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{{trope}}
{{Video Game Examples Need Sorting}}
* ''EVE Online'' players will notice the ingame target painter is very useful. Meta versions of it are sometimes more expensive but give a little more boost. The meta versions have complicated names that can be turned into the following acronyms (PWN, PWNT, PWND, PWNED and PWNAGE)▼
** Alliance and Corporation names tend to exhibit this as well, despite ticker names being limited to five characters. The Goonswarm alliance and corp used to be set up that viewing the full, long name of a ship would include "[[Everything's Worse With Bees|OH GOD BEES]]".▼
Examples of [[{{TOPLEVELPAGE}}]] in [[{{SUBPAGENAME}}]] include:
▲* ''[[EVE Online]]'' players will notice the ingame target painter is very useful. Meta versions of it are sometimes more expensive but give a little more boost. The meta versions have complicated names that can be turned into the following acronyms (PWN, PWNT, PWND, PWNED and PWNAGE)
▲** Alliance and Corporation names tend to exhibit this as well, despite ticker names being limited to five characters. The Goonswarm alliance and corp used to be set up that viewing the full, long name of a ship would include "[[Everything's Worse
* ''[[Total Annihilation]]'' has the '''K'''inetic '''B'''io '''O'''rganic '''T'''echnology.
** Its [[Spiritual Successor]] ''[[
* '''''[[League of Legends|L]]'''''''[[League of Legends|eague]]'' '''''[[League of Legends|O]]'''''''[[League of Legends|f]]'' '''''[[League of Legends|L]]'''''''[[League of Legends|egends]]''.
** Detractors have gotten '''A'''eon of '''Strife''' '''S'''tyle '''F'''ortress '''A'''ssault '''G'''ame to be a relatively accepted name for its genre, in large part because the official name of "Multiplayer Online Battle Arena" could refer to literally ''anything'' with multiplayer.
* ''[[First Encounter Assault Recon]]''.
** Rooster Teeth Productions created a [[Machinima]] for the director's edition of ''[[First Encounter Assault Recon|F.E.A.R.]]'' called '''P'''eople '''A'''cting '''N'''ormal '''I'''n '''C'''razy-ass '''S'''ituations.
** Also, a particular piece of NSFW fanart played with this and gave ''FEAR 2'' the acronym S.C.A.R.Y, or {{spoiler|'''S'''he '''C'''an '''A'''ctually '''R'''ape '''Y'''ou, for the game's ending.}}
* In [[
* In the ''[[Grand Theft Auto]]'' games, there is an anti-technology society known as '''C'''itizens '''U'''nited '''N'''egating '''T'''echnology '''F'''or '''L'''ife '''A'''nd '''P'''eople's '''S'''afety -- don't figure that one out if you're easily offended.
** Not to mention [[Grande Theft Auto III|GTA III's]] '''C'''itizens '''R'''aging '''A'''gainst '''P'''hones.
*** ''[[Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas|San Andreas]]'' example: '''B'''an '''I'''mmigration '''G'''reencards '''O'''utright '''T'''oday!
**** ''San Andreas'' also has '''C'''ommunity '''R'''esources '''A'''gainst '''S'''treet '''H'''oodlums, which was an actual unit of the LAPD. <ref>Funnily enough, the San Andreas version is actually ''less'' corrupt than [[wikipedia:Rampart scandal|the real organization had ended up]].</ref>
*** In ''[[
**** The '''F'''ederal '''I'''nvestigation '''B'''ureau.
*** In ''Vice City Stories'', there's an anti-drug program called '''C'''onsider '''O'''ur '''K'''ids '''E'''veryday.
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** The ending implies that "SeeD" and "Garden" ''have'' no meaning, and the terms came about as the result of a [[Stable Time Loop]]. This doesn't account for why the Kramers capitalize just the S and the D, though, as they only heard it spoken.
* '''D'''rug '''R'''unners '''A'''nd '''T'''akers in the old NES game ''Wrath of the Black Manta''
* ''[[Resident Evil]]'':
**
** ''[[
** In the remake of ''[[Resident Evil 3: Nemesis]]'', the weapon Jill uses against the eponymous villain in the [[Final Battle]] is the the '''F'''erromagnetic '''I'''nfantry-use '''N'''ext '''G'''eneration '''R'''ailgun, or F.I.N.Ge.R. This, of course, makes very little sense. It could never be used by infantry, as it is in no way portable; shooting the huge weapon requiring tethering it to a generator the size of a house. It seems the developers ''really'' wanted to make a joke here about "giving Nemesis the finger", and sadly, said joke is only in the journal the heroine finds, Jill does ''not'' use this as a [[Pre-Ass-Kicking One-Liner]] as she finishes him off.
* ''[[Shantae|Shantae: Half-Genie Hero]]''; Risky's new battleship is a "'''P'''art '''O'''mni-'''O'''rganic, '''P'''art '''T'''itanic, '''O'''cean-'''O'''ptimal '''T'''inkerslug. She gets upset when Shantae calls it a "P.O.O.P.T.O.O.T.".
* [[Portal (series)|Portal]] has GLaDOS, a ''G''enetic ''L''ifeform ''a''nd ''D''isk ''O''perating ''S''ystem
** The Aperture Science '''C'''omputer '''A'''ided '''E'''nrichment '''C'''enter, or '''CAEC'''. Cake, anyone?
* ''[[City of Heroes]]'':
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** The trial where you finally defeat Praetor Tilman, who calls herself "Mother" (enemies call her "Mother Mayhem"), is the '''M'''inds '''o'''f '''M'''ayhem trial. (This also means the Master of... badge for that trial is comically abbreviated "MoMoM.")
* The plot of ''[[Trauma Center]]'' revolved around a group of man-made parasites known collectively as '''GUILT''', which stands for '''G'''angliated '''U'''trophin '''I'''mmuno '''L'''atency '''T'''oxin. Particularly hilarious, because every form of GUILT is a giant ''parasite'' of one form or another.
* In ''[[
* ''[[
** In versions made for non-Sega systems however, it was changed to '''S'''pecial '''C'''ontrol '''A'''ttack '''T'''eam.
* The ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog]]'' games had the military organization '''G'''uardian '''U'''nits of '''N'''ations. The actual meaning of the acronym was never stated in-game until ''[[Shadow the Hedgehog]]'', but could be gleaned from some obscure sources around the time of ''Sonic Adventure 2'''s release.
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** In the comic series of [[Sonic the Hedgehog|Sonic X]] there's an anti-Sonic group hanging about by the name of the '''S'''ociety for '''O'''bserving and '''N'''eutralizing '''I'''nterdimensional '''C'''reatures and '''X'''enomorphs. '''S.O.N.I.C.X'''. The blue blur himself finds this rather hilarious.
** It might be a [[Punny Name]] considering GUN is the spelling of the Japanese word for military.
* In ''[[
** There's also the Heavy's two unlockable melee weapons: from the Heavy update came the '''K'''illing '''G'''loves of '''B'''oxing. The beta also had the '''G'''loves of '''R'''unning '''U'''rgently, which were recently re-added to the game.
* In the [[Wild
* In the fan-made RPG ''[[Barkley, Shut Up and Jam: Gaiden]]''[http://www.gamingw.net/forums/index.php?topic=68488.0\], the main antagonist of the game is the leader of the terrorist organization '''BLOODMOSES.''' What does BLOODMOSES stand for? Nobody knows, nor does anybody seem to care, as it's never revealed in the game. However, since this game was only the first chapter in the ''Hoopz Barkley [[SaGa]],'' it may be revealed in a future chapter.
* The robot that came with NES systems was called the '''R'''obotic '''O'''perating '''B'''uddy in the US.
** And the '''F'''amily '''C'''omputer '''R'''obot in Japan. Make of that what you will.
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** According to an advertisement, ANVIL stands for '''A'''siatic '''N'''otorious '''V'''illain '''I'''ncapacitation '''L'''eague.
* ''[[The Legend of Zelda|The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess]]'' has a really hackneyed example with a bizarre minigame known as "The S.T.A.R. Game", whose acronym is basically the game's rules and goal: '''S'''o all you must endeavor is to '''T'''rack down all the glowing orbs '''A'''nd collect them all before time '''R'''uns out!
* [[Command
** You forgot the very hero faction of the entire series, the '''G'''lobal '''D'''efense '''I'''nitiative (or, if you want to get technical, the '''U'''nited '''N'''ations '''G'''lobal '''D'''efense '''I'''nitiative, but "UNGDI" is a ''bit'' more tedious than just "GDI"). No "fun" in it, however.
* ''[[Mass Effect]]'', in a rather bizarre example, has the [[Space Police|Spectres]]. Despite the fact that Spectre is never capitalized, the fact that the official name for the branch they belong to is the Office of '''Spec'''ial '''T'''actics and '''Re'''conaissance suggests that it was, in fact, intended to be an acronym. This is even sillier when you realize the position was originally created by [[Aliens Speaking English|aliens]].
** Not necessarily. If we assume both are actually translated from alienese, then the english acronym would have been made up by the translators to match the full name. Now, the silly part (in-universe) would be why the acronym isn't simply '''S'''pecial '''T'''actics '''A'''nd '''R'''econnaissance, but in real life we can all guess why the writers passed on [[Resident Evil|STARs]].
** Also, '''G'''eneral '''Ar'''ea '''D'''efense '''I'''ntegration '''A'''nti-spacecraft '''N'''etwork is the name given to the point-defence [[Frickin' Laser Beams|laser]] arrays on starships.
** '''T'''he '''I'''llusive '''M'''an: [[Fan Nickname|there are some who call him]]...[[Monty Python and
* Used in ''[[Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney]] - Trials & Tribulations''. When one character is presented with evidence, she will classify it as "'''S'''u'''P'''er '''A'''dmin '''R'''estricted '''D'''esktop '''A'''ccess" and ask for a password, leading to this well-known exchange: "A password? This is madness!" "No, Maya, [[
* In ''[[No One Lives Forever]]'', the villanous organization is known as HARM. A running gag of the series is that files and characters often refer to what it stands for without ever revealing it to the player.
** Intelligence items that can be collected by the player humorously detail the exchange between the crime organization and the '''H'''air '''A'''lternative '''R'''eplacement '''M'''embership club in a dispute over the H.A.R.M. "trademark".
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** The good guys' organization is called UNITY. No full name given.
* Following on from the example above, [[Phantom Brave]] uses '''H'''uman '''A'''ctivists for '''R'''are '''M'''onsters. Guess what the leader's misguided policies actually do...
* In ''[[The Adventures of Sam
** The series' title can also be shortened to [[Bound and Gagged|S&M]].
** Also there's THEM, {{spoiler|the '''T'''emporal '''H'''eadquarters of '''E'''nlightened '''M'''ariachis.}}
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* Examples in the [[Metal Gear]] series.
** The '''N'''uclear '''E'''mergency '''S'''earch '''T'''eam that Nastasha works for in ''[[Metal Gear Solid]]'' is an actual organization in real-life.
** FOX, the organization Naked Snake works for in ''[[Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater]]'', stands for '''F'''orce '''O'''peration '''X'''.
** ''[[Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots]]'' has Snake and Drebin being pursued by a variant of the Stryker called the '''M'''obile '''G'''un '''S'''ystem. Also, there's the {{spoiler|'''S'''ons '''O'''f the '''P'''atriots system}}.
** SOP is also a subversion; the military and private contractors who use the system would think it means "Standard Operating Procedure," which is what the acronym means in actual military parlance. The system ''is'' designed to provide a whole new level of assurance that soldiers will never deviate from standard procedure, after all.
* Many ''[[Guild Wars]]'' fans have noted that the title of the [[Expansion Pack]], '''''G'''uild '''W'''ars: '''E'''ye of the '''N'''orth'' could be reasonably abbreviated as "GW:EN;" perhaps not coincidentally, the question of what happened to Gwen after the Searing is resolved in the expansion.
** In said expansion, the [[Insufferable Genius|Asura]] use constructs called '''G'''enius '''O'''perated '''L'''iving '''E'''nchanted '''M'''anifestations.
* ''[[Mega Man ZX]]'' and its sequel, ''[[Mega Man ZX Advent]]'' had the ROCK ('''R'''ebirth '''O'''f '''C'''rystalized '''K'''nowledge) and MEGA ('''M'''eta '''E'''ncapsulated '''G'''ranulated '''A'''wareness) systems for its transforming system in the Japanese and English releases respectively.
* In Japan, the [[
** Wouldn't that make it Rockman DASH'''D'''?
* ''[[Unreal Tournament
{{quote|
** Also the '''GES''' Bio Rifle {{spoiler|'''G'''reen '''E'''xploding '''S'''hit}} and the '''ASMD''' Shock Rifle {{spoiler|'''A'''nd '''S'''uck '''M'''y '''D'''ick}}.
* In [[Beatmania]] [http://www.konami.jp/gs/game/bm2dx/11red/ IIDX 11 RED], RED stands for "'''R'''evolutionary '''E'''nergetic '''D'''iversification version". Conveniently enough, the color scheme for IIDX 11 was predominantly--you guessed it--red.
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* Two scrolls in ''[[My Sims]] Kingdom'', one of which is ''called'' "S.C.R.O.L.L.", give you the power to create items such as a D.O.O.R., a C.L.O.C.K., and S.I.D.I.N.G.. There are even three lengths of (decorative, as far at I can tell) piping, which are called, from smallest to largest, p.i.p.e., P.i.p.e., and P.I.P.E.. These scrolls are associated with a robot named T.O.B.O.R., who mixes this with [[Sdrawkcab Name]]. None of the acronyms are expanded.
** Actually, in [[My Sims]] Agents, {{spoiler|it is revealed in the course of a dispatch mission that T.O.B.O.R. was originally built to be a fruit juicing supervisor, and the acronym of his name stands for '''T'''angerine '''O'''range '''B'''anana '''O'''range '''R'''evisor.}} Still no idea about those others, though.
*** "Tobor" may also be a [[Shout
* In ''[[
* In ''[[Star Control]]'', the cowardly Spathi ships fired B.U.T.T. (Backward Utilised Tracking Torpedo) missiles out of their rear.
* [[Starship Titanic]] provides us with P.E.T and S.M.E.F.
* ''Outpost 2'' has the '''D'''isater '''I'''nstant '''R'''esponce '''T'''eam and '''G'''arbge and '''O'''re '''R'''ecycling '''F'''acility. The '''DIRT''' was present in the first game as well, along with another version of the '''GORF''' called a '''SPEW''' and an atmosphere regulator called a '''CHAP'''.
** '''S'''ewage '''P'''rocessing and '''E'''nvironmental '''W'''aste and '''C'''losed '''H'''abitat '''A'''tmospheric '''P'''roduction. ''Outpost 2'' hid several of these in the fluff as well, including the controller for the guard posts, the '''T'''argeting '''A'''nd '''F'''ire '''T'''asking computer ('''[[wikipedia:William Howard Taft|TAFT]]''') or the '''R'''obot '''A'''ssist '''M'''echanic of the Garage ('''[[Percussive Maintenance|RAM]]'''). Also present was a [[Shout
* ''[[Thunder Force]] V'' has the [[Attack Drone]] ''CRAW'' ('''C'''onstituted '''R'''ay '''A'''rt '''W'''eapon-unit)
* ''[[Ace Combat]] 3'' has the COFFIN (COnnection For Flight INterface) system.
** Another, more subtle example in ''Ace Combat 5'' are the callsigns of your [[Wing Man|wingmen]]: '''A'''rcher, '''C'''hopper, '''E'''dge, {{spoiler|'''S'''wordsman}}.
* ''[[
* The title of ''S.C.A.T.'', a ''Forgotten Worlds''-style shoot-'em-up by Natsume for the NES, stands for '''S'''pecial '''C'''ybernetic '''A'''ttack '''T'''eam. (The European and Japanese versions used [[Market-Based Title|different titles]].)
* The "Acid" portion of ''[[Metal Gear Acid]]'' apparently stands for "'''A'''ctive '''C'''ommand '''I'''ntelligence '''D'''uel.
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* In Left 4 Dead 2 in the Dead Center campaign in The Streets, the CEDA, based off of FEMA, sent trucks with the words '''D'''isease '''E'''mergency '''A'''ssessment '''D'''ispatch to the scene. Note that CEDA is trying to save everyone from a zombie apocalypse.
** There's also CEDA itself, which stands for Civil ''Emergancy'' and Defense Agency. The misspelling was apparently intentional.
* In [[
* ''[[Descent]] II'': The first level is named '''Ahayweh''' Gate. Which stands for "Abandon hope, all ye who enter here". There's also the '''P'''ortable '''E'''qualizing '''S'''tandard '''T'''ransbot, and the '''P'''reliminary '''I'''ntegration '''G'''roundbot.
* A quest in the browser game [[Billy vs. SNAKEMAN]] rewards you with the H.A.R.O.: the '''H'''igh-Explosive '''A'''nti-'''R'''NG '''O'''rdnance.
* [[Shin Megami Tensei]]: [[Strange Journey]]'' has [[Clothes Make the Superman|special suit]] call Demonica ('''DEMO'''untable '''N'''ext '''I'''ntigrated '''C'''apability '''A'''rmor)
* In ''[[Suikoden V]]'', the '''S'''ecret '''A'''lliance for the '''P'''rotection of '''P'''retty '''H'''unks '''I'''n '''R'''eal '''E'''ndangerment exists to both protect and ogle the more attractive male members of your forces.
* This happens far too much in ''[[
* ''[[Fallout 3]]'' loves these.
** Of particular note is the acronym for the role playing system the Fallout series uses, S.P.E.C.I.A.L., developed after negotiations with Wizards of the Coast broke down to use their DND system.
* ''[[Fallout: New Vegas]]'', with the '''F'''ully '''I'''ntegrated '''S'''ecurity '''T'''echnetronic '''O'''fficer, shortened by the Courier to Fisto the Sex Bot.
* ''[[World of Warcraft]]'' has its share, including the '''G'''oblin '''E'''xperimental '''E'''ngineering '''K'''orporation and Gnomish '''N'''utritional '''E'''ffervescent '''R'''emarkably '''D'''elicious '''S'''weets.
** For April Fools Day, 2010, Blizzard announced an enhancement to their player statistics system called the '''E'''quipment '''P'''otency '''E'''quivalenc'''E''' '''N'''umber. Yes, it gets bigger as you get better gear.
** '''B'''elbi's '''E'''yesight '''E'''nhancing '''R'''omance Goggles (replace Belbi with Blix for the Horde version) is a reward for the annual Brewfest festival, which makes other NPC's more "attractive" when you put it on.
** [[FemBot| M.O.T.H.E.R.]] (Matron of Tenacity, Herald of Endless Research) is [[Chrome Champion| a Titanforged watcher]] designed to acquire and store knowledge, [[Magical Computer| a living supercomputer.]]
* ''[[Gears of War]]'' brings us the '''C'''oalition of '''O'''rdered '''G'''overnments. This seems to be acknowledged in-universe, with the soldiers and even politicians calling members of the armed forces ''gears''.
** Likewise, all COG field personnel wear "COGtags", so this has not gone unnoticed by anyone in-universe.
* The '''G'''rant City '''A'''nti '''C'''rime force in ''[[Dead to Rights]]''.
* ''[[
* Classic [[
** SCUMM is also a host for embedded game engines such as '''iMUSE''' (standing for '''I'''nteractive '''MU'''sic '''S'''treaming '''E'''ngine), '''INSANE''' (standing for '''IN'''teractive '''S'''treaming '''AN'''imation '''E'''ngine) [[wikipedia:SCUMM|and others]].
* SCUMM was (briefly) succeeded by the Grim Fandango Engine, GrimE.
* The '''E'''xecutable and '''L'''inkable '''F'''ormat, was originally designed along with '''D'''ebugging '''W'''ith '''A'''ttributed '''R'''ecord '''F'''ormats.
** Although that is more of a a backronym. [
* [[CAVE]] stands for '''C'''omputer '''A'''rt '''V'''isual '''E'''ntertainment.
* [[Command
* In the MMORPG
* ''Wargasm'' is a 1998 RTS, the name of which besides being... unique, is apparently an acronym of '''War''' '''G'''round '''A'''ir '''S'''pecial '''M'''issions.
* ''S.W.I.N.E.'', the name of a 2001 RTS (released as freeware in 2005), stands for '''S'''trategic '''W'''arfare '''I'''n a '''N'''ifty '''E'''nvironment. Unsurprisingly, it involves pigs.
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* In [[Dragon Quest IX]], there's an "Herbalist" accolade presented by the '''H'''erbalist '''I'''nstitute for '''P'''otions, '''P'''oultrices, and '''I'''nvestments in '''E'''xtracts.
* In the Facebook game Mousehunt, one of the traps is called the '''A'''rcane '''C'''apturing '''R'''od '''o'''f '''N'''ever '''Y'''ielding '''M'''ystery.
* KOS-MOS from ''[[
* I'm not sure if this counts, but the Virus Invasion series is often abbreviated VI. When the sixth game came around, it was titled "Virus
* [[Raskulls]] gives us the '''S'''uper '''N'''uclear '''U'''ltra '''G'''em '''G'''rabbing '''L'''aser '''E'''xtraction '''S'''ystem.
* One joke related to [[Porting Disaster|inferior ports]] is that "port" is an acronym for '''P'''iece '''O'''f '''R'''eprogrammed '''T'''rash.
* In ''
* In
* ''[[Free Space]] 2'' has the '''T'''arget '''A'''cquisition and '''G'''uidance Missile.
* ''[[Super Mario Sunshine]]'' has Mario's water-spraying backpack FLUDD, or the '''F'''lash '''L'''iquid '''U'''ltra '''D'''ousing '''D'''evice.
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* Some of the [[Nancy Drew]] video games are known by three-letter nicknames, among them ''Shadow at the Water's Edge'' (SAW) and ''Trail of the Twister'' (TOT).
* In ''Keith Courage in Alpha Zones'', Keith fights for the '''N'''ations of '''I'''nternational '''C'''itizens for '''E'''arth (N.I.C.E.) against the '''B'''eastly '''A'''lien '''D'''udes (B.A.D.).
* In a case of fun with what an acronym stands for instead of what it spells, checkpoints in ''[[Mighty Switch Force!]]'' are indicated by the U.T.D. -- which is a sensible-sounding initialism that you'd expect to stand for something like "Universal Tracking Device." Nope. It stands for "Ugly Twitching Dog."
* In ''[[fault|fault milestone one]]'', {{spoiler|SARA stands for '''S'''ynapse '''A'''rchitecture '''R'''eview and '''A'''ssessment.}}
* The [[Nintendo 3DS]] uses .CIA files–standing for '''C'''itra '''I'''mportable '''A'''rchive–as the default package format for digital distribution, which a homebrew developer cheekily played with by naming their package installer app as [https://github.com/Steveice10/FBI "FBI"]. If the [https://gbatemp.net/threads/nintendo-3ds-source-code-leaked.565819/page-6 leaked Nintendo official documents] were to be believed, Nintendo continued on this theme of naming 3DS software components after government agencies with the '''N'''intendo '''S'''erendipitous '''A'''rchive (NSA).
* In ''[[Yooka-Laylee]]'', the arcade-loving dino Rextro names his company "Amazing Rextro's Software Entertainment".
* To aid in the quest to beat ''[[Super Mario 64]]'' with [[Self-Imposed Challenge|as few presses of the A Button as possible]] a program called '''S'''uper Mario 64 '''T'''echnical '''R'''untime '''O'''bserver and '''O'''bject '''P'''rocessor or STROOP was created to display ''all'' information in the game's memory. This doesn't sound significant, until one realizes the A Button Challenge and bizarre exploits in ''Super Mario 64'' of the type STROOP is meant to find as a whole are largely synonymous with a player who goes by the name Pannenkoek (a type of Dutch pancake), and that "stroop" is Dutch for (pancake) syrup.
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