It's FUBAR, sir! Stay frosty, private!
December 21, 2011 8:26 AM Subscribe
FUBAR, SNAFU, any others? Do other languages have acronyms that have become embedded words within their vernacular?
Open to hear more English-based acronyms, but really focused on if other languages have and use them. A friend who is fluent in Spanish was stumped when I asked him, so, let it fly (with translations, please!)
Open to hear more English-based acronyms, but really focused on if other languages have and use them. A friend who is fluent in Spanish was stumped when I asked him, so, let it fly (with translations, please!)
MILF. At least in the past decade. Who knows if it will have staying power.
posted by Brodiggitty at 8:35 AM on December 21, 2011
posted by Brodiggitty at 8:35 AM on December 21, 2011
I was just reading about this the other day! From Wikipedia:
German
German tends toward acronyms that use syllables rather than letters—such as Gestapo rather than GSP (for Geheime Staatspolizei, secret state police); Flak rather than FAK (for Fliegerabwehrkanone, anti-aircraft gun); Kripo rather than KP (for Kriminalpolizei, detective division police). The extension of such contraction to a pervasive or whimsical degree has been mockingly labeled AbKüFi (for Abkürzfimmel, strange habit of abbreviating). Examples of AbKüFi include Vokuhila (for vorne kurz, hinten lang, short in the front, long in the back, i.e., a mullet).
posted by amicamentis at 8:35 AM on December 21, 2011 [10 favorites]
German
German tends toward acronyms that use syllables rather than letters—such as Gestapo rather than GSP (for Geheime Staatspolizei, secret state police); Flak rather than FAK (for Fliegerabwehrkanone, anti-aircraft gun); Kripo rather than KP (for Kriminalpolizei, detective division police). The extension of such contraction to a pervasive or whimsical degree has been mockingly labeled AbKüFi (for Abkürzfimmel, strange habit of abbreviating). Examples of AbKüFi include Vokuhila (for vorne kurz, hinten lang, short in the front, long in the back, i.e., a mullet).
posted by amicamentis at 8:35 AM on December 21, 2011 [10 favorites]
Reporting a negative with the Hindi and Marathi languages (and it should be safe to say Urdu as well). Acronyms in the above languages take the first syllables from the words (For example, Maharashtra Police = MaPo). Despite this, I have never heard acronyms used in spoken usage, even official ones (except ones imported from English, such as FBI or NASA).
Sanskrit, I believe, extensively abbreviated long words and sentences to form shorter, more convenient words that would be repeated later, this process being in itself a grammatical construct. I'm afraid I'm no expert on the subject though.
Here's a couple English ones:
ASAP
AFAIK [only I use this one, afaik]
posted by Senza Volto at 8:39 AM on December 21, 2011 [2 favorites]
Sanskrit, I believe, extensively abbreviated long words and sentences to form shorter, more convenient words that would be repeated later, this process being in itself a grammatical construct. I'm afraid I'm no expert on the subject though.
Here's a couple English ones:
ASAP
AFAIK [only I use this one, afaik]
posted by Senza Volto at 8:39 AM on December 21, 2011 [2 favorites]
Ooh, and AWOL.
posted by Senza Volto at 8:40 AM on December 21, 2011
posted by Senza Volto at 8:40 AM on December 21, 2011
NIMBY is a great acronym-cum-word (Not In My Back Yard). I'm not sure if it's really become a part of the vernacular, but it's been around for a long time.
posted by Elly Vortex at 8:40 AM on December 21, 2011
posted by Elly Vortex at 8:40 AM on December 21, 2011
Best answer: Hebrew acronyms.
Russian also has a large number of syllabic contractions, thanks to the Soviet predilection for them. "Kolhoz," "gulag," "Comintern," "Komsomol" are all syllable-based acronyms.
posted by griphus at 8:41 AM on December 21, 2011
Russian also has a large number of syllabic contractions, thanks to the Soviet predilection for them. "Kolhoz," "gulag," "Comintern," "Komsomol" are all syllable-based acronyms.
posted by griphus at 8:41 AM on December 21, 2011
I can't personally vouch for this, but I had a linguistics professor once tell me that in France, sweatshirts were sometimes referred to as (yew-kla) shirts because of the popularity of UCLA sweatshirts.
In Mexico, supporters of the PRD party are referred to as "perredistas."
posted by Gilbert at 8:42 AM on December 21, 2011
In Mexico, supporters of the PRD party are referred to as "perredistas."
posted by Gilbert at 8:42 AM on December 21, 2011
Not got any for other languages, but one for English would be PIN (personal identification number).
posted by Scottie_Bob at 8:47 AM on December 21, 2011
posted by Scottie_Bob at 8:47 AM on December 21, 2011
Agreed with griphus on the Hebrew. In hebrew, all acronynms I can think of are words that are new words formed from the acronym-ing. And there are MANY. But they don't really do the letter thing-like FBI. They're FBI is called SHABAK, which is the שירות הביטחון הכללי, Sherut HaBitachon HaKlali-but only English speakers would refer to it as the Shin-Bet.
posted by atomicstone at 8:50 AM on December 21, 2011
posted by atomicstone at 8:50 AM on December 21, 2011
Their. Not They're. Ugh
posted by atomicstone at 8:52 AM on December 21, 2011
posted by atomicstone at 8:52 AM on December 21, 2011
This is kind of off-topic, but I had a German teacher in college from Switzerland, and he saw Saving Private Ryan and heard FUBAR as furchtbar (pronounced something like foe-EEKT-bar and meaning terrible or awful) and thought they were speaking German and got really excited. According to Urban Dictionary, this is fairly common (see #3).
posted by jabes at 8:58 AM on December 21, 2011
posted by jabes at 8:58 AM on December 21, 2011
Also WASP, NATO, UNICEF, ASCII, GUI and AIDS (SIDA in Spanish)
posted by argonauta at 9:03 AM on December 21, 2011
posted by argonauta at 9:03 AM on December 21, 2011
NEET is a good one because it's a japanese-made acronym... in english
posted by MangyCarface at 9:06 AM on December 21, 2011
posted by MangyCarface at 9:06 AM on December 21, 2011
FIFA is French for Federation Internationale de Football Association.
(International Association Football [Soccer] Federation).
posted by dfriedman at 9:09 AM on December 21, 2011 [1 favorite]
(International Association Football [Soccer] Federation).
posted by dfriedman at 9:09 AM on December 21, 2011 [1 favorite]
Best answer: In Swahili, the word for AIDS is "Ukimwi", which is also an acronym just like AIDS, but as you can see from that Wikipedia entry is not typically written in all caps, and is used as just a regular word. I think it helps that starting with a U makes it seem to fit in the abstract noun class, which is appropriate for a disease name.
posted by rkent at 9:09 AM on December 21, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by rkent at 9:09 AM on December 21, 2011 [1 favorite]
Actually, I think it's International Federation of Association Football, rendered in English.
posted by dfriedman at 9:11 AM on December 21, 2011
posted by dfriedman at 9:11 AM on December 21, 2011
If you're willing to sort through, there's Wikipedia lists for each of the letters of the alphabet. Search for (a) in the pages to find the acronyms, there's probably dozens in there that are common-use types.
posted by Senza Volto at 9:12 AM on December 21, 2011
posted by Senza Volto at 9:12 AM on December 21, 2011
Many Spanish companies are referred to by their pronounced acronyms: FNAC, RENFRE, MAPFRE etc.
posted by vacapinta at 9:21 AM on December 21, 2011
posted by vacapinta at 9:21 AM on December 21, 2011
Spanish does this a lot with large corporations, iirc.
posted by elizardbits at 9:23 AM on December 21, 2011
posted by elizardbits at 9:23 AM on December 21, 2011
Best answer: There's also OVNI which is the Spanish equivalent of UFO but pronounced Ov-nee rather than spelled out.
posted by vacapinta at 9:24 AM on December 21, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by vacapinta at 9:24 AM on December 21, 2011 [1 favorite]
derp derp. preview.
posted by elizardbits at 9:24 AM on December 21, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by elizardbits at 9:24 AM on December 21, 2011 [1 favorite]
The term RADAR was coined in 1940 by the United States Navy as an acronym for radio detection and ranging.
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 9:26 AM on December 21, 2011
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 9:26 AM on December 21, 2011
Professional lingo is full of this stuff. I'm a cataloging librarian, and you'd think we were talking a different language in our meetings with all the acronyms flying around. PAC (Public Access Catalog) or OPAC (Online Public Access Catalog), MARC (MAchine Readable Code), FRBR and FRAD, LoC, DDC, LCSH, RDA, and on and on.
posted by rabbitrabbit at 9:30 AM on December 21, 2011
posted by rabbitrabbit at 9:30 AM on December 21, 2011
What about RSVP (Répondez, s'il vous plait)?
Not an acronym, unless you've heard it pronounced "ressvip" or something.
posted by kindall at 9:33 AM on December 21, 2011
Not an acronym, unless you've heard it pronounced "ressvip" or something.
posted by kindall at 9:33 AM on December 21, 2011
Head MFWIC: Mother F* What In Charge
Apparently of military origin. Pronounced like miff-wick...
posted by jim in austin at 9:34 AM on December 21, 2011 [1 favorite]
Apparently of military origin. Pronounced like miff-wick...
posted by jim in austin at 9:34 AM on December 21, 2011 [1 favorite]
In Neal Stephenson's wonderfully anachronistic novel The Confusion, an Indian member of a group of investors mentions the importance of having a batna. The lead character wonders what this heathen word means in English and what kind of connotations it has in Indian culture, before the Indian clarifies that it's an acronym for Best Alternative To a Negotiated Agreement.
The word was actually coined in 1981 by a pair of business consultants/writers.
posted by infinitewindow at 9:35 AM on December 21, 2011
The word was actually coined in 1981 by a pair of business consultants/writers.
posted by infinitewindow at 9:35 AM on December 21, 2011
Best answer: The Japanese create English acronyms quite a lot. The Japanese equivalent to NASA is called JAXA which stands for "Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency". That's not just their name internationally; it's their name inside of Japan.
The equivalent to an English acronym for Japanese is to take the first syllable of three or four words (or rarely, two or five) and pull them together into a single term. (For instance, "yosedome".) These are extremely common. Some of them last for a very long time; many last just a few years. (Or months, or minutes.)
Popular singing groups routinely get these. Morning Musume is a famous and popular idol franchise and it's known as momusu.
One of my favorite examples of this kind of term is "yaoi" (pronounced yah-oh-ee), which refers to a kind of manga (and anime) porn featuring homosexual men. The emphasis is on fan service and action, with characterization and story being minimal. The primary target audience in Japan is middle-aged women. The term is an acronym of yama nashi, ochi nashi, imi nashi which means "No climax, no point, no meaning".
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 9:35 AM on December 21, 2011 [3 favorites]
The equivalent to an English acronym for Japanese is to take the first syllable of three or four words (or rarely, two or five) and pull them together into a single term. (For instance, "yosedome".) These are extremely common. Some of them last for a very long time; many last just a few years. (Or months, or minutes.)
Popular singing groups routinely get these. Morning Musume is a famous and popular idol franchise and it's known as momusu.
One of my favorite examples of this kind of term is "yaoi" (pronounced yah-oh-ee), which refers to a kind of manga (and anime) porn featuring homosexual men. The emphasis is on fan service and action, with characterization and story being minimal. The primary target audience in Japan is middle-aged women. The term is an acronym of yama nashi, ochi nashi, imi nashi which means "No climax, no point, no meaning".
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 9:35 AM on December 21, 2011 [3 favorites]
NATO
There is also a French acronym for this organization, and I believe that the full official acronym is NATO/OTAN - OTAN stands for Organisation du Traité de l'Atlantique Nord. All of their planes have NATO/OTAN on the tails and I believe official communications all use both acronyms but I can't find any letterhead around the office to say for sure.
posted by backseatpilot at 9:43 AM on December 21, 2011
There is also a French acronym for this organization, and I believe that the full official acronym is NATO/OTAN - OTAN stands for Organisation du Traité de l'Atlantique Nord. All of their planes have NATO/OTAN on the tails and I believe official communications all use both acronyms but I can't find any letterhead around the office to say for sure.
posted by backseatpilot at 9:43 AM on December 21, 2011
Wikipedia: Japanese abbreviated and contracted words
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 9:51 AM on December 21, 2011
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 9:51 AM on December 21, 2011
Response by poster: All great stuff, folks.. keep it coming, especially the foriegn language ones. We were stumped. But I'm staying away from industry-specific acronyms.. all industries have those.. (I could have a conversation without using an actual word, and just acronyms in my industry)
Looking for things that are more of less every day venacular, or widespread enough. And we all know the texting/internet ones, so not really looking for those.
amicamentis' German examples are excellent, although not 'true' acronyms - being more of syllabolic contractions. And organization names are commonplace, but still refer to the organization.
If you think about 'snafu,' as something that has taken on an actual dictionary meaning as a word based on the original acronym...
posted by rich at 9:55 AM on December 21, 2011
Looking for things that are more of less every day venacular, or widespread enough. And we all know the texting/internet ones, so not really looking for those.
amicamentis' German examples are excellent, although not 'true' acronyms - being more of syllabolic contractions. And organization names are commonplace, but still refer to the organization.
If you think about 'snafu,' as something that has taken on an actual dictionary meaning as a word based on the original acronym...
posted by rich at 9:55 AM on December 21, 2011
Confirming what people have said above SIDA (AIDS) is used in both Spanish & French as is OVNI (UFO).
Both languages also refer to the UN as ONU (Organisation de Nations Unies / Organisación de Naciones Unidas).
The South American economic and trade bloc is known as Mercosur / Mercosul (Mercado Común del Sur / Mercado Comum do Sul) in Spanish & Portugese respectively.
On the English front, don't forget Yuppie and its variations.
posted by jontyjago at 10:01 AM on December 21, 2011
Both languages also refer to the UN as ONU (Organisation de Nations Unies / Organisación de Naciones Unidas).
The South American economic and trade bloc is known as Mercosur / Mercosul (Mercado Común del Sur / Mercado Comum do Sul) in Spanish & Portugese respectively.
On the English front, don't forget Yuppie and its variations.
posted by jontyjago at 10:01 AM on December 21, 2011
I can't remember a lot of them, but in Chinese you'll get abbreviated terms that use the first character of each word. The first one I thought of was 科幻, which is an abbreviation of 科学幻想 or science fiction (think the linguistic equivalent of sci-fi). Some others preserve less of the original meaning, making them much more connotative. There are also weird amalgamations of Latin and Chinese characters, like U盘 (pronounced you-pan) for a USB flash drive (the 盘 can mean tray or disc).
posted by Tubalcain at 10:03 AM on December 21, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by Tubalcain at 10:03 AM on December 21, 2011 [1 favorite]
Mexico City is referred to in Mexico as 'el defe,' from DF (Distrito Federal, the official name).
posted by expialidocious at 10:07 AM on December 21, 2011
posted by expialidocious at 10:07 AM on December 21, 2011
We use "risvip" as a verb for RSVP, but we're not francophone.
posted by sagwalla at 10:12 AM on December 21, 2011
posted by sagwalla at 10:12 AM on December 21, 2011
Hebrew acronyms actually extend to names, to the point that many famous Rabbis (or important figures) are better known by the acronyms than the real name.
Rambam: Rabbi Moses ben Maimonides
Ramban: Rabbi Moses ben Nachman, aka Nachmanides
Rashi: Rabbi Shlomo Itzschak
Rashbi: Rabbi Sim(e)on bar Yochai
Besht: Baal Shem Tov (Master of the Good Name), Rabbi Yisoael ben Eliezer
Gra (even more commonly known as the Vilna Gaon): Gaon Rabbenu Eliyahu
Arizal: Rabbi Yitzchak Luria. "Zal" means "may his memory be a blessing" or "of blessed memory" and is itself an acronym.
Chazal: the collection Talmud sages. The acronym means "our sages of blessed memory."
Maharal: Our Teacher the Rabbi Loew (Moreinu ha-Rav Loew)
Radak: Rabbi David Kimchi
(some other Rabbis are better known by the title of their most famous book--the Chofetz Chaim, for instance--but you didn't so much ask about that).
You also have acronyms used after people's names, as honorifics. You have a good summary here. For the living, you have things like sh'lita (for a good, long life), and you often hear people saying some Rabbi's name, "sh'lita, a wonderful man..."
Many Talmudic and halachic terms are acronyms. "Akum" (non-Jew or idol worshipper, depending on the context) is one.
posted by flibbertigibbet at 10:28 AM on December 21, 2011 [2 favorites]
Rambam: Rabbi Moses ben Maimonides
Ramban: Rabbi Moses ben Nachman, aka Nachmanides
Rashi: Rabbi Shlomo Itzschak
Rashbi: Rabbi Sim(e)on bar Yochai
Besht: Baal Shem Tov (Master of the Good Name), Rabbi Yisoael ben Eliezer
Gra (even more commonly known as the Vilna Gaon): Gaon Rabbenu Eliyahu
Arizal: Rabbi Yitzchak Luria. "Zal" means "may his memory be a blessing" or "of blessed memory" and is itself an acronym.
Chazal: the collection Talmud sages. The acronym means "our sages of blessed memory."
Maharal: Our Teacher the Rabbi Loew (Moreinu ha-Rav Loew)
Radak: Rabbi David Kimchi
(some other Rabbis are better known by the title of their most famous book--the Chofetz Chaim, for instance--but you didn't so much ask about that).
You also have acronyms used after people's names, as honorifics. You have a good summary here. For the living, you have things like sh'lita (for a good, long life), and you often hear people saying some Rabbi's name, "sh'lita, a wonderful man..."
Many Talmudic and halachic terms are acronyms. "Akum" (non-Jew or idol worshipper, depending on the context) is one.
posted by flibbertigibbet at 10:28 AM on December 21, 2011 [2 favorites]
In Mexico, in addition to PRD, you also have priistas/priismo, adherents and the philosophy, respectively, of the Partido Revolucionario Institucional, which was the party in power from 1929 to 2000.
And similarly in Brazil, the Workers Party (Partido dos Trabalhadores, PT) has given rise to the independent words petismo and petistas.
posted by drlith at 10:28 AM on December 21, 2011
And similarly in Brazil, the Workers Party (Partido dos Trabalhadores, PT) has given rise to the independent words petismo and petistas.
posted by drlith at 10:28 AM on December 21, 2011
"Okay" may be an acronym of sorts. It's unusual because it's essentially L33t speak from the early 1800's, when people would deliberately use mis-spelled abbreviations. Okay (OK) probably was short for "All Correct" (Oll Korrect being the creative spelling).
Reference.
posted by justkevin at 10:41 AM on December 21, 2011
Reference.
posted by justkevin at 10:41 AM on December 21, 2011
Oh! Quebecois French: PQ is the Parti Quebecois, a separatist party.
Péquiste is an adjective meaning a PQ supporter, or anything having to do with the PQ.
posted by flibbertigibbet at 10:50 AM on December 21, 2011
Péquiste is an adjective meaning a PQ supporter, or anything having to do with the PQ.
posted by flibbertigibbet at 10:50 AM on December 21, 2011
Russian is like German in that acronyms are spoken as words.
posted by k8t at 11:07 AM on December 21, 2011
posted by k8t at 11:07 AM on December 21, 2011
Best answer: In France, le SMIC ("smeek" as opposed to "es-em-ee-say") is the minimum wage or the "salaire minimum interprofessionnel de coissance."
posted by jph at 11:42 AM on December 21, 2011
posted by jph at 11:42 AM on December 21, 2011
Russian:
Cheka, the first secret police under the soviets was short for Vecheka, which was an acronym. After that, it seems that the secret police simply went with letter acronyms: NKVD, MGB, KGB, and now the FSB in modern Russia.
The GRU is their military intelligence service.
The Polish special forces are known as GROM, which is a straight, letter per letter acronym.
Also, I'm surprised no one has mentioned Interpol.
posted by Hactar at 12:13 PM on December 21, 2011
Cheka, the first secret police under the soviets was short for Vecheka, which was an acronym. After that, it seems that the secret police simply went with letter acronyms: NKVD, MGB, KGB, and now the FSB in modern Russia.
The GRU is their military intelligence service.
The Polish special forces are known as GROM, which is a straight, letter per letter acronym.
Also, I'm surprised no one has mentioned Interpol.
posted by Hactar at 12:13 PM on December 21, 2011
Best answer: In the Netherlands you have the word horeca (ho-rae-ka), which comes from hotel restaurant cafe. I guess it would translate to the food services industry or something like that in English. It's an everyday word and you'll hear it in the news regularly, and if someone works (for instance) as a waiter they can say they work "in the horeca".
posted by bjrn at 12:36 PM on December 21, 2011
posted by bjrn at 12:36 PM on December 21, 2011
Oh, and another one. In Sweden (or at least the south of it), there's the insult "fubbik", or possibly "fubbick" (fu-beek), which is kind of the same as "retard". It comes from the Swedish FUB, an association for children, and adults with some sort mental retardation.
posted by bjrn at 12:44 PM on December 21, 2011
posted by bjrn at 12:44 PM on December 21, 2011
POSSLQ
(Person of opposite sex sharing living quarters)
Pronounced Posselkew.
posted by mmf at 12:47 PM on December 21, 2011
(Person of opposite sex sharing living quarters)
Pronounced Posselkew.
posted by mmf at 12:47 PM on December 21, 2011
Best answer: QANTAS is reasonably well known globally.
DINK - Double Income No Kids is well known in Australia at least.
posted by trialex at 12:51 PM on December 21, 2011
DINK - Double Income No Kids is well known in Australia at least.
posted by trialex at 12:51 PM on December 21, 2011
The italian supermarket chain 'Standa' got its name from an acronym.
posted by bq at 1:32 PM on December 21, 2011
posted by bq at 1:32 PM on December 21, 2011
Terrorist groups. The Farc are the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, the same country's ELN is short for National Liberation Army. Same as the IRA in English. (technically the PIRA, Provisional Irish Liberation Army, after a 70s schism, thus nickname "Provos"). Basically most communist/socialist-influenced revolutionary and/or terrorist groups tend to be known by their initials. There aren't many left, what with communism having died, but there were plenty back in the day.
posted by Diablevert at 2:41 PM on December 21, 2011
posted by Diablevert at 2:41 PM on December 21, 2011
Irish republican army of course, Jesus Christ what a brain fart.
posted by Diablevert at 2:46 PM on December 21, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by Diablevert at 2:46 PM on December 21, 2011 [1 favorite]
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is widely referred to in Indonesia by his initials "SBY".
posted by unliteral at 4:23 PM on December 21, 2011
posted by unliteral at 4:23 PM on December 21, 2011
The Brits have a lovely one: QUANGO: Quasi-Autonomous Non-Governmental Organization. I guess "NGO" is a common term, for International Aid groups and such, but QUANGOs are more like Government-owned private companies... yes, it makes no sense by itself, but it's rather like Government privatization of a service without full release of government control. Or something, I don't know for sure. One wonders if the BBC is a QUANGO sometimes.
posted by Sunburnt at 4:49 PM on December 21, 2011
posted by Sunburnt at 4:49 PM on December 21, 2011
In Quebec, "Cégep" stands for Collège d'enseignement général et professionnel.
posted by yqxnflld at 6:40 PM on December 21, 2011
posted by yqxnflld at 6:40 PM on December 21, 2011
PyME (pronounced pee-may) in Argentina at least refers to Pequeña y Mediana Empresas - Small & Medium Companies.
posted by jontyjago at 7:58 PM on December 21, 2011
posted by jontyjago at 7:58 PM on December 21, 2011
I live in Rah-rah Land (Rural and Regional Australia).
posted by flabdablet at 8:04 PM on December 21, 2011
posted by flabdablet at 8:04 PM on December 21, 2011
NIMBY is referenced above; when a NIMBY goes pro he becomes a BANANA: Build Absolutely Nothing Anywhere Near Anyone.
posted by ethnomethodologist at 8:14 PM on December 21, 2011
posted by ethnomethodologist at 8:14 PM on December 21, 2011
One more in Spanish: ONCE, the national Spanish lottery, stands for Organización Nacional de Ciegos Españoles, or National Organisation for the Blind of Spain. The organisation makes most of its money from sales of lottery tickets which are sold in kiosks by blind people.
posted by ob at 8:36 PM on December 21, 2011
posted by ob at 8:36 PM on December 21, 2011
Chocolate Pickle: "One of my favorite examples of this kind of term is "yaoi" (pronounced yah-oh-ee), which refers to a kind of manga (and anime) porn featuring homosexual men. The emphasis is on fan service and action, with characterization and story being minimal. The primary target audience in Japan is middle-aged women. The term is an acronym of yama nashi, ochi nashi, imi nashi which means "No climax, no point, no meaning""
I've heard the (admittedly kind of tasteless) alternate interpretation that it stands for yamete, oshiri itai ("stop, my butt hurts").
Yes, the internet is full of the same sort of people no matter where you go.
posted by DoctorFedora at 10:20 PM on December 21, 2011
I've heard the (admittedly kind of tasteless) alternate interpretation that it stands for yamete, oshiri itai ("stop, my butt hurts").
Yes, the internet is full of the same sort of people no matter where you go.
posted by DoctorFedora at 10:20 PM on December 21, 2011
Ah, here we go. Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxembourg are small countries that have made a few of their governmental departments cross-border within each others' territories. Thus, these states are sometimes referred to as Benelux, both in and outside the countries. This acronym type works in many languages, as follows:
BElgium-NEtherlands-LUXembourg
BElgique-NEerlande-LUXembourg
BElgien-NiEderlanden-LUXemburg
BElgië-NEderland-LUXemburg
For a more industry-specific example inside Benelux, the Belgian Anti-piracy Foundation is oft-referred to by its English acronym BaF. The Netherlands' equivalent to the RIAA is known as BREIN, and its symbol is a brain, even though Dutch for brain is hersenen.
posted by infinitewindow at 3:19 PM on December 22, 2011
BElgium-NEtherlands-LUXembourg
BElgique-NEerlande-LUXembourg
BElgien-NiEderlanden-LUXemburg
BElgië-NEderland-LUXemburg
For a more industry-specific example inside Benelux, the Belgian Anti-piracy Foundation is oft-referred to by its English acronym BaF. The Netherlands' equivalent to the RIAA is known as BREIN, and its symbol is a brain, even though Dutch for brain is hersenen.
posted by infinitewindow at 3:19 PM on December 22, 2011
Spain's primary railway service, Alta Velocidad Española ("Spanish High Speed"), is usually called the AVE (pronounced "AH-vay"), a play on the Spanish word for "bird."
posted by Rhaomi at 11:40 AM on December 24, 2011
posted by Rhaomi at 11:40 AM on December 24, 2011
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