Backronyms

I didn't realize there was an "official" name for them, but wikipedia reports that a backronym or bacronym is the inverse of an acronym, that is, the words of the expanded term were chosen to fit the letters of the acronym.

Here are some examples that I thought were humorous. (Of course, some might betray some of my closely guarded opinions!)

• UPS - United Package Smashers
• Alitalia - [airline] Always Late In Take-off, Always Late In Arrival
• FEMA - Fatal Emergencies Mismanaged Again
• CNN - Chicken Noodle News
• PTL - Pass The Loot
• NASCAR - Non Athletic Sports Created Around Rednecks
• Spam - System Plugged (with) Annoying Messages; Stupid Person's AdvertiseMent; Stuff (or Sewage) Posing As Mail; Send(ing) People Annoying Mail/Messages; Stupid Pointless Annoying Messages
• FOX News - Foundation Of Xenophobes Needlessly Embellishing War Stories
• Marine - Muscles Are Required, Intelligence Not Essential
• Diana - Died In A Nasty Accident [In bad form, I admit...]

My sister will have to tell me if this one is true for another SDSU!

• SDSU - Still Drunk, Still Undeclared