, the grunts have replaced the first two words with "'''F''''ing '''R'''idiculous" ... |
| 117 | ** The [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martel_(missile) Martel]] is actually a contraction of '''M'''issile, '''A'''nti-'''R'''adiation, '''Tel'''evision. It also falls under MeaningfulName as "martel" also means "hammer" in French. |
| 118 | * At at least one university, the orientation program for Hillel, the Jewish student organization, was called '''F'''irst '''Y'''ear '''S'''tudents at '''H'''illel. Ironic, given how the fish as a symbol is strongly associated with Christianity. |
| 119 | ** Never heard of Gefilte Fish? |
| 120 | ** The Christian fish symbol is actually an example of this trope as well. In Greek, the phrase "Jesus Christ, God's Son, Savior", gives the acronym ΙΧΘΥΣ (Ikthyus), which means "Fish". It was originally used as [[SpySpeak a code name to help Christians avoid Roman persecution]], which means that FunWithAcronyms used to be SeriousBusiness! |
| 121 | * In the wake of their draconian antipiracy efforts, which have included lawsuits for outrageous amounts based on little to no evidence of any wrongdoing with extortionate "settlement terms", the Motion Picture Association of America and the Recording Industry Association of America gained the less than complementary collective nickname '''M'''usic '''A'''nd '''F'''ilm '''I'''ndustry '''A'''ssociation of '''A'''merica -- '''MAFIAA'''. |
| 122 | * I '''DARE''' you to find somebody who actually knows what that acronym stands for. Yes, there's an answer. [[spoiler:It's '''D'''rug '''A'''buse '''R'''esistance '''E'''ducation.]] |
| 123 | ** In ''Australia'' it's '''D'''rugs '''A'''re '''R'''eally '''E'''xciting. |
| 124 | ** The aforementioned '''S'''chools '''H'''eightened '''A'''version '''D'''rugs '''T'''herapy of ''Series/BrassEye'' is probably a parody. |
| 125 | * The unmanned surveillance crew at an Air Force base which shall remain unnamed suggested '''P'''redator '''E'''xploitation '''N'''ear-real-time '''I'''nformation '''S'''ystem for their sub-unit. This was rejected, as was their second choice '''P'''redator '''O'''bservation '''S'''tation. |
| 126 | * While EPCOT stands for the relatively boring "Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow" it carries another meaning for Disney employees: Every Paycheck Comes on Thursday. |
| 127 | ** To guests touring late into the evening, on the other hand, it's '''E'''very '''P'''erson '''C'''omes '''O'''ut '''T'''ired. |
| 128 | *** It can also mean '''E'''very '''P'''ocket '''C'''leaned '''O'''ut '''T'''horoughly. |
| 129 | *** To guests staying for the New Years Eve party (Or make use of Boozing 'round the world) it's '''T'''rashed instead of '''T'''ired. |
| 130 | *** '''E'''vil '''P'''olyester '''C'''ostumes '''o'''f '''T'''error! |
| 131 | ** Residents of Anaheim, California like to use '''D'''isney '''I'''s '''S'''o '''N'''ot '''E'''ver '''Y'''ielding, to reference the stranglehold the company holds over local politics. Disney would like you to know that Orange County would be ''nothing'' without them! No acronym there... [[{{Megacorp}} they]] just want you to know. |
| 132 | ** Technically "EPCOT" (all caps) only refers to Walt Disney's original plan for what ultimately became the Walt Disney World Resort. Disney intended the property to be an actual ''community'', with homes and schools and everything, that would serve as a testing ground and a showcase for new technologies and new methods of urban planning. But the company chickened out after Walt Disney died and just decided to turn the property into a collection of theme parks. The theme park "Epcot" was intended to embody the spirit of Walt's EPCOT concept without the political/logistical headaches of governing a town (and with the "new methods of urban planning" changed to "showcase for international cultures"), but it's gradually drifted away from that purpose over the years and most guests don't even know that it was originally an acronym. |
| 133 | ** At the World Showcase, Epcot visitors can participate in a WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerb-themed activity called "Agent P's Adventure", where they track down Dr. Doofenshmirtz and thwart his schemes with the help of their Field Operative Notification Equipment, or F.O.N.E. (i.e. using a phone loaned from the park or a downloadable smart-phone app). |
| 134 | * Northern California has the '''A'''nderson-'''C'''ottonwood '''I'''rrigation '''D'''istrict. |
| 135 | * There is an organisation named '''B'''etter '''E'''nvironmentally '''S'''ound '''T'''ransportation, whose first major act was to hold a contest: the BEST Commuter Challenge. |
| 136 | * ''Series/{{Countdown}}''[='=]s computer is called Cecil, which turns out to mean '''C'''ountdown's '''E'''lectronic '''C'''alculator '''I'''n '''L'''eeds (where the show is filmed). |
| 137 | * '''B'''ikers '''A'''gainst '''D'''runk '''D'''rivers. |
| 138 | ** I raise you '''M'''others '''A'''gainst '''D'''runk '''D'''riving. |
| 139 | *** I call and raise '''S'''tudents '''A'''gainst '''D'''estructive '''D'''ecisions (the "DD" originally stood for '''D'''riving '''D'''runk). |
| 140 | *** And also parodied (Was it Creator/BillEngvall or Creator/JeffFoxworthy? Think Foxworthy): '''D'''runks '''A'''gainst '''M'''ad '''M'''others. |
| 141 | *** Recording Artists, Actors, and Athletes Against Drunk Driving is merely RAADD. |
| 142 | * The '''P'''ersonal '''H'''alting '''A'''nd '''S'''timulation '''R'''esponse rifle. Sure, it just temporarily blinds its targets, but what red-blooded American soldier ''doesn't'' secretly yearn to have a [=PHASeR=] rifle? |
| 143 | ** Not to mention the [=TASER=], an acronym of '''[[Literature/TomSwift T]]'''[[Literature/TomSwift homas]] '''[[Literature/TomSwift A]]''' '''[[Literature/TomSwift S]]'''[[Literature/TomSwift wift's]] '''[[Literature/TomSwift E]]'''[[Literature/TomSwift letric]] '''[[Literature/TomSwift R]]'''[[Literature/TomSwift ifle]]. [[spoiler:Nevermind that Tom Swift was never given a middle name, let alone the initial "A". It makes the acronym work.]] |
| 144 | * There is a parody Christian conservative group entitled '''S'''ociety of '''C'''hristians for the '''R'''estoration of '''O'''ld '''T'''estament '''M'''orality. |
| 145 | * In the Netherlands, there was the Katholieke Universiteit (catholic university) of Tilburg (a city). Unfortunately, the letters K-U-T are the Dutch equivalent of CountryMatters. Eventually the university was renamed to KUB (standing for Brabant, the province Tilburg is in). |
| 146 | * UsefulNotes/{{NASA}}, like many American federal agencies, is practically ''made'' of this trope. For example, there's a [[MissionControl flight control]] position known as SPARTAN. The "N" stands for "coNtrol." |
| 147 | ** Following a poll on their site to decide what to name the new ISS module ending up with the name [[Series/TheColbertReport "Colbert"]] winning (through write-in votes, no less), NASA instead chose to name a new zero-g exercise machine for use on the ISS the '''C'''ombined '''O'''perational '''L'''oad '''B'''earing '''E'''xternal '''R'''esistance '''T'''readmill. |
| 148 | ** There's more than just SPARTAN. Witness: |
| 149 | *** '''E'''lectrical '''G'''eneration and '''I'''ntegrated '''L'''ighting Systems Engineer, responsible for the shuttle's electrical systems. |
| 150 | *** '''F'''light '''D'''ynamics '''O'''fficer, responsible for the flight path of the shuttle, pronounced '''FIDO'''. |
| 151 | *** '''M'''echanical, '''M'''aintenance, '''A'''rm, and '''C'''rew '''S'''ystems, responsible for the shuttle's mechanical systems. (Sound it out.) |
| 152 | ** The ISS gets in on the action, too: |
| 153 | *** '''[[Myth/NorseMythology O]]'''[[Myth/NorseMythology nboard, ]]'''[[Myth/NorseMythology D]]'''[[Myth/NorseMythology ata, ]]'''[[Myth/NorseMythology I]]'''[[Myth/NorseMythology nterfaces and ]]'''[[Myth/NorseMythology N]]'''[[Myth/NorseMythology etworks]], responsible for communications systems. |
| 154 | *** '''P'''ower, '''H'''eating, '''A'''rticulation, '''L'''ighting '''Con'''trol Officer, responsible for the station's electrical systems. |
| 155 | *** '''[[Myth/NorseMythology Th]]'''[[Myth/NorseMythology ermal ]]'''[[Myth/NorseMythology O]]'''[[Myth/NorseMythology perations and ]]'''[[Myth/NorseMythology R]]'''[[Myth/NorseMythology esources]], responsible for maintaining the station's heat radiators. |
| 156 | *** During slow days, the last three are collected with some other stations under the monikers '''[[Myth/GreekMythology A]]'''[[Myth/GreekMythology tmosphere, ]]'''[[Myth/GreekMythology T]]'''[[Myth/GreekMythology hermal, ]]'''[[Myth/GreekMythology L]]'''[[Myth/GreekMythology ighting and ]]'''[[Myth/GreekMythology A]]'''[[Myth/GreekMythology rticulation ]]'''[[Myth/GreekMythology S]]'''[[Myth/GreekMythology pecialist]], and '''[[Myth/GreekMythology T]]'''[[Myth/GreekMythology elemetry, ]]'''[[Myth/GreekMythology I]]'''[[Myth/GreekMythology nformation ]]'''[[Myth/GreekMythology T]]'''[[Myth/GreekMythology ransfer, and ]]'''[[Myth/GreekMythology A]]'''[[Myth/GreekMythology ttitude ]]'''[[Myth/GreekMythology N]]'''[[Myth/GreekMythology avigation]]. |
| 157 | *** NASA has a '''C'''ommercial '''C'''rew and '''C'''argo '''P'''rogram '''O'''ffice. Its official initialism is '''[=C3PO=]''', like that robot from ''Franchise/StarWars''. It manages '''C'''ommercial '''O'''rbital '''T'''ransportation '''S'''ervices, or '''COTS'''. |
| 158 | ** One bad taste joke after the Columbia and Challenger disasters was that NASA stood for Need Another Seven Astronauts. |
| 159 | *** In a similar vein, after the Apollo 1 fire, some reporters commented that NASA, which hadn't been very helpful during the investigation of the incident, stood for '''N'''ever '''A''' '''S'''traight '''A'''nswer. |
| 160 | ** NASA once launched a probe to study the planet Mercury called the [=MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry=] and Ranging orbiter, or MESSENGER. Appropriate for the planet named for [[Myth/ClassicalMythology the messenger of the gods]]. |
| 161 | ** Scientific instruments on board '''NASA''''s space probes have their share too. To name just a few: |
| 162 | *** PEPSSI ('''P'''luto '''E'''nergetic '''P'''article '''S'''pectrometer '''S'''cience '''I'''nvestigation) and LORRI ('''L''''''O'''ng-'''R'''ange '''R'''econnaissance '''I'''mager), onboard New Horizons. |
| 163 | *** CAPS ('''CA'''ssini '''P'''lasma '''S'''pectrometer), carried by Cassini. |
| 164 | *** [=GRaND=] ('''G'''amma '''R'''ay '''a'''nd '''N'''eutron '''D'''etector), on Dawn. |
| 165 | *** LOLA[[note]]Spanish given name[[/note]] ('''L'''unar '''O'''rbiter '''L'''aser '''A'''ltimeter) and [=CRaTER=] ('''C'''osmic '''R'''ay '''T'''elescope for the '''E'''ffects of '''R'''adiation), onboard the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. |
| 166 | *** Last but not least, JADE ('''J'''ovian '''A'''uroral '''D'''istributions '''E'''xperiment) and [[Franchise/StarWars JEDI]] ('''J'''upiter '''E'''nergetic-particle '''D'''etector '''I'''nstrument) used by Juno. |
| 167 | ** '''NASA''' are testing '''SPHERES''' aboard the '''ISS'''. What are these '''SPHERES'''? '''S'''ynchronized '''P'''osition '''H'''old, '''E'''ngage, '''R'''eorient, '''E'''xperimental '''S'''atellites. They're [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin roughly-spherical mini-satellites]] that will be used for [[http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/main/spheres.html "testing techniques that could lead to advancements in automated dockings, satellite servicing, spacecraft assembly and emergency repairs"]]. |
| 168 | ** There is a concept for a space exploration vehicle known as the '''N'''on-'''A'''tmospheric '''U'''niversal '''T'''ransport '''I'''ntended for '''L'''engthy '''U'''nited '''S'''tates E'''x'''ploration ([[Literature/TwentyThousandLeaguesUnderTheSea NAUTILUS-X]]). |
| 169 | ** An unfortunate one: '''N'''ASA '''E'''ducation '''R'''esources '''D'''irector. |
| 170 | * The US agency responible for monitiering ocean conditions is the '''N'''ational '''O'''ceanic and '''A'''tmospheric '''A'''dministraion, pronounced Noah. |
| 171 | ** Their space weather satellite, '''D'''eep '''S'''pace '''C'''limate '''O'''bser'''v'''ato'''r'''y |
| 172 | * The Japanese space agency (JAXA), has a few backronyms of their own, such as the cancelled Japanese space shuttle '''"HOPE"''' ('''H'''-II[[note]]H-II being the name of the rocket[[/note]] '''O'''rbiting '''P'''lan'''E'''), and a solar sail demonstrator known as the '''I'''nterplanetary '''K'''ite-craft '''A'''ccelerated by '''R'''adiation '''O'''f the '''S'''un. |
| 173 | * More bad taste -- [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Munich_air_disaster MUNICH]]: '''M'''anchester '''U'''nited '''N'''ever '''I'''ntended '''C'''oming '''H'''ome. |
| 174 | ** A common joke during the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waco_siege Waco siege]] (which descended into bad taste territory following the fiery finale) was that Waco stood for '''W'''e '''A'''in't '''C'''oming '''O'''ut. |
| 175 | ** And an intercultural bad joke: in Spanish, NBA is said to stand for '''N'''egros '''B'''astante '''A'''ltos, "'''Q'''uite '''T'''all '''B'''lack '''M'''en". [[IrrevocableMessage Please note that in Spanish "negro" is not an insult by default.]] |
| 176 | *** In the same way, in Mexican Spanish, FBI is said to stand for '''F'''uerza '''B'''ruta '''I'''ndígena ('''I'''ndigenous '''B'''rute '''F'''orce) |
| 177 | * There are two main hypotheses for how Dark Matter works- '''W'''eakly '''I'''nteracting '''M'''assive '''P'''articles or '''Ma'''ssive '''C'''ompact '''H'''alo '''O'''bjects. '''WIMP'''s and '''MACHO'''s, anyone? |
| 178 | ** Somehow, it'd be funnier if it was '''Na'''tural instead of '''Ma'''ssive. |
| 179 | ** Bill Bryson suggested that for now, we use the term '''D'''ark '''U'''nknown '''N'''onreflective '''N'''ondetectable '''O'''bjects '''S'''omewhere. |
| 180 | ** '''R'''obust '''A'''ssociations of '''M'''assive '''B'''aryonic '''O'''bjects |
| 181 | ** A person critical of the theory proposed to call it '''F'''abricated '''A'''d hoc '''I'''nventions '''R'''epeatedly '''I'''nvoked in '''E'''fforts to '''D'''efend '''U'''ntenable '''S'''cientific '''T'''heories. |
| 182 | ** On a related note, string theory and other attempts at "theories of everything" meant to explain all of physics in a simple, intuitive way are known as '''G'''rand '''U'''nified '''T'''heories. |
| 183 | * There are persistent rumors that the US Military was, at one stage, developing the '''O'''ff '''R'''adar '''G'''round '''A'''ttack '''S'''tandoff '''M'''issile until someone mysteriously decided to rename the program. Of course this may just be someone's idea of a joke. |
| 184 | ** '''H'''ighspeed '''A'''nti '''R'''adar '''M'''issile is real, though. |
| 185 | *** That model's British equivalent is officially known as '''A'''ir '''L'''aunched '''A'''nti '''R'''adar '''M'''issile. |
| 186 | * The '''F'''ree/'''L'''ibre/'''O'''pen '''S'''ource '''S'''oftware community seems to be quite fond of this one: |
| 187 | ** '''G'''NU's '''N'''ot '''U'''nix being the most obvious example. (It refers to the fact that GNU intends to be similar to Unix, but contains no code from Unix.) The G is not silent, partially because of the project's stance that it's more fun to say, and partially to avoid sounding like one is talking about the "new operating system" or "new software" (which doesn't apply to GNU, since it dates back to TheEighties). |
| 188 | ** Or there's the slightly unfortunate '''G'''NU '''I'''mage '''M'''anipulation '''P'''rogram, which, as the name states, is a sub-project of the previously mentioned GNU. |
| 189 | ** Another GNU project, with a less unfortunate (but [[OurGnomesAreWeirder still odd]]) name, the '''G'''NU '''N'''etwork '''O'''bject '''M'''odel '''E'''nvironment, or GNOME, a graphical user interface designed for GNU but usable on practically any OS similar to or based on Unix (such as BSD and Solaris). |
| 190 | ** GNU '''CCCP''' is the '''C'''-'''C'''ompatible '''C'''ompiler '''P'''reprocessor. Because the Russian abbreviation for [[UsefulNotes/SovietRussiaUkraineAndSoOn USSR]] (СССР) looks like "CCCP" to those whose native language uses the Latin alphabet, one might suspect that GNU is [[RedScare communist]]. |
| 191 | ** A simple recursive acronym wasn't silly enough for the GNU kernel: it has a pair of mutually recursive acronyms -- and a bad pun. It's called the GNU HURD ('''H'''IRD of '''U'''nix '''R'''eplacing '''D'''aemons, where HIRD stands for '''H'''URD of '''I'''nterfaces '''R'''epresenting '''D'''epth). |
| 192 | ** Samba isn't an acronym but comes very close - it was the first English word containing the letters S, M and B (in that order) - SMB[[note]]Server Messaging Block[[/note]] being the protocol Samba interoperates with. |
| 193 | ** '''W'''ine '''I'''s '''N'''ot an '''E'''mulator -- and it really isn't (except in the most general sense of trying to behave like something else); it's a [[MediaNotes/ApplicationProgrammingInterface compatibility layer]] for running Windows applications on other operating systems, not unlike what 64-bit versions of Windows have for 32-bit Windows programs or early versions of Mac OS X had for Mac OS Classic programs. |
| 194 | ** '''LAME''' originally stood for '''L'''ame '''A'''in't an '''M'''P3 '''E'''ncoder because it [[TheArtifact was originally]] a set of patches for MPEG's [=dist10=] software rather than an encoder in its own right. Its name was rendered inaccurate when the software was retooled into a proper Platform/{{MP3}} codec. |
| 195 | ** Linux, though actually a {{portmanteau}} of "Linus"(Torvalds)+"UNIX", has [[strike:sometimes]] often been given the joke recursive-acronym interpretation "'''L'''inux '''I'''s '''N'''ot '''U'''NI'''X'''". |
| 196 | ** The standard FLOSS server bundle is known as... LAMP: '''L'''inux, '''A'''pache, '''M'''ySQL, '''P'''HP (or '''P'''erl). |
| 197 | ** The name of the Emacs clone FINE stands for '''F'''ine '''I'''s '''N'''ot '''E'''Macs. |
| 198 | ** Once there was Emacs. The prototype Lisp machine had an Emacs-like editor called EINE ('''E'''INE '''I'''s '''N'''ot '''E'''macs). The Symbolics Lisp machine editor was called ZWEI ('''Z'''WEI '''W'''as '''E'''INE '''I'''nitially). Fortunately, we were saved from DREI ('''D'''REI is '''R'''eally '''E'''macs '''I'''nside). |
| 199 | ** '''T'''he '''A'''mnesic '''I'''ncognito '''L'''ive '''S'''ystem (a privacy tool) |
| 200 | ** '''I'''onization '''FR'''ont '''I'''nteractive '''T'''ool (3D data visualizer, now generic, but originally for stellar fireworks and named appropriately) |
| 201 | ** XINU, an embedded operating system, stands for '''X'''INU '''I'''s '''N'''ot '''U'''NIX. It was originally developed around the same time as GNU and has a similar lack of UNIX code. |
| 202 | ** The '''F'''ree '''L'''ossless '''A'''udio '''C'''odec, or FLAC, earned its name partially because it's been royalty-free since the beginning, and partially because the software the developers provide for using and implementing the format is available under FLOSS licenses. |
| 203 | * Palestinian organization '''''Ḥ'''arakat al-'''T'''aḥrīr al-Waṭanī al-'''F'''ilasṭīnī'' (Palestnian National Liberation Movement) is known as FATAH or 'victory' because HATAF would mean 'sudden death'. |
| 204 | ** Simlarly HAMAS means "zeal" and stands for '''''Ḥ'''arakat '''a'''l-'''M'''uqawamah '''a'''l-I'''S'''lamiyyah'' (the Islamic Resistance Movement). |
| 205 | *** Hamas also means "violence" in Hebrew, something the Israelis are quite fond of pointing out (despite the fact that the two aren't spelled the same way.) |
| 206 | * The French and Germans developed a missile called '''''H'''aut subsonique '''O'''ptiquement '''T'''éléguidé'' (High Subsonic Optical Guided). It can carry a HEAT warhead. |
| 207 | * From UsefulNotes/WorldWarII we have '''P'''ipe '''L'''ine '''U'''nder '''T'''he '''O'''cean or PLUTO |
| 208 | ** Which lays itself open backronym suspicion because normally people don't consider the English Channel an ocean. |
| 209 | ** In Germany there was the ironic acryonm "Gröfaz" (sometimes spelled "[=GröFaZ=]) for Hitler, lampooning the propaganda of the Nazis - '''Grö'''ßter '''F'''eldherr '''a'''ller '''Z'''eiten, "greatest commander-in-chief of all times'''. |
| 210 | * There's apparently a computer-based analysis tool for '''N'''onnumerical, '''U'''nstructured '''D'''ata '''I'''ndexing, '''S'''earching, and '''T'''heorizing. In what is probably an attempt to not look too crude, the official acronym used by research papers throws in an asterisk in the middle to be [=NUD*IST=]... |
| 211 | * UsefulNotes/RichardNixon's re-election campaign was styled the '''C'''ommittee to '''Re'''-'''E'''lect the '''P'''resident, meant to be initialized as CRP, but after the Watergate scandal broke, people deemed another interpretation to be more apt. |
| 212 | ** Parodied by Magazine/{{MAD}} as the '''C'''ommittee to '''R'''eelect the '''A'''merican '''P'''resident. |
| 213 | ** And by Creator/MarvelComics with the Committee to Regain America's Principles. |
| 214 | ** And by the late Kenny Everett in his repeating ''Series/{{Dallas}} / Series/{{Dynasty|1981}}'' parody ''Dallasty''; the last episode of such in each show ended with "credits" which were of course absurdly long and scrolled past far too rapidly to read, and at the very end said (for a second or two) "Creative Research Associates Production" -- stacked vertically so that the "CRAP" lined up and could clearly be read as such. |
| 215 | * The gene "[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zbtb7 Zbtb7]]" was formerly known as the "'''POK''' '''e'''rythroid '''m'''yeloid '''on'''togenic factor", which was often shortened to Franchise/{{Pokemon}}. Pokémon USA naturally threatened to sue, as they didn't want Pokémon to be associated with the gene that may be the trigger for ''cancer'', of all things. |
| 216 | * '''S'''easonal '''A'''ffective '''D'''isorder, or SAD, happens to be seasonally- dependent classical depression. Who says shrinks don't have a sense of humor? |
| 217 | ** Or '''S.O.S.A.D''', which would be '' '''S'''udden '''O'''nset'' '''S'''easonal '''A'''ffective '''D'''isorder. And it is '''SO SAD'''. |
| 218 | ** Then there's the '''S'''tandard '''A'''merican '''D'''iet... |
| 219 | ** Not to mention '''S'''ingles '''A'''wareness '''D'''ay, also known as Valentine's Day. |
| 220 | ** Sad and coincidental, but '''S'''ocial '''A'''nxiety '''D'''isorder's (AKA social phobia) acronym spells out '''SAD''', and many people with the disorder to tend to be sad because of the way it mixes with their life. |
| 221 | * '''I'''ntermittent '''E'''xplosive '''D'''isorder is the official name given to a disorder which causes instances of BerserkButton to overlap with destructive results. It also happens to share an acronym with '''I'''mprovised '''E'''xplosive '''D'''evices, roadside bombs that are well known because of their use in UsefulNotes/TheWarOnTerror. |
| 222 | * The Scotland Yard computer system is the '''[[Franchise/SherlockHolmes H]]'''[[Franchise/SherlockHolmes ome]] '''[[Franchise/SherlockHolmes O]]'''[[Franchise/SherlockHolmes ffice]] '''[[DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment L]]'''[[DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment inked]] '''[[DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment M]]'''[[DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment ajor]] '''[[Franchise/SherlockHolmes E]]'''[[Franchise/SherlockHolmes nquiry]] '''[[Franchise/SherlockHolmes S]]'''[[Franchise/SherlockHolmes ystem]]. |
| 223 | * In a 2007 paper in ''Chemical Communications'', a group of Chinese academics coined an extremely unfortunate acronym for copper ('''Cu''') '''n'''ano'''t'''ubes. The same paper also had bismuth nanotubes. Their journal article on the work managed to get published in an English-language journal with their nomenclature intact. This is possibly the only time a Chem. Comm. article has been cited by ''ComicBook/{{Viz}}''. |
| 224 | * Creator/{{UKTV}} renamed UKTV Gold to G.O.L.D., which stood for '''G'''o '''O'''n, '''L'''augh '''D'''aily, in 2008, before changing it to just Gold two years later. |
| 225 | * There is always the '''O'''ffice of '''N'''aval '''I'''ntelligence. |
| 226 | ** Although at first glance this appears to be an Oxymoron, it gets funnier if you know that an "[[RedOniBlueOni Oni]]" is a Japanese ogre known for wielding giant iron clubs. |
| 227 | * The name of the USA PATRIOT Act stood for '''U'''niting and '''S'''trengthening '''A'''merica by '''P'''roviding '''A'''ppropriate '''T'''ools '''R'''equired to '''I'''ntercept and '''O'''bstruct '''T'''errorism '''A'''ct". [[SuperFunHappyThingOfDoom The act's primary effect was to increase the government's wiretap and surveillance powers.]] |
| 228 | ** Richard Stallman repurposed the acronym as the [[TheProblemWithPenIsland [=U SAP AT RIOT=]]] Act. |
| 229 | ** The government's been doing this a lot lately. Since then we've had the '''America C'''reating '''O'''pportunities to '''M'''eaningfully '''P'''romote '''E'''xcellence in '''T'''echnology, '''E'''ducation, and '''S'''cience Act of 2007 and the '''D'''evelopment, '''R'''elief and '''E'''ducation for '''A'''lien '''M'''inors Act of 2010 (though the latter didn't pass the Senate). |
| 230 | ** [[http://www.economist.com/blogs/johnson/2011/11/legislative-titles This Economist blog post]] contains a list of American laws that have FunWithAcronyms. AYUDA, anyone? |
| 231 | ** On a local level, Erie County, New York introduced the '''P'''revention of '''E'''motional '''N'''eglect and '''C'''hild '''E'''ndangerment Act to ban the use of conversion therapy on minors, an obvious TakeThat to Vice President-elect UsefulNotes/MikePence, who has voiced support for the practice. |
| 232 | * The '''F'''isherman's '''I'''nformation '''B'''ureau. "It was this big! Really!" |
| 233 | * Someone at the government was having fun when they came up with the '''C'''onsolidated '''O'''mnibus '''B'''udget '''R'''econciliation '''A'''ct (a continuation of health care benefits after you lose your job). That, or it's proof of government infestation by terrorists with hoods and metal masks... |
| 234 | * The name of the party supply company brand Elope stands for "'''E'''verybody's '''L'''aughing '''O'''n '''P'''lanet '''E'''arth." |
| 235 | * The unfortunately named '''F'''lorida '''A'''ssociation of '''P'''ublic '''P'''rocurement '''O'''fficials, or [[HehHehYouSaidX FAPPO]]. |
| 236 | * In 2000, when the Reform Party of Canada merged with a faction of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada, the new party (the Canadian Alliance) came very close to calling itself the '''C'''anadian '''C'''onservative '''R'''eform '''A'''lliance. However, the media added '''P'''arty to the name, causing the party to change the arrangement of the words. |
| 237 | * In the Netherlands, schools and universities are sometimes associated with religious organisations. Universities also tend to turn their names into acronyms (like '''U.v.A.''': '''U'''niversiteit '''v'''an '''A'''msterdam, University of Amsterdam). Cue hilarity when the Catholic University in Tilburg ('''K'''atholieke '''U'''niversiteit '''T'''ilburg) rapidly changed its name to Catholic University of Brabant. Take a guess what the less-than-flattering name for female genitalia is in Dutch? |
| 238 | ** Likewise, Belgium has the '''K'''atholieke '''U'''niversiteit '''L'''euven, which gets shortened to '''[=KULeuven=]''', and not '''KUL'''. Because ''kul'' is Dutch for ''nonsense''. |
| 239 | * The unsucessful landing craft from the European Space Agency's Mars Explorer was called Beagle, and one of the Beagle's tools was the '''P'''ayload '''A'''djustable '''W'''orkbench. |
| 240 | * Britain has the '''N'''ational '''U'''nion of '''T'''eachers. |
| 241 | ** There's also the '''B'''ritish '''A'''ssociation of '''P'''lastic '''S'''urgeons, or '''BAPS'''. [[note]][[DontExplainTheJoke Figure it out yourself.]][[/note]] |
| 242 | * That '''B'''ring '''A''' '''R'''eal '''F'''riend poster on TotallyRadical? That's a real-life version of both that trope and this one. |
| 243 | * In military aviation, there is '''HERO'''--this stands for '''H'''azards of '''E'''lectromagnetic '''R'''adiation to '''O'''rdnance. (A strong enough radio signal can cause detonators to spontaneously fire. HERO restricts the use of radio devices. |
| 244 | * The US military tried their hardest to subvert this trope with the [[https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/DUKW DUKW]], an amphibious truck of outstanding quality produced in WWII. D for designed in 1942 [of course!], U for utility, K for all-wheel drive and W for dual-axle. Everyone ignored the inconvenient W and called them "ducks". |
| 245 | * This works out awesomely for the '''C'''leveland '''I'''nstitute of '''A'''rt, or '''CIA'''. |
| 246 | ** This also works for the '''C'''ulinary '''I'''nstitute of '''A'''merica. |
| 247 | ** And the '''C'''anadian '''I'''institute of '''A'''ctuaries |
| 248 | ** At the University of California, Berkeley, there is a student organization that used to be called the '''C'''alifornia '''I'''nvestment '''A'''ssociation. In 2009, they changed their name to '''B'''erkeley '''I'''nvestment '''G'''roup. |
| 249 | * The '''D'''efense '''R'''esearch and '''E'''ngineering '''N'''etwork. (Hint: Read it backwards.) |
| 250 | ** Unless you're a ''Series/{{Farscape}}'' fan, [[UnusualEuphemism in which case...]] |
| 251 | * While not technically an ''acronym'', the Canadian postal code [[note]]Postal codes always follow the pattern of Letter-Number-Letter Number-Letter-Number[[/note]] for Santa Claus is indeed [=H0H 0H0=]. [[note]]Due to how postal codes work, there's no danger of anyone ''else'' getting it: the first zero indicates a rural delivery zone, yet the first H designates UsefulNotes/{{Montreal}}, the second-largest city in Canada. The only other H0- code in use is [=H0M=], used by the Akwesasne tribal reserve, which is on the Canada-U.S. border and more than 100 km away from Montreal.[[/note]] |
| 252 | * The Food Stamp Program, a federal aid program administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (as well as the largest nutrition assistance program), changed its name to '''S'''upplemental '''N'''utrition '''A'''ssistance '''P'''rogram, or in abbreviated terms, '''SNAP'''! |
| 253 | * The '''M'''oro '''I'''slamic '''L'''iberation '''F'''ront in the Philippines probably elicits a few snickers among foreign policy wonks who have seen ''Film/AmericanPie''... |
| 254 | ** While we're in the Philippines, the Katipunan revolutionary organization's full name is '''''K'''ataastaasang '''K'''agalang-galang na '''K'''atipunan ng mga Anak ng Bayan'' [[note]]Supreme and Most Honorable Society of the Children of the Nation[[/note]]. Rest assured that a) they're defunct as an organization (having been formed to throw out the Spanish {{Evil Colonialist}}s in 1896); and b) they're not a racist group or even related to that said group (although their members could get fairly regionalistic and/or classist, but thankfully no white masks and cross burning and the like). |
| 255 | * At Purdue University back in the 1970's, about the time "TGIF" was becoming commonplace, a group of students formed the '''S'''o '''H'''appy '''I'''t's '''T'''hursday club. |
| 256 | * The US Department of Justice gets on with acronym fun with their policing committees, '''C'''ommunity '''O'''riented '''P'''olicing '''S'''ervices, and '''P'''olice '''E'''xecutive '''R'''esearch '''F'''orum |
| 257 | * This trope is actually OlderThanFeudalism: Early Christians chose the "fish" symbol based on the initials of Jesus Christ's title (in Greek, the lingua franca of the day): '''I'''esous '''Ch'''ristos '''Th'''eou '''Y'''ios '''S'''oter (letters weren't one-to-one with Roman script). The saying "money is the root of all evil" came from the same source (as "greed") as a thinly veiled TakeThat against the Roman Empire, in Latin: '''R'''adix '''O'''mnium '''M'''alorum '''A'''varitia. |
| 258 | * SAFE Archery, a company that specializes in archery with foam-tipped arrows, for special events and the like. They were used by Disney for ''{{WesternAnimation/Brave}}'' themed archery activities, for example. The name stands for '''S'''tudents '''A'''nd '''F'''amlies '''E'''xperiencing Archery. |
| 259 | * The sadly now defunct '''F'''ederation of '''A'''ustralian '''R'''ace '''T'''uners. |
| 260 | * The full title of London Zoo's biodiversity exhibit, '''B'''iodiversity '''U'''nderpinning '''G'''lobal '''S'''urvival, home to most of the zoo's invertebrates. |
| 261 | * The [[UsefulNotes/LondonUnderground London Overground's]] '''G'''ospel '''O'''ak to '''B'''arking '''Lin'''e (now officially named the Suffragette Line) is much more popularly known as the '''GOBLIN'''. |
| 262 | * In 1938 when government programs with unwieldy acronyms were all the rage, O. C. Cash parodied those names by calling his newly formed barbershop quartet club the '''S'''ociety for the '''P'''reservation and '''E'''ncouragement of '''B'''arber '''S'''hop '''Q'''uartet '''S'''inging in '''A'''merica (SPEBSQSA). The Society bylaws always insisted that one should never try to pronounce the initials as a word, but everybody did -- for decades it was informally called "Speb-squssa" by its members. Finally they decided that the ridiculously long name joke had gone on long enough, and formally changed the name to Barbershop Harmony Society. |
| 263 | * Meanwhile, down at the South Pole, we have the '''BICEP''' (Background Imaging of Cosmic Extragalactic Polarization) telescope. |
| 264 | * Next to the MIT campus is Microsoft's '''N'''ew '''E'''ngland '''R'''esearch and '''D'''evelopment Center, also known as the Microsoft NERD Center. |
| 265 | ** [[http://www.nerd.nintendo.com/ Another organization]] that uses the same acronymn is '''N'''intendo '''E'''uropean '''R'''esearch & '''D'''evelopment. |
| 266 | * And last but not least two nicknames given by USAF personnel to two of its most known planes, that are actually acronyms: '''BUFF''' ('''B'''ig '''U'''gly '''F'''at '''F'''[[PrecisionFStrike ucker]][[note]]{{Bowdlerise}}d as '''F'''ellow[[/note]] for the B-52 bomber, and '''FRED''' ('''F'''[[PrecisionFStrike ucking]][[note]]{{Bowdlerise}}d as '''F'''antastic or '''F'''reaking[[/note]] '''R'''idiculous '''E'''conomic (or '''E'''nviromental) '''D'''isaster) for the C-5 Galaxy transport plane. |
| 267 | * '''FRED''' is also a nickname given by railroaders for an electronic device used in lieu of a caboose, standing for '''F'''lashing '''R'''ear '''E'''nd '''D'''evice. (It's proper name is an ''End-of-Train Device'' or '''EOT'''.) The device transmits telemetry to a receiver in the cab, colloquially known as a ''Wilma'' [-(Fred's wife on ''WesternAnimation/TheFlintstones'')-]. |
| 268 | * British anti-porn campaigner Mary Whitehouse originally named her campaign to get rude programs banned as '''C'''lean '''U'''p '''N'''ational '''T'''V, but wiser council prevailed. |
| 269 | * Sex therapist and intimacy expert Dr. Laura Berman came up with "VENIS", which stands for '''V'''ery '''E'''rotic '''N'''on '''I'''nsertive '''S'''ex. as a clinical term for heavy petting. |
| 270 | * Naming of drug trials are excessively guilty of this, Big Pharma has managed to produce such gems as BATMAN[[note]]Bisphosphonate and Anastrozole Trial - Bone Maintenance Algorithm Assessment[[/note]], MANTICORE[[note]]Multidisciplinary Approach to Novel Therapies in Cardiology Oncology Research[[/note]], AWESOME[[note]]Angina With Extremely Serious Operative Mortality Evaluation[[/note]], BLIND-DATE[[note]]Blinded Withdrawal Of Deprenyl In The Datatop Extension Trial[[/note]] and SMART-CURE[[note]]Cohort Study in Uganda Comparing Artesunate + Amiodaquine (Coarsucam) Versus Artemether + Lumenfantrine (Coartem) in the Treatment of Repeated Uncomplicated Plasmodium Falciparum Malaria Attacks; the fact that the acronym and the full title of the drug trial do not match at all was not addressed in the scientific article[[/note]]. Most of this have to do with needing a name that will easily roll off the tongues of Drugs Sales Reps, the majority of whom probably did not take science or biology in college. Also, by giving a drug trial a positive sounding name, it gives doctors the subconscious impression that the trial produced a positive result, even if the actual data says otherwise. |
| 271 | * The name of one Argentine political party, the '''F'''rente '''A'''rgentino '''P'''rogresista has certainly not gone unnoticed in the internet. |
| 272 | ** The German FAP ('''F'''reiheitliche [[http://www.br.de/nachrichten/fap-1991-leipzig-100~_v-img__16__9__xl_-d31c35f8186ebeb80b0cd843a7c267a0e0c81647.jpg?version=f2467 [Deutsche] (Yes, without the "Deutsche" in their acronym.)]] '''A'''rbeiter '''P'''artei) a now defunct neo-Nazi group in Germany that’s long forgotten by history after being outlawed as too fascist, did not go unnoticed either -- [[Webcomic/SexyLosers fittingly as fanart on the site who coined the term "fap".]] |
| 273 | * When someone gets a sprain or similar injury, doctors recommend the '''RICE''' protocol (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation). |
| 274 | * According to former astronaut Michael Collins in his book ''Liftoff'', NASA's first abort sensing system was named the Abort Sensing and Implementation System (ASIS) because the Air Force was "not happy about calling it ASS." |
| 275 | * Japan was the first country to have a HDTV system, ''Hi-Vision'', over two decades before the world finally caught up. It's video system was called '''MUSE''', or ''Multiple sub-Nyquist Sampling Encoding''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multiple_sub-Nyquist_sampling_encoding]]. Wait, it gets better: The video system was paired with an audio system called ''Digital Audio Near-instantaneous Compression and Expansion'', or '''DANCE'''. Apparently the engineers who worked on the system were fond of Greek myths... |
| 276 | * After the Enron and [=WorldCom=] accounting scandals, the US government decided to establish an official body to regulate the accounting industry as part of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (itself something of an example with the charming name [=SarbOx=]). This body was called the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, whose initialism PCAOB doesn't itself stand for anything but is easy to {{spooner|ism}}ize into "PCABO", pronounced "peek-a-boo"--an amusing name given its oversight function. Naturally PCAOB employees and other accounting professionals hate the nickname, but this hasn't kept some people from using it (it's particularly common among administrative law experts, as a rather significant case in administrative law respected the PCAOB, which is just fun to call "the Peekaboo case"). |
| 277 | * The government body that regulates air pollution in California is called the '''C'''alifornia '''A'''ir '''R'''esources '''B'''oard, or '''CARB'''. |
| 278 | * The whole field of Genetics IS this trope. One example shall suffice: a longevity gene of Drosophila, '''I''' 'm '''N'''ot '''D'''ead '''Y'''et, or '''INDY'''. |
| 279 | * Likewise the whole field of Nuclear Magnetic Resonance. The topper would be '''INADEQUATE''', '''I'''ncredible '''N'''atural '''A'''bundance '''D'''oubl'''E''' '''QUA'''ntum '''T'''ransfer '''E'''xperiment. |
| 280 | * Still science: The "'''BAM''' explosion test" is an unintended example, since the initials do not stand for the test conditions, but the inventor, the German '''B'''undes'''A'''nstalt für '''M'''aterialforschung. |
| 281 | * A new anti armor weapon developed by DARPA carries the name '''MA'''gneto '''H'''ydrodynamic '''E'''xplosive '''M'''unition. |
| 282 | * George Mason University wanted to rename its law school in honor of a recently-deceased Supreme Court justice: the '''A'''ntonin '''S'''calia '''S'''chool '''o'''f '''L'''aw. On further consideration of the pronunciation ('''ASS'''H'''OL'''E), they revised it to A.S. Law School. Made even worse by the fact that the original name change was announced on April 1, leading some to think it was an April Fool's joke. (It wasn't.) |
| 283 | * The '''I'''ndonesia '''C'''onvention '''E'''xhibition in Tangerang, Banten, Indonesia is the biggest convention and exhibition center in Indonesia. The air-conditioning system in the building feels as if it were cold as '''ICE'''. |
| 284 | * When Petco decided to sponsor the San Diego Padres' new stadium (known as Petco Park), they offered fans the opportunity to purchase bricks outside the concourse and dedicate them. PETA, who had a long standing dispute over Petco's treatment of animals, used theirs to call for a boycott of Petco. When it was rejected, they instead submitted a brick reading "'''B'''reak '''O'''pen '''Y'''our '''C'''old '''O'''nes '''T'''oast '''T'''he '''P'''adres '''E'''njoy '''T'''his '''C'''hampion '''O'''rganization." The Padres accepted it, not because they didn't notice but because they reasoned that only those looking for the acrostic would see it. |
| 285 | * "Laser" is '''L'''ight '''A'''mplification by '''S'''timulated '''E'''mission of '''R'''adiation. A Laser is often used to read and write [=CDs=] and [=DVDs=] (like the ones in CD-ROM and DVD-ROM drives). Also used in Laserdisc players (for watching Laserdisc movies) and Blu-ray Disc players (as a blue laser is shown reading the [=BD=] disc). Often used in weapons by humans at a Laser Quest entertainment complex in Houston, Texas to play Laser Tag (against other people). |
| 286 | ** "Maser" substitutes '''M'''icrowave for '''L'''ight. Other variants (sometimes seen in hard science fiction) include the [=GRASER=], which uses '''G'''amma '''R'''adiation, and the somewhat odd-looking [=XASER=], which uses X-rays. |
| 287 | * A behavioral school in Houston, Texas is known as '''H'''arris '''C'''ounty '''D'''epartment of '''E'''ducation - '''A'''cademic and '''B'''ehavior '''C'''enter East (or HCDE - ABC East). |
| 288 | * In entertainment, '''EGOT''' is the term for the performers and creators who've won at least one competitive (non-honorary) award at the '''E'''mmy, '''G'''rammy, '''O'''scar, and '''T'''ony Awards ceremonies (the four major awards in the United States). |
| 289 | * Medical {{gallows humor}} is full of these: |
| 290 | ** '''A'''ssuming '''R'''oom '''T'''emperature (dead or nearly so) |
| 291 | ** '''B'''end '''O'''ver, '''H'''ere '''I'''t '''C'''omes '''A'''gain. |
| 292 | ** '''B'''ut '''U'''nfortunately '''N'''ot '''D'''ead '''Y'''et (sometimes combined with '''F'''ucked '''U'''p '''B'''eyond '''A'''ll '''R'''ecovery) |
| 293 | ** '''C'''at '''O'''wner '''S'''mells '''M'''ade '''O'''f '''N'''uts '''A'''nd '''U'''sed '''T'''ampons (CrazyCatLady) |
| 294 | ** '''F'''elt '''A'''wful '''B'''ut '''I'''m '''A'''lright '''N'''ow |
| 295 | ** '''F'''unny '''U'''nusual '''R'''ectal '''B'''lockage |
| 296 | ** '''G'''et '''O'''ut of '''M'''y '''E'''mergency '''R'''oom |
| 297 | ** '''H'''ypertensive '''O'''bese '''N'''oncompliant '''D'''iabetic '''A'''sshole |
| 298 | ** '''T'''ake (them) '''O'''ut '''A'''nd '''S'''hoot '''T'''hem |
| 299 | ** '''V'''iolent '''O'''bese '''D'''runk '''K'''razy '''A'''lcoholic |
| 300 | ** '''W'''aste '''O'''f '''M'''oney, '''B'''rains, '''A'''nd '''T'''ime |
| 301 | * Arizona State University offers a [[https://poly.engineering.asu.edu/git/ degree]] in '''G'''raphic '''I'''nformation '''T'''echnology ("git" is a British English insult that doesn't crop up much in American English, [[DidNotDoTheBloodyResearch so it is possible those responsible for the acronym weren't aware of this.]]) This has resulted in a student organization putting up some rather amusing posters asking people to "Join the [[https://orgsync.com/12660/chapter GIT Club]]." |
| 302 | ** [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Git Git]] is also a popular version control system so this might be where the acronym came from. |
| 303 | * The Polish Armed Forces Branches Operational Command, in Polish: '''D'''owództwo '''O'''peracyjne '''R'''odzajów '''S'''ił '''Z'''brojnych, or DORSZ (Polish for "cod") in short. |
| 304 | * One principle of software development is known as '''D'''on't '''R'''epeat '''Y'''ourself, or DRY. Violations of DRY are called WET, which is taken to mean '''W'''rite '''E'''verything '''T'''wice, '''W'''e '''E'''njoy '''T'''yping, or '''W'''aste '''E'''veryone's '''T'''ime. |
| 305 | ** Another such principle is '''K'''eep '''I'''t '''S'''imple, '''S'''tupid. |
| 306 | * [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proton-enhanced_nuclear_induction_spectroscopy There is a a nuclear magnetic resonance imaging technique]] named '''P'''roton-'''E'''nhanced '''N'''uclear '''I'''nduction '''S'''pectroscopy |
| 307 | * When the Republican-dominated Congress held up a budget bill to the point where the government shut down, the National Weather Service branch in Anchorage, Alaska released a weather prediction on their site, with ''PLEASE PAY US'' embedded [[https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/capital-weather-gang/wp/2013/10/04/weather-service-office-begs-please-pay-us-in-secret-message/ as an acrostic]] in the first words of each sentence. |
| 308 | * Astrophysicists Matthew Muterspaugh and Maciej Konacki are busy with '''T'''he '''A'''ttempt '''T'''o '''O'''bserve '''O'''uter-planets '''I'''n '''N'''on-single-stellar '''E'''nvironments, or '''[[https://www.ssl.berkeley.edu/~matthew1/TATOOINE/TATOOINE.html TATOOINE]]''' for short. |
| 309 | * Yulon's R&D department is named Hua-chuang Automobile Information Technical Center, or HAITEC for short. Now, try to pronounce the acronym... |
| 310 | * "Jeb", the nickname for George W. Bush's brother '''J'''ohn '''E'''llis '''B'''ush. |
| 311 | * In the airline industry, all airfares between cities have an alphanumeric fare basis code of 1-8 characters. The first character is usually the booking code (A-Z) and the second character can be a seasonal designation, such as "H" for high or "L" for low. One type of fare that can include tour packages is appropriately called "inclusive tour" and will have "IT" in the fare basis code. There is at least one instance of an airline filing an '''S'''-class '''h'''igh season '''i'''nclusive '''t'''our fare. [[note]] And quite a few examples of '''S'''-class '''L'''ow season '''I'''nclusive '''T'''our fares too! [[/note]] |
| 312 | * A scientific paper dealing with the weird dimming pattern of Star KIC 8462852 [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gypAjPp6eps (More information in this video)]] was titled '''W'''here's '''T'''he '''F'''lux?" [[InvokedTrope The initials were quite deliberate]], as the scientists writing it didn't know what was going on with this star. |
| 313 | * Caboose on mainline trains in North America were replaced by the '''F'''lashing '''R'''ear '''E'''nd '''D'''evice. It started off as only a way to mark the end of the train, but now can communicate with a unit at the front of the train, relaying how much pressure is in the brake line in at the end of the train. The receiver? [[WesternAnimation/TheFlintstones Wilma]]. |
| 314 | * Many a desktop support person knows the most frequent problem: PEBKAC: Problem Exists Between Keyboard And Chair. |
| 315 | * America's first major Emergency Broadcasting System was called CONELRAD which was a system designed for the '''CO'''ntrol of '''[=EL=]'''ectromagnetic '''RAD'''iation |
| 316 | * Schools in the United States handle active shooter situations with a protocol called ALICE which means '''A'''lert, '''L'''ockdown, '''I'''nform, '''C'''ounter, and '''E'''vacuate. |
| 317 | * There exists a type of undersea observatory device called a '''C'''irculation '''O'''bviation '''R'''etrofit '''K'''it (CORK). [[MeaningfulName It's deployed onto the openings of boreholes]] to measure water pressure and temperature. |
| 318 | * Aerospace pioneer Burt Rutan's company Scaled Composites absolutely ''adored'' this trope, and used it in naming several of their pieces of prototype and experimental hardware. |
| 319 | ** Their design for a lightweight, low-cost ground-attack figher was named '''A'''gile '''R'''esponse '''E'''ffective '''S'''upport. |
| 320 | ** Their technology demonstrator for a lightweight, short-field capable transport aircraft for DARPA was internally assigned the name '''S'''pecial '''M'''ission '''U'''tility '''T'''ransport. DARPA wasn't amused, and referred to it as the '''A'''dvanced '''T'''echnology '''T'''actical '''T'''ransport or [=AT³=] for short |
| 321 | * In the UsefulNotes/AmericanPoliticalSystem, "RINO" ('''R'''epublican '''I'''n '''N'''ame '''O'''nly) is slang for a relatively moderate Republican politician with socially progressive views. Aside from the obvious meaning, the term is also a {{pun}} on "rhino" (as in "rhinoceros"); the American Republican Party's official emblem is an elephant, while a rhinoceros is another large, grey-skinned animal with white horns that ''resembles'' an elephant, but isn't one. On the flip side: relatively conservative Democratic politicians are (somewhat less commonly) called "[=DINOs=]" ('''D'''emocrats '''I'''n '''N'''ame '''O'''nly), which also makes for a pun on "dino" (as in "dinosaur"), alluding to the fact that conservative Democrats are generally older than their more left-leaning peers, and are coming to be increasingly viewed as "the old guard" as the party has become more openly progressive. |
| 322 | * Toronto's high speed rail between Union Station and Toronto Pearson International Airport is known as the '''U'''nion-'''P'''earson Express, or the UP. |
| 323 | * In colloquial English, it's called the '''I'''slamic '''S'''tate of '''I'''raq and '''S'''yria. But in Arabic, its many detractors and former unwilling residents call it '''DA'ISH''' (from its Arabic name ''ad-'''D'''awlah '''a'''l-Islāmiyah fī 'l-''''I'''rāq wa ash-'''Sh'''ām''). When spoken, ''Da'ish'' happens to resemble ''Daes'' (one who crushes something underfoot, i.e. a dictator) and ''Dāhis'' (one who sows discord). The relative rarity of acronyms in Arabic, and the option to say it with a disparaging long E sound, only further underscores the point. |
| 324 | * There's a [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RPTOR gene]] with the relatively self-explanatory and boring name of '''R'''egulatory-'''a'''ssociated '''p'''rotein of m'''TOR'''. Unfortunately, some killjoys changed the acronym to RPTOR. |
| 325 | * More science-related acronyms [[http://www.academiaobscura.com/acronyms/ here]]. |
| 326 | * ''W.A.T.C.H.'' : World Against Toys Causing Harm, Inc., which has been issuing the annual “10 Worst Toys” list since 1973. |
| 327 | * In the U.S they have a series of statutes that allows criminals to be charged not with specific crimes, but be charged with being members of a criminal organization. Thereby making it easier to prosecute and convict Organized Crime leaders who insulate themselves from prosecution by having their underlings carry out criminal activities. The Statutes are known as: |
| 328 | ** '''R'''acketeer |
| 329 | ** '''I'''nfluenced |
| 330 | ** '''C'''orrupt |
| 331 | ** '''O'''rganization |
| 332 | ** Rumor is that this was deliberate by its author as reference to the main character of the film ''Film/PublicEnemy'', though he's denied it. |
| 333 | * In Canada, a group that helps with owed child support payments is called: |
| 334 | ** '''M'''others |
| 335 | ** '''A'''gainst |
| 336 | ** '''F'''athers |
| 337 | ** '''I'''n |
| 338 | ** '''A'''rrears |
| 339 | ** Hilariously lampshaded in the 90's during a debate in the Ontario Legislature over a bill by the then Conservative Government to bring in new penalties for back-payments was supported by the organization, leading one opposition Member to say the bill has Mafia support. |
| 340 | * There was once an all-women's air force group during World War II, and it was called the '''W'''omen '''A'''ir Force '''S'''ervice '''P'''ilots. For the Army division, it was known as the '''W'''omen's '''A'''rmy '''S'''ervice '''P'''ilots. |
| 341 | * '''CRIME''' ('''C'''ompression '''R'''atio '''I'''nfo-leak '''M'''ade '''E'''asy) is a security exploit against secret web cookies on the Web. And there is a CRIME exploit against HTTP compression called '''BREACH''' (short for '''B'''rowser '''R'''econnaissance and '''E'''xfiltration via '''A'''daptive '''C'''ompression of '''H'''ypertext). |
| 342 | * The '''N'''ew '''E'''ngland '''C'''onfectionery '''Co'''mpany. |
| 343 | * Spain has the '''O'''rganización '''N'''acional de '''C'''iegos '''E'''spañoles, which is pronounced "own-say" like the Spanish word for eleven, and translates to English as '''N'''ational '''O'''rganization of '''B'''lind '''S'''paniards. |
| 344 | * [[https://www.thecalmzone.net In the UK, there is a mental health service for men called the Campaign Against Living Miserably, or CALM.]] |
| 345 | * '''S'''kin '''H'''eads '''A'''gainst '''R'''acial '''P'''rejudice: As the name implies, a subgroup of skinheads who oppose racism and fascism. |
| 346 | * '''S'''haring '''E'''lectronic '''R'''esources and '''L'''aws against '''O'''rganized '''C'''rime. [[Literature/SherlockHolmes SHERLOC.]] |
| 347 | * MediaNotes/{{Programming Language}}s |
| 348 | ** Fortran, originally written as FORTRAN ('''FOR'''mula '''TRAN'''slation). |
| 349 | *** An enhanced compiler from Waterloo University was Waterloo FORTRAN: WATFOR. When an upgrade called FORTRAN IV came, the University kept pace with Waterloo FORTRAN IV: WATFIV. |
| 350 | ** COBOL ('''CO'''mmon '''B'''usiness-'''O'''riented '''L'''anguage). |
| 351 | ** BASIC ('''B'''eginners '''A'''ll-purpose '''S'''ymbolic '''I'''nstruction '''C'''ode), which drove virtually all microcomputers (e.g., Altair 8800, Platform/AppleII, Platform/TRS80, Platform/Commodore64, Platform/IBMPersonalComputer[[note]]While MS-DOS was its main operating system, the IBM PC did have BASIC in ROM as a fallback[[/note]], etc.) in the late 1970s and early 1980s. |
| 352 | ** LISP officially stands for "'''LIS'''t '''P'''rocessing", but due to the fact that Lisp programs tend to involve absolutely massive amounts of parentheses due to the way the language's syntax works, an old programming joke is that it actually stands for something like "'''L'''ots of '''I'''rritating '''S'''uperfluous '''P'''arentheses". |
| 353 | ** Subverted with the esoteric programming language, INTERCAL, which stands for "Compiler Language With No Pronounceable Acronym". |
| 354 | * The '''P'''hilippine '''A'''tmospheric, '''G'''eophysical and '''A'''stronomical '''S'''ervices '''A'''dministration. The initials spell out the Filipino word for "hope". |
| 355 | * A tradition at the Georgia Institute of Technology in UsefulNotes/{{Atlanta}} is the beanie cap given to all freshmen, called the "[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traditions_of_the_Georgia_Institute_of_Technology#RAT_Caps rat cap]]". Traditionally, "RAT" is an acronym for '''R'''ecruit '''A'''t '''T'''ech[[note]]Alternatively, the acronym can stand for '''R'''ecently '''A'''cquired '''T'''echie[[/note]]. In the old days, freshmen were required to wear their rat cap at all times (unless Tech beats Georgia in football that year), lest they receive hazing from upperclassmen; however, due to anti-hazing laws, the tradition largely died out by the 1960s. Participation in the rat cap tradition is now completely voluntary, with the marching band still upholding the more light-hearted parts of the tradition, namely the way it is decorated. |
| 356 | * A mysterious light in the skies over Canada, unrelated to the ''aurora borealis'', was nicknamed "Steve" by the Facebook group Alberta Aurora Chasers as a ShoutOut to the 2006 film adaptation of ''WesternAnimation/OverTheHedge''. It would up becoming an acronym for the official name of the phenomenon, '''S'''trong '''T'''hermal '''E'''mission '''V'''elocity '''E'''nhancement. |
| 357 | * REINFORCE learning is a type of Machine Learning [[http://www-anw.cs.umass.edu/~barto/courses/cs687/williams92simple.pdf introduced]] in the early 90s. Based on its main equation it stands for '''RE'''ward '''I'''ncrement = '''N'''onnegative '''F'''actor ''times'' '''O'''ffset '''R'''einforcement ''times'' '''C'''haracteristic '''E'''ligibility. |
| 358 | * The Photic Sneeze Reflex (the reflex that some people have that causes them to sneeze when looking into bright light, among other stimuli) is also known as '''Autosomal Compelling Helio-Opthalmic Outburst Syndrome''', or '''ACHOO Syndrome''' |
| 359 | * The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime has a portal called '''Sh'''aring '''E'''lectronic '''R'''esources and '''L'''aws '''O'''n '''C'''rime. |
| 360 | * Accurately simulating corrosion of glass is both very important in academia and very hard because of the effect of a lot of factors and interactions. One proposed solution method that incorporated a lot more than its contemporaries is called the '''G'''lass '''R'''eactivity with '''A'''llowance for the '''A'''lteration '''L'''ayer model, with the authors specifically pointing out that '[=GRAAL=] is the French translation for Grail'. Holy Grail of the field or not, it has made some experiments a lot easier. |
| 361 | * The official names for [=CERN=]'s particle detectors include '''A''' '''L'''arge '''I'''on '''C'''ollider '''E'''xperiment, and a smaller facility exploring cloud formation is called '''C'''osmics '''L'''eaving '''Ou'''tdoor '''D'''roplets. One of the particle decelerator rings is known as the '''E'''xtra '''L'''ow '''En'''ergy '''A'''ntiproton device. |
| 362 | * The neighborhood of San Francisco south of Market St. is commonly known as the '''S'''outh '''O'''f '''M'''arket '''A'''rea. Similarly, Seattle has its '''S'''outh '''O'''f '''DO'''wntown district, which was known as South of the Dome prior to the Kingdome's demolition. |
| 363 | * The observance formerly known as the '''I'''nternational '''D'''ay '''A'''gainst '''Ho'''mophobia, or '''IDAHO'''. It's now called the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia, which makes it more inclusive but ruins the acronym. |
| 364 | * '''B'''oston '''A'''rea '''T'''rans '''S'''upport, a support group for trans and non-binary people living in or near Boston, Massachusetts. They occasionally use a rather cute bat, rendered in the pink, white and blue colors of the Transgender Pride flag, as a mascot in promotional images. |
| 365 | * [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sabermetrics "Sabermetrics"]] has caught on as a popular term for the statistical analysis of UsefulNotes/{{baseball}}, often based on neglected data that talent scouts don't consider when evaluating players' talent. The term is derived from "SABR", the acronym for the '''S'''ociety for '''A'''merican '''B'''aseball '''R'''esearch, the organization that helped develop it as a field of statistical research. |
| 366 | * The name of the Platform/XboxOne X, if you break it down in fourths, can be shortened to X.B.O.X. |
| 367 | * The name of the '''C'''entre for '''K'''nowledge and '''I'''nteraction '''T'''echnologies ([[http://www.flinders.edu.au/science_engineering/csem/research/centres/ckit.cfm CKIT]]) looks innocent enough,until you realise it's a research centre for '''F'''linders '''U'''niversity, making the full acronym '''FUCKIT'''. |
| 368 | * There are several examples of words which were initially acronyms but ended up becoming widely considered words in their own right. Examples include "laser" ('''L'''ight '''A'''mplification by '''S'''timulated '''E'''mission of '''R'''adiation), "scuba" ('''S'''elf-'''C'''ontained '''U'''nderwater '''B'''reathing '''A'''pparatus), and "radar" ('''RA'''dio '''D'''etection '''A'''nd '''R'''anging). |
| 369 | * Worldcat, one of the world's largest online information databases, is run by a nonprofit group called the '''O'''nline '''C'''omputer '''L'''ibrary '''C'''enter (or "OCLC" for short). The name is a sly reference to the fact that they started out in 1967 as a group of university libraries based in UsefulNotes/{{Ohio}}, and called themselves the '''O'''hio '''C'''ollege '''L'''ibrary '''C'''enter; they changed their name, but kept their acronym the same. |
| 370 | * Swiss train manufacturer Stadler Rail has been getting in the game with their '''F'''ast '''L'''ight '''I'''ntercity '''R'''egional '''T'''rain ([[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stadler_FLIRT FLIRT]]), as well as the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stadler_KISS KISS]][[note]]Komfortabler Innovativer Spurtstarker S-Bahn-Zug, meaning Comfortable, Innovative, Sprint-capable Suburban train[[/note]], [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stadler_WINK WINK]][[note]]Wandelbarer Innovativer Nahverkehrs-Kurzzug, meaning convertible, innovative short train for local transport[[/note]], and [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SBB_RABe_501 SMILE]][[note]]Schneller Mehrsystemfähiger Innovativer Leichter Expresszug, meaning speedy multi-system innovative lightweight express train[[/note]] which rely on knowing German to get the names. |
| 371 | * In Hamburg university it's tending in the direction of OverlyLongGag as any computer science student can note: Since '''F'''ach'''b'''ereich '''I'''nformatik spells out "FBI", a student organisation backronymed themselves to '''M'''enge '''a'''ller '''f'''achschafts'''i'''nteressierten '''A'''ktivisten, a show for first semesters consists of "murdering" a professor and hunting down the "killer", and so on. |
| 372 | * After ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' allegedly caused the tragic suicide of Irving Pulling (it didn't), concerned parents formed BADD, '''B'''othered '''A'''bout '''D'''ungeons & '''D'''ragons. Either they were completely serious, or someone in PR has phenomenal self-awareness. |
| 373 | * The '''N'''ational '''O'''ffice of '''A'''nimal '''H'''ealth, a UK veterinary organisation whose name reflects an early pioneer in looking after animals. |
| 374 | * At the 2020 Singapore Auto Show, Subaru showed off the Subaru "'''F'''orester '''U'''ltimate '''C'''ustomized '''K'''it '''S'''pecial edition", with the fancy sign outside the display leaving no doubt as to how the acronym for that should be read. Subaru immediately trended on Twitter after the reveal as people debated on whether Subaru's marketing department realized what it had done. (Given the response and attention, it has been generally agreed that they knew exactly what they were doing.) |
| 375 | * The '''D'''efending '''E'''ach and '''E'''very '''P'''erson from '''F'''alse '''A'''ppearances by '''K'''eeping '''E'''xploitation '''S'''ubject to Accountability (DEEPFAKES Accountability) Act of 2019, which seeks to hold people accountable for producing forged audio and video of others. |
| 376 | * The '''[[UsefulNotes/{{NASCAR}} N]]'''[[UsefulNotes/{{NASCAR}} ational]] '''[[UsefulNotes/{{NASCAR}} A]]'''[[UsefulNotes/{{NASCAR}} ssociation of]] '''[[UsefulNotes/{{NASCAR}} S]]'''[[UsefulNotes/{{NASCAR}} tock]] '''[[UsefulNotes/{{NASCAR}} C]]'''[[UsefulNotes/{{NASCAR}} ar]] '''[[UsefulNotes/{{NASCAR}} A]]'''[[UsefulNotes/{{NASCAR}} utomobile]] '''[[UsefulNotes/{{NASCAR}} R]]'''[[UsefulNotes/{{NASCAR}} acing]] deserves a mention. |
| 377 | * During a riot at an Atlanta prison, there were significant concerns that the inmates might use the network of tunnels under the complex to attempt escape, ambush law enforcement, or plant bombs. The FBI SWAT teams assigned the difficult and unpleasant task of guarding the tunnels took to calling themselves the '''T'''actical '''U'''nderground '''R'''econnaissance '''D'''etail... and their self-proclaimed mission was to locate and apprehend '''S'''ubjects '''H'''iding '''I'''n '''T'''unnels. |
| 378 | * Much fun was had on the Internet when it came to light how some grocery store checkout scanners abbreviate '''L'''and '''O''' ' '''L'''akes '''Butt'''er. |
| 379 | * Meteorologists are no strangers to this trope. In the upper atmosphere, powerful lightning strikes cause phenomena known as Transient Luminous Events, most of which are named after members of TheFairFolk: |
| 380 | ** The first of such phenomena to be discovered was red sprites, '''SPRITE''' standing for '''S'''tratospheric/mesospheric '''P'''erturbations '''R'''esulting from '''I'''ntense '''T'''hunderstorm '''E'''lectrification. They appear as groups of vast columns of red lights. |
| 381 | ** '''ELVES''' are '''E'''mission of '''L'''ight and '''V'''ery low frequency perturbations due to '''E'''lectromagnetic pulse '''S'''ources. They appear as huge red halos in the ionosphere expanding very quickly (as in, a few miliseconds). |
| 382 | ** More recently, new scientific studies gave us '''TROLL'''s ('''T'''ransient '''R'''ed '''O'''ptical '''L'''uminous '''L'''ineaments) and '''[=GhOST=]'''s ('''G'''reen emissions from excited '''O'''xygen in '''S'''prite '''T'''ops). |
| 383 | * One kind of CPU architecture called '''E'''xplicitly '''P'''arallel '''I'''nstruction '''C'''omputing, or '''EPIC'''. When code is compiled, the compiler decides which instructions can be run in parallel. The architecture would eventually be used in Intel's Itanium processors, and later fall into obscurity. |
| 384 | * The massive event now known simply as UsefulNotes/{{Woodstock}} had its fair share of cancellations and concerns, with various groups unable to attend in part due to traffic or other issues. One group which really took the cake, though, was ''Music/{{Iron Butterfly|Band}}'', who were stuck in [=LaGuardia=] Airport. They sent a missive via Western Union demanding to be helicoptered out to the event, whereupon they would perform and be flown back. John Morris, the production coordinator, took exception to this ever so slightly unreasonable demand, and collaborated with a terribly helpful WU operator to send the following reply: |
| 385 | --> '''F'''or reasons I can't go into / '''U'''ntil you are here / '''C'''larifying your situation / '''K'''nowing you are having problems / '''Y'''ou will have to find / '''O'''ther transportation / '''U'''nless you plan not to come. |
| 386 | * In August 2015, the ''Washington Post'' [[https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2015/08/03/364-bills-that-have-been-introduced-in-congress-ranked-by-acronym-quality/ ranked]] over ''300'' bills featuring this trope which had been introduced ''just in the eight months the current Congress had been sitting.'' They ranged from such awful acronyms as the '''F'''OIA '''O'''versight and '''I'''mplementation '''A'''ct (which the Post ranked dead last for using the acronym '''FOIA''' within itself [[note]]Normally it stands for '''F'''reedom '''o'''f '''I'''nformation '''A'''ct[[/note]]) to such gems as the '''G'''lobal '''I'''nternet '''F'''reedom Act, or '''GIF''' Act, which ranked number one. Later, Rep. John Yarmuth wrote in to note they had missed his '''K'''eep '''O'''ur '''C'''ampaigns '''H'''onest Act, or '''KOCH''' Act (a subtle dig at the Koch Brothers, known for giving large contributions to Republican candidates) which the Post acknowledged would have ranked in the Top 25 had they been aware of it. |
| 387 | * A software tool used by the Centre for Genomic Pathogen Surveillance to classify genetic lineages of SARS-[=CoV-2 =] - the virus that causes COVID-19 - is called '''P'''hylogenetic '''A'''ssignment of '''N'''amed '''G'''lobal '''O'''utbreak '''Lin'''eages. Pangolins were originally thought to be an intermediate host between bats and humans of COVID-19. |
| 388 | * [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HAWK_beacon HAWK beacons]] are sometimes used at pedestrian crossings in the United States as an alternative to standard traffic lights. The acronym stands for '''H'''igh-Intensity '''A'''ctivated Cross'''w'''al'''k'''. |
| 389 | * '''P'''ursuit '''I'''ntervention '''T'''echnique '''(PIT)''': A pursuit Tactic employed by the police where the pursuing car forces a fleeing car to turn sideways spinning them out of control and forcing them to stop. While only to be employed in certain circumstances and at certain speeds, it has been employed at high speed resulting in flipped over cars causing injury and sadly even [[https://atlantablackstar.com/2021/09/14/knowing-there-were-kids-in-there-12-year-old-killed-after-georgia-trooper-performed-pit-maneuver-while-chasing-driver-that-fled-traffic-stop/ death]] |
| 390 | * The American monthly entertainment magazine '''E'''ntertainment '''W'''eekly, or '''EW'''. Their site is located at [[https://ew.com/ ew.com]]. |
| 391 | * Among detractors of [[UsefulNotes/{{Bitcoin}} non-fungible tokens]], NFT stands for "'''N'''o '''F'''ucking '''T'''hanks", or "'''N'''asty '''F'''ucking '''T'''hing". |
| 392 | * Military operations to destroy an enemy's anti-air capabilities are classified as '''D'''estruction of '''E'''nemy '''A'''ir '''D'''efenses. |
| 393 | * A politician in Bukidnon, Philippines turned his name into [[https://www.facebook.com/kanthonykotico/photos/pcb.2239027149689143/2239025479689310/ a pair of backronyms]] during his campaign: '''K'''eep '''O'''ur '''T'''own '''I'''n '''C'''orrect '''O'''rder and the more religiously-charged '''K'''eep '''O'''ur '''T'''rust '''I'''n '''C'''hrist '''O'''nly. |
| 394 | ** Par for the course in Filipino politics, considering the rather self-aggrandizing tendencies of most of them. Case in point Cavite politician Luis "Jon-Jon" Ferrer, who came up with the [[https://www.facebook.com/jonjonferrerofficial/videos/lets-join-forces-for-covidfree-gentri/2572423606401564/ initialism]] '''L'''et's '''J'''oin '''F'''orces based on his name. |
| 395 | * The [[UsefulNotes/{{Singapore}} Singapore Civil Defence Force]] has the '''F'''ire & '''R'''escue '''O'''perations '''S'''upport '''T'''ender, also known as '''FROST'''. Its logo [[https://www.facebook.com/SCDFpage/photos/the-fire-and-rescue-operations-support-tender-frost-combines-the-function-of-2-s/10153427507420583/ even has a depiction of a snowflake in the place of the letter 'O']]! |
| 396 | * [[UsefulNotes/SpaceExplorationTechnologiesCorporation SpaceX]] came up with one for a test, launch, or landing ([[NotMakingThisUpDisclaimer yes, landing]]) of a rocket that ends with its destruction: '''R'''apid '''U'''nscheduled '''D'''isassembly ('''RUD'''). |
| 397 | * White blood cells can project '''N'''eutrophil '''E'''xtracellular '''T'''raps ('''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neutrophil_extracellular_traps NET]]'''s) to kill pathogens. |
| 398 | * A very simple, albeit [[ToiletHumor gaseous]] example from the '''B'''radford '''U'''niversity '''R'''ole-'''P'''lay '''S'''ociety. |
| 399 | * Creator/{{Konami}} has the PASELI digital currency, which stands for '''Pa'''y '''S'''mart '''E'''njoy '''Li'''fe. |
| 400 | * One of the instruments on the European Space Agency's '''Ju'''piter '''Ic'''y Moons '''E'''xplorer ('''JUICE''') spacecraft--launched in 2023 to explore the Galilean satellites of Jupiter and ultimately orbit its largest moon, Ganymede--carries the acronym '''JANUS'''. The instrument itself is actually the spacecraft's camera. But its acronym is actually a joke in Latin about the tawdry affairs of the planet's namesake Roman God, Jupiter: '''J'''ovis, '''A'''morum ac '''N'''atorum '''U'''ndique '''S'''crutator. Translated to English, that means "comprehensive observation of Jupiter, his love affairs and descendants". |
| 401 | * A common term in investing for the top tech stocks on offer is '''FAANG''' ('''F'''acebook, '''A'''mazon, '''A'''pple, '''N'''etflix and '''G'''oogle). With Netflix's decline and Microsoft's rise, the alternative that emerged was '''MAMAA''' ('''M'''eta, '''A'''mazon, '''M'''icrosoft, '''A'''pple and '''A'''lphabet). |
| 402 | * The University of Washington's Institute on Human Development and Disability [[ValuesDissonance was originally known as]] the '''C'''hild '''D'''evelopment and '''M'''ental '''R'''etardation '''C'''enter, which could be mistaken as '''C'''enter for '''D'''isabled and '''M'''entally '''R'''etarded '''C'''hildren. |
| 403 | * '''A'''cquired '''I'''mmune '''D'''efficiency '''S'''yndrome was previously known by the less politically correct acronym '''G'''ay '''R'''elated '''I'''mmune '''D'''efficiency. |
| 404 | ** '''Pr'''e-'''E'''xposure '''P'''rophylaxis, a category of drugs that are taken pre-emptively to prevent exposure to certain diseases including HIV, has a very handy abbreviation to remind when to use them. |
| 405 | * Fans of ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'' would recognize the source of the mining aid equipment '''H'''oneywell '''O'''re '''R'''etrieval and '''T'''unneling '''A'''id as being named after the AntiVillain from "[[Recap/StarTrekS1E25TheDevilInTheDark The Devil in the Dark]]". At the end of that episode, the hotra and her children did actually help the mining effort on the planet, making the specific use of this equipment match the source of the name. |
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