UnSource:List of acronyms

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A backronym or bacronym is the inverse of an acronym, that is, the words of the expanded term were chosen to fit the letters of the acronym.

This list contains material from Wikipedia:List of backronyms, open-content under the GFDL. The original article has long since been deleted.

Contents 1 Reverse etymology 2 False etymology 3 Backronyms as mnemonics 4 Backronyms as slogans 5 Backronyms .in Internet top-level domains 6 Backronyms as political statements 7 Euphemisms 8 Backronyms in language translation 9 Backronyms as humour 9.1 Automotive 9.1.1 Not originally acronyms 9.1.2 Re-interpreted acronyms 9.2 Aviation 9.2.1 Not originally acronyms 9.2.2 Re-interpreted acronyms 9.3 Broadcasters and networks 9.4 Computing and telecommunications 9.5 Education 9.5.1 Degrees and diplomas 9.5.2 Schools 9.6 Entertainment 9.7 Manufacturing and commerce 9.8 Military and police 9.8.1 Re-interpreted acronyms 9.9 People 9.9.1 Not originally acronyms 9.9.2 Re-interpreted acronyms 9.10 Politics 9.11 Ranks of the Order of St Michael and St George 9.12 Retail 9.13 Science 9.14 Other 9.14.1 Not originally acronyms 9.14.2 Re-interpreted acronyms 10 References 11 See also

[edit] Reverse etymology

A retronym is a new word or phrase coined for an old object or concept whose original name has become used for something else or is no longer unique. Many of these are created by advances in technology.

	Is	Was
ARM	"Advanced RISC Machine"	Acorn RISC Machine [1]
APRS	"Automatic Packet Reporting System"	Automatic Position Reporting System, an interface between GPS and amateur radio.
DVD	"Digital Versatile Disc"	In computing and audio, a valid backronym for what was originally a digital video disc; the DVD Consortium supposedly has never claimed that the letters DVD stood for anything specific.
gcc	Gnu Compiler Collection	Originally Gnu C Compiler, other compilers and languages have since been added to the package.
OCLC	Online Computer Library Center	Ohio College Library Center
PINE	Program for Internet News and Email	A recursive acronym: PINE Is Not Elm.
RAID	Redundant Array of Independent Disks	Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disks
VHS	Video Home System	Vertical Helical Scan

[edit] False etymology

Chav	claimed to mean "council house and violent", variously said to be derived from chavi (Romany for child), charver (Romany for prostitute), Chat (1950s/1960s slang for promiscuous Chatham girl) or chaff (unwanted part of grain);
Cop	identified by some as "constable on patrol" (or "citizen on patrol" in the United States), this originally might not be an acronym at all (origins murky) but any of: a reference to grabbing the alleged villain (sharing origins with "it's a fair cop" or even "to cop a feel", all thought to be from the Latin capere, meaning "to capture.") a shortened form of "Copper" since badges were made from the material in certain cities when professional policing began. Or more likely, a reference to the copper buttons on the blazer of English police, where "Copper" is still a slang term for policeman.
CQ	In amateur radio, an invitation for any station in an area to reply or begin conversation. Come Quickly, (like the CQD, Come Quickly Distress!/Disaster!/Danger!/Dammit! call, below) is false, although CQ phonetically yields seek you. CQ on its own was originally a railroad telegraph code for a message addressed to any/all stations on the line, but does not and did not signify distress per se.
CQD	A now-disused predecessor to the SOS or Mayday distress calls, variously reinterpreted as Come Quick, Distress!/Disaster!/Danger!/Dammit! Origin appears to have been a Marconi company signal created in 1904 by appending D (distress) to an existing standard code for non-emergency call to any station, CQ. With many stations operating on or near the same frequencies, with little or no receiver selectivity, a plain CQ could otherwise easily be lost among interference from other signals in an emergency.
Fuck	urban legends often give this vulgarism a backronymic folk-etymology such as Fornication Under Consent of the King, Found Under Carnal Knowledge, For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge, or Fornication Unlawful in the Commonwealth of the King.[1]
Golf	a popular urban legend states that the game of golf originally stood for Gentlemen Only Ladies Forbidden. [2]
IHS	Supposed to stand for "In His Service," "I Have Suffered," or "Iesus Hominum Salvator;" in fact it is a Christogram derived from the first three leters of "Jesus" in Greek.
Posh	said to stand for Port Out Starboard Home, referring to the most favoured cabin location on ships travelling to and from the east.
RIP	Rest in peace. The actual origin, while very similar, was an abbreviation from the corresponding phrase in Latin.
RSVP	Some think to be Respond So Very Promptly; actually répondez s'il vous plaît - French for Respond if you please.
Shit	Ship High in Transit
SOS	Save Our Ship; Sinking, Oh Shit;Save Our Souls; SOS rendered in Morse code (· · · — — — · · ·) provided an easily detected and recognised 3 x 3 signal pattern where the SOS prosign is sent as a single Morse character without inter-character spacing.
Tip	an urban legend claims that "tip" (as in a gratuity for services) is an acronym for To Insure Promptness.
Troop	A debunked urban legend once claimed Troop clothing to be owned by the KKK, the name standing for "To Rule Over Oppressed People."
Twink	Supposedly for "Teenaged, white, into no kink." Origin unknown, more likely a nickname based on the Twinkie™ pastry.
Wop	Without Papers, supposedly from the immigration process. In the UK, the derivation is given as "Western Oriental Person" meaning an Oriental immigrant into a Western country. This derogatory term actually comes from the Spanish "guapo", by way of Italian dialect "guappo", both of which mean "handsome".
Fob	Fresh off the Boat, used by Americans to describe immigrants to the United States.
Fart	Fecal Air, Rectally Transmitted; actually, the word comes from the old English word for flatulence: feorten.

[edit] Backronyms as mnemonics

Ahimsa	A religious concept which advocates non-violence and a respect for all life; it is Sanskrit for avoidance of himsa. Himsa is injury to sentient beings. Backronymed as "Abstinence from animal products, Harmlessness with reverence for life, Integrity of thought, word, and deed, Mastery over oneself, Service to humanity, nature, and creation, and Advancement of understanding and truth".
Apgar	A brief medical examination of new-born babies - named after the doctor who introduced it. Can be understood as Appearance (skin color), Pulse (heart rate), Grimace (reflex irritability), Activity (muscle tone), Respiration.
Fire	Find, Inform, Restrict, Extinguish.
GNU	Gnu's Not Unix
H2SO4	(sulphuric acid) - Hot Hot Searing! Ouch Ouch Ouch Ouch!
PEARL	Pupils Equal And Reacting (to) Light
PCMCIA	People Can't Memorize Computer Industry Acronyms

[edit] Backronyms as slogans

Acronym	Original meaning	Slogan
Adidas	(named for Adi Dassler, its founder)	All Day I Dream About Sports All Day I Dream About Soccer
ABC	American Broadcasting Company	A Better Community[2]
ALSAC	American Lebanese Syrian Associated Charities	Aid to Leukemia Stricken American Children
Arby's	(named after its founders)	"America's Roast Beef, Yes, Sir!" (a 1980s ad slogan)
Bible	(from Greek word for "book")	Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth
BP	British Petroleum	Beyond Petroleum
CW	Columbia-Warner (merger of WB with CBS-owned UPN)	Come Watch
Grace	(divine grace)	God's Riches At Christ's Expense
Gospel	(the first four New Testament books)	God's Only Son Provides Eternal Life
Kiss	(not an acronym)	Keep It Simple, Stupid
Kosher	(kosher foodstuffs)	Keep Our Souls Healthy Eat Right
KRS One	"Kris-1"	Knowledge Reigns Supreme Over Nearly Everybody
LG	Lucky Goldstar	Life's Good!
OPP	Ontario Provincial Police	"Our Purpose, Prevention"
OTB	One Tough Brand (clothing line)	"Only The Best"
TCBY	This Can't Be Yogurt!	The Country's Best Yoghurt
WBBM	(callsign, "World's Best Battery Maker")	We Broadcast Better Music
WKBW	From WKBW (Well Known Bible Witness) radio	We Know Buffalo's Watching
WKYC	From KYW (Westinghouse radio)	We Know You Cleveland
WNYW	From WNEW (radio callsign)	What New York Watches
WYFQ	(radio station callsign)	Where You'll Find Quality

[edit] Backronyms .in Internet top-level domains

In response to an apparent shortage of available, short and easily-memorable .com domain names, various individual countries have sought to market their two-character ISO country-code domain names internationally. For a lucky few, names already were dictionary words in one or more languages (.am, .as, .at, .be, .cd, .dj, .fm, .in, .is, .la, .nu, .to, .tv and .vu being common examples). Others, not quite .as fortunate, rely on various contrived two-word backronyms as part of their marketing approach when exporting domain name registration internationally.

This is not the same as a domain hack, a play on words which uses an entire Internet name (including the top-level domain) to generate clever phrases like "i.am", "blo.gs" or "go.to".

ccTLD	Orig.in	.Is marketed .as (two-word .name or slogan)
.ac	Ascension Island	Always Connected, Alternating Current (nic.ac's slogan is “Power up your web site with a .AC domain name!”)
.am	Armenia	Amplitude Modulation
.cd	Congo	Compact Disc
.dj	Djibouti	Disc Jockey
.fm	Micronesia	Frequency Modulation
.gs	Georgia/South Sandwich Islands	Globe Site
.gw	Guinea-Bisseau	"Global Web, home to .gw domains"
.la	Laos	Los Angeles
.pw	Palau	Personal Web
.to	Tonga	Toronto Ontario
.tv	Tuvalu	Television
.ws	(West) Samoa	Web Site, World Site (registry requires use of "web site" backronym in registrars' marketing)

There are various others, such as .mn (Mongolia) (Minnesnowta), .sr (Suriname) (seniors) and .st (San Tome-Principe) (street), which have been redefined for marketing purposes but which are technically not backronyms as the resulting abbreviation is not an acronym.

[edit] Backronyms as political statements

AIDS	America Is Dying Slowly, an AIDS-awareness album.
CRTC	Committee for Repression and Thought Control
Gay	Claimed by some gay people to stand for Good As You to assert that homosexuality merits equal status and treatment with heterosexuality; claimed by some people who are against homosexuality to stand for "Got AIDS Yet?"
GM	"Government Motors", as a term used by those critical of the government-financed bailout of Détroit automakers GM and Chrysler in 2009. See also automotive and car manufacturers.
IBOC	"It Bothers Other Channels", used by critics of US in-band on-carrier digital radio broadcasts[3] and their adjacent channel interference to distant AM radio stations.
OLG	One Losing Gamble
OLG	Other Language Group (in reference to any non-English speakers - usually used in a mildly derogatory context)
Pig	When "pig" came into use as derogatory slang for a police officer, some of its targets retaliated by adopting the phrase "Pride, Integrity, Guts".
TARP	Toxic Assets Redistribution Program. A US-government slush fund used to bail out troubled Wall Street banks in 2008.

[edit] Euphemisms

AFU	All Fouled Up (euphemistic backronym from the original All Fucked Up)
BFD	Binary File Descriptor for the binutils in the GNU project. When Cygnus Support proposed developing the library, Richard Stallman said (correctly) that it would be hard; David's response was "BFD". This became the library name and "Binary File Descriptor" was invented later as the meaning of the letters. (possibly from Big Fucking Deal)
BUFF	Big Ugly Fat Fellow. A euphemistic military acronym referring to the B-52 bomber, this backronym originally stood for (and still stands for, to most airmen) Big Ugly Fat Fucker.
FUBAR	Fouled Up Beyond All Repair (backronym from the original Fucked Up Beyond All Recognition)
NFG	New Found Glory, (if the customer asks) New, Fully Guaranteed; also used in some circles to stand for New F*****g Guy; (originally No Fucking Good)
RTFM	Read The Fine Manuals (euphemistic backronym from the original Read The Fucking Manual)
SOL	So Out Of Luck (euphemistic backronym from the original Shit Out of Luck)

[edit] Backronyms in language translation

FAQ	fr:«Foire Aux Questions» (forum for questions, as a loose translation of en:"Frequently Asked Questions")
SAP	Originally SystemAnalyse und Programmentwicklung ("System Analysis and Program Development") in German, the name of the configurable software package developed by SAP GmbH from 1971 onwards. This has been backronymed by SAP Inc. into English as "Systems, Applications and Products in data processing".

[edit] Backronyms as humour

[edit] Automotive

See also: car manufacturers

[edit] Not originally acronyms

Audi	Accelerates Under Demonic Influence Automatic Unexpected Death Initiator
Buick	Big Ugly Indestructable/Import Car Killer
Bing	But I'm Not Google
Chevrolet	Can Hear Every Valve Rattling On Long Extended Trips Cheap Heap Every Valve Rattles Or Leaks Every Time Can't Hear Excessive Valve Rap Over Lousy Engine Timing Constantly Having Every Vehicle Recalled Over Lousy Engineering Techniques
Chevy	Cheapest Heap Ever Visioned Yet Cheap Heap Eats Valves Yearly Can't Help EVery Yuppie
Chrysler	Charged High Retail, You'll Subsidise Lee's Early Retirement
DeLorean	Don't Ever Lend One Rich Easterner Any Narcotics
Dodge	Damned Old Dorky Garbage Express Drips Oil, Drops Grease, Everywhere Dead Or Dying Gutless Engines Dies On Day Guarantee Expires Dead On Delivery Go Elsewhere Drive One Darned Good Engine Don't Over Do it, Go Easy Dreary Out Dated Grandpa Engineering
Fiat	(Originally an acronym see "Re-interpreted acronyms" section below)
Ford	Ferro Oxide Rust Damage Found On Road Dead Fix Or Repair Daily (or Figure On Repairing Daily) Fix On Road Daily Fast Only Rolling Downhill Flip Over, Read Directions For Old Retired Drivers Fucker Only Runs Downhill Fucked Over Rebuilt Dodge Found On Rubbish Dumps Full Of Rusty Dents Fuel and Oil Required Daily Ford Owners Recommend Dodge Fucking Old Rebuilt Dodge. A more praising backronym is First On Race Day / For Outstanding Reliability and Dependability An example of a reverse backronym is Driver Returning On Foot. (also fr: «fabrication ordinaire, réparation dispendieuse») (Swedish: "Familjen Olssons rullande dass" - Family Olsson's Rolling Dunny)
Holden	Holes, Oil Leaks, Dents and Engine Noises Heaps Of Little Dirty Engine Nuts
Honda	Had One, Never Did Again Hang On, Nearly Done Accelerating
Hummer	Huge Unnecessary Massive Mobile/Monster, Emissions Ridiculous
Hyundai	Hope You Understand Nothing's Driveable And Inexpensive Here's Y U Never Drive An Import
Jaguar	Just At Garage Undergoing Another Repair
Jeep	Just Empty Every Pocket Junk, Each and Every Part Just Enough Engine Power, Just Enough Essential Parts (also fr: «j'ai épuisé entièrement patience»)
YJ	Yukon Jeep
TJ	Terra Jeep
Kia	Killed in Action Killed in Automobile
Lada	Left At Dump, Abandoned (fr: «laissée au dépotoir, abandonée») (in Dutch: «Langs Achter Duwen Alstublieft», please push from behind)
Lotus	Lots Of Trouble, Usually Serious
Neon	Nothing Especially Original Now New Engine Often Needed Needs Engine? Owner Nervous
Mazda	Made At Zoo (by) Demented Apes (Hiroshima's revenge)
Mopar	Mostly Old Parts And Rust My Ol' Plymouth Ain't Runnin' (or My Old Pig Ain't Runnin') Massively Over Powered And Respected Mighty OverPowered (or OverPowering), Always Reliable Motor On Pavement After Race
Oldsmobile	Old Lady Driving Slowly Old Lady Driving Slowly Making Others Behind Infernally Late Everyday
Pinto	Powerful Incendiary, Neatly Toasts Occupants Put In Nickel To Operate
Plymouth	Please Let Your Mama Out Under The Hood
Pontiac	Poor Old Ninny Thinks It's A Cadillac ("Ninny" can be replaced by "negro", the more offensive term nigger, "nutjob" or "native".)
Repco	Rip Every Poor Cunt Off
Saturn	Sorry About That Unusual Rattling Noise Sold as American Technology, Underneath Really a Nissan
Subaru	Stupid Ugly Bucket, All Rusted Underneath Still Usable But All Rusty Underneath
Toyota	Too Often Yanks Overprice This Automobile Taking Our Yen Out, Thanks America!
Volvo	Vehicle Of Low Velocity Operators
Yugo	You'll Usually Get Out

[edit] Re-interpreted acronyms

AMC	Another Mediocre Car Another Man's Crap
BMW	Bring Money in Wheelbarrows Big Money Waster Bitch, Moan and Whine Big Mormon Wagon Break My Window(s) Basic Marin Wheels Best Machines in the World Bob Marley and the Wailers Black Man's Wheels (in UK Afro-Caribbean culture) Break My Wallet Be My Wife Black Man's Willy Bringing More Weight Bring Mechanic With Blew My Wad Big Monetary Waste Built by Migrant Workers A reverse backronym is Wanted Mercedes-Benz In German: Bayerischer MistWagen (Bavarian Manure Wagon) Bayerische Mistwerke (Bavarian Muck Works) Bring Mir Werkstatt (Bring Me to Workshop) Bei Mercedes Weggeworfen (Built from Mercedes' Wastebasket - thrown away by Mercedes) Baader-Meinhoff Wagen (after German Terrorist group of the 1970s) Bersten Mal Wieder (de: - busted again) Body Made Wrong In Dutch: Bak Met Wielen (Box Made with Wheels).
Fiat	Fix It Again Tomorrow Fix It Again Tony Fix It All the Time Found In A Tip Futile/Feeble Italian Attempt at Transportation Fucking Idiot Asshole Towncar Failure In Automotive Technology Finally I'm Almost There In German: Fehler In Allen Teilen (faulty in all the parts) Für Italiener Ausreichende Technologie (For Italians, Adequate Technology) In Portuguese: Fui Idiota, Agora é Tarde (I've Been Stupid, Now It's Too Late) Filial do Inferno Aqui na Terra (Franchise of Hell on Earth).
GM	Generally Mediocre Grinding Metal
GMC	General Made Crap Generally Mediocre Crankcase Get My Coveralls Garbage Made Cheaply/Carefully Garage Man's Companion (also fr: «grincements méchaniques continus» - groaning/grinding mechanically continuously)
IROC	Italian/Insipid Redneck/Retard Out Cruising actually named for the International Race of Champions
Chevrolet LUV	Little (or Low, especially if customised) Useless Vehicle (originally Light Utility Vehicle, a quarter ton pickup truck)
MG	Money Gone Mostly Garaged Mostly Garbage
MPV	Mostly Pitiful Vehicle
NAPA	Not A Part Available
NASCAR	Non Athletic Sports Created Around Rednecks Negros Ain't Supposed to Come Around the Racetrack No Actual Stock Cars Are Racing
RAV4	Really Awful Vehicle
Saab	Shit, Another Accessory Broken Stolen And Always Broken (originally Svenska Aeroplan AB)
SUV	Stupid Ugly Vehicle Stupid Useless Vehicle Sure to be Under their Vehicle (if in a collision with one) Smog Unleashing Vehicle Small Unit Vehicle
UAP	Useless Auto Parts
VW	Virtually Worthless Virtual Warranty

[edit] Aviation

[edit] Not originally acronyms

Air India	Airplanes In Repo In Nicaragua, Delay Inevitable Anyway After I Return, I’ll Never Do It Again
Alitalia	Airplane Lands In Tokyo And Luggage In Atlanta Always Late In Take-off, Always Late In Arrival A Little Italian Tradition And Lotsa Italian Attitude
American	Airline Meals Eaten Regularly Induce Cramps and Nausea
CP Air	Completely Penniless And In Receivership
Delta	Divert Everyone's Luggage To Atlanta (or any city starting with A) Doesn't/Don't Ever Leave The Airport Didn't Expect to Land There Anyway Don't Expect Luggage To Arrive Destroying Every Line Towards America Don't Even Let Them Aboard Drunken Engineers Land Too Abruptly
Easyjet	Economy Airline Slows Your Journey Every Time
El Al	Every Landing Always Late
Emirates	English Managed, Indian Run, A Thousand Ex-pats Suffering
Garuda	Good And Reliable Under Dutch Administration Government Airway Ruined Under Dutch Administration Go And Relax Until Delay Announcement.
Gulf Air	Get Used to Late Flights - Aircraft In Repair
Lufthansa	Let Us Find The Hostess, As No Steward Available Let Us Fondle (or Fuck) The Hostesses And Not Say Anything Let Us Free The Hostages And Not Shoot Anyone
Northwest	Nobody Out Ranks This Horrid, Worthless, Excruciatingly Sluggish Transport
Olympic	Onassis Likes Your Money Paid In Cash
Pan Am	Pilots Are Not A Must Plan on Arriving Nervewracked And Mad Passengers Always Need A Mortician Poor Airline Needs Any Money
Sabena	Such A Bloody/Bad Experience, Never Again (fr: «Sauf accidents, bien entendu, nous atterrons» - If no accidents, clearly we will land)
Sosa	Stay Out, Stay Alive
Swissair	Sexy Women In Swissair Services Are Indeed Rare
TAM TAM Airlines	Transportes Aéreos da Morte Transporte Aéreo Mortal Trabalhe Até Morrer Transportes Aéreos Malditos Tem Ali um Muro Tudo Acaba Mal (everything goes badly) Terror Aéreo Mundial (worldwide airborne terror) Tá Afim de Morrer Tô Amando a Morte Todos A bordo Morrerão (all on board will die) Tou Afim de Mandioca Transportes Aéreos Mortais (mortal air transport) Tem Alguém Morto Tamo Ai Matando Te Amamos Muito (ou não!)
Tan-Sahsa	Turn Around Now, Stay At Home Stay Alive
United	Usually Not Inclined To Eliminate Disasters
USAir	Unfortunately Still Allegheny In Reality Underwater Seats Available In Rear Usually Stewardesses Are Irrationally Romantic

[edit] Re-interpreted acronyms

AWA	America's Worst Airline
BOAC	Better On A Camel Better On Air Canada Bit Of A Charlie Barely Own Any Clocks Bring Over American Cash Boeing Only Aircraft Considered (complaint of British aeroplane industry) Blast Off And Crash
BWIA	Better Walk If Able Britain's Worst Investment Abroad But Will It Arrive? Bound to Wait In the Airport
ETOPS	Engines Turn Or Passengers Swim
JAL	Jets Along Lazily Journey Always Late
KLM	Keeps Losing Money Kindly Leave Money Koop Lockheed Majesteit (Buy Lockheed, your Majesty - after Lockheed bribe scandal) Komische Landungs Methoden (German: funny way of landing)
LAX	Love And Christ
PAL	Plane Always Late
PIA	Pain In the Ass Please Inform Allah
PWA	Please Wait Awhile Pray While Aloft Pete's Wobbly Airline Piddly Widdly Airline
QANTAS	Queers And Nancies Trained As Stewards Queers And Nasty Types As Stewards Queasy And Nauseous, Tired And Sick Queers And Nymphomaniacs Trained As Stewards Quick And Nasty Transportation, Australian Style Quite A Neat Trick, Arriving Safely Quite A Nice Trip, Any Survivors? Quits Air-travel, Next Time Approaches Ship (Queensland And Northern Territory Air Service).
Sahsa	Stay At Home, Stay Alive (originally Servicio Aereo de Honduras S.A.)
SAS	Sex And Satisfaction Sweet And Sexy Same As Sabena.
TACA	Take A Chance Airlines Take Another Carrier, Always Take A Coffin Along (In Spanish:) Tres Accidentes Cada Año (Three Accidents Counted Annually)
TAP	Take Another Plane Take A Pill Take A Parachute Tamancos Aéreos Portugueses [in Brazil: Portuguese Airborne Clogs]
TWA	Try Walking Across Try Walking Asshole Teeny Weeny Airlines The Worst Airline Third World Airlines Try With Another Travel Without Arrival Try Walking Again Took Wrong Airline Teenie Weenie Airlines Traveling Without Air Time Waste Airlines That Was Accidental That Was Awful Thieves, Whores & Alcoholics Today's/Tomorrow’s Worst Airline Tomorrow We'll Arrive Tomorrow's Widebody Accident Totally Wasted Airlines Travel With Arabs/Alcohol Thousands Wandering Aimlessly Terrorists Welcome Aboard
UTA	Unlikely To Arrive (originally Union des Transports Aériens)
VASP	Vomite Aqui Seu Porco (Throw Up Here You Pig - reference to the VASP logo at the barf bag) Várias Aeromoças São Putas (Several Air Stewardesses Are Whores) a famous VASP pilot called Seu Pereira once had a severe illness and his co-workers used to refer to the company as Vamos Ajudar Seu Pereira (Let's Help Seu Pereira) to which he politely replied with a reverse backronym: Pereira Sinceramente Agradece a Vocês (Pereira Sincerely Thank You) Vagabundos Anônimos Sustentados pelos Pais (anonymous vagabonds supported by their parents) (originally Viações Aéreas de São Paulo)

[edit] Broadcasters and networks

See List of broadcast and entertainment acronyms

[edit] Computing and telecommunications

See List of computing and technology acronyms

[edit] Education

[edit] Degrees and diplomas

BA	BrokeAss
BS	BullShit
MBBS	Master of Bullshit, Bullshit Specialist
MS	More Shit; More of the Same
PhD	Poor Hungry and Desperate; Piled Higher and Deeper; PissHead's Diploma; Permanent Head Damage; Pigeon-hole dissertation; Plumbing/Heating Diploma; Pretty Huge Dick
GNVQ	Generally Not Very Qualified Going Nowhere Very Quickly
GED	Good Enough Diploma, "Good Enough" Degree
HND	Has No Degree
LPN	Let's Pretend Nurse
MBA	Makes Big Assholes Many Brains Annihilated Master of Bugger All Mediocre But Arrogant (MBWA - Management By Wandering Around also plays off this acronym)

[edit] Schools

CMSU	Call Me Stupid University; School for Dyslexic Marines
EMU	Eternal MisUnderstanding
FAU	Finished And Unemployed, Find Another University
ICC	I Can't Count
MWC	Many White Christians (was Mary Washington College)
MIT	Made In Taiwan
NKU	No Knowledge University
NYU	Now You're Unemployed
SDSU	Still Drunk, Still Undeclared
SPU	Spouse Potential University
TWU	The Worst University
UCAS	Users Can't Access System (referring to the problems UCAS usually encounters)
UCB	University of Cocky Bohemians
UCD	University of Cow Dung
UCI	University of Chinese Immigrants University of Civics and Integras University of Chinese Idiots
UCLA	University of Caucasians Lost among Asians University of Chinese Lost in America U Can't Leave America University of California's Lousy Athletes
UCM	University of Crop Migrants
UCR	University of Cal Rejects University of Chinese Refugees University of Chinese Retards
UCSD	University of Chinese Second Decision
UCSB	University of Casual Sex and Beer U Can Study Buzzed
UCSC	Uncle Charlie's Summer Camp University of Constantly Stoned Crackers University of Caucasians Smoking Cannabis
UC	University of Criminals
UBC	University of a Billion Chinese
UDC	University for Dumb Children
UMBC	Under Major Building Construction U Must Be Crazy U Must Be Chinese
UNLV	Unfortunately No Longer Virgins (the official meaning of hip hop groupUNLV's name). In the city of Vancouver, Washington, this has become University of Never Leaving Vancouver, likewise with the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
USC	University of Spoiled Children University of Spoiled Coeds Up Shit Creek University of South Central University of Second Choice University of Second Class U Suck Cock University of Stuck-up Children United States of California University of Stupid Chinese
USD	University of Spoiled Daughters
UNC	University of No Credit University of Nice Chicks
UWO	Undergrads Wait Outside

[edit] Entertainment

See List of broadcast and entertainment acronyms

[edit] Manufacturing and commerce

Acme		"A (or American) Company Making (or Manufacturing) Everything". Supplier of bizarre, elaborate, and non-functional gadgetry in Warner Brothers' Road Runner cartoons
Adidas	(Adi Dassler, founder)	Song title by KoЯn and JC Chasez: "All Day I Dream About Sex". A popular schoolground one in the UK is "After Dinner I Do A Shit". A well-known Spanish version would be: "Asociación De Idiotas Dispuestos A Superarse" (Association of idiots willing to get better). A popular Dutch version is "Alleen Domme Idioten Doen Aan Sport" (Always/only dumb idiots do any sports). Also a reverse backronym, "Sex/Sports All Day Is Definitely American".
Chaps Ralph Lauren		Coulda Had A Polo Shirt - Used as a derogatory term towards people who opted for the less expensive CHAPS line over the more expensive Polo Ralph Lauren
Fila		Finally I Left Adidas - as the response of a disgruntled Adidas employee, actually the last name of the founders.
Gap		"Gay And Proud"; "Gay Ass People"; "Gay Ass Place"
Nike		Needs International Kids Employed
Puma		Poor Unprofessional Mimickry of Adidas; Probier Unbedingt Mal Adidas (de), Poofter Under Medical Attention
DHL		Driver's Halfway Lost
DSE		Divided States of Embarrassment
FYI		Found Yesterday. Interested?
GE	General Electric	Good & Evil, Grim & Evil
MFJ	Martin F. Jue (K5FLU, founder)	Made From Junk Mighty Fine Junk
IBM	International Business Machines	Idiot Behind Machine (see also list of computing and technology acronyms - there are many for IBM.)
NDS	News Data Systems	No Darned Security (smartcard vendor, in reference to DirecTV's multiple card swaps over the years)
NEPA	National Electric Power Authority	Never Expect Power Anywhere or No Electric Power Anticipated (because of its variable quality of service). When the company became a public limited company (NEPA PLC), the backronym became No Electric Power Available, Please Light Candle.
NSB		No Safe Bet
OTC	Of The Craft	Off To Canada (during Prohibition)
UPS	United Parcel Service	United Package Smashers; pronounced as "oops"; United Pot Smokers

[edit] Military and police

A3D	All Three Dead (reference to bomber with three man crew and no ejection seats)
Army	Aren't Real Men Yet Aren't Ready for Marines Yet Another Redneck Military Yahoo. As a backward backronym, tags on soldier's BDUs (Battle Dress Uniform) can be read "Yes My Retarded Ass Signed Up." Uncle Sam Aint Released Me Yet!
CVE	Combustible, Volatile (or Vulnerable) and Expendable
Marine	Muscles Are Required, Intelligence Not Essential My Ass Rides In Navy Equipment Math And Reading Is Not Easy Mostly Army Rejects in Navy Equipment.
Navy	Never Again Volunteer Yourself No Anal Virgins Yet
SBD	Slow-But-Deadly (American naval divebomber responsible for sinking four Japanese aircraft carriers at the battle of Midway)
SB2C	Son-of-a-Bitch, 2nd Class
SOS	Save Our Ship Save Our Souls Same Old Shit Sinking, Oh Shit, Shitting OurSelves Stuck On Stupid Shit on a Shingle (popular Navy food)

[edit] Re-interpreted acronyms

BATF	Burn All The Families; Burn All Toddlers First (in reference to the Waco disaster)
BFD	Used as the apathetic "Big Fucking Deal" acronym everywhere else, this appears on Brockville fire department trucks
CIWS	Christ, It Won't Shoot
CID	Coppers In Disguise; more colourfully, Cunts In Disguise
DEA	Don't Expect Anything
FBI	Full-Blooded Indian; Full Blooded Italians (wrestlers in the ECW/WWE); Fry Bread Inspector; From Big Island; Federal Breast Inspector (many are popular T-shirt slogans); also Federal Bureau of Incineration; Fire and Brimstone, Inc. (in reference to the Waco disaster); Fearless Band of Idiots; Forever Bothering Italians (in reference to their string of Mafia prosecutions); Female Body Inspector; Female Boobie Inspector
FTA	Fun, Travel, Adventure (the US Army's recruiting slogan during the 1960s); Fuck the Army! (used by US troops in Vietnam to express their displeasure with the Army)
GRC	(Gendarmerie Royal du Canada, French for RCMP)- Gravel Road Cop, Grand Republic of China
HRT	Hostage Roasting Team (in reference to the Waco disaster)
JAG	Just A Guess
Lavochkin-Gorbunov-Goudkov LaGG-1 and LaGG-3	Lakirovanny garantirovanny grob ("guaranteed varnished coffin" - лакированный гарантированный гроб). Actually a fighter aircraft made of laminated wood.
MOAB	Mother Of All Bombs (originally Massive Ordnance Air Blast bomb,a US Army weapon)
MRE (army food)	My Refrigerator's Empty; Mediocre Rarely Edible; Meals Rejected by Ethiopia/Everyone/the Enemy
NCIS	Never Cared to Insult Someone
NSA	No Such Agency; Not Secret Anymore; Never Say Anything
OD (Officer of the Day)	Olivia DeHavilland (as noted by Hawkeye Pierce on MASH)
OPP (Ontario Provincial Police)	Official Party Poopers, Other Peoples' Privates/Property (official meaning of Naughty By Nature song title "OPP")
RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police)	"Refill Coffee Mug, Please"
TSA	Thousands Standing Around; Taking Scissors Away
USMC	Uncle Sam's Misguided Children; U. Signed the Motherfucking Contract.
WRNS	We're Really Not Sure

[edit] People

[edit] Not originally acronyms

Bills	Boy, I Lose Lots of Superbowls Boy, I Love Losing Superbowls (used only during the OJ Simpson trial) Boy I Love Life Sentences
Bush	Beat Up Saddam Hussein Bigoted Uninformed Shit Head
Clinton	Come Lewinsky, I Need To Oral Now; same with "orgasm" for the O
Diana	Died In A Nasty Accident.
Iacocca	I Am Chairman Of Chrysler Corporation America.

[edit] Re-interpreted acronyms

ACLU	Anti-Christian Liberal/Lawyer Union, among others (backronyming the ACLU is common, especially among political conservatives)
CIO	Career Is Over
KMFDM	Kill Mother Fucking Depeche Mode Kylie Minogue Fans Don't Masturbate KMFDM Makes Freaky Damn Music (or Funky Dance Music) (recursive acronym) Kenobi Made Farmboy Do Magic Keep Madonna From Doing Movies
MNF	Math's No Fun!
NFL	Not For Long No Family Life/League No Fun League
NHL	No Hockey League Now Have Lockout
S&M	standing and modeling (in reference to fetishwear affectionados)
PTL	Pass the Lube Pass The Loot Pay The Lady (common during the Jimmy Bakker/Jimmy Swaggart scandals of the 1980s)
VIP	Very Impatient Pest Vamos Invadir essa Pôrra (Let's Invade This Fucking Place)
Yaoi	YAmete, Oshiri Itai! - "Stop, my butt hurts!" You Americans are Overtly Idiotic
Yiff	Young, Innocent, Fuckable Furry

[edit] Politics

CCCP	Clinton Complete Care Plan (from critics who considered the failed proposal to be left-wing) Companheiros, Cuidado Com o Pelé (Companions, watch out for Pelé) Cucurucucuuuuu Palooooma!
GDR	Guard Dogs Ready God Damn Russians God Damn Republicans
FEMA	Federal Emergency Making Agency Fatal Emergencies Mismanaged Again Failure and Embarrassment to My America Federal Employees Missing Again (a popular T-shirt slogan post-Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita)
GOP	Greedy Old People Grand Old Party Grinches On Parade God's Own Party (reference to supposed domination by religious right)
IMF	Insurrection, Misery & Famine
Iraq	I Run And Quit
MADD	Menopausal Alliance Doing Damage
NATO	No Action, Talk Only (popular during the Bosnian crisis)
NPWS	No People Welcome, Sorry (from their habit of making some National parks very difficult to access)
PETA	People Eating Tasty Animals
PRC	Peking's Repressive Communism
PSAC	People Standing Around Complaining (fr: AFPC = «Association des Fortement Paresseux du Canada»)
PRI	Puro Ratero Inmoral (Immoral Crooks Only) Providence, Rhode Island
RESPECT	RESPECT The Unity Coalition, a left wing political party in the UK RESPECT was later explained officially as Respect, Equality, Socialism, Peace, Environmentalism, Community and Trade Unionism, or among its opponents as Recently Expelled Scottish Politician Endorses Communist Tyranny
R.O.C	Refugees of Communism Refugees Of Capitalism
USA	Unbelievably-Sized Arsenals U Suck Angle (for World Wrestling Entertainment performer Kurt Angle whom the fans have traditionally chanted "You Suck" at.)
Veto	Void Every Time Overtly

[edit] Ranks of the Order of St Michael and St George

CMG	Call Me God
KCMG	Kindly Call Me God Kings Call Me God
GCMG	God Calls Me God

These terms were mentioned in a scene of the BBC sitcom Yes Minister.

[edit] Retail

• CVS sometimes uses the motto "Convenience, Value, Service"; some customers, due to the drug store chain's typically higher prices, believe "Customers Victimized Severely" is more appropriate.
• LCBO - Lifting Cash from Bums in Ontario
• SAQ - Society of Alcoholics of Québec

[edit] Science

DNA	National Dyslexic Association
HCl	Highly Corrosive Liquid
Laser	Looking At Source Erases Retina
NASA	Need Another Seven Astronauts (in reference to the Space Shuttle Challenger and Space Shuttle Columbia disasters) Never Actually Sure of Anything Not Always Scientifically Accurate

[edit] Other

[edit] Not originally acronyms

• Arkansas - Army of Rednecks, Killers, Americans, Nimrods, Suckers, And Socialists
• Boycott PETCO - Break Open Your Cold Ones, Toast The Padres, Enjoy This Championship Orginazation! (Found in one of the bricks in 2004)

• Iowa - Idiots Out Wandering Around
• Law - Lawyers Are Wimps
• Mabo - Make A Better Offer
• Minun - Minun Is Not a University Nerd (recursive acronym)
• Virginia - Vaginas Indicate Real Girls In Nearly All Instances

[edit] Re-interpreted acronyms

• ESRB - Eat Shit, you Rating Bastards!
• Esso - Every Sucker Sells Oil (originally S.O. phonetically - Standard Oil)
• FTRA - Fuck The Reagan Administration
• MGM - More Golden Money, Mississippi (or any state starting with M) General Motors, Mmm...Good Mints
• STFU - Shut The Fuck Up
• UHF - U Have Friends
• VCL (originally Velan Central Library) - Vixen Controlled Library

[edit] References

1. ↑ http://www.snopes2.com/language/acronyms/fuck.htm
2. ↑ http://www.snopes.com/language/acronyms/golf.htm

[edit] See also

• Backronym
• Retronym
• List of broadcast and entertainment acronyms
• List of computing and technology acronyms
• Car manufacturers

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This entry is from Wikipedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer).

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "List of backronyms".

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