Summary

The web content discusses the use of acronyms as a time-saving communication method, originating from military jargon and now permeating everyday language, including in technology and social media.

Abstract

The article titled "Living In A LMNOP World" delves into the evolution of acronyms as a tool for brevity in communication, a necessity in a fast-paced world where time is equated with money. It traces the history of acronyms back to Walter P. Phillips and their widespread adoption during WWII by military clerks. The piece humorously presents a variety of acronyms, from military slang like FUBAR and SNAFU to more common ones like SEO and ROFLMAO, illustrating how they have become ingrained in our language and culture. The author encourages readers to embrace acronyms for efficient communication, suggesting it's akin to a do-it-yourself approach to language, where the lazier the creation, the more viral its spread.

Opinions

The author views acronyms as a clever solution to the problem of time constraints in modern communication.
There is a humorous tone in the explanation of military acronyms, indicating a light-hearted take on the seriousness of war.
The author seems to appreciate the blend of humor and practicality in the use of acronyms, as seen in the example of BOHICA.
The article suggests that acronyms are not only a part of military or technical jargon but have become integral to everyday communication, including among children who are tech-savvy from a young age.
The author implies that the creation and adoption of acronyms are a form of linguistic creativity and flexibility, reflecting a society that values efficiency and speed.
There is a subtle critique of the overuse of acronyms, as evidenced by the playful chiding of readers who might not be familiar with common acronyms like ROFLMAO.

Humor

Living In A LMNOP World

Acronyms For Lazy People

Image by Michael Schwarzenberger on Pixabay

In a world where we’re all pressed for time, and time is money, and we either don’t have the time, are running out of time, or hope to see somebody sometime, we’ve learned quite a fashion for saving time.

Too many words take far too much time to either write or read. There has to be a better way to communicate all these words in less time. There just has to be.

Sweat not, my time-constrained friends, there is.

Behold the acronym, a time-saving creation often attributed to Walter P. Phillips for the UPA in 1879.

Oh honey look, he used his first acronym. Isn’t he precious?

Instead of saying or typing the words which would make this four-minute read about a twenty-minute one, I’m going to share a few of the more popular acronyms. Oh, answers are at the bottom.

Try not to cheat. Although some of you probably have already scrolled down haven’t you? Come on. Tell the truth.

Let’s start with the more commonly used acronyms provided to us by our military branches. As far back as WWII, most of the clerks typing requisitions and reports in the rear echelons weren't actual typists (even fewer were writers) so if they could substitute letters for words hey, sweet, right?

Anyway, Let’s have some fun with them, shall we?

FUBAR

It’s not messed up, it’s FUBAR. Think about the atrocities of war.

SNAFU

Any marine worth his/her salt understands where this one came from.

TARFU

This is a complete and exasperated version of a situation (or a maybe a person) and is a blend of both FUBAR and SNAFU. It doesn’t get much worse than TARFU.

BOHICA

This requires a considerable amount of bending and twisting. So if you stop to think about it, BOHICA is probably a great acronym for all you yogi enthusiasts out there.

When I was in the military I was forced to perform a lot of BOHICA during my tours. I suppose it’s all about being flexible.

PEMDAS

But let’s try to take this piece out of the gutter — if that’s even possible — and try a little highbrow edumacation acronym. PEMDAS or “Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally” is all about the order of operations and very common in the world of mathematics and programming.

Although I highly doubt every mathematician and programmer in the world has an aunt named Sally. Maybe they do. I mean stranger things have happened.

Like this piece.

SEO

Ah, nowadays this is so common and what with the fact children are given IPads and smartphones at the age of two, all these social media elites know what SEO means. So this is more of like a free one right?

ROFLMAO

And because these two-year-old children are constantly thumb-typing madly on their smartphones this acronym won’t come as a surprise to very many. AAMOF, AFAIAC, MHOTT.

There are so, so many acronyms we have come up with OTY, and many of them have become part of our way of thinking and speaking. Many, we often create on our own and share with others, until it becomes viral in nature. It’s kind of like DIY acronym building, and the lazier we are, the better we get at it.

So if you want to take the short cut and cut the words short, then an acronym is most assuredly the way to go. Either way you spell it, the message is most often WYSIWYG.

By order of use:

UPA — United Press Association FUBAR — Fu*ked Up Beyond All Recognition SNAFU — Situation Normal All F*cked Up TARFU — Totally And Royal Fu*ked Up BOHICA — Bend Over Here It Comes Again PEMDAS — Parenthesis, Exponents, Multiplication, Division, Addition, Subtraction SEO — Come on really? You don’t know what SEO stands for? Fine. Search Engine Optimization ROFLMAO — Rolling On Floor Laugh My Ass Off (Which is what I’m doing right now because you actually had to look this up. Again, Really?) AAMOF — As A Matter Of Fact AFAIAC — As Far As I Am Concerned MHOTT — My Hat’s Off To Them OTY — Over The Years DIY — Do It Yourself WYSIWYG — What You See Is What You Get

Thanks So Much For Reading

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