Sometimes the only thing better than discovering a secret is making one up, so we love to invent hidden origins for ordinary words. The acronym is a fairly recent development in the evolution of the English language, but in many cases we've tried to impose acronymic origins upon a plethora of words that antedate the very concept.
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The word fuck is an acronym derived from the phrase 'For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge.'
The name of the San Diego Wild Animal Park's Wgasa Bush Line monorail was mistakenly taken from a crude acronym.*
The word nylon was formed from conflating 'New York' and 'London'.*
The gang known as the Crips took their name from an acronym for "continuous revolution in progress."
The word news is an acronym formed from the words north, east, west, and south.
"Pommy," a slang term for a British person, comes from the acronym POHM, which was used to designate a "Prisoner of His Majesty."
The word cabal is an acronym formed from the names of five ministers to
The word golf is an acronym formed from "Gentlemen Only, Ladies Forbidden."
Federal statutes intended to help fight organized crime were designated 'Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations' (RICO) laws because the acronym spelled out the name of a film gangster.
The word shit is an acronym formed from "Ship High in Transit."
Tip is an acronym for "To Insure Promptness" or "To Insure Prompt Service."
The word 'cop' came from an acronym formed from the phrase "Constable on Patrol."
'Phat' came from an acronym formed from "Pretty Hot and Tempting."
'Posh' entered the language as a shortening of "Port Out, Starboard Home."
'Swag' began in the 1960s as an acronym for "Secretly we are gay."
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