People love making
acronyms (PLMA!). But when you're in a different country, even something as simple as an acronym can make a conversation completely incomprehensible. I've mastered the blank stare whenever I hear an unfamiliar acronym now - especially since I've realised that some of them are made out of words/phrases that don’t
necessarily make sense on their own, let alone when they’re shortened.
Some acronyms are fair
enough:
Jason: I saw
you walking past UV the other day.
In Australia, UV is a type
of ray. It comes from the sun and burns the crap out of you. Seemed a little
odd for someone to be able to see a UV ray, let alone remark on the fact that I
was walking past one.
But as it turns out, UV =
University of the Visayas. Perfectly understandable, shortening the name of a
wordy institution is pretty commonplace.
Some acronyms that are a
little more dubious:
Jovey: Rezza wants you to model for her photography assignment. What’s your TF?
Jovey: Rezza wants you to model for her photography assignment. What’s your TF?
TF? The hell does that
mean?
Jovey:
*after some time of awkward silence* Your talent fee.
TF = wages or asking
price. Weird, but I can see the connection. It’s just really awkward having
someone ask you, “What’s your talent fee?” as opposed to, “How much do you want
to get paid?” Essentially saying you are charging someone a fee for your
“talent” seems unbelievably up yourself.
Some acronyms they may as
well have just used actual words for:
Jovey: Yeah,
Sam has been working with Merah for ten years, and we all know he has a HD
towards her.
She was used to me by now,
and stopped to concept-check.
Jovey: Do
you know what HD is?
Me: High
definition?
Jovey:
Hidden desire.
HD = crush. This one just
seems needlessly dramatic. “Hey Taylor, I hear you have a HD for Jenny?” Potentially,
it’s just a euphemism for hard-on.
The best of all is when
they shorten things that are already
acronyms:
Me: SM (Supermall), please.
Me: SM (Supermall), please.
Taxi driver: Sim?
Me: SM. The mall.
Taxi driver: *correcting
me* Sim.
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