Apronyms
Apronyms => Apronym Creation => Topic started by: Tony on June 17, 2003, 02:28:34 AM
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Having coined the word recently, I am offered the chance to see it get into the Oxford English Dictionary - provided it comes into usage - so I am trying to ensure it can be found on the web.
APRONYMS
Acronyms' Particularly Relevancy Often Notify Your Meaning Strongly
Following a request for a word to apply to a 'meaningful acronym' I offered Aptonym - but there were objections to this. So I went further and suggested Apronym, as a conflation of the French 'a propos' and acronym, and also offering overtones of 'appropiate'.
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Maybe I should move/mirror the site to apronyms.com! With a page on the meaning and origin of the word of course.
A Phrase Reminiscent Of Name You Made Shorter
A Petite Reminder (Openers Notation) Yields Mnemonic
A Playful Reduction Of Notation Yields Miniature (I'm not too happy with this since it suggests we go from the expansion to the acronym and not vice versa... I'd like to use the word Playful though.)
A Potted Rendition Of Notion Yields Miniature Summary
Anyone's Permitted Ratifying O'Grady's Neologism? Yes, Make Some!
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While we're coining words:
APROVE: To approve an apronym [to be added to the website]
Apronym Passes Rigors Of Vetting/Examination
Not to be confused with the misspelling of approve, of which I DISAPROVE
Its Disastress Incorect Speling, A Por Riter Ofers Vulger Elision
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Angela wrote:
> While we're coining words:
> DISAPROVE
> Its Disastress Incorect Speling, A Por Riter Ofers Vulger Elision
I take it thatg 'disastress' is the clumsiest woman on the face of the earth, who leaves a trail of destruction behind her.
RITER
Rough & Inaccurate, That Expansions Rong
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>>> On 17 June 2003 09:27:47 UTC, Tony wrote:
I take it thatg 'disastress' is the clumsiest woman on the face of the earth, who leaves a trail of destruction behind her.
If damsels can be in distress, must lads be in dister? :)
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Once people note that you've coined a term, it starts to gain currency [with the people who do the books]
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Angela wrote:
> Once people note that you've coined a term, it starts to gain currency [with the people who do the books]
Only if the books are in mint condition - i.e. with no marks on them.
BTW
I've been meaning to complement you on the sterling work you've done on this website.
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> Once people note that you've coined a term, it starts to gain currency [with the people who do the books]
Only if the books are in mint condition - i.e. with no marks on them.
Don't worry, they'll check the term first - you can bank on that.
BTW
I've been meaning to complement you on the sterling work you've done on this website.
Nice of you to show enough interest to pay a compliment. :^)
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Angela wrote:
>> BTW
>> I've been meaning to complement you on the sterling work you've done on this website.
> Nice of you to show enough interest to pay a compliment. :^)
Let's be frank, credit where credit is due, you could have kept all this stuff in a personal cache, but you decided to share it.
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>>> On 20 June 2003 07:41:22 UTC, Tony wrote:
Let's be frank, credit where credit is due, you could have kept all this stuff in a personal cache, but you decided to share it.
I appreciate the kudos, but it wasn't much trouble, and I had to do it on account of its value to the world at large. Besides, this way other people can put their two cents in.
I will probably change every mention of 'acronyms' on the site to 'apronyms' tonight. We could do with more expansions of 'apronyms' for the page headers, and some of the page title apronyms will have to be redone.
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Angela wrote:
> We could do with more expansions of 'apronyms' for the page headers, and some of the page title apronyms will have to be redone.
A Pertinent Riposte Of Nonsense You May Send
A Pertinent Re-interpretation Of Normality Yielding More Sense
A Propos Re-stressing Of Notions Your Meaning Shares
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A Propos Restriction On 'Nyms, You Maintain Semantics.
Acronyms' Prolonged Representations Obviously Near Your Main Subjects
Tony Has Engineered 'A Propos' Reference Onto Name...
...Your Meaning (Shorter) Thus Imitates Meaning (Expanded) Somehow.
...Your Meaning Shouldn't Turn Into Muck Expansion->Skeleton
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A Possibly Ribald Offering, Now Your Mates Smirk
Apt Phrases, Redolent Of Novel Yet Meaningful Sense
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Well, the site is now officially Apronyms. I might have missed a few spots, so if you see a page other than the online stack which still has the old logo, tell me about it. There are a few other things still to be done, but at some time other than 2:17a.m.
We're getting close to 7000 apronyms -- that's 7000 more than anyone had a short while ago. The rest of the world hasn't even heard of apronyms (apronym is currently a googlewhack apart from it not being in the dictionary) and we already have more than 6942 of them.
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>>> On 27 June 2003 14:18:53 UTC, Angela wrote:
(apronym is currently a googlewhack apart from it not being in the dictionary) and we already have more than 6942 of them.
This is an interesting experiment on Google. On the 27th, Google found one page containing 'apronym'. For the past few days it's found two. Now apronym has 97 and apronyms has 110... funny, I always assumed Google would include apronyms in a search for apronym. The 'What is an Apronym?' page at http://apronyms.com/apronym.html is the first on the 'apronym' list, which is great for our purpose of spreading the word.
I wonder how long it will take for the 'apronym' results to catch up with those of more well-known terms such as 'Tony McCoy O'Grady".
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Angela wrote:
> I wonder how long it will take for the 'apronym' results to catch up with those of more well-known terms such as 'Tony McCoy O'Grady".
I am uncatchable
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>>> On 01 July 2003 09:49:58 UTC, Angela wrote:
>>> On 27 June 2003 14:18:53 UTC, Angela wrote:
(apronym is currently a googlewhack apart from it not being in the dictionary) and we already have more than 6942 of them.
I have just put 'apronym' into sherlock and got one hit from Lycos. Sherlock shaded the relevance scale only slghtly.
'Apronyms' got the same result.
If the word one is looking for is on a site devoted to that word why would Sherlock list the relvance as less than 100%?
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>>> On 01 July 2003 10:25:03 UTC, Tony wrote:
If the word one is looking for is on a site devoted to that word why would Sherlock list the relvance as less than 100%?
Sherlock is now a mystery to me... I'm still trying to work out if the Acronyms Sherlock Plugin can be used in Sherlock 3.
(By the way, you might be uncatchable but my namesakes and I are a few hundred Google hits ahead of you.)
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How odd, the number of Google matches has gone down by about 20 each for apronym and apronyms. They must be onto us! :o
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Sorry, was busy, didn't notice until this morning I couldn't scroll down to the fora (due to new layout) and while inspecting the new link table noticed...hey, the logo has changed, and the title!
I think the new title is very fitting, as it incorporates "apt" without falsely implying Tony as the sole contributor. :)
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Jeff Anonymous wrote:
> I think the new title is very fitting, as it incorporates "apt" without falsely implying Tony as the sole contributor. :)
SOLE
Someone Owns Lone Effort
SOLE CONTRIBUTOR
Someone On Lonesome Expands Content Of New Topic, Rebuffing Brilliant Utterances That Others Remit
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>>> On 04 July 2003 23:27:09 UTC, Tony wrote:
SOLE CONTRIBUTOR
Someone On Lonesome Expands Content Of New Topic, Rebuffing Brilliant Utterances That Others Remit
It is often emphasised that there is no 'I' in teamwork. There definitely is one in sole contributor!
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Angela wrote:
It is often emphasised that there is no 'I' in teamwork. There definitely is one in sole contributor!
> On 04 July 2003 23:27:09 UTC, Tony wrote:
> SOLE CONTRIBUTOR
> Someone On Lonesome Expands Content Of New Topic, Rebuffing Brilliant Utterances That Others Remit
Rebutting Incisive & Brilliant
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<angela>I might have missed a few spots</angela>
The submission form has a reference to the "Acronyms Forums" and "Acronymising tips," two features which report to have traded in their C's for P's.
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Acronymising Tips should definitely be Apronymising Tips, I'll change that soon. I'm not so sure about the forums. I think they should still be open for discussing acronyms -- I can't imagine any discussion about acronyms which wouldn't interest us some amount. Most of the discussions here are started by us, and we discuss apronyms, but I don't want to discourage other people from posting because they're not sure if their topic is apronymic enough.
There are a few pages where I've said acronymaniac rather than apronymaniac... I couldn't decide which was best. The pages to do with the ACRONYMS stack still use the old title and logo because the stack has not been renamed. I don't think it will be renamed... that way it can be easily distinguished from the Mac OS X app (previously codenamed aquanyms, now appronyms) which will be called Apronyms.
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Yeah, on second thought, I think the forum should be open to all acronymic discussion. (Why do we call it the "forums" or "fora" anyway, when there is only one forum that I see?)
>>> On 06 July 2003 00:48:32 UTC, Angela wrote:
Acronymising Tips should definitely be Apronymising Tips, I'll change that soon. I'm not so sure about the forums. I think they should still be open for discussing acronyms -- I can't imagine any discussion about acronyms which wouldn't interest us some amount. Most of the discussions here are started by us, and we discuss apronyms, but I don't want to discourage other people from posting because they're not sure if their topic is apronymic enough.
There are a few pages where I've said acronymaniac rather than apronymaniac... I couldn't decide which was best. The pages to do with the ACRONYMS stack still use the old title and logo because the stack has not been renamed. I don't think it will be renamed... that way it can be easily distinguished from the Mac OS X app (previously codenamed aquanyms, now appronyms) which will be called Apronyms.
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Well, there are several threads. :) I've often wondered whether the title should be singular.
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Angela wrote:
> Well, there are several threads.
And we can all pick the one to suit us, as we weave our wordy magic, we just have to try not to be woolly headed and hope others will cotton on to our meaning
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>>> On 06 July 2003 07:48:02 UTC, Tony wrote:
Angela wrote:
> Well, there are several threads.
And we can all pick the one to suit us, as we weave our wordy magic, we just have to try not to be woolly headed and hope others will cotton on to our meaning
I see you're spinning another of those warped yarns where you entwine our chat with some other line of thought according to your whim. It might prove you can string two words together but some might say it's lame and even crapy.
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Angela wrote:
> I see you're spinning another of those warped yarns where you entwine our chat with some other line of thought according to your whim.
> It might prove you can string two words together but some might say it's lame and even crapy.
Ouch, I felt that, but my basic reply is "Stuff and nonsense!"
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Could this be the word we're replacing?
backronym
n. [portmanteau of back + acronym] A word
interpreted as an acronym that was not originally so intended. This
is a special case of what linguists call `back formation'. Examples
are given under BASIC, recursive acronym (Cygnus), Acme, and
mung. Discovering backronyms is a common form of wordplay among
hackers. Compare retcon.
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>>> On 06 July 2003 22:41:57 UTC, Angela wrote:
Could this be the word we're replacing?
backronym
n. [portmanteau of back + acronym] A word
interpreted as an acronym that was not originally so intended. This
is a special case of what linguists call `back formation'. Examples
are given under BASIC, recursive acronym (Cygnus), Acme, and
mung. Discovering backronyms is a common form of wordplay among
hackers. Compare retcon.
Where did you find this and what does it say about the other words? I know 'mung' is a bean, but don't see how that could be connected to an expansion meaning 'a mung bean', and that is how I see apronyms, descriptive of the original meaning of the word, not just using a pronounceable word to suit one's purpose, as in MADD, Mothers Against Drunk Driving are not 'mad' in the accepted sense of the word, and that is why it is not an Apronym.
However I would be interested to see more of the article (or book entry?) you are quoting from.
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http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=backronym
(I had typed more of a reply but the post was rejected as I hadn't typed a name in. Since I'm using Internet Explorer on Windows - not by choice - when I pressed back it had lost everything I'd typed. I think the forums should be changed to show the message form whenever there is an error, so that it can be altered and re-posted without having to go back first.)
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Angela wrote:
> I think the forums should be changed to show the message form whenever there is an error,
> so that it can be altered and re-posted without having to go back first.)
If you wish. I have never had that experience using Netscape or Mail on my iBook, in fact if i press back after getting an eror message I get taken back to the message, and another press even brings me back to the message I have just replied to.
Maybe it's a Windows-only thing.
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I'm pretty sure it is a Windows only thing, or an IE only thing. I've never had that problem on my Mac. But it could just be to do with setup... if a browser is set to always load a page from the server and never use its cache, then it would most likely forget what was in the text field.
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I think backronym has more of a connotation of creating an expansion for something which was mistakenly thought to already be an acronym, while apronyms are just for fun. In any case, apronym and apronyms have more google results than backronym and backronyms respectively.
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I see the distinction as that a backronym (the entry you found on those was from what appeared to be Eric Raymond's jargon file) must be a reexpansion, while an apronym can just as easily be the original expansion. Backronyms are really a subtype of apronyms.
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Backronyms are not necessarily reexpansions... in the case of BASIC and OK they were original expansions but they were created because people already thought (mistakenly) that the words were already acronyms.
I've seen some of the common car-make apronyms referred to as backronyms too.
I just added mention of apronyms to the backronyms pages on a few wikis. :)
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>>> On 06 July 2003 22:04:39 UTC, Tony wrote:
Angela wrote:
> I see you're spinning another of those warped yarns where you entwine our chat with some other line of thought according to your whim.
> It might prove you can string two words together but some might say it's lame and even crapy.
Ouch, I felt that, but my basic reply is "Stuff and nonsense!"
I think you've worsted me now. I don't know if such groan-worthy material should be allowed on the net, it's bad for the oral fibre.
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Angela wrote:
> I think you've worsted me now.
I see trouble looming, I've got a warped mind. It always gets worse after I've sat in this chair for too long.
> I don't know if such groan-worthy material should be allowed on the net, it's bad for the oral fibre.
Would that be akin to dental floss?
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<angela>
Backronyms are not necessarily reexpansions... in the case of BASIC and OK they were original expansions but they were created because people already thought (mistakenly) that the words were already acronyms.
</angela>
That's what I meant. Reexpansions or what are believed to be an expansion. BASIC = Beginners' Allpurpose Symbolic Instruction Code at least makes some sense, i.e. it is a logical apronym, but (there being no original expansion) it is a backronym as it was applied ex post facto and believed to be original. OK = Old Kinderhook in the sense of not literally referring to Martin van Buren (whose friends might have indeed called him OK) really makes no sense. "Oll Korrect" isn't exactly very fitting either, as "OK" is more often used as an affirmitive than a confirmation of accuracy.
<angela>
I just added mention of apronyms to the backronyms pages on a few wikis. :)
</angela>
Wikis are good. I did "liberty cabbage" on Wikipedia.
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Another distinction between apronyms and backronyms is that although, for this site, we usually go from the apronym to the expansion (which is where the back in backronym comes from) an apronym can be formed in the other direction, or more likely, both directions at once. The apronyms QUEST and SMART originally mentioned when Paul asked for a word probably began with the initials for something and then were altered to spell the closest word. I doubt they would be called backronyms.
By the way, this page is interesting: http://c2.com/cgi/wiki?EtymologyOfOkay
(that page also links to one on backronyms, to which I have added a very short description of apronyms which probably looks more like a plug for this site than anything... feel free to alter it.)
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Angela wrote:
> By the way, this page is interesting: http://c2.com/cgi/wiki?EtymologyOfOkay
> (that page also links to one on backronyms, to which I have added a very short description of apronyms which probably looks more like a plug for this site than anything... feel free to alter it.)
I've been to wiki and left a mark or two.
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More on the Google experiment...
I've been monitoring the response to 'apronym' and 'apronyms' every couple of days. Not too long ago there were around 1100 results each for apronym and apronyms. A few days later, about 5000. Today, about 7500 hits for apronyms and 3340 for apronym.
Almost all results are on acronyms.co.nz or apronyms.com (many are probably repeats as they're on both domains), but it looks impressive! :^) Google has found more pages than I even knew existed on the site, and within a few weeks. Go Google! (Go-ogle?)
Even Altscape has mentioned Apronyms - I didn't realise there was any semblance of life still at Altscape. Now I know something has been stirring there recently, since they called it by its new name. See, vanity searching can be useful.
Argh! On the subject of vanity searching, in the last few days Tony has somehow overtaken me. His name has about 200 more Google search results than mine, the opposite of how things used to be.
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Angela wrote:
> Argh! On the subject of vanity searching, in the last few days Tony has somehow overtaken me.
It's the longer legs that allow the overtaking.
LONGER LEGS
Lads Ogle Nicely Grown Extensions, Really Extended = Greater Sexuality (?)
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Maybe longer legs can overtake, but what can longer egs do? Are they particularly verbose examples?
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Angela wrote:
> Maybe longer legs can overtake, but what can longer egs do?
> Are they particularly verbose examples?
I probably shouldn't, but.....
EGS
Employ Giant Strides
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How's this for a catchphrase:
Apronyms - It's bigger than "bigger than Texas"*
*based on number of Google search results.
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Angela wrote:
> How's this for a catchphrase:
> Apronyms - It's bigger than "bigger than Texas"*
> *based on number of Google search results.
What numbers are you getting? 'Texas' brings up more results for me than 'apronyms'.
But if it is true, then
TEXAS
They Even eXceed American State
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>>> On 12 July 2003 15:24:06 UTC, Tony wrote:
Angela wrote:
> How's this for a catchphrase:
> Apronyms - It's bigger than "bigger than Texas"*
> *based on number of Google search results.
What numbers are you getting? 'Texas' brings up more results for me than 'apronyms'.
Aah, but the exact phrase "bigger than Texas" doesn't.
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We can add it to a dictionary ourselves!
http://www.langmaker.com/addnewenglish.htm?
I have not added it yet... who would like to?
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Submitted :)
>>> On 15 July 2003 01:17:08 UTC, Angela wrote:
We can add it to a dictionary ourselves!
http://www.langmaker.com/addnewenglish.htm?
I have not added it yet... who would like to?
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I was searching for 'metrosexual' on the web as it was one of many unsuccessful searches yesterday, and I found another site to add 'apronym' to:
http://www.wordspy.com/index.asp
I haven't done it yet (I have a continuum mechanics assignment to do, an Apronyms app for OS X to finish, and an issue of The Apronym Times to write) any volunteers?
I think Tony should since he has a copy of the document which the neologism was first used in. The site has earliest citations for some of the words. Besides that, Tony thought of it! (Though it was a contraction of something Jeff said.)
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>>> On 02 August 2003 00:54:18 UTC, Angela wrote:
I was searching for 'metrosexual' on the web as it was one of many unsuccessful searches yesterday, and I found another site to add 'apronym' to:
http://www.wordspy.com/index.asp
I haven't done it yet (I have a continuum mechanics assignment to do, an Apronyms app for OS X to finish, and an issue of The Apronym Times to write) any volunteers?
I think Tony should since he has a copy of the document which the neologism was first used in. The site has earliest citations for some of the words. Besides that, Tony thought of it! (Though it was a contraction of something Jeff said.)
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>>> On 06 July 2003 08:59:41 UTC, Angela wrote:
>>> On 06 July 2003 07:48:02 UTC, Tony wrote:
Angela wrote:
> Well, there are several threads.
And we can all pick the one to suit us, as we weave our wordy magic, we just have to try not to be woolly headed and hope others will cotton on to our meaning
I see you're spinning another of those warped yarns where you entwine our chat with some other line of thought according to your whim. It might prove you can string two words together but some might say it's lame and even crapy.
2 things
what is crapy?
Can somebody fix this problem with threads? It keeps opening new windows as I keep on browsing 'next and previous' should not open a new window.
HErmans.Basra
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2 things
what is crapy?
Can somebody fix this problem with threads? It keeps opening new windows as I keep on browsing 'next and previous' should not open a new window.
HErmans.Basra
From my Chambers dictionary:
crepe, n. A think crinkled silk or other fabric formerly usu dyed black and used for mourning clothes; a band of this for putting round a mourner's hat or arm. -- adj made of crape. -- adj crapy.
It's a play on crappy. Not a perfect pun but sew what? :)
I have no problem with the threads opening in new windows on any of my web browsers. Which web browser and OS are you using?
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When I found all the stuff on this thread I thought I'd dyed and gone to heaven!
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APRONYMS
This is very interesting. I'm sure the first part is pronounced as the first part of 'apple' and not as the first part of 'apron'. Right?
>>Acronyms' Particularly Relevancy Often Notify Your Meaning Strongly<<
This is interesting too, but shouldn't 'particularly' be 'particular'?
Maybe I'm wrong. Anyway thank you for and congratulations on the wonderful invention!
Itasan
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Itasan wrote:
> APRONYMS
> This is very interesting. I'm sure the first part is pronounced as the first part of 'apple'
> and not as the first part of 'apron'. Right?
Yes, I tried to merge the French "á propos', so the 'a' is soft as in apple, but it has nothing to do with "Apple" :-)
Tony
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Thank you very much for the kind answer.
I read about this 'apronym' in 'Wikipedia'. The inventor is you, right? I would like to introduce this in a local magazine (English Education). Of course, whether they will accept my manuscript or not is up to them. I'd be very happy if you would give me any further information about this.
Itaru Nagano (inagano@mbg.nifty.com), Japan
>>> On 25 October 2003 21:44:51 UTC, Tony McCoy O'Grady wrote:
Itasan wrote:
> APRONYMS
> This is very interesting. I'm sure the first part is pronounced as the first part of 'apple'
> and not as the first part of 'apron'. Right?
Yes, I tried to merge the French "$B!&(Bpropos', so the 'a' is soft as in apple, but it has nothing to do with "Apple" :-)
Tony
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Itasan wrote:
> Thank you very much for the kind answer.
> I read about this 'apronym' in 'Wikipedia'.
> The inventor is you, right?
Yes. With a little help from other people who regularly bisit this website.
> I would like to introduce this in a local magazine (English Education).
> Of course, whether they will accept my manuscript or not is up to them.
> I'd be very happy if you would give me any further information about this.
Read all the entries on this thread, and also read the thread "Meaningful Acronyms". That should tell you a lot aboput how the word was invented and why it was not slightly different.
After that if you require any further information please ask again.
Thank you for spreading the word.
Tony
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>>> On 26 October 2003 08:47:23 UTC, Tony McCoy O'Grady wrote:
Read all the entries on this thread, and also read the thread "Meaningful Acronyms". That should tell you a lot aboput how the word was invented and why it was not slightly different.
Then I said:
You could also look at http://apronyms.com/apronyms.html which is mostly a summary of (and links to) the threads Tony mentioned.