Comments on: Struggle To Remember Exact Word Trick Helpers

Question: Struggle To Remember Exact Word Trick Helpers

ambient2 — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 07:07:13 -0800

Was relating a couple mnemonics to a friend, words or common abbreviations that are spelled by using the first letters of a group of things. Those that came to mind: HOMES for the Great Lakes, A PAIL for types of wounds and ETC for people who attend religious services on Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas. Possibly shoddy Google-fu leaves me unable to find more (not the ROY G BIV variety), but here's hoping the Hive Mind can share some.

By: sciencegeek

sciencegeek — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 07:12:09 -0800

Doctors use a lot of them.

By: inigo2

inigo2 — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 07:14:35 -0800

Something like PEMDAS work for you? (Order of mathematical operations.)

By: mmascolino

mmascolino — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 07:15:19 -0800

God, Everybody Loves Notre Dame
==
Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy
i.e.
The first five books of the Old Testament.

By: unixrat

unixrat — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 07:18:52 -0800

NATO, for computer scientists to remember the order of execution for logical operators: Not, And to Or

By: Tapioca

Tapioca — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 07:22:44 -0800

PANIC for electrode names

Positive: Anode, Negative Is Cathode

CIVIL for electronics

in a Capacitor the I (current) leads Voltage, Voltage leads I (current) in an inductor L

By: The Confessor

The Confessor — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 07:23:22 -0800

Music educators, at least those who have the time and budget with elementary-age children to go beyond rhythm notations pounded out with sticks of wood, and progress to teaching the notes on the treble clef staff using recorders or xylophones, can use simple mnemonics to teach the notes.

Tones notated between the lines on the staff are, from bottom up, F-A-C-E, or "face".

The memorization mechanism for tones notated upon the five lines on the staff (E-G-B-D-F) isn't quite as simple; my teacher back in second grade (Mr. Nicotera; an awesome teacher all around) used what (given your definition of mnemonic) might be called a reverse mnemonic to teach it: Every Good Boy Does Fine.

By: box

box — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 07:23:57 -0800

When I was in the Boy Scouts, they gave us the mnemonic I'M NO WIMP to help us remember the states that border the Great Lakes. Illinois, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Wisconsin, Indiana, Minnesota, Pennsylvania.

By: littlecatfeet

littlecatfeet — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 07:26:22 -0800

The seven deadly sins: WASPLEG = Wrath, Avarice, Sloth, Pride, Lust, Envy, Gluttony.

By: adamrice

adamrice — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 07:36:48 -0800

"Oh be a fine girl kiss me (right now, smack)" for the sequence of stars OBAFGKM; RNS are more exotic and not part of the original mnemonic, I think.

By: nomisxid

nomisxid — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 07:48:10 -0800

In Seattle, they have JCMSUP for remembering the streets of core downtown, Jesus Christ Built Seattle Under Protest

Jefferson, James, Cherry, Columbia, Marion, Madison, Spring, Seneca, University, Union, Pike, Pine

Note that each letter represents two streets, unlike a normal mnemonic.

By: Doofus Magoo

Doofus Magoo — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 07:56:36 -0800

King Philip Came Over From Genus Species (I know, wtf): Kingdom Phylum Class Order Family Genus Species. There's also this variant.

Mother Very Eagerly Made Jelly Sandwiches Under No Protest: Mercury Venus Earth Mars Jupiter Saturn Uranus Neptune Pluto

We also had one for the various geologic ages (Cambrian, Devonian, etc.); I can't remember what we used, but here's a compilation of them.

Finally, here's a whole mess of them across a variety of disciplines.

By: Miko

Miko — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 08:01:07 -0800

King Philip Came Over From Genus Species

Makes more sense the way I learned it: King Philip Called Out Fifty Good Soldiers.

That's a different kind of mnemonic, though, than the kind in which the first letters of the items to remember spell an unrelated word or words. I think the OP was looking for those.

I'm confused by why you say "not the ROY G BIV variety" because it seems like what you mean. do you mean it needs to be a legitimate word already? So for instance, GIGO wouldn't count because the letters don't form a familiar word?

By: soelo

soelo — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 08:01:21 -0800

I always use "Please come over for games & snacks" to remember Phlyum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species

I'm curious as to why you would not include ROY G BIV in your list. A mnemonic is any memory aid, so both acronyms (initials that spell words) and phrases that share the same initials as a list would qualify as mnemonic.

And here is a whole dictionary of them.

By: trip and a half

trip and a half — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 08:07:31 -0800

I learned it, "King Philip Came Over From Germany Sick"

By: Seboshin

Seboshin — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 08:13:07 -0800

I was taught "Kings Play Chess On Fat Green Stools"

For property taxes, "No Darn Foolin' Around" for the due/late dates (November-December, February-April)

By: monocot

monocot — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 08:13:23 -0800

Another variant: "King plays chess on fine-grained sand."

By: stray

stray — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 08:14:21 -0800

I like mine better: Keep Putting Clothes On For Goodness Sakes

By: cobaltnine

cobaltnine — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 08:17:43 -0800

OP is looking for mnemonics that are *words*, so a lot of these aren't what s/he's looking for.

Doctors do use a lot. The hospital itself does, too. PASS is for the fire extinguishers (Pull Aim Squeeze Spray) and RACE is for evacuating (Rescue Alarm Confine Extinguish). Right now I have a big pile of PSST! pamphlets, which I don't know if it counts - Protect / Signs / Symptoms / Treatment (for the 'flu). Within that is CHIRP, (Cover cough, Healthy Hands, Isolation, Reduce Germs, [make] Prepare plans).

By: Midnight Rambler

Midnight Rambler — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 08:22:33 -0800

King Phillip Comes Over For Good Sex.

Discussion over.

By: sineala

sineala — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 08:24:28 -0800

I can't find my copy here to check, but Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge: The Book of Mnemonic Devices is very thorough and probably has a lot of the word-like ones, as it has a lot of everything.

By: Sidhedevil

Sidhedevil — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 08:29:37 -0800

King Phillip Came Over For Grape Soda, is how I learned it. And I use this mnemonic about once a week, unlike Big Chief SOHCAHTOA, which I never use.

Another one I encounter a lot is the 12-step mnemonic HALT, which reminds one not to engage in {behavior} when one is Hungry, Angry, Lonely, or Tired.

By: trip and a half

trip and a half — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 08:33:12 -0800

On point, there's always NEWS for the points of the compass.

By: Gungho

Gungho — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 08:35:13 -0800

I recently used PCMCIA during a rather ridiculous phone interview for a tech job where the interviewer kept asking me about computer industry acronyms. PCMCIA - People can't memorize computer industry acronyms. (BTW He didn't know that they are now called PC cards... needless to say it isn't nice to show up the interviewer)

By: tryniti

tryniti — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 08:36:06 -0800

"Kingwood High Does Math/Geometry/Literature During Class Monday" for the more common metric prefixes: Kilo-, Hecto-, Deka- meter/gram/liter, Deci, Centi, Milli.

By: Eicats

Eicats — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 08:42:23 -0800

at school, my son was taught "never-eat-soggy-wheaties" for North, South, East, West

By: Turtles all the way down

Turtles all the way down — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 08:57:14 -0800

My favorite medical one: Some Say Marry Money But My Brother Says Big Boobs Matter Most

--for whether the cranial nerves from I to XII are Motor, Sensory, or Both.

I made up one myself to remember the streets, in order, between Burrard and Denman in Vancouver: Three Beautiful Jerks Brought Nicola's Car Bid Down

Thurlow, Bute, Jervis, Broughton, Nicola, Cardero, Bidwell, Denman.

By: frecklefaerie

frecklefaerie — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 09:04:27 -0800

Out of the blue the other day I remembered, "Fat Cats Go Dancing After Eating Breakfast" for the order of sharps in music writing. Folks upthread talked about "FACE" and "Every Good Boy Does Fine" on the treble clef. For the bass clef it is "Good Boys Do Fine Always" for the lines. There are a bunch more of music related mnemonics found on this website.

By: illenion

illenion — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 09:05:59 -0800

What to do for strains/sprains: RICE, or Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation.

Also, the one nomisxid is referring to is "Jesus Christ Made Seattle Under Protest."

By: consummate dilettante

consummate dilettante — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 09:09:10 -0800

I'm finding the variations (regional?) fascinating. I have never heard of PEMDAS before today, but had been taught BEDMAS in two different schools.

And while King Philip Comes Over For Good Sex is clearly the winner, I learned it as King Philip Came Over For Good Spaghetti.

I learned NEWS and Never Eat Shredded Wheat for the points on the compass, but preferred the latter since it actually gave you the points in clockwise order.

By: chrisamiller

chrisamiller — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 09:46:44 -0800

You all are insane. The best taxonomy mneumonic is:

Kinky People Can Orgasm From Great Sex

Learn it, love it, live it.

By: fiercecupcake

fiercecupcake — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 10:09:35 -0800

I learned King Henry Dropped Over Dead Converting Metrics, where O for over is zero (the base unit).

If you have a sick stomach, try the BRAT diet: bananas, rice, applesauce, and toast.

My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nine Pizza-pies is the planets in order (viva Pluto!).

By: zamboni

zamboni — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 10:17:00 -0800

This sort of thing has a long history. If you want to kick it medieval theologian style, go with Saligia.

An early record of it is quoted in an edition of a work by Bartholomeis (Ostiensis or Hostiensis) who died in 1271. He explained the order as follows:–

"Sed et vij sunt principalia vitia, s[cilicet] Superbia, Accidia, Luxuria, Ira, Gula, Invidia, Avaricia. Unde ver[sus] Dat septem vitia dictio saligia."

Saligia is then a shuffling of the initial letters of the names of the Seven Capital Sins so as to form an artificial catchword, a compendious mnemonic.

By: LolaGeek

LolaGeek — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 10:24:08 -0800

Just to add one more option for Phylum Class Order Family Genus Species, I learned "Please Come Over For Gay Sex" from TV Funhouse (they had some other mnemonic devices, too), and it truly helped me in biology class.

By: EmpressCallipygos

EmpressCallipygos — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 10:59:22 -0800

The memorization mechanism for tones notated upon the five lines on the staff (E-G-B-D-F) isn't quite as simple; my teacher back in second grade (Mr. Nicotera; an awesome teacher all around) used what (given your definition of mnemonic) might be called a reverse mnemonic to teach it: Every Good Boy Does Fine.

I heard it as "Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge." I took piano, too, so I had to learn two different staffs of music -- one for each hand -- and in the bass staff, the notes on the five lines were G, B, D, F, and A, for which I was given the mnemonic, "Good Boys Deserve Fudge Always."

In England, sometimes the first one is rendered as "Every Good Boy Deserves Favour," a phrase which Tom Stoppard nicked for the title of one of his plays.

By: EmpressCallipygos

EmpressCallipygos — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 11:00:54 -0800

Oh, and the spaces on the bass staff? A, C, E, and G, which you remember with the phrase "All Cows Eat Grass."

By: xbonesgt

xbonesgt — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 11:04:21 -0800

Certain verbs in the French language are treated differently than others when used in the past tense; the first letters of those verbs can be arranged to form the phrase "DR + MRS VANDERTRAMP". (hell if I can remember which verbs those are now, but I the name of the good doctor and his wife has stuck with me.)

also, I learned it as "King Philip Came Over From Great Spain"

By: kirkaracha

kirkaracha — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 11:26:25 -0800

The Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001 ("USA PATRIOT Act").

By: itsjustanalias

itsjustanalias — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 14:37:40 -0800

Mr Stockdale, my very strange A level chemistry teacher just made the chemical symbols for the first row of the transition elements into a word... I still remember it 25 years later (although the mental image of him capering around while almost singing it probably helps).

Sctivcrmnfeconicuzn (skuh-tiv-cruh-muhn-feh-cony-cousin).

Scandium Titanium Vanadium Chromium Manganese Iron Cobalt Nickel Copper Zinc.

By: Miko

Miko — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 15:01:55 -0800

I forgot the FAN BOYS; for conjunctions:

For And Nor But Or Yet So semicolon

By: soelo

soelo — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 10:31:45 -0800

Trigonometry: SOH CAH TOA
Sine = opposite/hypotenuse
Cosine = adjacent/hypotenuse
Tangent = opposite/adjacent

Which means that in a right triangle the sine of one of the acute angles is the measure of the opposite side over the measure of the hypotenuse.