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Posted By: Rubrick Descriptive acronyms - 05/22/00 10:29 PM
Here's one for the clever clogs amongst you....

Can anyone think of acronyms whose components describe the acronym?
An example would be - TOAST - Turn Off Any Smoking Toast.

Look forward to seeing some good ones!

Posted By: tsuwm Re: Descriptive acronyms - 05/23/00 01:47 PM
'brick,

I have a whole collection of these, which I'll keep to myself for a bit (rules of engagement you know). But I can hear you asking yourself, "Why?"; well, the short story is that I was looking for a [single] word to describe self-referential, multi-layered and/or recursive acronyms,
8-) and I needed some examples to show what I was talking about.

Here are two, just to show what we're talking about: <g>

Douglas R. Hofstadter, in his excellent book _Godel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid_ posits GOD (God Over Djinn) in his discussion of meta-language.

The Free Software Foundation's project GNU (GNU's Not UNIX)

"What's another word for Thesaurus?" -Steven Wright
Posted By: Rubrick Re: Descriptive acronyms - 05/23/00 02:10 PM
Nice one, Michael. I've heard of the GNU one recently but never the God reference. One that I've just thought of is WORD - written or read daily. Refer to my old report cards - could do better!



Posted By: Avy Re: Descriptive acronyms - 06/27/00 12:59 PM
Hi!

I think your "Written or Read Daily" is really good. I am sure else where people have compiled some fantastic ones. I randomly chose some words and worked on them. It was mental Sumo wrestling. I could find my mind doing all sorts of contortions. I thought as the words got bigger it would be easier. But it wasn't so - with me. The most tough one was the last one. I found when it comes - it comes fast - and sometimes come double solutions. These are my contributions …

A - Alone (sorry, unpardonable)
BY - Beside You
SUN - Shining Until Now …
WARM - Wrapped and Ready, Mom!
TIGHT - Tanked In Guinness Have They?
FRIEND - Feeling Relaxed In Easy Natural Discussion, For Refuge In Easeless Needy Days

Maybe I could have done better but it was fun. Almost as much fun as the game Lewis Carol invented - called doublets (going from one word to the other, POOR to RICH by making new words changing just one letter at a time). Although Edward De Bono claimed to have invented it, Carrol did much before him. De Bono says the game teaches lateral thinking. I think making up these acronyms is also lateral thinking - because my mind was contorting in the similar fashion while playing Doublets.


Posted By: tsuwm Re: Descriptive acronyms - 06/27/00 03:03 PM
>but it was fun

oh, I don't know... most people who do this are members of THIS (Tenebrific Heuristic Initial Society), which speaks volumes.

Posted By: Jackie Re: Descriptive acronyms - 06/27/00 04:29 PM
Avy--good going! I especially love the friend ones!

Posted By: Jackie Re: Descriptive acronyms - 06/27/00 04:34 PM
>>most people who do this are members of THIS (Tenebrific Heuristic Initial Society), which speaks volumes.<<
Ohmigawd. You're probably the president of "this" (!)
Very Over-Long Unique Misguided Educational Society.






Posted By: Avy Re: Descriptive acronyms - 06/28/00 01:24 AM
>oh, I don't know... most people who do this are members of THIS (Tenebrific Heuristic Initial Society),
> which speaks volumes.

You know that explains it! After I played the game, I just went out and murdered somebody. And I couldn't figure out why I did it! Now I know.

But seriously - and how does the game help the THIS society to produce darkness? Do you know ...

Posted By: Seddonist DA - 06/28/00 07:04 PM
Hello there -

How 'bout these?

YOUNG: Youth Obtain Underground Neap Growth
METAL: Mighty Expanding Tongue Abrasive, Like

Hope these help!

Seddonist

Posted By: tsuwm Re: Descriptive acronyms - 06/28/00 07:34 PM
>Do you know...

KNOW - Knowledge Negates Ordinary Wisdom

Posted By: Avy Re: DA - 06/29/00 02:46 AM

>Hope these help!

Good show Seddonist! I enjoyed those.


Posted By: paulb Re: Descriptive acronyms - 06/29/00 11:35 AM
Here's a few conjured up while listening to the first day of the Sydney International Piano Competition (ah! the joys of retirement):

MUSIC - Makes Us Sing In Celebration

FILMS - Flickering Images Light Movie Screens

ACRONYM - A Capital Reminder Option Nudges Your Memory


I wonder what the second day will produce? (apart from from stunning piano-playing).

Posted By: Jackie Re: Descriptive acronyms - 06/29/00 11:45 AM
Wow! These are
Gorgeously Rewarding, Educational, And Tantalizing.

Posted By: Seddonist Re: Descriptive acronyms - 06/29/00 03:07 PM
Incidentally, I know this isn't quite the same thing...
but Did U Know that:

'Here Come Dots' is an anagram of 'The Morse Code'

:)

Posted By: Avy Re: Descriptive acronyms - 06/30/00 09:15 AM
Paulb, those are realy sumpin!

Posted By: ayyer Re: Descriptive acronyms - 06/30/00 10:05 AM
HI,

in continuation with that, here's one more

twelve plus one = eleven plus two

cheerio.

Posted By: Avy Re: Descriptive acronyms - 06/30/00 10:23 AM
'nother one
TON = The Overweight Numeral

Posted By: Jackie Re: Descriptive acronyms - 06/30/00 01:18 PM
ayyer--
Oh, that is beautiful! Welcome to you.
Hope to see many more from you. To be fair,
since I asked this of another new post-er (that always bothers me!), I'd be interested in how you
got your name, too.

Posted By: ayyer Re: Descriptive acronyms - 07/01/00 07:31 AM
Thanks Jackie but i didn't deserve that...

it was just part of a forwarded mail..... :-)
sorry if it was a disappointment.

Here are some others from there:
"Dormitory" - Dirty Room

"Desperation" - A Rope Ends It

"The Morse Code" - Here Come Dots

"Slot Machines" - Cash Lost in 'em

"Animosity" - Is No Amity

"Mother-in-law" - Woman Hitler

"Snooze Alarms" - Alas! No More Z's

"Alec Guinness" - Genuine Class

"Semolina" - Is No Meal

"The Public Art Galleries" - Large Picture Halls, I Bet
"A Decimal Point" - I'm a Dot in Place

"The Earthquakes" - That Queer Shake

"Eleven plus two" - Twelve plus one

"Contradiction" - Accord not in it


And finally, I can't resist this eventhough it might not be terribly decent.
It's just too good.

"President Clinton of the USA" : "To copulate he finds interns."

Have fun,
Ayyer

Posted By: David108 Re: Anagrams - 07/01/00 08:34 AM
Have you guys been visiting the other areas of wordsmith.org?

Feast on this:

http://www.wordsmith.org/anagram/index.html

Posted By: juanmaria Re: Anagrams - 07/02/00 07:07 AM
>Feast on this:
>http://www.wordsmith.org/anagram/index.html

A JUAN RAM I
A JUAN MAR I I’m suspecting I’m suffering from bad case of “juanphobia”.

A JURA MAN I I can swear I’m as Spanish as “paella”.

MARIJUANA -stoned...-

AURA JAM IN Anybody there with a Kirlian camera?.


Juan Maria.
Posted By: JMike Re: Acronyms - 07/18/00 04:17 PM
Since telephones have pushbuttons now, the use of the word "dial" as the verb for entering a phone number is not appropriate, unless you realize that it is an acronym:

Digitally Initiate Audio Link

(I believe this was the winning entry in an NPR contest to come up with a new verb for "dialing" - the Brits of course have no such problem since they "ring" a number.)

Posted By: AnnaStrophic Re: Acronyms - 07/18/00 04:44 PM
Fantastic, JMike, I love it. Thanks for that...

Posted By: Jazzoctopus Re: Descriptive acronyms - 07/18/00 09:01 PM
EDIT: gah. . .nevermind
Posted By: jmh Re: Descriptive acronyms - 07/18/00 09:04 PM
DIAL=Dial

Or - Is that the point???

Posted By: Bingley Re: Acronyms - 07/19/00 05:40 AM
In reply to:

(I believe this was the winning entry in an NPR contest to come up with a new verb for "dialing" - the Brits of course have no such problem since they "ring" a number.)


Actually, I think we do both. Dialling a number is inputting it, while ringing a number is actually making contact. At least that's the best answer I can come up with after a long dark teatime of the soul wondering about it.


Bingley

Posted By: jmh Re: Acronyms - 07/19/00 05:54 AM
>We do both. Dialling a number is inputting it, while ringing a number is actually making contact. At least that's the best answer I can come up with after a long dark teatime of the soul wondering about it.

I agree. We tend to dial the number so that we can ring/call or phone someone.

Bingley, judging by your last post I am wondering if you should get out more . I think you are definitely an "addict" in the making.

Posted By: Jackie Re: Acronyms - 07/19/00 04:59 PM
>>a long dark teatime of the soul<<

Isn't there a very similar line in a book that I'm not recalling?
That could almost (God help me) be a country music song title!

Posted By: william Re: Acronyms - 07/19/00 05:12 PM
sounds like a mix of eugene o'neill (sp?) and raymond chandler to me, jackie

Posted By: David108 Re: Acronyms - 07/19/00 06:17 PM
>>The long dark teatime of the soul<<

..by Douglas Adams, author of "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy", "The Meaning of Liff", et al.

Essential reading!
Posted By: Jackie Re: Acronyms - 07/19/00 07:50 PM
>>..by Douglas Adams, author of "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy", "The Meaning of Liff", et al.<<

Thanks--I knew I'd read that somewhere!



Posted By: Bingley Re: Acronyms - 07/20/00 05:16 AM
Gosh, jmh, do you really think one day, gulp, I could join that august company?

Maybe August next year.

Bingley
Posted By: william Re: Acronyms - 07/20/00 06:36 PM
amazing how memory fails me!
i saw an interview with douglas adams and he said he'd received countless letters with theories about the 42 thing. i was interested to hear that he wrote "the hitchhikers guide to the galaxy" in his 20s.

Posted By: Bridget Re: Acronyms - 07/23/00 09:47 AM
>>Dialling a number is inputting it, while ringing a number is actually making contact.<<

Strictly speaking, isn't making contact what happens after the ringing?

So in fact we have three stages - we dial the number, we listen to ringing while the network tries to make contact and then if we're lucky we might have a phone conversation.

I'm exhausted just thinking about it!

Posted By: David108 Re: Acronyms - 07/24/00 06:45 PM
>>if we're lucky we might have a phone conversation<<

...and why is it that you never get a busy signal when you have dialled/rung/connected with a wrong number?



Posted By: Bingley Re: Acronyms - 07/25/00 05:18 AM
In reply to:

and why is it that you never get a busy signal when you have dialled/rung/connected with a wrong number?


How would you find out that you had?

Bingley

Posted By: Jackie Re: Acronyms - 07/25/00 11:25 AM
>>and why is it that you never get a busy signal when you have dialled/rung/connected with a wrong number?<<

David, it's for the same reason that, when you've been
searching for something, it is always found in the
last place you look.



Posted By: Bingley Re: Acronyms - 07/26/00 04:38 AM
Which reminds me of the possibly apocryphal story of someone who wrote to a biscuit company suggesting that as the top biscuit in the packet usually turned out to be broken into little pieces, they leave the top biscuit out in future.

Bingley
Posted By: paulb Re: Acronyms - 07/26/00 11:21 AM
<someone who wrote to a biscuit company suggesting that as the top biscuit in the packet usually
turned out to be broken into little pieces, they leave the top biscuit out in future>

Which reminds me, Bingley, that such a person in Tasmania (at least) would be known (politically incorrectly) as one biscuit short of a packet

… and, while we're on this subject, where have all the broken biscuits gone -- an essential part of a young fella's diet in the mid-50s.



Posted By: rodward Re: Acronyms - 04/02/01 11:00 AM
And with reference to at least 3 threads: Acronyms, politically incorrect terms for the less intelligent, and a reference in another thread to FNQ (Far North Queensland) residents speaking slowly.

When I saw FNQ it reminded me of the acronym NFQ (or whatever last letter fits your local environment). This is used in several proffesions (Nursing, Schools) and means "slow, educationally sub-normal". It is derived from "Normal For Queensland" (or wherever).

Rod

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