Verner Column: Having fun with acronyms

I was thinking about acronyms the other day, which is fairly easy to do in this area since the federal government is such a strong presence and is, as we all know, fond of acronyms -- FCC, CIA, NTSB, POTUS -- I'm sure you can think of many more. Actually, some consider these formations "initialisms" as opposed to true acronyms in which the initials form a pronounceable word -- scuba (self-contained underwater breathing apparatus) or radar (radio detection and ranging). We probably need a (National Society for the Validation of Acronyms) to tell us which is which.

One of my favorite types of acronyms is the pleonasm, a form in which an idea or word is repeated. "PIN number" is an example. "PIN" stand for "personal identification number," so "PIN number" means "personal identification number number." (Pleonasms may also occur in phrases, such as "free gift," "tuna fish" and "hot water heater.") One of my favorite pleonasms is "ATM machine," which stands for "Automatic Teller Machine machine."

Sometimes we're not even aware that something is a neoplasm because it uses another language. I was reading about the La Brea tar pits after I saw a television show on them. Turns out that "la brea" means "the tar" in Spanish, so the phrase "the La Brea Tar Pits" means "The the tar tar pits." I also learned that the black sticky substance found in them is asphalt, not tar, although I couldn't tell you the difference between the two. La Brea is famous for extinct animals that became trapped in the tar, uh, asphalt. I learned that my favorite animal when I was growing up, the saber-toothed tiger, is more properly called the saber-toothed cat. I was severely disappointed to learn they were extinct and I couldn't see one in the local zoo. I still think their teeth were cool, though.

A number of our daughters' friends are involved in Information Technology (IT -- there's even an Information Technology Association of America -- ITAA) and listening to them talk is like hearing a verbal alphabet soup (I hope you can untangle that simile -- I'm not sure I can). I can scarcely understand what they're saying. Technical folk are fond of acronyms and abbreviations -- there must be thousands of them. JPEG is used for images and stands for joint photographic experts group. Most of us are familiar with .com (commerce), .edu (education) and .gov (government) from using the Internet. I also like BLOB (binary large object), MOM (message-oriented middleware) and TAR (tape archive). Then, of course, there are all the texting abbreviations and acronyms-LOL (Laughing Out Loud), ROTFL (Rolling on the Floor Laughing), POS (Parent Over Shoulder), BRB (Be Right Back), L8R (Later), TTFN (Ta-Ta For Now) and GR8 (Great) -- just to list a few out of thousands. Since they are used by teenagers, any that I can list are probably out of date. You just can't keep up.

The medical field also uses a number of acronyms. A CAT scan is a Computerized Tomography Scan. A MRI is a Magnetic Resonance Imaging. CCU is a Cardiac Care Unit. ICU is an Intensive Care Unit, and a PICU Is a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit. Interestingly enough, there are a number of medical abbreviations that the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations prohibits its members from using. In most cases, one abbreviation may be confused with another. We're probably all familiar with "q.i.d." on prescriptions, Latin for "quater in die," or "four times a day." The JCAHO prohibits the use of "q.d." (daily) and "q.o.d. (every other day) since they might be confused. "U" for "Unit" is also forbidden since it might be mistaken for zero, the number "4" or "cc." "IU" for "International Unit is likewise not used since it might be taken for "IV" or the number "10."

Acronyms are also sometimes redefined. DVD was originally an initialism of the term digital video disk, but is now stated by the DVD Forum as standing for Digital Versatile Disc. GAO changed its name from General Accounting Office to Government Accountability Office. SADD changed the full form of its name from Students Against Driving Drunk to Students Against Destructive Decisions. WWF originally stood for World Wildlife Fund, but now stands for Worldwide Fund for Nature (although the former name is still used in the U.S.). They won the right to use the acronym after a smackdown with the World Wrestling Federation (now the WWE.)

We all use acronyms. I'm sure you can think of many more examples. Just be sure to mind your P's and Q's when you do.

Dan Verner is a Manassas resident. He contributes his thoughts and stories to the Editorial Page on Fridays.