Acronymic Mockery, Folk Acronyms

[Mark Peters]

Sigh. Maybe this will defunk my message:



Hey folks,

I'm writing a column this week on what I'm calling Acronymic Mockery, a form of folk acronym,
specifically, how people are saying that BP really stands for Bungled Plugjob, Brazen Polluters,
Beyond Punishment, etc. I'm trying to get as many other examples as I can too. I've found
plenty involving the CIA, FBI, NRA, and NFL, such as the well-known No Fun League and
People Eating Tasting Animals (PETA). Any other examples come to mind? This isn't really
about folk acronyms proposed as etymology, but what the hell, if there's a not-so-well-known
example, I'd welcome that too.

If anyone knows of an article about this, that tip would be particularly appreciated. I found a
couple old ones in the Journal of American Folklore, but there must be more. Thanks!

Mark

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

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