Acronyms are words which were created by taking the first letter (or several letters) of each word of a phrase.

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Correct capitalization for “of” in an acronym definition

For an acronym that includes the word "of", do you capitalize its usage within the definition (or expansion) of the acronym For example, in the follow sentence: My coworker Steve suffers from ...
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2answers
657 views

What is the acronym for a minor in a subject at a university?

I'm filling out a resume and need to list my education. For my bachelor's degree, it's just "B.S. Whatever", no problem. I also have a minor. What is the acronym that I should use for this?
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714 views

Is it appropriate to treat “FYI” as a noun?

Since FYI stands for "for your information", I would tend to use it like this: FYI, I think the fish has gone bad. In other words, the acronym simply replaces the phrase. However, I've heard FYI ...
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Why is the plural acronym “CSS” treated as singular?

CSS stands for Cascading Style Sheets, which is a plural phrase. One would say: Cascading Style Sheets are used to provide a central location for all of the stylings of a project. However, it ...
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1answer
117 views

Pluralizing acronyms: how to? [duplicate]

Possible Duplicate: What is the correct way to pluralize an acronym? Let's say we're talking about PLCs (programmable logic controllers)? Or are they "PLC's"? I've seen it both ways!
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1answer
373 views

Proper Apostrophe Usage with Initialisms: CCS' or CCS's?

I work with a company whose name is frequently reduced to an initialism (acronym). Let's say the name is "Cool Computer Systems" (CCS). I am engaged in an ongoing, bloody battle with the marketing ...
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0answers
109 views

How to pluralise an acronym? [duplicate]

Possible Duplicate: What is the correct way to pluralize an acronym? How would you make the plural form of an acronym? For example, if you have two of Nintendo's game console, the DS. ...
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2answers
354 views

Acronym or abbreviation? [duplicate]

Possible Duplicate: Difference between an acronym and abbreviation? My question refers to the term/word ET. Some dictionaries define it as acronym standing for "extra terrestrial" and ...
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2answers
263 views

ZOMG — I get the OMG part, but Z? [duplicate]

Possible Duplicate: What is the origin of ZOMG? What ever does ZOMG mean? And where did it come from?
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2answers
104 views

Does this situation have a name? [duplicate]

Possible Duplicate: Is there a word for an acronym which spells out one of its component words? My coworker's wife is Margaret Elizabeth G... (I'll withhold the last name to protect the ...
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1answer
164 views

How to use fully qualified acronyms

Which is proper/acceptable? Take for instance this sentence: We would like to use IBM machines. Now consider that I needed to fully qualify IBM... How do I make this not read strangely? We ...
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193 views

What was the first English acronym? [duplicate]

Possible Duplicate: When did the use of acronyms begin? For whatever reason, people love to claim that words are acronyms: wog, snob, fuck, news, posh; the oldest example I know of comes ...
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1answer
87 views

Which article would be correct in this instance? [duplicate]

Possible Duplicate: Do you use “a” or “an” before acronyms? What article should be used directly in front of an acronym that begins with 'N?' Since the pronunciation ...
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4answers
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AM/PM vs a.m./p.m. vs am/pm

I used to think PM/AM was correct, but at some point, I switched to using p.m./a.m. for reasons I can't recall. I know that in practical, casual writing, people tend to use whatever form is most ...
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1answer
383 views

How can I tell when an abbreviation is an acronym?

I know an acronym is an abbreviation that can be pronounced as one word, but when is an abbreviation pronounced as one word? Making myself clearer, how do we know whether or not it is pronounced as ...
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2answers
262 views

How do I correctly pluralize acronyms? [duplicate]

Possible Duplicates: What is the correct way to pluralize an acronym? Plural form of the acronym LASER I was just writing an email asking a supervisor about downloading multiple ...
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4answers
860 views

Pronouncing acronyms

I've noticed that some people in my office spell out "data import tool" as D. I. T., whereas others will say "dit" (like "ditty"). Is trying to pronounce an acronym as a word, as opposed to spelling ...
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2answers
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Is there a word for an acronym which spells out one of its component words?

The example I am thinking of is GNU, which stands for "GNU's not unix". It may be that there are no other examples. And maybe that's the whole joke. I was just wondering.
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What does N.B. stand for?

I have received letters for years, and some of the most common things in letters are post-scripts, however, there are also these funny little "N.B." which obviously do not stand for Post Script. What ...
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2answers
590 views

What's the meaning of 'TRWTF '?

TRWTF is they were running as root, at a nuclear sciences research facility! TRWTF is that the World Cup was in South Africa. What's the detailed meaning of the above sentences? How many ...
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2answers
259 views

Is there a word for the definition of an acronym?

I can describe "IMHO" as an acronym for "in my humble opinion." How can I describe the reverse processes of translating the acronym into the actual phrase? That is to say, if "IMHO" is the acronym, ...
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2answers
353 views

How to avoid repeating a word already contained in “RAID”?

I was recently answering a question on Super User about RAID. In this context RAID means "redundant array of independent (or inexpensive) disks". I wanted to point out to fellow user that he should ...
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Is it acceptable to omit the last period of an acronym?

After reading this post, I was struck by the omission of the period (full stop) at the end of the acronym given. A.V.C I've never seen this before here in the States. Is it permissible here? In ...
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Is the meaning of the acronym “FAQ” generally understood?

When people see the acronym FAQ, I wonder if they really know what it stands for or whether they just understand the concept. Is this true for most native English speakers?
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Acronyms: “a” vs “an” [duplicate]

Possible Duplicate: Do you use "a" or "an" before acronyms? When there is an acronym such as NSFW (Not Safe For Work) as in the following example This is an NSFW link ...
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4answers
728 views

“An RV” or “a RV”? [duplicate]

Possible Duplicate: Do you use “a” or “an” before acronyms? I am writing about Random Variables, which I am abbreviating to RV. Should I write 'an RV' (an Arr-Vee) ...
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1answer
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What is the rule for composing two words, when one of them is hyphenized or has spaces?

Let's imagine we have an organization named EFSMA-EE and another called EFSMA Telecom (EFSMA is an acronym). If I want to compose these with another word (e.g. "time" - as in "full-time"), what ...
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3answers
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What does “wrt” mean? [closed]

What is the meaning of wrt in the following text? I think this is an excellent idea, but I'd like to see this explicitly reframed under the banner of providing Drupal.org data through ...
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2answers
201 views

Which punctuation should be used for spelling out acronyms?

Is "COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease)" more correct, or would "COPD [Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease]" be right?
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1answer
340 views

Can the word 'BFF' be applied to decent adults like Senate members?

The beginning lines of today’s New York Times article titled “As State of the Union Nears, Congress Plays Musical Chairs” provided me with a set of interesting acronym, word, and idiom new to me, such ...
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280 views

Tools that help with acronyms and jargon in software requirement documents

Are there any tools that would help with comprehension of technical documents that contain a mix of domain specific and company specific acronyms and jargon? A tool that is functionally similar to ...
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Do “normal people” know the terms URL and GUI?

Would an English-speaking but non-technical audience be familiar with the terms URL (in the sense of link, web address) and GUI (Graphical User Interface), for example in a manual aimed at end users? ...
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2answers
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When does an acronym lose its capitalization, e.g. RaDAR 'radar'?

The reason that I ask is because this is happening to LiDAR, and I am inclined to use lidar because it is easier to read.
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1answer
293 views

What does CT stand for in the context of a news article?

Does CT mean anything in an editorial context? A slashdot article summary is as follows: For some time now, rumors have been floating around that Sony was working on a concept for a mobile phone ...
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0answers
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An or A with acronyms which sound like they start with a vowel? [duplicate]

Possible Duplicate: Do you use “a” or “an” before acronyms? Should you use An or A with acronyms which sound like they start with a vowel when read literally? ...is ...
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Are the acronyms FYI, BTW, LOL, WTF now considered “normal” words?

Are these "words" moving out of the elitist slang stage and into popular usage? It is hard for me to tell, because in the techie culture I work in they are ubiquitous. However, I've tried them out ...

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