TLAs

Post by **dtaai-maai** » Sun Sep 06, 2009 7:31 pm

caller wrote:I'll ask. What is a TLA?

The clue is here, caller!

The first is a FLAB (Four Letter ABbreviation

... though the 'B' could be misleading...

Spitfire · Post by **Spitfire** » Sun Sep 06, 2009 10:33 pm

Easier just to say "Acronym".

Post by **dtaai-maai** » Sun Sep 06, 2009 11:08 pm

spitfire wrote:Easier just to say "Acronym".

Indeed - that's why the 'B' could be misleading!

Post by **dtaai-maai** » Sun Sep 06, 2009 11:12 pm

... unless, of course, we're talking about the Thai Latex Association...

(Incidentally, I hate being unable to edit my posts!)

Spitfire · Post by **Spitfire** » Sun Sep 06, 2009 11:38 pm

dtaai-maai wrote:(Incidentally, I hate being unable to edit my posts!)

has spoken!

Post by **Wanderlust** » Mon Sep 07, 2009 9:19 am

Ah yes, but an acronym has to be able to be said like a proper word, which many of the quoted TLA's can't be, including the term itself. The reason FLAB is spelt that way is so that it becomes a FLAB itself, as well as being inclusive of all 4 letter abbreviations, whether they are true acronyms or not. Example of true TLAs here in Thailand are TOT, TAT and CAT, while BTS, BMT and TRT are not. Hopefully that makes this whole discussion as clear as mud! TTFN...

Post by **Randy Cornhole** » Mon Sep 07, 2009 8:06 pm

We are on the second page of this weird thread and I still don't know what the hell 'TLA' means...!

This thread is making my head hurt...

Post by **JimmyGreaves** » Mon Sep 07, 2009 8:31 pm

Tender Loving Artichokes

Post by **BaaBaa.** » Mon Sep 07, 2009 9:49 pm

Randy Cornhole wrote:We are on the second page of this weird thread and I still don't know what the hell 'TLA' means...!

Thick Lard Arse!

Post by **richard** » Mon Sep 07, 2009 9:54 pm

Tight little arse

Post by **Wanderlust** » Mon Sep 07, 2009 11:38 pm

Thinking about it a little more, FLAB should really be FLAP, as in Four Letter Abbreviated Phrase. However this has also got me thinking about favourite fictitious acronyms; one of mine is HAL (Heuristically programmed ALgorithmic Computer) from 2001: A Space Odyssey, supposedly a reference to IBM (one letter removed) but the all time classic is from Red Dwarf, when they are battling against an alien monster (the Polymorph) that takes various emotions from each of the crew. Rimmer becomes a classic hippy liberal and puts forward a plan on how to deal with the creature...
"Erm, I think we're losing sight of the real issue here, which is: what are we gonna call ourselves? Erm, and I think it comes down to a choice between "The League Against Salivating Monsters" or my own personal preference, which is "The Committee for the Liberation and Integration of Terrifying Organisms and their Rehabilitation Into Society." Erm, one drawback with that: the abbreviation is "CLITORIS."

Post by **caller** » Tue Sep 08, 2009 2:17 am

Randy Cornhole wrote:We are on the second page of this weird thread and I still don't know what the hell 'TLA' means...!

This thread is making my head hurt...

I'm still none the wiser either!

Although I get the jist, if not the specific!

Post by **BaaBaa.** » Tue Sep 08, 2009 3:06 am

Three letter acronym or Three letter abbreviation

Post by **STEVE G** » Tue Sep 08, 2009 3:41 am

I like this quote from BaaBaa's link:
' ...a journalist once asked hacker Paul Boutin what he thought the biggest problem in computing in the 1990s would be. Paul's straight-faced response was, "There are only 17,000 three-letter acronyms." '

Post by **caller** » Tue Sep 08, 2009 5:18 am

BaaBaa. wrote:Three letter acronym or Three letter abbreviation

Thank you - still a new term to me!

We just warn new staff of 'jargon'.