What is a backronym? | | You've heard of acronyms, but are you familiar with backronyms? In this linguistic case of chicken-and-egg, the abbreviation is conceived before the phrase. | |  | Rachel Gresh |
|
| |  | | G overnment agencies love their acronyms — and backronyms, too. For instance, NASA once named a treadmill "COLBERT" after late-night television host Stephen Colbert. Before unveiling a new module for the International Space Station, the agency launched an online poll for the public to submit ideas for the module's name. Instead of the expected space-y options, people went with their favorite comedian. While NASA ultimately named the module "Tranquility," the agency still honored the public's choice by naming the ISS treadmill the "COLBERT" — a backronym that stands for "Combined Operational Load Bearing External Resistance Treadmill." A backronym is essentially a reverse-engineered acronym; it turns an existing word into an acronym by piecing together relevant words until their first letters correctly spell the desired abbreviation. The name "COLBERT" came before the treadmill's full name, which was created with the final abbreviation in mind.
The portmanteau of "backward" and "acronym" came about from a 1983 neologism (a newly coined word) contest in The Washington Post. Nowadays, backronyms are found everywhere, especially in the entertainment industry. The title of the James Bond thriller Spectre is a backronym for "Special Executive for Counterintelligence, Terrorism, Revenge, and Extortion." The British English word "spectre" (or "specter" in American English) means "ghost" — an apt name for a covert organization tracking global supervillains. |
| | Continue reading | |  |
|
Emoji Decoded | |  | | Raised Fist | | | Meaning: Represents a clenched fist held high, often used to express solidarity, strength, or resistance.
Evolution: This emoji references roots as a symbol of unity and protest, and its digital usage has evolved to encompass a wide range of contexts, from social justice movements to personal triumph. In 2015, skin-tone modifiers were added, allowing for more diverse representation.
Usage: [Comment on a post about a women's networking group:] Women supporting women ✊👩🦰👩🏾🦱👩🏻🦳 |
|
| | Raised Fist | | | Meaning: Represents a clenched fist held high, often used to express solidarity, strength, or resistance.
Evolution: This emoji references roots as a symbol of unity and protest, and its digital usage has evolved to encompass a wide range of contexts, from social justice movements to personal triumph. In 2015, skin-tone modifiers were added, allowing for more diverse representation.
Usage: [Comment on a post about a women's networking group:] Women supporting women ✊👩🦰👩🏾🦱👩🏻🦳 |
|
| |
Have you read? | |  | | Royal Spin | | By Omid Scobie and Robin Benway | | Co-author Scobie literally wrote the book — two books, in fact — on the British monarchy, and while this novel isn't about any real-life royals, he brings his expertise to this entertaining romp about a young American woman who takes over comms for the royal family. Amid culture clashes and looming scandals, Lauren juggles personal conflict, a couple of tempting but risky romances, and the occasional crisis of confidence. Scobie and Benway, a National Book Award winner, make a great team, and the novel is already in development for TV. | | | | Allie Takeda, Senior Managing Editor | | | | We independently evaluate all recommended products and services. If you click on links we provide, we may receive compensation. |
|
| | Royal Spin | | By Omid Scobie and Robin Benway | | Co-author Scobie literally wrote the book — two books, in fact — on the British monarchy, and while this novel isn't about any real-life royals, he brings his expertise to this entertaining romp about a young American woman who takes over comms for the royal family. Amid culture clashes and looming scandals, Lauren juggles personal conflict, a couple of tempting but risky romances, and the occasional crisis of confidence. Scobie and Benway, a National Book Award winner, make a great team, and the novel is already in development for TV. | | | | Allie Takeda, Senior Managing Editor | | | | We independently evaluate all recommended products and services. If you click on links we provide, we may receive compensation. |
|
| |
|
No comments:
Post a Comment