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Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 2,204 |
The trouble is, I suppose, that abbrevs and initials were originally used by Victorian clerks to make life easier for copying letters (before the days of carbon paper or typewriters) They were never intended to be used in speech, and the word written "Xmas" was supposed (and still is!!) to be pronounced Christmas. Goodness knows why we have carried clerkly expediency into verbal laziness. Maybe because we are lazy!! 
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Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 1,773
Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 1,773 |
The creation of acronyms and initializations from existing phrases is OK by me. It is the forced creation of phrases to create the acronyms which irritates me. Around here, grassroots organizations will name themselves the most cumbersome things, if the first initial of each word in the title makes up some word. Argh.
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addict
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addict
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Posts: 544 |
At the risk of fomenting YARTism, I'd add the following to the discussion. After the thread a bit ago on acronyms, I felt like there was pretty solid consensus about the meaning of the word (i.e. scuba and laser qualify, PC doesn't). This link doesn't completely shoot that down, but it leaves it more open than I'd hoped: http://www.randomhouse.com/wotd/index.pperl?date=19980825I guess we have to consider ourselves "non-specialists," per this piece, so the meaning I like seems to hold.
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Joined: Apr 2000
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 10,542 |
regarding the Maven's take on acronyms: you'll notice that this particular column is unsigned; it's from the period when Jesse Sheidlower was the sole contributor to this feature, and this response is a typically well-crafted one. I miss Jesse's contributions -- he has gone on to become "Principal Editor of the North American Editorial Unit of the Oxford English Dictionary". [his characterization]
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Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 3,439
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 3,439 |
We use it often but does anyone have history on the acronym "OK?"
I was told a tale but doubt it is the real story.
wow
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Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 1,773
Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 1,773 |
Webster's and American Heritage say it is an abbreviation of "oll korrect," but I'm sure I've read some etymological works which dispute this origin.
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Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 10,542
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 10,542 |
here's what the Mavens had to say (about this initialism) not so long ago: http://www.randomhouse.com/wotd/index.pperl?date=19991020p.s. - this exegesis also shows the *ridiculous extremes to which initialization can be (has been) taken. *IMNSHO
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Joined: Nov 2000
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 3,439 |
By golly you have done it again, tsuwm, with the OK link. Not only a lot of history but the tale told me by my Dad (a newspaperman) is the version mentioned, first, from the now defunct Boston Post.
Thank you
wow
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Joined: Dec 2000
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Soon I'll stop raising this point, I promise, but wouldn't OK only be an acronym if we pronounced it "awk"?
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Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 10,542
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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Posts: 10,542 |
here's what the Mavens had to say (about this initialism)
wouldn't OK only be an acronym if we pronounced it "awk"?
hyla, I only quote myself to reinforce this point.
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