[Ads-l] Acronym of the year? CBS / WBS / IWBTG

[Joel Berson]

Including the OED -- Acronym, n.  "1. A group of initial letters used as an abbreviation for a name or expression, each letter or part being pronounced separately; an initialism (such as ATM, TLS)."  1940--2008.

2. is "... the whole being pronounced as a single word (such as NATO, RADA)."  [I feel the absence of an R.] 1943--2009.


I was led down the primrose path by this sentence from the Globe article -- "McDonnell said the letters were an acronym for "Can't be stopped. Won't be stopped. I will be the greatest'."  (NSWSA.  That is, Not sure who said 'acronym' -- McDonnell or the Globe writer.)

Joel
      From: Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at GMAIL.COM>
 To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU 
 Sent: Saturday, April 1, 2017 8:40 AM
 Subject: Re: [ADS-L] Acronym of the year? CBS / WBS / IWBTG
   
Sure used to be, but few people seem to care anymore.

(When you say "cee-bee-ess" you're pronouncing it, so it must be an
acronym....)

JL

On Sat, Apr 1, 2017 at 5:04 AM, Margaret Lee <
0000006730deb3bf-dmarc-request at listserv.uga.edu> wrote:

> Isn't an acronym a _pronounceable_  abbreviation?
> --Margaret Lee
>
>
>      From: Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at GMAIL.COM>
>  To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
>  Sent: Friday, March 31, 2017 10:08 AM
>  Subject: Re: Acronym of the year? CBS / WBS / IWBTG
>
> Hard to beat MAR-A-LAGO:
>
> http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/democrats-intoduce-
> mar-lago-act-force-trump-provide-visitor-logs-n738426
>
>
> JL
>
> On Wed, Mar 29, 2017 at 3:32 PM, Joel Berson <berson at att.net> wrote:
>
> > No, not several entertainment giants.
> >
> >
> > "Can't be stopped.  Won't be stopped.  I will be the greatest."
> >
> > On his hand, according to Ryan McDonnell, a former personal assistant to
> > Aaron Hernandez.
> >
> > Boston Globe, March 29, 2017, "Jurors hear from assistant to Hernandez",
> > B5/6.
> >
> > Joel
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > ------------------------------------------------------------
> > The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
> >
>
>
>
> --
> "If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the truth."
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>



-- 
"If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the truth."

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org


   

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The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org