Acronyms - Bane or boon?

OldGoat

A Monday rant against the endemic use of TLAs and acronyms of all sizes. Don't they just anger up the blood something awful? IMO, or even IMHO I believe that these little shortenings should be consigned to the flaming pits of Hell forevermore. As OP of this thread I reserve the right to use acronyms throughout this rant just to illustrate a point. WTF happened to the use of our fingers that makes it so difficult for us to use a keyboard and complete the full words in whatever we are writing. Imagine if you will the conflicted reader when he or she comes upon the dreaded 'FTW'. A Quicky-Wicky on this brings up 15 different meanings for this little beauty and digging a little deeper it's easy to find even more meanings. 'OP' in the acronym finder and you get 5 pages of hits.

Worser still is the archaic acronym that persists simply because it sounds quirky. IMO the nastiest offender of this type isTTFN. I mean, OMG, how terrible is that FFS. What is the point in using TTFN when nobody under the age of...oh let's say 70 for arguments sake... even uses the full wording. 'Ta Ta for Now' died out in common usage after WWII.
FWIW I don't expect this outpouring to achieve anything or to make any changes of significance but in the hope that someone somewhere might post a sticky of the most frequently used acronyms on boards.ie or add the list to the FAQ.
Nowhere is safe from TLA blight and TBH is has become overwhelming. The worlds governments have some beauties, DOF, DOE, NGO, QUANGO. Internationally we are ACK’ed by US, GB, IRE and those ones that don't make any sense such as ES, D, CH.
Then there is FBI, CIA, KGB, USSR, TIA, GTFO, UCD, DCU, CUD, IUD, LMS...the list is seemingly endless.
The world of science is a minefield of TLA. Open any chemistry book and be bamboozeled by NaOH, AU, Co2, O2H. The VOR says there may be an excuse for TLA's when using chemistry but that doesn’t excuse abundant use of EMP, EMS, FTL, POX etcetera etcetera.

Worsestest of all is those that we try to make up ourselves so that we can become interweby godlings and CREATE a meme. Yore Ma, Yore Da, Pictures or it never happened, PI over there...all are destined to be acronymed. We are already inundated with AH, BGRH, FAP, PI and a host of others. It's time to pull back from the brink and say what we actually mean before it all gets FUBAR. I appreciate that I may have given you TMI but FYI the usage of TLA is on the increase BION. I have a list of proposals here for your consideration.
1: Total ban on acronyms.
2: An agreed list of acceptable TLAs for Boards and any use of non-accepted TLA will be met with verbal, written and pictorial abuse.
3: Tell the OP to TAH
4: The world cannot do without TLS and we should in fact be promoting their use and adding new ones as quickly as possible.
5: AJ
I did conceder making a POLL but TBH I can’t be arsed at this point in time.
TY for taking the time to read this.
E&OE
PS YM Trademark, copyright and PatPending OldGoat 2008
PPS The thread is now open for abuse.

Karoma

YM.
(Boards LTD hold the trademark. We have proof of prior works. See you in court.)

OldGoat

Karoma wrote: »

YM.
(Boards LTD hold the trademark. We have proof of prior works. See you in court.)

LOL

Doc

YG – (Your Granma)

Quazzie

IBTL????

antodeco

LOL, OMG! This post made me ROFL. TMI? Defo not! FWIW, AFAIK acronyms are here. My BFF loves them and knows acronyms are FTW. If people cant understand them, then RTFM! IMHO, they speed things up. I dont want to jinx it, but IBTL? FFS, GAL!

Fizman

I think OldGoat is missing his rashers.