How many people can tell you--without a little thought--what U.N.C.L.E. (as in The Man From) sands for? A good many words we use today are in reality acronyms which were abbreviated and incorporated into our language as real words. In fact, they are so much a part of our daily lives we don't even realize they are there. Although some acronyms are purposefully thought up, most are abbreviations of other names or descriptions. Some have now become so common, they are no longer recognized as acronyms. They may be individual letters or parts of words, and generally fall into the following categories:
- Non-initials pronounced as a word
- A mixture of initials and non-initials
- Pronounced as a word or letters depending on context
- A combination of letters and words
- Pronounced as letters
- Names of letter made into a shortcut
- Shortcuts made into names
- Multi-layered acronyms
- Recursive acronyms (abbreviation refers to itself)
- Pseudo-acronyms using letters for real words
- Redundant initialisms
The following are some of the most common and more recognizable acronyms used today:
AIDS: acquired immune deficiency syndrome
NATO: North Atlantic Treaty Organization
Scuba: self-contained underwater breathing apparatus
Laser: Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation
Gestapo: Geheime Staatspolizei (secret state police)
Interpol: International Criminal Police Organization
Radar: radio detection and ranging
Nabisco: National Biscuit Company
Necco: New England Confectionery Company
PAQ: Frequently Asked Questions
IRA: Individual Retirement Account
CD-ROM: Compact Disl-Read Only Memory
JPEG: Joint Phographics Expert Group
BBC: British Broadcasting Corporation
DBA: Deoxyribonuvleic Acid
OEM: Original Equipment Manager
IRA: Irish Republican Army
AAA: American Automobile Association
NAACP: National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
3M: Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing
GIMP: Gnu Manipulation Program
IOU: I Owe You
K9: Canine
ATM: Automated Teller Machine
DSW: Designer Show Warehouse
HIV: Human Immunideficiency Virus
PUN: Personal Identification Number
VIN: Vehicle Identification Number
PHP: Personal Home Page
This is only a partial list, to recount all the acronyms in existence would take reams of paper, so I’ve only mentioned some of the most current ones. And now, I’m going to put this in a MEMO, sent it to HQ and get out of here PDQ!
Well! What does U.N.C.L.E. stand for?
I forgot to tell you the truth. Interesting subject!
Alphabet soup is best served in a bowl. I forget the letters unless they spell a word I know, and then I forget what each means. I am so challenged!
United Network Command for Law and Enforcement, Mary.
I use acronyms daily since I work for the gov't. Some of them are second nature!
LOVED this!!
The list was great. And you're right, some of those were surprises to me - laser, Nabisco, radar? Had no idea:)
Thanks for sharing!
Have a wonderful day,
Tamara
Very interesting and clever, Toni. I didn't know what U.N.C.L.E stood for, or all of these others either.
Toni,
Who knew? Thanks for spelling out some acronyms I should have known (like Nabisco) but didn't.
I have a military background, so acronyms were a way of life. This was my favorite. SOP: standard operating procedure.