Alphabet soup suddenly a lot more digestible
Re: “A recipe for the correct use of acronyms”, Have Your Say, yesterday.
I thank Somsak Pola for pointing out the difference between acronyms and initialisms, which I didn’t know about and just goes to show that I’m not as smart as I think I am. Such late-life revelations help to keep us humble – or make us humble if we’re inclined to be otherwise.
I also doff my hat to him for pointing out the elliptical construction that could have avoided repeating the phrase “engage in sexual intercourse [with].” He’s right, but I defend my use of the word “bonk” on the grounds that it adds an uplifting tone of light-hearted insouciance to a sentence that would otherwise be boring. And a little light-hearted insouciance ought to brighten our lives during these grim times.
On another topic, I’ve always wondered what Dr Frank looks like as he chortles over his occasional steak named Eric. Now I know. He looks like Nietzsche, as portrayed in the photo yesterday accompanying Egon’s letter “When you turn to religion, you turn away from reality”. Let’s have a rerun of that photo, so that we can savour its moustached magnificence and its jowly gravitas.
Ye Olde Pedant
