History FunWithAcronyms / Literature

* ''Literature/GalaxyOfFear'' has the '''S'''ystem '''I'''ntegration '''M'''anager "SIM", which is secretly actually the Systems I[[spoiler: nfiltration]] Manager. Same acronym.

* In SLViehl's ''{{Stardoc}}'' novels, Dr. Cherijo Grey Veil (later Torin) has been told from birth that her first name is Navajo in origin, as her father (a famous genetic scientist) is partly descended from that people. It's not until she's a young woman that she finds out that the real meaning is [[spoiler:Comprehensive Human Enhancement Research ID: J Organism. She's a genetically-engineered clone of her "father"]].

* In Larry Niven's "KnownSpace", '''A'''malgamation of '''R'''egional '''M'''ilitia is ARM, producing the {{bionic}}-limbed Gilbert G. Hamilton, known as "Gil the ARM".

* In the ''{{Gone}}'' series, everywhere under the impenetrable wall is called the FAYZ: '''F'''allout '''A'''lley '''Y'''outh '''Z'''one.

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* The dreadful Betty Bowers of ''America's Best Christian'' is the leader of '''B'''ringing '''I'''ntegrity '''T'''o '''C'''hristian '''H'''omemakers, '''B'''aptists '''A'''re '''S'''aving '''H'''omosexuals (changed when it became clear that there was money in the 'gay eye for the straight guy' thing to '''C'''hristians '''A'''re '''S'''aving '''H'''omosexuals), and an abstinence club for girls called '''S'''aving '''L'''ove '''U'''ntil '''T'''he '''S'''acraments. (Which is [[DidNotDoTheResearch amusing in itself]], as the Baptist church does not consider marriage a sacrament.)

* In Creator/RobertAHeinlein's 1959 short story ''AllYouZombies'', the same "elite military service corps" is referred to at various points in history as the '''W'''omen's '''E'''mergency '''N'''ational '''C'''orps, '''H'''ospitality & '''E'''ntertainment '''S'''ection, the "Space Angels" or '''A'''uxiliary '''N'''ursing '''G'''roup, '''E'''xtraterrestrial '''L'''egions, and the '''W'''omen's '''H'''ospitality '''O'''rder '''R'''efortifying & '''E'''ncouraging '''S'''pacemen.

* Douglas Hofstadter's ''[[GodelEscherBach Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid]]'' is full of recurring acronyms. There's the G, E, and B (rearranged sometimes) of the title, RICERCAR (actually an example of Bach having FunWithAcronyms), spelling the initial letters of many utterances in a dialogue at the end of the book, which also abbreviates the name of Charles Babbage as '''Ba.Ch.'''. In another dialogue, we encounter GOD (standing for [[RecursiveAcronym GOD Over Djinn]]), and in one dialogue, "Contracrostipunctus", the initial characters of each line spell [[spoiler:Hofstadter's Contracrostipunctus Acrostically Backwards Spells 'J.S.Bach'. Guess what acronym you get if you reverse word order in the acronym and then form an acronym out of ''that'']].

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* In the {{Discworld}} novel ''Eric'', the titular young necromancer uses a grimoire of potent evil in an attempt to summon a demon to do his bidding. The book is '''''M'''allificarum '''S'''umpta '''D'''iabolicite '''O'''ccularis '''S'''ingularum''. Which translates as [[spoiler:"evil-making driver of the little one-eyed devil"]].
* Also in the {{Discworld}} novel "The fifth elephant" Leonard of Quirm creates a device for breaking codes. "the '''E'''ngine for the '''N'''eutralizing of '''I'''nformation by the '''G'''eneration of '''M'''iasmic '''A'''lphabets" Enigma.

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* In RobertAHeinlein's 1959 short story ''AllYouZombies'', the same "elite military service corps" is referred to at various points in history as the '''W'''omen's '''E'''mergency '''N'''ational '''C'''orps, '''H'''ospitality & '''E'''ntertainment '''S'''ection, the "Space Angels" or '''A'''uxiliary '''N'''ursing '''G'''roup, '''E'''xtraterrestrial '''L'''egions, and the '''W'''omen's '''H'''ospitality '''O'''rder '''R'''efortifying & '''E'''ncouraging '''S'''pacemen.

* In Larry Niven's "{{KnownSpace}}", '''A'''malgamation of '''R'''egional '''M'''ilitia is ARM, producing the {{bionic}}-limbed Gilbert G. Hamilton, known as "Gil the ARM".

***

** And then in ''[[GravitysRainbow Gravity's Rainbow]]'' we get '''P'''sychological '''I'''ntelligence '''Sc'''hemes for '''E'''xpediting '''S'''urrender and the '''A'''breaction '''R'''esearch '''F'''acility.

* ''MadMagazine'' had a parody of ''[[NypdBlue NYPD Blue]]'' which featured a member of the '''C'''hristian '''R'''ight '''A'''gainst '''P'''ornography demanding that the show be taken off the air. The producer lampshades the acronym.

* The ''Literature/{{Retief}}'' series by KeithLaumer features multiple CDT organizations. Retief himself is generally the only one to show awareness of the oddness of some name choices.

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* The very nasty villains in C.S. Lewis' ''ThatHideousStrength'' are called the '''N'''ational '''I'''nstitute for '''C'''o-ordinated '''E'''xperiments (NICE). This did not go unremarked when the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NICE National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence]] chose to abbreviate itself to NICE instead of NIHCE.

* Averted in IsaacAsimov 's novel version of ''Fantastic Voyage'', in which the acronym for '''C'''ombined '''M'''iniature '''D'''eterrent '''F'''orces is unpronounceable except as see-em-dee-eff. Which does not stop the hero from speculating that it may stand for "Consolidated Martian Dimwits and Fools. I've got a better one than that but it's unprintable."

* In ''ArtemisFowl'', most of the fairy characters work for the '''L'''ower '''E'''lements '''P'''olice, ofen in the Reconnaissance unit, making them [=LEPRecons=]

* The very nasty villains in C.S. Lewis' ''ThatHideousStrength'' are called the '''N'''ational '''I'''nstitute for '''C'''o-ordinated '''E'''xperiments (NICE).

* In Zadie Smith's comedic novel WhiteTeeth, a group of young radical second-generation British Muslims is named K.E.V.I.N.: '''K'''eepers of the '''E'''ternal and '''V'''igilant '''I'''slamic '''N'''ation.
* In the ''HarryPotter'' novels, Hermione starts up the '''S'''ociety for the '''P'''romotion of '''E'''lfish '''W'''elfare. She insists the acronym be pronounced in letters rather than as a word, understandably enough.

* In SLViehl's ''{{Stardoc}}'' novels, Dr. Cherijo Torin has been told from birth that her first name is Navajo in origin, as her father (a famous genetic scientist) is partly descended from that people. It's not until she's a young woman that she finds out that the real meaning is [[spoiler:Comprehensive Human Enhancement Research ID: J Organism. She's a genetically-engineered clone of her "father"]].

* Several writers of {{Magitek}} fiction have used references to elite police units known as (what else?) '''S'''pecial '''W'''izardry '''A'''nd '''T'''actics teams.

* Several writers of {{Magitek}} fiction have used references to elite police troubleshooting units known as (what else?) '''S'''pecial '''W'''izardry '''A'''nd '''T'''actics teams.

* More than one Magitek novel has included references to elite police troubleshooting units known as '''S'''pecial '''W'''izardry '''A'''nd '''T'''actics teams.

* Laser weapons in IainMBanks' ''[[TheCulture Culture]]'' series are called '''C'''oherent '''R'''adiation '''E'''mission '''W'''eapons '''S'''ystems (CREWS).

* The F.R.E.A.K.S. Squads Investigation novels has the '''F'''ederal '''R'''esponse to '''E'''xtra-sensory '''A'''nd '''K'''indred '''S'''upernaturals. Which is a sub-division of the '''FBI'''.

* In a possible nod to [[JamesBond Spectra]], the terrorist organisation 'Scorpia' in the AlexRider series is named for the activities it specialises in: '''S'''abotage, '''Cor'''ru'''P'''tion, '''I'''ntelligence and '''A'''ssassination.

* In the novelization of the ''IronMan'' [[TheMovie film]], JARVIS (an AI in the movieverse) is revealed to stand for Just A Rather Very Intelligent System.

* The ''[=~Gaunt's Ghosts~=]'' novel ''The Armour of Contempt'' has '''R'''etraining, '''I'''ndoctrination and '''Punishment'''.

* ''TheDemonHeadmaster'' - The main characters' group call themselves the '''S'''ociety for the '''P'''rotection of our '''L'''ives '''A'''gainst '''T'''hem ("them" being the Headmaster and his hypnotized minions.)

*** The fact that the first two words look like '[[MoralGuardians Burned]] [[FurryFandom Fur]]' [[OrIsIt is a coincidence]].