FORUM POST
Re: ApronymsPosted by Jeff (jefftl@cox.net) on 08 July 2003 15:50:24 UTC |
| <angela> Backronyms are not necessarily reexpansions... in the case of BASIC and OK they were original expansions but they were created because people already thought (mistakenly) that the words were already acronyms. </angela> That's what I meant. Reexpansions or what are believed to be an expansion. BASIC = Beginners' Allpurpose Symbolic Instruction Code at least makes some sense, i.e. it is a logical apronym, but (there being no original expansion) it is a backronym as it was applied ex post facto and believed to be original. OK = Old Kinderhook in the sense of not literally referring to Martin van Buren (whose friends might have indeed called him OK) really makes no sense. "Oll Korrect" isn't exactly very fitting either, as "OK" is more often used as an affirmitive than a confirmation of accuracy. <angela> I just added mention of apronyms to the backronyms pages on a few wikis. :) </angela> Wikis are good. I did "liberty cabbage" on Wikipedia. |
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