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Post by nickys on Jun 20, 2023 15:24:15 GMT -5
Interestingly, "furbish" means to give something a new look. So, "refurbish" is redundant, yet we all use it. It would seem odd to say that BCV needs (or is undergoing) a furbishment, even though that seems to be correct (even my spellchecker here doesn't like "furbishment" and wants to put "refurbishment.")
Kinda like "irregardless."
Cheers.
Reminds me of "ATM Machine," which really just means "Automatic Teller Machine Machine" lol! 
And yeah, I cringe when people use "irregardless." It's not generally considered a grammatically acceptable word at all. One should just say "regardless" or perhaps "irrespective."
“PIN number” is the one that makes me grimace most. |
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Post by jflatto on Jun 20, 2023 15:58:07 GMT -5
Reminds me of "ATM Machine," which really just means "Automatic Teller Machine Machine" lol!
And yeah, I cringe when people use "irregardless." It's not generally considered a grammatically acceptable word at all. One should just say "regardless" or perhaps "irrespective."
“PIN number” is the one that makes me grimace most. When trying to explain a primary key for a database to my analytics students, I explain how the primary key uniquely identifies a row. I get them to think of examples such as a social security number or student ID number. Someone then mentions a "VIN number" which I explain stands for a "Vehicle Identification Number" number. I then tell them it is "VIN" not "VIN number".  The students' use VIN Number is just irregardless of the correct use.  |
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Post by Adelard of Bath on Jun 21, 2023 10:26:12 GMT -5
You could argue that acronyms such as VIN, PIN, ATM are extremely commonplace and thus have become words of their own. So if you cease to think of "VIN" as three separate letters and just a word, then coupled with the idea that it is, in fact, a number means that "VIN number" could be correct.
Also, note this quote from Merriam-Webster:
"Is irregardless a word?
Yes. It may not be a word that you like, or a word that you would use in a term paper, but irregardless certainly is a word. It has been in use for well over 200 years, employed by a large number of people across a wide geographic range and with a consistent meaning. That is why we, and well-nigh every other dictionary of modern English, define this word. Remember that a definition is not an endorsement of a word’s use."
The Cambridge dictionary defines it, but Oxford has this to say about it: "a semiliterate portmanteau word from irrespective and regardless, should have been stamped out long ago. But it's common enough in speech that it has found its way into all manner of print sources"
"semi-literate" hee hee
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Post by Wiltony on Jun 21, 2023 13:16:11 GMT -5
RAS syndrome:
RAS syndrome (where "RAS" stands for "redundant acronym syndrome", making the phrase "RAS syndrome" homological) is the redundant use of one or more of the words that make up an acronym (or other initialism) in conjunction with the abbreviated form. This means, in effect, repeating one or more words from the acronym. Three common examples are "PIN number" / "VIN number" (the "N" in PIN and VIN stands for "number") and "ATM machine" (the "M" in ATM stands for "machine"). The term RAS syndrome was coined in 2001 in a light-hearted column in New Scientist.
Many style guides advise against usage of these redundant acronyms in formal contexts, but they are widely used in colloquial speech.
Examples of RAS phrases include:
DC Comics (Detective Comics Comics)
HIV virus (human immunodeficiency virus virus)
LCD display (liquid crystal display display)
UPC code (universal product code code)
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Post by Adelard of Bath on Jun 21, 2023 15:42:40 GMT -5
UPC code (universal product code code) Lame claim to fame: when my dad started at IBM he was on the team that was developing the laser beam UPC scanning system. |
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Post by brp on Jun 21, 2023 16:43:29 GMT -5
an acronym (or other initialism) Also, the concept on an initialism, as opposed to an acronym, is often lost or overlooked in common usage. Things that are clearly initialism (like UPC) are often incorrectly called acronyms.
Cheers.
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Post by jflatto on Jun 21, 2023 16:49:55 GMT -5
Or TLA which is an acronym which stands for "Three Letter Acronym".  Maybe we need to create an acronym on MagicOwners called "TD" for "thread drift". |
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Post by BWV Dreamin on Jun 21, 2023 17:01:22 GMT -5
Ok I have seen many thread drifts but this one …OMG! 😝
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Post by brp on Jun 21, 2023 18:34:28 GMT -5
Or TLA which is an acronym which stands for "Three Letter Acronym". Maybe we need to create an acronym on MagicOwners called "TD" for "thread drift". And that's just it. Neither of those are acronyms. They're both initialisms.
Cheers.
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Post by Adelard of Bath on Jun 21, 2023 21:35:36 GMT -5
Things that are clearly initialism (like UPC) are often called acronyms. 46 years old and I learned something new. |
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Post by nickys on Jun 22, 2023 0:32:04 GMT -5
Or TLA which is an acronym which stands for "Three Letter Acronym". Maybe we need to create an acronym on MagicOwners called "TD" for "thread drift". But that’s the default. 😁 We probably need an acronym for “no thread drift”! Or maybe a special symbol to highlight threads where there is no drift…. |
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Post by brp on Jun 22, 2023 10:08:03 GMT -5
Or TLA which is an acronym which stands for "Three Letter Acronym". Maybe we need to create an acronym on MagicOwners called "TD" for "thread drift". But that’s the default. 😁 We probably need an acronym for “no thread drift”! Or maybe a special symbol to highlight threads where there is no drift…. ∅ (the null symbol representing the empty set). That would best describe the thread with no drift. Of course, one could say that the chatty thread, by definition, has no drift
Cheers.
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Post by FessParker1 on Jun 22, 2023 12:15:19 GMT -5
And that's why they can charge $30 an hour, no one can stay focused enough to see how crazy that is.
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Post by grumpyinphilly on Jun 22, 2023 13:45:46 GMT -5
Things that are clearly initialism (like UPC) are often called acronyms. 46 years old and I learned something new. A lot older than you and also learned something new. |
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