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Swearwords Originating As Acronyms

I saw the title of this thread and thought it was about SNAFU and FUBAR, that type of swearing/acronym. One of my colleagues thought the kids in school were being nice to him when they were saying "See you next Tuesday" until I told him to look at the initials.
 
Word "Luck" Said to be an Anacronym

"Luck" is said by some to be derived from "Laboring Under Correct Knowledge," which is itself supposed to be a 17th Century business correspondence locution. (The phrase makes little if any sense to me - who'd want to "Labor Under INcorrect Knowledge"?)

My personal feeling is that this one is as "Cerebral Reverberations Affecting Zealot Youths" as the other nonsensical pseudo-"derivations" we've been discussing here.
 
"Luck" is said by some to be derived from "Laboring Under Correct Knowledge,"

Or maybe it's just a derivation from the Middle High German Gelucke (meaning good fortune) as Chambers Etymological Dictionary suggests.


"My personal feeling is that this one is as "Cerebral Reverberations Affecting Zealot Youths" as the other nonsensical pseudo-"derivations" we've been discussing here."

Spot on. In fact, have we actually found any valid ones at all?
There's something here about memes: they spread if they are intuitive enough (like acronyms) regardless of how stupid they are...
 
Well, Wembley, there are words like SNAFU, where the acronym has become more famous - or at least more socially acceptable - than the original phrase. And isn't there a phrase behind RADAR?

One of many origins postulated for "Cop," police officer, is the claim (unfounded?) that British constables formerly signed their reports "C. O. P.," for "Constable on Patrol."

On the other hand, another theory has it that "Cop" is an Americanism originating with pioneering Boston, Massachusetts, police chief James Copp, with early Boston police officers being referred to as "Copp's Boys" and "Coppers." (There is also a famous early cemetery, "Copp's Hill Burying Ground" in Boston.)

On the other hand, the word may have even more to do with the fact that many "cops" in those 19th Century days wore COPPER helmets.
 
A widely accepted view is that copper comes from England in early 18th century, where the verb "cop" meant (and to a degree still means) to seize: a copper was one who seized people or goods on behalf of the crown. In the passive sense it means to receive without choice ("He copped a £200 fine", or of course "He copped it (ie died) last week.").

Radar is an acronym for radio detection and ranging IIRC.
 
rynner said:
Shakespear had a lot of fun with rude words, but not having the Collected Works to hand I can't quote chapter and verse.

But one example that sticks in my gnarly old brain involves some characters discussing a woman's handwriting, and someone says something like "Yes, this is her C, U and T" - and the actor would no doubt abbreviate the and to 'N'!
!
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A similar but rather more recent instance occurred on one of BBC Radio 4's 6:30pm comedy sketch shows a couple(?) of years ago. A musician complains to a friend that he's written a lovely song but no-one seems interested in publishing it, which he can't understand. He proceeds to play and sing an actually rather good song with title/refrain "If You See Kay (Please tell her that I love her)."

Pte-Ri
 
WhistlingJack said:
camp - effeminate (origin: KAMP = Known As Male Prostitute)

naff - bad, drab (from Not Available For Fucking)

chris-d.net/polari
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I'm sure I heard long ago that 'naff' was invented specifically for the Ronnie Barker sit-com "Porridge", which for those unfamiliar with it was set in a UK prison. While humorous, it attempted to be as true-to-life as could be got away with on 70's prime-time TV, and since use of the word "f*ck" was obviously not on in the circumstances, the scriptwriters (possibly Ronnie Barker himself) came up with this substitute.

It rapidly caught on, and was famously employed by HRH Princess Anne who, having fallen off her horse into a water-jump, instructed the gleefully snapping Press photographers to "Naff orf."

(Incidently, you may have noticed that I've only today started posting, although I've been a Lurker on the boards for years and have probably met some of you veteran posters at Unconvention or Weird Weekend. Certainly a lot of you seem like old friends.)

Pte-ri
 
Welcome, Pte-ri. :hello:

Pte_ri said:
A similar but rather more recent instance occurred on one of BBC Radio 4's 6:30pm comedy sketch shows a couple(?) of years ago. A musician complains to a friend that he's written a lovely song but no-one seems interested in publishing it, which he can't understand. He proceeds to play and sing an actually rather good song with title/refrain "If You See Kay (Please tell her that I love her)."
Pte-Ri
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That's an actual April Wine song:

Well the first thing I remember, was the way she smiled
And the way she looked at me, drivin’ me wild
She was dressed to kill in her five inch heels, her painted on satin pants
She had the look of need, like, give it to me, I dedided I should take a chance

If you see kay, tell her I want her
If you see kay, tell her I need her
If you see kay, tell her I want her now

Her legs were long shapely, I could see her love was hot
And when it came together, she’d give you all she’s got
She had the walk of a woman on fire, her eyes undressed my mind and soul
I woulda gladly bet my last ten buck, in love she’d lose control

If you see kay, tell her I want her
If you see kay, tell her I need her
If you see kay, tell her I want her now

I had her in my dreams, three times every night
Her love was so complete, her love was warm and right
When I wake up in the morning, with this achin’ in my heart
You can bet the need I’m feelin’, is only just a start
I felt the pressure risin’, when I looked where she had been
By the time I gave up hope, she’d probably fall in love again

If you see kay, tell her I want her
If you see kay, tell her I need her
If you see kay, tell her I want her now
If you see kay (if you see kay), tell her I need her
If you see kay, tell her I need her
Iff you see kay, tell her I want her now
If you see kay, tell her I want her
If you see kay, tell her I need her
If you see kay, tell her I want her now

Source

(have we mentioned the Van Halen album yet?)
 
"Well, Wembley, there are words like SNAFU, where the acronym has become more famous - or at least more socially acceptable - than the original phrase. "

Yes, I'd certainly accept those- there's no argument about SNAFU, FUBAR, JANFU (not sure about FUGAZI, as used by Marillion?), it's the alleged origins of traditional swear words that's in question.

Cop "cop, verb from capere, Latin and Old French capere: to capture." as far as I can tell, predating the 19th century somewhat.
 
wembley8 said:
Yes, I'd certainly accept those- there's no argument about SNAFU, FUBAR, JANFU (not sure about FUGAZI, as used by Marillion?), it's the alleged origins of traditional swear words that's in question.
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There's also a rather good band called Fugazi. Or there used to be, I don't know if they're still going.
 
Pte_ri said:
I'm sure I heard long ago that 'naff' was invented specifically for the Ronnie Barker sit-com "Porridge", which for those unfamiliar with it was set in a UK prison. While humorous, it attempted to be as true-to-life as could be got away with on 70's prime-time TV, and since use of the word "f*ck" was obviously not on in the circumstances, the scriptwriters (possibly Ronnie Barker himself) came up with this substitute.
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"Naff" was a word from the polari lexicon used regularly in the Julian and Sandy sketches from the radio comedy Round the Horne which predates Porridge by several years. However it was invariably used in its sense of describing something as tacky or of inferior quality so it may well be that Clement and La Frenais, or Barker for that matter, were the first to adapt it to become a stand-in for its good-god-we-can't-say-that-Mary-Whitehouse-might-be-watching-and-no-one's-invented-Channel-4-yet, counterpart.

The word "nerk" was apparently original to Porridge - being a replacement for "berk" (rhyming slang for c**t).
 
Heard on Triple J (Australian radio) today that a Chav, which he described as being similar to our bogans as originating from an acronym police wrote on their reports C.H.A.V. standing for "Council Housing And Violent" any truth to this one, and can someone from the UK give me a better description of a chav please?
 
AFAIK chav (or shav) is the Romany word for an unmarried Gypsy youth; checking out a couple of Romany websites should confirm.

As for Naff (mentioned a couple of posts ago) it is indeed a Polari acronym. Expanded, it means "Not Available For F*cking".
 
ArthurASCII said:
As for Naff (mentioned a couple of posts ago) it is indeed a Polari acronym. Expanded, it means "Not Available For F*cking".
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This has now become accepted wisdom but I've got a hunch (and it is just a hunch) that the word came first and the acronym was planted onto it. Barry Took who, with Marty Feldman (I think), wrote the Julian and Sandy sketches for Round the Horne and was therefore more or less solely responsible for making Polari recognisable to the mainstream, claimed that Polari was a mixture of fairground slang, Romany and Italian which was adopted by theatre people and then transferred to the Gay community. It became gay slang rather than it was gay slang - if you see what I mean. Naff was already a word before the heyday of Polari. Of course, that doesn't mean it couldn't mean "not available for fucking" - its just that I think that probably came later. But, as I say, just a hunch.

(The chav - c.h.a.v thing illustrates how attractive it can be to attribute an acronym to a word if an apparently appropriate one seems to fit.)
 
chav comes from charver or however it's spelt, which is cockernee for little urchins, as far as i know anyways.

princess anne, didn't say "naff orf" she used a rather stronger expletive, it was just reported as "naff orf".

I always thought copper came from being nicked by the old bill, as in "it's a fair cop gov'"

and adidas, come from adi dassler, the founder of the adidas company. (incidentally, in some parts of liverpool adidas trabs are known as adi dassler's, usually old school ones, none of this adidas equipment crap)
 
...and of course Nike comes from Sir Sidney Nike , the man who invented the first shoe in 1857......


-
 
his brother rudi dassler came up with puma sportswear, fact fans.
 
I much prefer the name Rudidas!

On the subject of acronyms, does anyone else get irritated when folk talk about P.I.N. numbers? What do they think the "n" stands for, exactly? You don't watch the TV vision, do you?

Just me, then.
 
A friend of mine who works in a music chain store told me that particularly rude or unpleasant customers are sent on their way with a cheery "Thank you, C U Next Time!"
 
Peripart said:
I much prefer the name Rudidas!

On the subject of acronyms, does anyone else get irritated when folk talk about P.I.N. numbers? What do they think the "n" stands for, exactly? You don't watch the TV vision, do you?
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Slightly OT, but related, it annoys me for some reason when people say "10 a.m. in the morning".
 
Nike I thought came from the greek goddess Athena Nike (I realise the above post was a joke), I read somewhere that Asics has a classical greek origin too, will have to google it and find out.

Sorry it was latin:
ASICS - ASICS is an acronym for "Anima Sana In Corpore Sano," which, translated from Latin, means "Healthy soul in a healthy body". Originally the citation is mens sana in corpore sano, but MSICS does not sound very good.
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If we can trust wikipedia that is.
 
This reminds me of the claim someone at work made that the name of lingerie manufacturer Hestia was an acronym for "Holds Every Sized Tit In Australia". Not sure he'd every heard of the Greek Goddess it was actually named after.
 
chockfullahate said:
and adidas, come from adi dassler, the founder of the adidas company.
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Whose brother established Puma - Rudi I think his name was.
 
Great thread. I've always hated these acronym things, and they spread because people think it makes them sound clever if they say so.

As far as I know naff is the only one that's actually an acronym, being polari it's a contrived slang made as code for homosexuals, and so it's not unfeasable. Making ones up for fuck and luck is ridiculous.

The chav one always annoyed me the most. Can you imagine a word being concocted like that in this day and age?

"Oh these working class oiks clad in Burberry, Rupert. I call them 'chavs' because they live in Council Houses and they're most frightfully Vulgar." "Oh Winnifred you are so very witty!"
 
NAFF and Chav

I was told that NAFF stood for "not a fucking fairy", and in spanish, the word chaval is slang for lad. It just shows how many possible roots there are for any given English slang.
 
I’ve recently read Paul Baker's excellent, Fabulosa! The Story of Polari, Britain's Secret Gay Language.

Re: Naff

Baker mentions the acronym thing as a possibility, but suggests that this is maybe more likely to be a backronym, as I suggested back at post #44.

My own theory is that naff is derived from naïf.

Baker suggest that elements of what he calls ‘classroom French’ formed part of the Polari lexicon - and back in the days when I used to work backstage it was not uncommon to hear the French naïf used in place of the more common English usage of naïve.

I just wonder if, at a time when homosexuality was illegal, a gay man testing the water with another man whose sexuality he was not sure of might have gone on to describe an individual who was obviously oblivious and clearly not picking up or responding to signals, and therefore probably uninterested, as naïf/naïve – in the sense of unworldly – or at least unworldly in the sense of that particular world. (Also, I think naïf is the masculine form in French, which is maybe a little clue).

The proposed semantic drift – from unaware, and therefore probably not of much interest, to just a bit rubbish - also strikes me as not illogical, and a sight more elegant than the proposed acronym.
 
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