Acronyms for Fun and Learning

A2O Apples To Oranges. An acronym to highlight any inappropriate comparison between two things; a modern shorthand to say 'chalk and cheese'.

ABCD Above and Beyond the Call of Duty. Whether this acronym originated in the armed services or not, is not clear. However, it is just as applicable to the civilian work environment, to indicate that someone has gone that extra mile.

AKA Also Known As. A remarkable acronym that's now so well established that it's virtually become a word, and certainly requires no reference to the original source words to be immediately understood. Aka is truly up there with the all-time great acronyms like radar, scuba, quango and yuppie.

AWOL Absent Without Leave. Military acronym, which implied a few days in the punishment block for the absconder when apprehended, the expression is now well established in life generally and applied to any missing, lost or wandered-off person or item causing breach of rules or mere inconvenience. An alternative meaning of AWOL applies in the healthcare industry as an abbreviation on patients' notes: All Well On Leaving.

BASIC Beginners All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code. Acronym name for the early computer programming language. Makes a good quiz question.

BID Break It Down. When training anything to anybody never teach the whole thing all at once. Break the skill or process down to digestible parts. This will avoid destroying confidence, and enable gradual progress to the point that the whole thing can be practiced.

BTW By The Way. One of the more commonly used abbreviations today, meaning 'incidentally' or 'in passing', and, BTW, originally meaning 'by the way of a secondary subject or matter', which was earlier shortened to 'by the bye', which has now almost passed out of use. 'By the way' is referenced in 1870's Brewer, so it's not a recent expression.

CERN Conseil Europeen pour la Recherche Nucleaires. In a funny way, it also seems to indicate - Capable Engineers Researching Nothing.

CHAOS Chief Has Arrived On Scene. From the Fire Rescue Service in Georgia US, and no doubt used elsewhere too. If not then it should be. For interferring bosses everywhere!

CLM Career Limiting Move. A reminder to think twice before embarking on any action that has an obvious whiff of disaster about it.

COBOL Common Business Orientated Language. Acronym-derived name for the early computer language.

DIAGEO Don't Expect Any Great Employment Opportunities. Not true of course...

DRAW Dignity and Respect At Work. Acronym mnemonic for workplace culture, attitude, behaviour, values, etc.

DRIB Don't Read If Busy. Only the email culture could have developed the need for such an acronym....

DRIVE Define, Review, Identify, Verify, Execute. Influential and useful acronym within the 'Quality' field.

E&OE Errors and Omissions Excepted. Shorthand disclaimer notice, used as a rider at the bottom of invoices and other documents with potentially legal and contractual implications. Effectively means that no liability is accepted for mistakes and omissions.

FART Fecal Air Rectally Transmitted. Daft and amusing restrospectively devised acronym, so it's technically a 'backronym'. The word fart in fact is derived from Old High German 'ferzan' (pronounced fertsan) from older Germanic roots 'fertan', both of which are clearly onomatopoeic (sounds like what it is), as is the modern-day word, unchanged in English since the 1200's. Words and language might change over time, but the sound of a fart is one of life's more enduring features!

FEAR Forget Everything and Run. One of the best reverse acronyms ever devised. It's what happens when the fear response takes over, and the primative brain switches to auto-pilot. Great for presentations training and 'training the trainer', to emphasise why nobody ever does anything really well under extreme stress except shut down. Alternative acronym meaning if you want to suggest that 'it's all in the mind': False Evidence Appearing Real.

FINE Fanatical, Insecure, Neurotic and Emotional. Alternative ironic acronym response to the universal question, 'How are you?.....' FINE carries an alternative meaning: Feelings Inside Not Expressed, notably in the context of attitude, communications, coaching, life-change, etc. People commonly respond to the question, "How are you?" by saying "Fine," when they perhaps are anything but fine.

FIRE Find Inform Restrict Extinguish. One of those wonderful acronyms in which the new word actully relates to the subject; this one for student fire-fighters, and anybody else for that matter, since it represents the essential rules and process of dealing with fires.

GAAP Generally Accepted Accounting Principles. To non-accountants this may seem a contradiction in terms.

HIP High Involvement Product. A marketing term for a product which requires a high amount of thought before purchase, cars, holidays, etc. By definition the selling approach must be different for HIPs compared to FMCG's and LIP's for instance.

HOPEFUL Hard-up Old Person Expecting Full Useful Life. Another poignant demographics acronym. Could be a great name for the next governement initiative on pensions...

HTTP Hyper-Text Transfer Protocol. Destined to become one of those abbreviations which nobody knows the origin of in thirty years time, and here mainly lest we forget.

IBM I Blame Microsoft. A 'backronym' with different applications, aside from having a dig at MS, for example to highlight where a person finds it difficult to accept responsibility for their own actions, or more usually, inactivity. IBM is also interpreted as I've Been Married, in dating circles, and in some jobs, for example the police service, which for some competes strongly with marital responsibilities. And with no pun intended to the IBM corporation, since this can apply anywhere, Idiots Become Managers!

ICE In Case of Emergency. While the acronym has had this meaning for a while, in recent times the termonology has assumed additional significance: apparently modern practice is increasingly to identify a special 'ICE number' within one's mobile telephone 'phone book' listing, so that in case of suffering a debilitating accident or emergency, a person assisting anyone in their moment of need is able immediately to contact the nominated friend, spouse, parent, etc.

IDEA Identify, Design, Execute, Augment. Process for changing anything. Identify the issues, priorities, constraints, resources; Design the plan; Execute the plan; Augment, refine, adjust and improve activies to consolidate change.

IPO Initial Public Offering. Stock Exchange and corporate acronym for the initial sale of privately owned equity (stock or shares) in a company via the issue of shares to the public and other investing institutions. In other words an IPO is the first sale of stock by a private company to the public. IPOs are typically small, young companies raising capital to finance growth. For investors IPO's can risky as it is difficult to predict the value of the stock or shares when they open for trading. An IPO is effectively 'going public' or 'taking a company public'.

ISDN Innovations Subscribers Don't Need. Amusing alternative interpretation of the abbreviation's original meaning: Integrated Services Digital Network, in other words a digital telephone line. Another alternative meaning: I Still Don't Know. And another amusing meaning of ISDN: It Still Does Nothing.

KEY Keep Extending Yourself. Coaching and motivational maxim. A reminder of the importance of striving to improve yourself, and always to be seeking new challenges.

KISS Keep It Simple Stupid. One of the all time great acronyms, and so true. A motto and reminder that simplicity works - in communications, design, philosophy, relationships, decision-making, meetings, management and life generally. Apply and promote KISS to any situation to deter unnecessary complication, excuses, bureaucracy, red-tape, and to encourage practical positive outcomes, no-nonsense communications, integrity, truth, beauty, and honesty. Variations on the KISS theme include Keep It Short and Sweet, Keep It Simple Sunshine, Keep It Simple and Straightforward, Keep It Simple Sister, Keep It Simple Sweetheart, etc.

KPI Key Performance Indicator. A measure, target or standard, used to manage and gauge the performance of an activity, process or project. Establishing a series of KPI's or KSI's is a very useful way to manage, monitor and assess the effectiveness of any organizational activity or process.

LADDER Longitudinal And Directional Distance Extremity Reacher. Perhaps one of the silliest and most wonderful reverse acronyms ever to have been devised.

LADIES Life After Divorce Is Eventually Saner. Motto for independence and self-determination, from the so-named activist group. No Pun intended.

LAMP Lower Academically-Minded Person. Euphemistic reference to an idiot, or someone who's behaviour resembles one.

LASER Light Amplification by the Stimulated Emission of Radiation. Should technically be LABTSEOR, but it would never have caught on.

LIP Low Involvement Product. Marketingspeak for a product which doesn't require much thought before purchase.

LMAO Laughing My A$$ Out. Newer variant to the aging LOL, with a little bit of rear-guard action!

LOL Laughing Out Loud. Came in with the Short Messaging Service culture and the need for shortening words. There goes English!

MACINTOSH Most Applications Crash. If Not, The Operating System Hangs. Largely unfair but very clever reverse acronym.

MILE Maximum Impact, Little Effort. Acronym to express the principle of optimising productivity, and the value of identifying 'high-yield' areas on which to apply 'high-yield' methods and techniques. Especially helpful in sales and marketing training.

NB Nota Bene. Abbreviation of the Latin expression commonly used in explanatory writing, literally meaning 'observe well'.

NLP Neuro-Linguistic Programming. A modern scientific model for communication and self-development. 'Neuro' refers to the way your brain and senses, interprets and process your experiences. 'Linguistic' refers to the interpretation of experience through language. 'Programming' refers to and implies your actual or potential ability to affect your mind's control over your behaviour and language, and thereby to 'program' yourself.

NTSC National Television System Committee. Although the video and TV abbreviation is widely used, the meaning and origins are not commonly known. The abbreviation refers to colour television standard developed in the USA decades ago, and still used all over the world, despite its propensity to 'colour drift' (whereby the colour reference signal wanders off-frequency). This tendency gave rise to the amusing alternative derogatory meaning given to the abbreviation (allegedly by boffins at the BBC): Never Twice the Same Colour.

PAL Phase Alternate Line. Television standard developed by the BBC, to be a more stable (self-correcting) technology than NTSC for handling the colour-carrier TV signal, by inverting its 'phase' on every line as the picture is drawn down the screen.

POTUS President Of The United States. Acronym used by Whitehouse staff.

PRIDE Personal Responsibility In Delivering Excellence. A bit of an acronym cheat because 'for' would sound much better than 'in', but PRFDE doesn't have quite the same ring to it.

CHEVROLET Clatters Heavily, Every Valve Rattles, Oil Leaks Every Time / Can Hear Every Valve Rattling On Long Extended Trips

FERRARI For Every Real Racer And Rich Idiots

FIAT Failure In Automotive Technology / Fix It Again Tomorrow

FORD Fix Or Repair Daily / Full Of Rust and Decay / For Outstanding Reliability and Dependability?

DODGE Damned Old Dirty Gas Eater / Drips Oil, Drops Grease Everywhere

GM Grinding Metal / Generally Mediocre

HONDA Have One, Never Do it Again / Had One, Never Did Again

HUMMER Huge Unnecessary Massive Mobile, Emmissions Ridiculous

JAGUAR Just A Gauge Under Another Repair

JEEP Just Enough Essential Parts / Just Enough Engine Power

LOTUS Loads Of Trouble, Usually Serious / Leaking Oil To Under Side

MAZDA Made At Zoo by Demented Apes

SUBARU Still Usable But All Rusted Underneath

TOYOTA The One You Ought To Avoid

AIR INDIA 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

AWA America's Worst Airline

DELTA Don't Expect Luggage To Arrive / Doesn't Ever Leave The Airport

KLM Keeps Losing Money

LUFTHANSA Let Us Free The Hostages And Not Shoot Anyone

PAL Plane Always Late

QANTAS Queers And Nancies Trained As Stewards. (originally Queensland And Northern Territory Air Service)

SABENA Such A Bad Experience, Never Again

SWISSAIR Sexy Women In Swissair Services Are Indeed Rare. Not true of course......

TWA Travel With Anxiety / Terrorists Welcome Aboard / The Worst Airline

UTA Unlikely To Arrive

QUIET Quality Undercover Intelligence Espionage Team. Used by the US government.

RAID Remove Alcohol Impaired Drivers. Drive against DUI.

RAP Rhythm And Poetry. Used by the media. Rapid Assessment Program in geek language.

RARE Rare Animal Relief Effort. From rareconservation.org. A backronym for Responsible And Respectful Everyday & Rapid Assessment Research Evaluation

REED Rocket Exhaust Effluent Diffusion. For the rocket scientists of NASA

REM Rapid Eye Movement. REM sleep stage.

RISK Real Ignorant Suspect Knowledge. That is risky indeed.

ROTFL Rolling Over The Floor Laughing. A recent take over the aging LOL. Adds more action to mere laughing.

SALT State And Local Tax. Original NATO - Strategic Arms Limitation Talks. Popular in military training as Serving And Learning Together.

SECAM Systeme Electronique Couleur Avec Memoire. The French virtual-equivalent to the UK-originated PAL TV broadcast standard, alternatively and amusingly known as System Essentially Contrived (from the) American Method, or perhaps more fittingly as System Essentially Contrary (to the) American Method, both probably originating from early US TV engineers who developed the forerunning US NTSC standard.

SEED Supreme Elemental Evolution Destined. A stock marketer would say - Save Earn Enjoy Deposits

SMS Short Messaging Service. With the advent of the text messages, language will never be the same again.

SUM Software User's Manual

TALK Tobacco Affects The Lives Of Kids. Don't smoke where children are around. Cancer cures smoking.

TEAM Together Everyone Achieves More. A simple and a nice one, quite practical at that.

TEAR Tsunami Emergency Asian Relief. The Eyes Are Red after tears.

UFO Unidentified Flying Object. The quest for many star gazers. Unleaded Fuel Only. Unknown, Forgotten, and Overlooked.

VAT Value Added Tax. Never really understood how tax could add value!

WHAT We Hate All Teachers. We do have our favorites though.

YAHOO You Always Have Other Options. This alternative bacronym, nothing to do with the website, is actually a wonderful maxim for life. Incidentally Yahoo founders Yang and Filo maintain they only chose the YA (Yet Another) part of the acronym, and then opted for the word Yahoo when it leapt out of the dictionary at them.

ZEN Zero Effort Networking. Networking does count right!?

Origin of Words
Etymology and the etymological study of the origin of words is a vast and interesting subject. Origins of most English words are from French, Greek and Latin...Fun with English
Fun with English, or funny English language, or plain fun English; before we start, please pop-in the chill pill and try to stay cool. Learning English is fu...Seriously Funny Quotes
Welcome to Seriously funny life quotes! Here is a really cool collection of the best, wittiest, funniest, stupidest, nastiest crankiest quotes and hilarious ...Hilarious One Liners
Ridiculously funny and hilarious one liners & quotes are collected and compiled for short bursts of laughs and lol factor for your entertainment. Feel fr...Funny Wedding & Marriage Quotes
There are many who believe that 'Marriage is not a word - it is a sentence!' Whether you are indeed 'married' or if you are 'single', I am sure that funny qu...Funny Hangover Quotes
Welcome to the fun hangover and drinking quotes page. Every discerning drinker likes his / her drink, as much as they are loath for a case of the dreaded mor...Best English Language Dictionary and Thesaurus
Welcome to the best selections of English Dictionary and Thesaurus. English is a global language with new words and meanings being added almost each and ever...Fun, Funny & Funky Bumper Stickers and Decals
Welcome to the collection of fun, funny and funky bumper stickers for your car or for your bike. Bumper stickers tend to make a bold and a humorous statement...Encyclopedia for Kids - Best Books for Growing Children
As a child growing up during the 70's, the best gift my parents presented me with was a 12 Volume Pictorial Encyclopedia (Spelt as Encyclopaedia in the UK!)....Best Online Quizzes with Answers
A collection of all the best of my quiz games, brain teasers and other puzzles related lenses into a singular page for your bookmark. You will find the quizz...