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{{trope}}
Examples of [[{{TOPLEVELPAGE}}]] in [[{{SUBPAGENAME}}]] include:
==Subpages==
{{subpages}}
== Commerce ==
* There's a British clothing chain called the '''F'''rench '''C'''onnection, '''U'''nited '''K'''ingdom (all lowercase, so fcuk). They've had a lot of fun putting their brand on shirts, and stirred up controversy opening up shops in the US.
** They could call it FCUK US.
** The shop at Heathrow Airport has its domain name written in big block letters: '''FC.UK'''
== Government ==
* '''
* Too many names of individual laws, bills or pieces of legislation to list them all. For instance RICO (the Racketeer Influenced Corrupt Organisations law in the US) was named for "Rico", a gangster in an old film. These are backronyms as the name was chosen to yield the desired initials.
* Plenty of individual government agencies have three-letter acronyms as names.
** The FBI backronyms its name (which is an abbreviation of Federal Bureau of Investigation) to generate the FBI motto as "fidelity, bravery, integrity" - and its critics after the Waco massacre were just as quick to backronym "FBI - Federal Bureau of Incineration and BATF - Burn All The Families".
** Likewise, NSA (National Security Agency, the US signals intelligence operation) as "No Such Agency" or, conversely, "Not Secret Anymore". So much for gentlemen not opening each other's mail.
== Military ==
* Before 1999, France's Commando Parachute Group was known in French as '''C'''ommandos de '''R'''echerche et d''''A'''ction en '''P'''rofondeur, and yes, ''that was the actual acronym''.
* The name of the central command of NATO military forces? '''S'''upreme '''H'''eadquarters '''A'''llied '''P'''owers '''E'''urope. Seriously.
* Subversion: During the [[Cold War]], the US kept an airborne command center ready to take off with the President at moment's notice in the event of a [[Earthshattering Kaboom|Global Thermonuclear War.]] This '''N'''ational '''E'''mergency '''A'''irborne '''C'''ommand '''P'''ost had the unpronounceable acronym '''NEACP''', but quickly became unofficially known as 'Kneecap'...
* And this entry could not be complete without the U.S. Navy's '''C'''ommander '''In''' '''C'''hief - '''U'''nited '''S'''tates Fleet ('''C.In.C.U.S.''', which sounds like "sink us"). The position's name was changed to '''ComInCH''' almost immediately after the attack on Pearl Harbor.
* The names for the Jeep and the Humvee are thought to be a pronounciation of GP ('''G'''eneral '''P'''urpose) and HMMWV ('''H'''igh '''M'''obility '''M'''ultipurpose '''W'''heeled '''V'''ehicle). (The British Forces slang term "Gimpy" (pronounced 'jimpy') is known to be a pronunciation of GPMG ('''G'''eneral '''P'''urpose '''M'''achine '''G'''un), so this makes some sense).
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** Also, the "widget" in the [[Widget Series]] entry is a pronounciation of '''W.J.T.''', which means '''W'''eird '''J'''apanese '''T'''hing. (The French counterpart of the WJT is the WTF, or '''W'''eird '''T'''hing from '''F'''rance.)
*** And the American counterpart is the '''W'''eird '''A'''merican '''T'''hing, or sometimes the '''W'''eird '''H'''umorous '''A'''merican '''T'''hing.
* '''W'''ashington '''A'''ir '''N'''ational '''G'''uard detachment. Funnier in that it wasn't actually spelled out; you just had to guess by context what sort of WANG you were calling for.
* The German Military Counterintelligence Agency is called '''''M'''ilitärischer '''A'''bschirm'''d'''ienst''.
** German [[Mad Magazine]] suggested several times that they renamed the organization to avoid confusion. They also made some suggestions for the new name which were this trope, like MÜD (German for tired), DUMM, WURST and BANANAS (can't remember the details).
* The identical acronym for the strategy of '''M'''utually '''A'''ssured '''D'''estruction is usually considered quite appropriate.
** It worked didn't it? "If it's stupid, but it works, it's not stupid"
** Also its opposite, [[wikipedia:Nuclear utilization target selection|Nuclear Utilization Target Selection]], NUTS. Hence a common question among IR students: Are you MAD or NUTS?
* '''L'''ight '''A'''nti-tank '''W'''eapon.
** Then there is the '''S'''quad '''A'''utomatic '''W'''eapon.
*** A ''[[MythBusters]]'' episode had the Build Team use various firearms, including the SAW, to test if it's possible to cut a tree down with bullets. Tory, while discussing the weapons, noted "How ironic" when he got to the SAW.
** The '''S'''pecial Operations Forces '''C'''ombat '''A'''ssault '''R'''ifle, in both '''L'''ight (5.56) and '''H'''eavy (7.62) versions.
* '''H'''igh '''E'''xplosive '''A'''nti-'''T'''ank Warhead.
** There's also '''H'''igh '''E'''xplosive '''A'''rmour '''P'''iercing, or '''H.E.A.P.''', '''H'''igh '''E'''xplosive '''S'''quash '''H'''ead, or '''H.E.S.H.'''... there's tons.
** Worth mentioning is the '''MOAB''', or the '''M'''assive '''O'''rdinance '''A'''ir '''B'''last bomb, at one point the most powerful non-nuclear weapon ever designed, and colloquially known as the '''M'''other '''O'''f '''A'''ll '''B'''ombs. It was the largest conventional bomb when it was created in 2003. In case the above examples haven't made it sufficiently clear, the U.S. government as we know it today ''thrives'' off this trope. {{spoiler|Afterwards, the Russians decided to one-up this with the even bigger "father of all bombs."}}
*** Unfortunately subverted though with the '''A'''rmor-'''P'''iercing '''F'''in-'''S'''tabilized '''D'''iscarding '''S'''abot which is the primary anti tank munition for the US Military...so people just nicknamed it "The Silver Bullet".
** You cannot leave any discussion of silly-sounding military acronyms without mentioning the one describing the FIM-92 Stinger and its class of weapons: '''M.A.N.P.A.D.S.''', or '''Man''' '''P'''ortable '''A'''ir '''D'''efense '''S'''ystem. It may be something all low-flying combat aircraft fear, but that doesn't stop it from sounding like underwear liners for guys.
** The British L6 recoilless rifle was better known as the '''W'''eapon '''O'''f '''M'''agnesium, '''B'''attalion '''A'''nti-'''T'''ank.
* There are persistent rumours that the US Military was, at one stage, developing the '''O'''ff '''R'''adar '''G'''round '''A'''ttack '''S'''tandoff '''M'''issile until someone mysteriously decided to rename the programme. Of course this may just be someone's idea of a joke.
** '''H'''eavy '''A'''nti '''R'''adar '''M'''issile is real, though.
* Palestian organization Ḥarakat al-Taḥrīr al-Waṭanī al-Filasṭīnī is known as FATAH or 'victory' because HATAF would mean 'sudden death'.
** Simlarly HAMAS means "zeal" and stands for H''arakat al-''M''uqawamah al-I''S''lamiyyah'' (the Islamic Resistance Movement).
* The French and Germans developed a missile called '''''H'''aut subsonique '''O'''ptiquement '''T'''éléguidé'' (High Subsonic Optical Guided). It can carry a HEAT warhead.
* The '''P'''ersonal '''H'''alting '''A'''nd '''S'''timulation '''R'''esponse rifle. Sure, it just temporarily blinds its targets, but what red-blooded American soldier ''doesn't'' secretly yearn to have a PHASeR rifle?
** Not to mention the TASER, an acronym of '''[[Tom Swift|T]]'''[[Tom Swift|homas]] '''[[Tom Swift|A]]''' '''[[Tom Swift|S]]'''[[Tom Swift|wift's]] '''[[Tom Swift|E]]'''[[Tom Swift|letric]] '''[[Tom Swift|R]]'''[[Tom Swift|ifle]]. {{spoiler|Nevermind that Tom Swift was never given a middle name, let alone the initial "A". It makes the acronym work.}}
== Police ==
* The term "'''S'''pecial '''W'''eapons '''A'''nd '''T'''actics" worked out very well for the public image of SWAT teams. Well enough that they could ignore the fact that, by standard acronym rules, it really ought to have been SWT. SWAT originally stood for '''S'''pecial '''W'''eapons '''A'''ssault '''T'''eam, but this acronym was rejected by higher-ups in the Los Angeles Police Department for sounding too military. Referring to a police squad as an "assault team" was considered to give the wrong impression, even though that's exactly what SWAT teams are.
* Missed opportunity for the bureau of [[The Alcoholic|Alcohol]], [[Must Have Nicotine|Tobacco]], [[Hand Cannon|Firearms]] and [[Stuff Blowing Up|Explosives]] to be called [[Awesome McCoolname|The Bureau of]] '''[[Poetic Justice|FATE]]'''.
== Transport ==
Airlines are a perennial target, as are motorcars and public transit. When these fail, the [[Wikivoyage|voyager]] is commonly left stranded in some awkward place. At worst, [[Every Car Is A Pinto|public safety]] may be at stake.
* From 1978 through [[The Eighties]], Subaru sold a car-based 4x4 pickup called the "Brat". At first they insisted it was a " '''B'''i-drive '''R'''ecreational '''A'''ll-terrain '''T'''ransporter". Wags described it as '''B'''arely '''R'''ecognizeable '''A'''s a '''T'''ruck.
** Similarly, the first Fiat cars brought to the U.S. had a bad reputation, [[The Alleged Car|to say the least]] and were quickly given the slang nickname '''F'''ix '''I'''t '''A'''gain '''T'''ony.
** '''F'''abrica '''I'''taliana '''A'''utomobili '''T'''orino. The cars' reputations for falling apart lead to the [[Backronym]] '''F'''ix '''I'''t '''A'''gain, '''T'''ony.
** Just about every has a backronym like this: '''F'''ound '''O'''n '''R'''oad '''D'''ead, '''D'''rips '''O'''il '''D'''rops '''G'''rease '''E'''verywhere, '''C'''an '''H'''ear '''E'''very '''V'''alve '''R'''attle '''O'''n '''L'''ong '''E'''xtended '''T'''rips, '''P'''oor '''O'''ld [[N-Word Privileges|mi'''N'''ority]] '''T'''hinks '''I'''t's '''A''' '''C'''adillac, '''B'''reak '''M'''y '''W'''allet
** There's a particularly cute one for Ford: Go somewhere in a FORD, come back in a DROF: '''D'''river '''R'''eturns '''O'''n '''F'''oot.
* There is an organisation named '''B'''etter '''E'''nvironmentally '''S'''ound '''T'''ransportation, whose first major act was to hold a contest: the BEST Commuter Challenge.
* '''B'''ikers '''A'''gainst '''D'''runk '''D'''rivers.
** I raise you '''M'''others '''A'''gainst '''D'''runk '''D'''riving.
*** I call and raise '''S'''tudents '''A'''gainst '''D'''runk '''D'''riving/Drivers.
**** And parodied by (Was it Bill Engvall or Jeff Foxworthy? Think Foxworth): '''D'''runks '''A'''gainst '''M'''ad '''M'''others.
*** Recording Artists, Actors, and Athletes Against Drunk Driving is merely RAAD.
* Public transit often brands itself with clever acronyms. Dublin has a light rail system called '''D'''ublin '''A'''rea '''R'''apid '''T'''ransit. - DART
** We Dallasites also have a transit system known as DART: '''D'''allas '''A'''rea '''R'''apid '''T'''ransit.
** Topping that, San Francisco has the '''B'''ay '''A'''rea '''R'''apid '''T'''ransit- BART.
*** Those of us a little more north will be getting the '''S'''onoma-'''M'''arin '''A'''rea '''R'''apid '''T'''ransit line - the SMART line as an extension of BART (running from Cloverdale to San Francisco).
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**** Averted in Charlotte, where the light rail system, '''LYNX''', doesn't actually seem to stand for anything, though it does fit the theme established by its "parent", the '''C'''harlotte '''A'''rea '''T'''ransit '''S'''ystem, which plays the trope straight. [[Don't Explain the Joke|For those who don't get it, the city's professional sports teams are the Panthers and Bobcats]]. (And before you ask, no, the slogan for the transit system is not "[[Zero Wing|All Your]] [[Incredibly Lame Pun|Bus]] [[Memetic Mutation|Are Belong]] [[Discredited Meme|To Us]]".)
**** Seattle had the '''S'''outh '''L'''ake '''U'''nion '''T'''rolley. When they realized what it spelled the name was officially changed to South Lake Union Streetcar, but the [http://www.ridetheslut.com/ original name stuck.]
** Toledo, Ohio has '''TARTA''' ('''T'''oledo '''A'''rea '''R'''apid '''T'''ransit '''A'''uthority)
** Until the late 1990s/early 2000s, the city of Grand Rapids, Michigan had a bus system called '''GRATA''' which stood for '''G'''rand '''R'''apids '''A'''rea '''T'''ransit '''A'''uthority. Sadly, rides weren't ''gratis'' on GRATA and they changed their name to "the Rapid" in the early '00s.
*** Although not a true acronym; the combination of '''AM'''erica and '''TRA'''c'''K''' makes AMTRAK, which is the shortened name for the poorly done rail system of United States of America (which can be abbreviated to USA as a bonus).
== Other ==
* The '''W'''orld '''H'''ealth '''O'''rganization is a rather high-profile example. Led, evidently, by [[Doctor Who|The Doctor]].
* SCRAM - '''S'''afety '''C'''ontrol '''R'''od '''A'''xe-'''M'''an - an emergency shutdown of a nuclear reactor (and is precisely what you'd want to do in the event of a meltdown).
** In fact, it's unclear whether the acronym was originally even there at the time it's first credited (the Manhattan Project); some of the people involved say it was, some claim it was a backgronym years later.
* MILF - '''M'''other '''I''''d '''L'''ike to '''F'''uck.
** And for [[Philippines|Filipinos]], it means '''M'''oro '''I'''slamic '''L'''iberation '''F'''ront, an Islamist group. Their Arabic name (Jabhat Tahrir Mooroo al-Islamiyyah) doesn't produce any similarly amusing acronyms, unfortunately.
* '''S'''ouvenir '''A'''nd '''N'''ovelty '''T'''rade '''A'''ssociation.
* As readers of Eric Flint's ''[[1632]]'' novels well know, the 17th-century King Gustav Adolf II of Sweden frequently disguised himself as a commoner to live and work among his people, using the name "Gars": '''G'''ustavus '''A'''dolphus, '''R'''ex '''S'''ueciae (Latin for Gustav Adolf, King of the Swedes). Which makes Gustavus Adolphus GAR [[Reverse Funny Aneurysm|before GAR became]] [[Memetic Mutation|a meme]].
* A prolific USENET troll claims to represent a church calling itself the '''F'''irst '''U'''niversal '''C'''hristian '''K'''ingdom which, according to a Google search, ''actually exists''. There's a phone number, whose operators must be tired of people calling to say "hello, is that the FUCK?"
* Then there's '''G'''lucose '''O'''xi'''d'''ase, quite possibly the most sacred enzyme of all time.
* Dun and Bradstreet's system for providing a unique serial number for businesses is known as the '''D'''ata '''U'''niversal '''N'''umbering '''S'''ystem.
* The '''P'''lain '''L'''anguage '''A'''ssociation '''In'''ternational ('''PLAIn''') is an organization whose goal is to ease back on the use of obscure [[Techno Babble]] in academia, government, law and business.
* [[Jimmy Carter]]'s effort to encourage rationing of gasoline during the oil shortage of the 70s was called the Moral Equivalent of War, a phrase taken from William Jennings Bryant. Unfortunately, when made an acronym on buttons, it spells out ''MEOW''.
* [[GIRL]]: '''G'''uy '''I'''n '''R'''eal '''L'''ife
* A popular way to remember the names of the Great Lakes is HOMES, '''H'''uron, '''O'''ntario, '''M'''ichigan, '''E'''rie, '''S'''uperior.
**
** Similarly, math students are helped in trig by Chief SOHCAHTOA: "sine is opposite over hypotenuse", "cosine is adjacent over hypotenuse", and "tangent is opposite over adjacent".
*** Of course, SOHCAHTOA is also backronymed: '''S'''ex '''O'''n '''H'''ard '''C'''oncrete '''A'''lways '''H'''urts '''T'''ry '''O'''ut '''A'''lternatives.
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**** '''S'''hould '''O'''ld '''H'''arry '''C'''atch '''A''' '''H'''erring '''T'''rawling '''O'''ff '''A'''merica
** In Spain, schools use the word PATINARÁN ("they will skate") to help children remember the five oceans from largest to smallest: '''P'''acífico, '''AT'''lántico, '''ÍN'''dico, '''ÁR'''tico and '''AN'''tártico.
* At at least one university, the orientation program for Hillel, the Jewish student organization, was called '''F'''irst '''Y'''ear '''S'''tudents at '''H'''illel. As in Gefilte Fish.
* In the wake of their draconian antipiracy efforts, which have included lawsuits for outrageous amounts based on little to no evidence of any wrongdoing with extortionate "settlement terms", the Motion Picture Association of America and the Recording Industry Association of America gained the less than complementary collective nickname '''M'''usic '''A'''nd '''F'''ilm '''I'''ndustry '''A'''ssociation of '''A'''merica -- '''MAFIAA'''.
* I '''DARE''' you to find somebody who actually knows what that acronym stands for. Yes, there's an answer. {{spoiler|It's '''D'''rug '''A'''buse '''R'''esistance '''E'''ducation.}}
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*** To guests staying for the New Years Eve party (Or make use of Boozing 'round the world) it's '''T'''rashed instead of '''T'''ired.
*** '''E'''vil '''P'''olyester '''C'''ostumes '''o'''f '''T'''error!
** Residents of Anaheim, California like to use '''D'''isney '''I'''s '''S'''o '''N'''ot '''E'''ver '''Y'''ielding, to reference the stranglehold the company holds over local politics. Disney would like you to know that Orange County would be ''nothing'' without them! No
** Technically "EPCOT" (all caps) only refers to Walt Disney's original plan for what ultimately became the Walt Disney World Resort. Disney intended the property to be an actual ''community'', with homes and schools and everything, that would serve as a testing ground and a showcase for new technologies and new methods of urban planning. But the company chickened out after Walt Disney died and just decided to turn the property into a collection of theme parks. The theme park "Epcot" was intended to embody the spirit of Walt's EPCOT concept without the political/logistical headaches of governing a town (and with the "new methods of urban planning" changed to "showcase for international cultures"), but it's gradually drifted away from that purpose over the years and most guests don't even know that it was originally an acronym. The town concept eventually was realized in Celebration, Florida.
* Northern California has the '''A'''nderson-'''C'''ottonwood '''I'''rrigation '''D'''istrict.
* ''Countdown'''s computer is called Cecil, which turns out to mean '''C'''ountdown's '''E'''lectronic '''C'''alculator '''I'''n '''L'''eeds (where the show is filmed).<!-- move this to Game Shows -->
* There is a parody Christian conservative group entitled '''S'''ociety of '''C'''hristians for the '''R'''estoration of '''O'''ld '''T'''estament '''M'''orality.
** I'm guessing they want to break out the [[wikipedia:Napalm|NAPALM]], then, given how much of the old testament is about genocide.
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** And an intercultural bad joke: in Spanish, NBA is said to stand for '''N'''egros '''B'''astante '''A'''ltos, "'''Q'''uite '''T'''all '''B'''lack '''M'''en". [[Irrevocable Message|Please note that in Spanish "negro" is not an insult by default.]]
*** In the same way, in Mexican Spanish, FBI is said to stand for '''F'''uerza '''B'''ruta '''I'''ndígena ('''I'''ndigenous '''B'''rute '''F'''orce)
* From [[World War II]] we have '''P'''ipe '''L'''ine '''U'''nder '''T'''he '''O'''cean or PLUTO
** Which lays itself open backronym suspicion because normally people don't consider the English Channel an ocean.
** In Germany there was the ironic acryonm "Gröfaz" (sometimes spelled "GröFaZ) for Hitler, lampooning the propaganda of the Nazis - '''Grö'''ßter '''F'''eldherr '''a'''ller '''Z'''eiten, "greatest commander-in-chief of all times'''.
* [[Richard Nixon]]'s re-election campaign was styled the '''C'''ommittee to '''Re'''-'''E'''lect the '''P'''resident, meant to be initialized as CRP, but after the Watergate scandal broke, people deemed another interpretation to be more apt.
** Parodied by [[Mad Magazine]] as the '''C'''ommittee to '''R'''eelect the '''A'''merican '''P'''resident.
** And by [[Marvel Comics]] with the Committee to Regain America's Principles.
** And by the late [[Kenny Everett]] in his repeating ''[[Dallas (1978 TV series)|Dallas]]/[[Dynasty]]'' parody ''Dallasty''; the last episode of such in each show ended with "credits" which were of course absurdly long and scrolled past far too rapidly to read, and at the very end said (for a second or two) "Creative Research Associates Production" -- stacked vertically so that the "CRAP" lined up and could clearly be read as such.
* '''S'''easonal '''A'''ffective '''D'''isorder, or SAD, happens to be seasonally-dependent classical depression. Who says shrinks don't have a sense of humour?
** Or '''S.O.S.A.D''', which would be '' '''S'''udden '''O'''nset'' '''Seasonal''' '''A'''ffective '''D'''isorder. And it is '''SO SAD'''.
** Then there's the '''S'''tandard '''A'''merican '''D'''iet...
** Sad and coincidental, but '''S'''ocial '''A'''nxiety '''D'''isorder's, also known as social phobia's acronym spells out '''SAD''', and many people with the disorder to tend to be sad because of the way it mixes with their life.
* One of the three main schools in Laurens County, GA is West Laurens High School: Where Learning Has Style.
** And, similarly, there's West Laurens Middle School: Where Learning Means Success.
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** Richard Stallman repurposed the acronym as the U SAP AT RIOT Act.
** The government's been doing this a lot lately. Since then we've had the '''America C'''reating '''O'''pportunities to '''M'''eaningfully '''P'''romote '''E'''xcellence in '''T'''echnology, '''E'''ducation, and '''S'''cience Act of 2007 and the '''D'''evelopment, '''R'''elief and '''E'''ducation for '''A'''lien '''M'''inors Act of 2010 (though the latter didn't pass the Senate).
** Actually, they've been doing this for years. The '''R'''acketeer '''I'''nfluenced '''C'''orrupt '''O'''rganisations act took the name of a fictional cinematic gangster (RICO) in 1970.
** [http://www.economist.com/blogs/johnson/2011/11/legislative-titles This Economist blog post] contains a list of American laws that have [[Fun with Acronyms]]. AYUDA, anyone?
* An unfortunate one: '''N'''ASA '''E'''ducation '''R'''esources '''D'''irector.
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* Someone at the government was having fun when they came up with the '''C'''onsolidated '''O'''mnibus '''B'''udget '''R'''econciliation '''A'''ct (a continuation of health care benefits after you lose your job). That, or it's proof of government infestation by terrorists with hoods and metal masks...
* The name of the party supply company brand Elope stands for "'''E'''verybody's '''L'''aughing '''O'''n '''P'''lanet '''E'''arth."
* In 2000, when the Reform Party of Canada merged with a faction of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada, the new party (the Canadian Alliance) came very close to calling itself the '''C'''anadian '''C'''onservative '''R'''eform '''A'''lliance. However, the media added '''P'''arty, causing the arrangement of the words to change.
* In the Netherlands, schools and universities are sometimes associated with religious organisations. Universities also tend to turn their names into acronyms (like '''U.v.A.''': '''U'''niversiteit '''v'''an '''A'''msterdam, University of Amsterdam). Cue hilarity when the Catholic University in Tilburg ('''K'''atholieke '''U'''niversiteit '''T'''ilburg) rapidly changed its name to Catholic University of Brabant. Take a guess what the less-than-flattering name for female genitalia is in Dutch?
** Likewise, Belgium has the '''K'''atholieke '''U'''niversiteit '''L'''euven, which gets shortened to '''KULeuven''', and not '''KUL'''. Because ''kul'' is Dutch for ''nonsense''.
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* eBay used to deal with certain problems through its '''S'''afe '''H'''arbor '''I'''nvestigations '''T'''eam
* "'''[[The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy|ZAPHOD]]'''" to "'''Z'''eta '''A'''rtifical '''P'''eacekeeping and '''H'''azardous '''O'''bservation '''D'''evice".
* From computational fluid dynamics, the '''A'''dvection '''U'''pstream '''S'''plitting '''M'''ethod and its variants (yes, it's pronounced like [[
* Giving Transformers fans amusement is the fact that there's a real-life NEST organization - the '''N'''uclear '''E'''mergency '''S'''upport '''T'''eam.
* For a brief period in the late '80s, early '90s, the British armed police units were assigned the designation of '''F'''ire-'''A'''rms '''R'''esponse '''T'''eams (or, according to some sources) '''F'''ast '''A'''rmed '''R'''esponse '''T'''eams. Someone pointed out the acronym, and now they are the less amusing '''A'''rmed '''R'''esponse '''U'''nit.
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* The National Institue for Health and Clinical Excellence decided to omit the Health when they came up with their acronym. It seems like they did it on purpose just so they could call their guidelines the NICE Guidelines.
** Clearly, they were unaware of the National Institute for Co-ordinated Experiments, above.
** It was initially just NICE, but was then merged with the Health Development Agency, at which point the "Health and" bit was added.
* * Ahem* ...'''S'''ituation '''N'''ormal: '''A'''ll '''F'''ucked '''U'''p
** Or "Fouled", in polite company.
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*** Witness the '''C'''ommercial '''C'''rew and '''C'''argo '''P'''rogram '''O'''ffice, also known as '''[[Star Wars|See-Threepio]]'''...
* The British mental-health charity '''S'''chizophrenia: '''A''' '''N'''ational '''E'''mergency, or SANE. The National Association for Mental Health, on the other hand, calls itself MIND, even though that's ''not'' an acronym.
* Aversion: New Zealand [[Visual Effects of Awesome]] powerhouse '''[[The Lord of the Rings (film)|W]] [[King Kong|E]] [[District 9|T]] [[Avatar (film)|A]]''' Workshop doesn't stand for anything except [[wikipedia:Weta|the freakishly huge cricket]] it's named after. [[Word of God]] is they tried to have fun with it and got as far as "''''W'''ellington [the city they're based in] '''E'''ffects and '''T'''echnical...' and then we drew a blank!"
* The [[As Long as It Sounds Foreign|African-sounding]] WGASA train at the San Diego Wild Animal Park is actually shorthand for '''W'''ho '''G'''ives '''A''' '''S'''hit '''A'''nyway, which was written on a memo after no one could come up with a name for the train. Apparently whoever decided to use it knew what the word "wgasa" meant and almost got in trouble for it too, at least according to Snopes. They named it that sort of as a joke and because they couldn't think of anything else. To save face, the zoo came out with the hastily-created backronym "World's Greatest Animal Show Anywhere".
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* The '''A'''ssociation of '''C'''ommunity '''O'''rganizers for '''R'''eform '''N'''ow had far more to do with the fact that it spelled '''ACORN''' than what it stood for.
* '''E'''lectron '''G'''amma '''S'''hower computer code system. Something to do with electrons and protons and simulators. We do know another meaning for "'''EGS'''", do we?
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110604033036/http://www.aaai.org/Papers/AAAI/2006/AAAI06-278.pdf Oliviero Stock and Carlo Strapparava] developed Hahacronym, a "computational humor system" that basically creates acronyms according to given themes, such as "Main concept: writing; Attribute: creative", which, when fed with CAUSTIC gives us "Creative Activity for Unconvincingly Sporadically Talkative Individualistic Commercials."
* [[That Other Wiki]] says the early versions of the [[wikipedia:Meal, Ready-to-Eat#Criticism|MRE rations]] of the US military were giving a number of nicknames based off the acronym MRE to say how they taste like crap.
** Examples: '''M'''aterials '''R'''esembling '''E'''dibles, '''Mr. E''' (mystery), '''M'''eals '''R'''ejected by '''E'''thiopians, and '''M'''eals '''R'''efusing to '''E'''xit (referring to the constipation that ensues after consuming it), to name a few.
* Many would-be heavily spammed webpages insist you type in a '''CAPTCHA''', or '''C'''ompletely '''A'''utomated '''P'''ublic '''T'''uring '''T'''est '''T'''o '''T'''ell '''C'''omputers '''A'''nd '''H'''umans '''A'''part. Give or take a "T" or three.
* '''C'''ollege '''O'''f '''N'''otre '''D'''ame '''O'''f '''M'''aryland is a Christian college with a very good lacrosse team.
** As Baltimore residents like to point out, only Catholics could come up with a school with that acronym and not realize it.
* How have we gotten this far without mentioning the ridiculous acronyms for women's divisions in the United States military during World War II? Only the Marine Corps didn't have a silly name for its women's branch.
** Army: '''W'''omen's '''A'''rmy '''A'''uxiliary '''C'''orps gives us '''WAAC''' and later '''WAC'''.
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** The Royal Navy's women's branch was called the '''W'''omens '''R'''oyal '''N'''aval '''S'''ervice, pronounced "wrens".
* Ever wonder why some Christians have a fish on their car? In Greek, the phrase "Jesus Christ, God's Son, Saviour", gives the acrostic ICHTHYS (ΙΧΘΥΣ), which means "Fish."
* Dollar General currently requires their empoyees to wear a pin with the store logo with C A R E S written in red vertially. Each letter also expands into Customers Always
* '''M'''obile '''A'''rmy '''S'''urgical '''H'''ospital. ([[
* '''L'''aser '''I'''nertial '''F'''usion '''E'''ngine, perhaps quite appropriate if it bears fruit.
* The first deployed solar sail: '''I'''nterplanetary '''K'''ite-craft '''A'''ccelerated by '''R'''adiation '''O'''f the '''S'''un. [[Tempting Fate|Ikaros is the Greek spelling of Icarus (which is Latin).]]
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* The BAE Systems '''T'''ornado '''A'''dvanced '''R'''adar '''D'''isplay '''I'''nformation '''S'''ystem. (The Panavia Tornado is a jet fighter)
* A [http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/batman-prepares-join-air-force/story?id=11656444 new bit of technology] in the Air Force for reducing the amount of weight soldiers carry is in development. It involves carrying [[Utility Belt|equipment in pouches about the belt]], and is called the '''B'''attlefield '''A'''ir '''T'''argeting '''M'''an-'''A'''ided k'''N'''owledge (Yes, '''BATMAN'''), complete with grappling hook (though it's used for drawing power from low-hanging power lines). A lot of it is used for communications equipment, it seems.
* Between 1972 and 1986 Princeton University
* The Scripps institute makes regular use of a '''Fl'''oating '''I'''nstrument '''P'''latform in oceanographic research. The FLIP is a non-powered ship which the Navy tugs out to sea, where it ''flips'' 90 degrees, leaving one end sticking up above the surface and achieving perfect stability in the roughest weather.
* Generally, SWAT is the acronym of '''s'''pecial '''w'''eapons '''a'''nd '''t'''actics. But after an [[wikipedia:2010 Manila hostage crisis|incident]], some people use this to describe the [[Police Are Useless|police]] of a certain [[Philippines|country]].
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* DELTA Airlines is often [[Backronym|Backronymed]] as "'''D'''on't '''E'''xpect '''L'''uggage '''T'''o '''A'''rrive.
** There are others that call it "'''D'''on't '''E'''xpect '''L'''uxury '''T'''ravel, '''A'''sshole", in case the previous one didn't paint a good enough picture of the general opinion of the airline.
** Or simply '''D'''oesn't '''E'''ver '''L'''eave '''T'''he '''A'''irport. Similar "backronyms" exist for pretty much every major airline, from BOAC (Barely Own Any Clocks) through QANTAS (Queers And Nancies Trained As Stewards) to VASP (Vomite Aqui Seu Porco — Throw Up Here You Pig).
* The '''V'''ancouver '''A'''rt '''G'''allery. As a matter of fact, during the Olympics, admission to the VAG was free.
* The [[wikipedia:Committee of Union and Progress|Committee of Union and Progress]]. There is one reason and one reason alone that it's a shame that they never expanded outside of Turkey and became the International Committee of Union and Progress, and the reason is this: I see you pee.
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* The [http://pinktentacle.com/2006/07/device-uses-waves-to-print-on-water-surface/ AMOEBA (Advanced Multiple Organized Experimental Basin)], a device that can "print" letters on the surface of water.
* Golf is widely believed to be an acronym of '''G'''entlemen '''O'''nly, '''L'''adies '''F'''orbidden, but [[wikipedia:Golf|this is not actually the case]].
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20120120135554/http://gow.epsrc.ac.uk/ViewGrant.aspx?GrantRef=EP
* American Indians in the sixties started '''C'''oncerned '''I'''ndian '''A'''mericans, which became the '''A'''merican '''I'''ndian '''M'''ovement when they realized what they'd just spelled.
* Though not all of the animals in these taxa have baculums, these are the orders with baculums: '''P'''rimates, '''R'''odents, '''I'''nsectivores, '''C'''arnivores, and '''C'''hiroptera. A baculum is a penis bone.
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* Your gaming console's processor is likely based on the '''P'''erformance '''O'''ptimization '''W'''ith '''E'''nhanced '''R'''ISC – '''P'''erformance '''C'''omputing architecture.
* CAMiLEON: '''C'''reative '''A'''rchiving at '''Mi'''chigan and '''L'''eeds: '''E'''mulating the '''O'''ld and the '''N'''ew. And yes, they were deliberately going for "chameleon".
* [[Microsoft]]'s certifications. After you pass the exam, you're listed as a '''M'''icrosoft '''C'''ertified '''P'''rofessional. Worth a chuckle if you recall ''[[Tron]]''{{'}}s [[Big Bad|Master Control Program]].
* Actor [[Robin Atkin Downes]]' initials are RAD. Which he [[Hey, It's That Voice!|certainly]] [[Man of a Thousand Voices|is]].
* Some institutes go by the unfortunate acronym UTI, which also stands for Urinary Tract Infection. There's also a lot of middle schools with the acronym [[Menstrual Menace|PMS]].
* In California there is the Santa Clarita United Methodist Church. Their website? '''SCUMC.com'''
** A similar gaffe was avoided by a United Methodist Church in Berkeley, which calls itself the Berkeley Methodist United Church to avoid having BUM in their acronym.
* In 1992, Dr Phil Hammond, from [[The BBC]] medical satire show ''Struck Off And Die'', stood for election against the then Health Minister as the '''S'''truck '''O'''ff and '''D'''ie '''J'''unior Doctors '''A'''lliance
* '''[[Totally Radical|RADICL]]''' ('''R'''esearch '''A'''ssessment, '''D'''evice '''I'''mprovement '''C'''hemical '''L'''aser), a 20kW '''C'''hemical '''O'''xygen '''I'''odine '''L'''aser ('''COIL''') tested by the '''U'''nited '''S'''tates '''A'''ir '''F'''orce around 1998.
* [[Yahoo!]] Yet Another Highly Organized Oracle
* While [[Special Broadcasting Service|SBS]] is officially an acronym of '''S'''pecial '''B'''roadcasting '''S'''ervice, in the mid-2000s they devised a backronym that's been at the centre of their promotional material ever since: '''S'''ix '''B'''illion '''S'''tories (and counting...). [[Memetic Mutation|Alternatively]], '''S'''ex and '''B'''loody '''S'''occer.
* [[Urban
** A similar joke advocates renaming the Rochester Institute of Technology to identify as suburban South Henrietta, now that the school has moved to the suburbs.
* In British medical terminology (at least in the GUM field) there's '''U'''n'''p'''rotected '''S'''exual '''I'''ntercourse
* When the weekly [[wikipedia:Premium Bond|Premium Bond]] prize draw was introduced in Britain in the 1950s the winning numbers were selected by the quaintly-named ERNIE ('''E'''lectronic '''R'''andon '''N'''umber '''I'''ndicator '''E'''quipment). The machine has been replaced several times but the name has stuck.
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*** There's a host of others, some of which can be found [http://www.bmrb.wisc.edu/education/nmr_acronym here].
* The '''O'''cean '''R'''esearch '''C'''ollege '''A'''cademy in Washington State
* Probably the most well known podcast with a large and intelligent community out there is unfortunately called '''T'''his '''W'''eek '''i'''n '''T'''ech. They, in fact, named the entire studio they run as the "
* Lest we forget the controversial '''P'''reventing '''R'''eal '''O'''nline '''T'''hreats to '''E'''conomic '''C'''reativity and '''T'''heft of '''I'''ntellectual '''P'''roperty Act of 2011 (PROTECT IP Act), more popularly known as PIPA.
** Which is itself an example, as ''pipa'' (πιπα) is slang for a blow job in Greek.
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* Individuals interested in 'Locksport' (studying and practicing how to defeat locking mechanisms for recreational purposes, rather than for unlawful ones) may be a member of '''T'''he '''O'''pen '''O'''rganization '''O'''f '''L'''ockpickers, or '''TOOOL'''.
* At the National Air & Space Museum, there's an unmanned, remotely piloted aircraft on display that was called HiMAT short for '''Hi'''ghly '''M'''aneuverable '''A'''ircraft '''T'''echnology.
* MOOSE - "'''M'''anned '''O'''rbital '''O'''perations '''S'''afety '''E'''quipment" aka "'''M'''an '''O'''ut '''O'''f '''S'''pace '''E'''asiest" - a [https://web.archive.org/web/20141020041741/http://www.boggsspace.com/strange_but_true.asp project]
* [[
* Due to the "official" name "[[Multiplayer Online Battle Arena]]" being artificially created for advertising and extremely ambiguous (literally any game with online multiplayer combat fits these words) an alternate and more specific term arose '''A'''eon of '''S'''trife '''S'''tyle(d) '''F'''ortress '''A'''ssault '''G'''ame (sometimes extended to include '''G'''oing '''O'''n '''T'''wo '''S'''ides.
* According to its founder, the name of the restaurant "Moe's Southwestern Grill" is built around the acronym for "'''M'''usicians, '''O'''utlaws and '''E'''ntertainers".
* Go through introduced bills in the US House and Senate. A good chunk have such a name.
** US House Bill, '''C'''ommunications '''O'''ver '''V'''arious '''F'''eeds '''E'''lectronically '''f'''or '''E'''ngagement (act). Is Covfefe even a word you may ask? [https://www.wired.com/2017/05/internet-defines-covfefe/ Well...]
* Soldiers who don't think highly of the United States Military Academy at West Point will sometimes term it the '''S'''outh '''H'''udson '''I'''nstitute of '''T'''echnology.
* Soldiers unhappy with Fort Eustis, Virginia created the clever backronym '''E'''ven '''U'''ncle '''S'''am '''T'''hinks '''I'''t '''S'''ucks.
* Members of U.S. Congress have a colorful acronym to describe [[Donald Trump]]'s [https://www.aol.com/article/news/2018/07/02/people-have-started-calling-trumps-draft-bill-to-abandon-world-trade-rules-the-fart-act/23472912/ United States Fair and Reciprocal Tariff Act].
* Broadcast networks are also the target of backronyms. The [[CBS (company)|CBS]] Television Network was originally the Columbia Broadcasting System, named indirectly for the recording company. The record company and film studio have since been sold to Sony, so supposedly CBS is now an orphan initialism which stands for nothing. In any case, by 1993 CBS had lost a key [[NFL]] coverage deal to the then-upstart [[FOX]] network, leading to news coverage in which CBS was said to stand for [https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-12-22-ca-4554-story.html Can't Broadcast Sports]. To add insult to injury, New World Communications disaffiliated its stations from CBS in key markets, ultimately becoming a FOX owned-and-operated station group. In Atlanta and Détroit, this exiled CBS to weaker UHF stations.
** For that matter, [[West Germany|West German]] public broadcaster ARD was "all but Rugen and Dresden" as its coverage in the [[Cold War]] era failed to reach the furthest corners of communist [[East Germany]] from either West Germany or West Berlin. (Dresden's position as a "valley of ignorance" on low ground didn't help.)
* Keebler's E.L. Fudge cookies. [[Tagline| That's E as in "Everyone", L as in "Loves", Fudge.]]
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