Apronyms
Apronyms => Apronym Creation => Topic started by: Angela on November 01, 2001, 02:07:02 PM
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I don't know if any of you have read Douglas Adams' and John Lloyd's 'The Meaning of Liff' or 'The Deeper Meaning of Liff' but I have been acronymising some of the words in it. Those of you who have one of the books could do some others, those of you who don't have one of the books should get them. :) I'll type out the preface of 'The Meaning of Liff' here for those of you who don't know the idea behind the books:
In life, there are many hundreds of common experiences, feelings, situations and even objects which we all know and recognize, but for which no words exist. On the other hand, the world is littered with thousands of spare words which spend their time doing nothing but loafing about on signposts pointing at places. Our job, as we see it, is to get these words down off the signposts and into the mouths of babes and sucklings and so on, where they can start earning their keep in everyday conversation and make a more positive contribution to society.
Here are some definitions from 'The Meaning of Liff' along with my expansions.
Ripon (vb.)
(Of literary critics.) To include all the best jokes from the book in the review to make it look as if the critic thought of them.
RIPON: Review Is Plagiarism Of Novel
Clathy (adj.)
Nervously indecisive about how to dispose of a dead lightbulb.
CLATHY: Clutching Lightbulb Anxiously, Thinking, "Here? Yonder?"
Affcot (n.)
The sort of fart you hope people will talk after.
AFFCOT: A Frightful Fart Cuts Off Talking.
There is also a definition/acronym for Liff itself, which is already in the stack and on the website, at http://acronyms.co.nz/gonym?LIFF. That uses the definition from 'The Meaning of Liff' which curiously is different from the definition in 'The Deeper Meaning of Liff', and not just shallower.
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>>> On 01 November 2001 01:07:02 UTC, Angela wrote:
I don't know if any of you have read Douglas Adams' and John Lloyd's 'The Meaning of Liff' or 'The Deeper Meaning of Liff'
No, I haven't. It seems I must be a Liffless lump
LIFFLESS
Lacking In Funny & Frivolous Literature, Erase Smile Signs
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>>> On 02 November 2001 11:00:13 UTC, Tony wrote:
No, I haven't. It seems I must be a Liffless lump
LIFFLESS
Lacking In Funny & Frivolous Literature, Erase Smile Signs
So I typed:
Never fear, many of them are listed at http://www-personal.umd.umich.edu/~nhughes/dna/stories/liff.html
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I am SO going to acronymize some of these.
WYOMING
When You Obviously Moan In Nerdy Gallop.
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You are Soon & Often going to? Or Spiritedly, Overenthusiastically?
Oh, I should point out to Tony and any other lurking HyperCardsters that the definitions we are discussing were stored in a HyperCard stack before being turned into books - so they could all be linked together with the index of meanings I guess. I can't recall exactly where I read that, though. Douglas Adams was a bit of a HyperCard fan.
>>> On 03 November 2001 03:18:36 UTC, Jeff wrote:
I am SO going to acronymize some of these.
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>>> On 03 November 2001 03:18:36 UTC, Jeff wrote:
I am SO going to acronymize some of these.
WYOMING
When You Obviously Moan In Nerdy Gallop.
It's a place, so that should be
Where You Obviously.....
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>>> On 03 November 2001 03:43:37 UTC, Angela Brett wrote:
You are Soon & Often going to? Or Spiritedly, Overenthusiastically?
Some Othertime?
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Actually, Tony, according to 'The Meaning of Liff' it's a participial verb, meaning:
Moving in hurried desperation from one cubicle to another in a public lavatory trying to find one which has a lock on the door, a seat on the bowl, and no brown streaks on the seat.
I suggest that when one of us expands one of these, we should put the accompanying definition with the expansion so that people understand what is being expanded.
>>> On 03 November 2001 10:03:16 UTC, Tony wrote:
It's a place, so that should be
Where You Obviously.....
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Poor Tony...thought I meant the square state to the west of the Nebraska panhandle.
Stupid Oexpander
((I should have not capitalized something I could not expand...goes against custom, and custom defines culture. Ah, balderdash. I'm nonsensical again))
:)
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Here are some more:
HASSOP (n.)
The pocket down the back of an armchair used for storing two-shilling bits and pieces of Lego.
Here Armchair Stores Shillings Or Plastic
I'm not completely happy with that one, it's been sitting on my hard disk unpublished for a while.
GLASSEL (n.)
A seaside pebble which was shiny and interesting when wet, and which is now a lump of rock, which children nevertheless insist on filing their suitcases with after the holiday.
Good-Looking At Sea Side, Elsewhere Lacklustre.
OSHKOSH (n., vb.)
The noise made by someone who has just been grossly flattered and is trying to make light of it.
Oh Shucks, How Kind... Oh, Stop! Hahaha
Well, I'm not too happy with the 'Hahaha' it fits the idea in my head but it doesn't look good in an acronym.
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Angela wrote:
> HASSOP (n.)
> The pocket down the back of an armchair used for storing two-shilling bits and pieces of Lego.
> Here Armchair Stores Shillings Or Plastic
> I'm not completely happy with that one, it's been sitting on my hard disk unpublished for a while.
Try "Sterling" instead - as it is two-shilling bits which get stored, not shillings.
> OSHKOSH (n., vb.)
> The noise made by someone who has just been grossly flattered and is trying to make light of it.
> Oh Shucks, How Kind... Oh, Stop! Hahaha
> Well, I'm not too happy with the 'Hahaha' it fits the idea in my head but it doesn't look good in an acronym.
Try "Humbly" or "Humiliating-me" at the end instead.
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Thanks Tony, they're good suggestions. I'm not sure which to use for the H in OSHKOSH though, I have a feeling there's something better which we haven't thought of yet. Perhaps there could be some Sincere Humility at the end.
I should have been more flattering about your suggestions, so I could have seen how you reacted and got ideas from it. ;)
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BOTUSFLEMING
(A small, long-handled steel trowel used by surgeons to remove the contents of a patient's nostrils prior to a sinus operation.)
Before Operation The Urbane Surgeon Feels Like Extracting Mucus (Including Nasal Gloop)
DUNTISH (adj.)
(Mentally incapacitated by severe hangover. )
Don't Udertake Numeracy Tests If Severely Hungover
FRING (n.)
(The noise made by light bulb which has just shone its last.)
Filament's Rattled - It's Not Glowing
LLANELLI (adj.)
(Descriptive of the waggling movement of a person's hands when shaking water from them or warming up for a piece of workshop theatre.)
Limp-Limbed After Natation - Essay Loosening Liquid Involuntarily
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Great ones, Tony!
I have 81 new acronyms since the last update, which was only a few days ago - consequently I'll be updating the site again very soon!
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<<<<<
FRING (n.)
(The noise made by light bulb which has just shone its last.)
Filament's Rattled - It's Not Glowing
>>>>>
How about "Riven" - it means broken or split, as in "riven in two", which is what happens when a filament blows :)
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>>> On 15 December 2001 03:15:01 UTC, Gavin Lambert wrote:
<<<<<
FRING (n.)
(The noise made by light bulb which has just shone its last.)
Filament's Rattled - It's Not Glowing
>>>>>
How about "Riven" - it means broken or split, as in "riven in two", which is what happens when a filament blows :)
Nice word, but I wanted to include a reference to "The noise made by...."
FEAKLE (vb.) To make facial expressions similar to those that old gentlemen make to young girls in the playground.
Facial Expression Akin-to Kiddie-Leering Elder's
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HOFF (vb.)
(To deny indignantly something which is palpably true. )
Haughty Outrage Feints Falsehood
LUDLOW (n.)
(A wad of newspaper, folded tablenapkin or lump of carboard put under a wobbly table or chair to make it standup straight. It is perhaps not widely known that air-ace Sir Douglas Bader used to get about on an enormous pair of ludlows before he had his artificial legs fitted. )
Leg's Unstable? Deploy Lump Or Wad
LUTON (n.)
(The horseshoe-shaped rug which goes around a lavatory seat. )
Lavatory's Upholstered To One's Needs
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Well, now that I've added Tony's latest Liff-isms, the actors & actresses Rico sent me, and the anonymous ACRONYM, there are 19 more acronyms in the stack than there were a few hours ago when I updated the site and sent out The Acronym Times. That makes 100 new acronyms in the three days since the update before this one. We haven't had such an influx of acronyms since Tony did the Shakespeare characters! I've never had to update the site twice in such a short time.
Maybe it has something to do with the 'silly season' - acronyms are pretty silly.
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Maybe it has something to do with the 'silly season' - acronyms are pretty silly.
The northern hemisphere's 'silly season' is long past, but that doesn't stop the newspapers printing rubbish!
JARROW (adj.)
(An agricultural device which, when towed behind a tractor, enables the farmer to spread his dung evenly across the width of the road.)
Jactate Across Rural Road's Overall Width
KALAMI (n.)
(The ancient Eastern art of being able to fold road-maps properly.)
Korean (?) Artistry Leaves A Map Immaculate
MEATHOP (n.)
(One who sets off for the scene of an aircraft crash with a picnic hamper.)
Meet Each Aircraft Tragedy & Have Obscene Picnic
NAAS (n.)
(The windmaking region of Albania where most of the wine that people take to bottle-parties comes from.)
Noxious Albanian Alcohol's Source
NYBSTER (n.)
(Sort of person who takes the lift to travel one floor.)
Not You, But Short-Trip-Elevator-Rider
OSBASTON (n.)
(A point made for the seventh time to somebody who insisits that they know exactly what you mean but clearly hasn't got the faintest idea. )
One Should Beware A Seven-Times-Over Nincompoop
OSSETT (n.)
(A frilly spare-toilet-roll-cosy.)
Ornate Spare Secretes Extra Toilet Tissue
POPCASTLE (n.)
(Something drawn or modelled by a small child which you are supposed to know wait it is.)
Piece Of Precocious Child's Artwork - Say "That Looks Excellent!"
PITSLIGO (n.)
(Part of traditional mating rite. During the first hot day of spring, all the men in the tube start giving up their seats to ladies and staphanging. The purpose of pitsligo is for them to demonstrate their manhood by displaying the wet patches under their arms.)
People In Tube Straphang - 'Look, I'm Gently Oozing!'
PLEELEY (adj.)
(Descriptive of a drunk person's attempt to be endearing.)
Pickled Lush's Elaborately Endeavours Looking Endearing - Yuk!
SCAMBLEBY (n.)
(A small dog which resembles a throwrug and appears to be dead.)
Small Canine Appears Mat-like By Looking Extinct Beside You
SCORRIER (n.)
(A small hunting dog trained to snuffle amongst your private parts.)
Snuffling Canine - Often Revolting - Rootles In Embarrassing Regions
SCRAMOGE (vb.)
(To cut oneself whilst licking envelopes.)
Small Cut Received After Mishap On Gummed Envelope
SCREGGAN (n.banking)
The crossed-out bit caused by people putting the wrong year on their cheques all through January.
Small Criss-crossed Region Erroneously Generated - Generally After New-year
SIMPRIM (n.)
(The little movement of false modesty by which a girl with a cavernous visible cleavage pulls her skirt down over her knees.)
Skirt Is Modestly Pulling Reveals (Immodestly) Mammaries
SNITTER (n.)
(One of the rather unfunny newspaper clippings pinned to an office wall, the humour of which is supposed to derive from the fact that the headline contains a name similar to that of one of the occupants to the office.)
Small Newspaper Item Twit Thought Exceptionally Ribald
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Those were excellent! I felt I couldn't reply without a few of my own, so:
HASTINGS (pl.n.)
Things said on the spur of the moment to explain to someone who comes into a room unexpectedly precisely what it is you are doing.
Hardly Anything Suspicious - The... Icing Needed Glazing, See?
FROSSES (pl.n.)
The lecherous looks exchanged between sixteen-year-olds at a party given by someone's parents
Folks Really Organise Stupid Stuff, Eh Sista?
or
Folks Really Organise Such Stupid Events... Seeya!
FRANT (n.)
Measure. The legal minimum distance between two trains on the District and Circle line of the London Underground. A frant, which must be not less than 122 chains (or 8 leagues) long, is not connected in any way with the adjective 'frantic' which comes to us by a completely different route (as indeed do the trains).
Fellows Restlessly Await Next Train
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HATHERSAGE (n.)
(The tiny snippets of beard which coat the inside of a washbasin after shaving in it.)
Horrible - All That Hair Everywhere. Rinsing Should Assure General Epilation
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Naction: The 'n' with which cheap advertising copywriters replace the word 'and' (as in 'fish 'n' chips', 'mix 'n' match', 'assault 'n' battery'), in the mistaken belief that this is in some way chummy or endearing.
NACTION: Not And, 'Cause Truly It's Only N