History Main / RecursiveAcronym

* LAME -- LAME Ain't an [=MP3=] Encoder. Even though it is.[[note]]Technically, the developers only release ''source code for'' an MP3 encoder, which they believe to make a difference in terms of patent law - any actual software use of LAME would have to use a (third-party) build of it, though, making this moot from an end-user perspective.[[/note]] The corresponding [=MP2=] encoder is [=TwoLAME=], originally [=TooLAME=] (presumably [=TOOLame=] Ain't an [=MP2=] Encoder) - which is fittingly even lamer.

-->'''[[TheDailyShow Jon Stewart]]:''' ''You can't use the word "oil" in an acronym for "oil"! That's against the acronym rules!''

* Possibly the ''VideoGame/{{Webkinz}}'' minigame, the '''W'''heel '''o'''f '''W'''ow, which also has "WOW" written on the center on it.

* Possibly VideoGame/{{Webkinz}}'s the '''W'''heel '''o'''f '''W'''ow, which also has "WOW" written on the center on it.

* In ''Series/TwinPeaks,'' BigBad "BOB"'s name was a recursive acronym standing for "Beware of BOB".

* Internet slang phrase: Rip in peace.
* ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'': The heroines of the story (Ruby, Weiss, Blake and Yang) are a team named RWBY, which is pronounced "Ruby".
-->'''Ruby''': And, yes, before you ask, that ''does'' cause a lot of confusion.

* '''RED Corp.''', one of the casting agencies that provide the stuntmen for ''SuperSentai'' and ''Franchise/KamenRider'', stands for "Red Entertainment Deliver".

* LISP -- LISP Is Stupid Parentheses. This one is actually a joke rather than the programming language's actual name ([=LISt=] Processor). All programs in LISP are structured as mathematical phrases, and tend to include phrases-within-phrases-within-phrases ''ad nauseum'', which often leaves a huge number of [[http://redlinernotes.com/docs/talks/opa/cpu.lisp.jpg trailing parentheses at the end.]] Making sure the right number of closing parentheses are in place is a major headache for LISP programmers.

* XNA -- "XNA's Not Acronymed" (an engine made by Microsoft that make use of the .NET framework to make interactive media such as games. it's commonly used by indie developers to make games for the Xbox, although it can also be used on MicrosoftWindows and the Windows Phone 7).

* Popular text-based email program PINE -- Pine Is Not ELM. (ELM standing for ELectronic Mail). However, PINE's successor, Alpine, does not seem to stand for anything.

* A joke from the days of 64k RAM is that Emacs stands for '''E'''macs '''m'''akes '''a c'''omputer '''s'''low. (It originally stood for Editor MACros.)

* LAME -- LAME Ain't an [=MP3=] Encoder. Even though it is.[[note]]Technically, the developers only release ''source code for'' an MP3 encoder, which they believe to make a difference in terms of patent law - any actual software use of LAME would have to use a (third-party) build of it, though, making this moot from an end-user perspective.[[/note]] The corresponding MP2 encoder is TwoLAME, originally TooLAME (presumably TOOLame Ain't an [=MP2=] Encoder) - which is fittingly even lamer.

* Inverting all the "X is not an Y." examples above is BIABI, which is a [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brainfuck Brainfuck]] Interpreter.

* A joke from the days of 64k RAM is that Emacs stands for '''E'''macs '''m'''akes '''a c'''omputer '''s'''low.

* LAME -- LAME Ain't an [=MP3=] Encoder. Even though it is.

* In ''TwinPeaks,'' BigBad "BOB"'s name was a recursive acronym standing for "Beware of BOB".

* According to ''AtariForce'', "Atari" stands for the "Atari Technology and Research Institute".
* The Archie [[ComicBook/ArchieComicsSonicTheHedgehog Sonic The Hedgehog]] comics had ADAM (ADAM Determines Anonymous' Movements).

* [[http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/425102/april-04-2013/obama-s-brain-initiative Steven Colbert on the BRAIN Initiative.]]

* The GNU project stands for '''G'''Nu's '''N'''ot '''U'''nix!

* A joke from the days of 64k RAM is that Emacs stands for '''E'''macs '''m'''akes '''a c'''omputer '''slow'''.

** LampshadeHanging in the final dialogue:

* GOD -- GOD Over Djinn (from ''Literature/GodelEscherBachAnEternalGoldenBraid'').