Initialisms and Acronyms/Very confusing.

[martybee]

The modern day use of: Initialisms and Acronyms can be quite challenging to alot of us "old timers" myself included.
For instance, in St. Louis they are holding Olympic Trials for P&G. I figured out, G is for gymnastics, but what does the P stand for? I have Googled it with no luck what so ever! LOL

mb

 

[Hillbilly77]

Corporate sponsorship.

P&G = Procter & Gamble

 

[martybee]

Thanks, That is what bothered me the most. I did not associate it with a sponsor ship!

mb

 

[martybee]

I'm wondering, do others get confused too? Or am I among the minority because of my age? I am 85 and beginning to have some short time lapses in memory. You know the old tale about walking onto a room and forgetting why you went in? At least when I find myself in this scenario, I don't find myself lost and not knowing where I am! My wife say's I am perfectly normal. But she is my age also and I have misgivings as to her mental state! (LOL)

mb

 

[Targets Guy]

bullet makers are the best

LRN, FMJ, etc.

 

[vito]

When texting first became popular the use of these short-hand acronyms like "LOL" became more and more popular, and a lot of young folks made up more and more of them to keep their parents from knowing what they were communicating about. For whatever reason, many folks using the internet feel no need for proper spelling and grammar, and in addition to the better known acronyms make up new ones as they go along. I find that on both gun and motorcycle forums people use acronyms or other abbreviations that apparently make sense for them but are unknown to many of us.

When I was still part of the working world I learned that when writing a letter, or a report or any other written document that the first time you mention something that can be expressed with an acronym you fully spell it out, then use the acronym for convenience as the document continues. If internet and texting users followed that rule we would have less confusion.

I also find that within any given field of interest there are acronyms that are so well known that there is no confusion among those in the field. For example, we all know what S&W stands for and on this forum, when we use just a number of a specific model, the number is enough to tell us what gun they are talking about. But in a non gun context, saying you have a 640 would be met with looks of confusion by the listener.

I use the rule that unless I am really sure that I will be understood with an acronym or abbreviation I just spell it out, at least the first time I use it.

 

[arjay]

When texting began I had an 11 yr old daughter with her first dumb phone.The abbreviations began because it took three pushes of the abc key just to produce a c,etc.She dragged us into the new millenia [emoji1]

 

[martybee]

VITO:
I concur with your post!
I try to do likewise. As targets guy said in his post about bullet makers. using acronyms such as: FMJ (full metal jacket) LRN (lead round nose).

As you mentioned, most of us are familiar with them and have little or no trouble figuring them out. It is mostly the new gun owner's and forum members that have a hard time with them.

Thank you for the information you furnished for all of us!

mb

 

[two-bit cowboy]

I collect hard cover dictionaries (I have more dictionaries than guns). Some of my favorites are The Pirate Dictionary, The Devil's Dictionary, Dictionary of Last Words (a rather morbid sort of thing), Detectionary, and of course, Jeff Foxworthy's Redneck Dictionary.

Naturally, I've not seen a print dictionary of all these bloody Internet acronyms, but here's an aid Barbara shared with me:

The Largest List of Chat Acronyms and Text Message Shorthand (IM, SMS) found of the Web - updated daily by NetLingo The Internet Dictionary: Online Dictionary of Internet Terms, Acronyms, Text Messaging, Smileys ;-)

Hope this helps.

TTFN,

Bob

 

[Old TexMex]

My favorite still is the one I heard describing my tug in a funny little country half a planet and many years away.
LBMFTB (little bitty uh tug boat)

Navy guys.....funny, real funny.

 

[martybee]

I collect hard cover dictionaries (I have more dictionaries than guns). Some of my favorites are The Pirate Dictionary, The Devil's Dictionary, Dictionary of Last Words (a rather morbid sort of thing), Detectionary, and of course, Jeff Foxworthy's Redneck Dictionary.

Naturally, I've not seen a print dictionary of all these bloody Internet acronyms, but here's an aid Barbara shared with me:

The Largest List of Chat Acronyms and Text Message Shorthand (IM, SMS) found of the Web - updated daily by NetLingo The Internet Dictionary: Online Dictionary of Internet Terms, Acronyms, Text Messaging, Smileys ;-)

Hope this helps.

TTFN,

Bob

Thanks Bob. It helps a lot! EMI,

mb

 

[shouldazagged]

My late brother, who was wonderfully insane, liked to send me initialisms like ALJQWEEFBZNXR.

I knew better than to ask what they meant.

I can imagine someone new to guns might have trouble with "+P 15Bgr. LSWCHP-GC".

 

[Absalom]

Anyone remember this?

[ame]https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=wXlvy3sTTBk[/ame]

 

[PALADIN85020]

I really do feel sorry for those who attended the old Sam Houston Institute of Technology down in Texas. Some have the acronym emblazoned on ball caps, and others, more genteel, do not.

John

 

[handejector]

AFAIK, INBD.
YOYO!

 

[handejector]

Navy guys.....funny, real funny.

Navy guys are the best at acronyms.
Most can't be posted here.
They can be pretty funny in general. Might be all that time spent starin at that big, empty ocean.

 

[Old TexMex]

Navy guys are the best at acronyms.
Most can't be posted here.
They can be pretty funny in general. Might be all that time spent starin at that big, empty ocean.

Yeah, crossing the Pacific, just standing there at the rail, a bosun turned to my brother in law, and dead serious, with his arm outstretched toward the horizon, fingers straight out, palm down, says "Long time ago, many buffalo roam this plain. White man come, kill the buffalo..."

The sea changes a man, no bout a doubt it.

 

[shouldazagged]

Yeah, crossing the Pacific, just standing there at the rail, a bosun turned to my brother in law, and dead serious, with his arm outstretched toward the horizon, fingers straight out, palm down, says "Long time ago, many buffalo roam this plain. White man come, kill the buffalo..."

The sea changes a man, no bout a doubt it.

That's really nice.

 

[kozmic]

I sit on the board of governors for a local construction trade organization. A few years back we had a representative from one of the NYS agencies come in and give us an update on the state of upcoming construction projects. We sat quietly as he went into an exhaustive and dizzying list of state-used acronyms. All seemingly without taking a breath. It was a thing to behold. Finally one of my counterparts cracked up followed by the rest of the room.

It's no wonder New York State is so screwed up and we commoners have no idea what the heck these stuffed shirt bureaucrats are talking about.