Special Report

Acronyms That Don’t Always Mean What You Think They Do

Juanmonino / iStock Unreleased via Getty Images

Languages are full of acronyms – words made up of the initials and/or initial components of longer words. They’ve been around at least since Roman times and are found in many languages, including Chinese, Japanese, Hebrew, Russian, and Swahili. (These are the most commonly spoken foreign languages in each state.)

Though they’re hardly exclusive to English, Americans use a lot of them. We punch in our PIN at the ATM; go AWOL from a meeting but get back ASAP; hope our favorite performer gets the EGOT and that NATO stands strong – and by the way, TGIF. And of course texting would be a much more arduous task without LMK, LOL, IMHO, LMFAO, and such. (The difference between acronyms and abbreviations can be debated, but in general, abbreviations are strings of letters separated with real or implied periods.)

Some acronyms have lost their all-cap status and become such common words that we forget their acronymic origins. “Scuba” was originally an acronym for “self-contained underwater breathing apparatus;” “radar” derives from “radio detection and ranging;” “laser” stands for “light amplification by the stimulated emission of radiation.” 

Acronyms are shortcuts, though, and shortcuts can sometimes be tricky. It turns out that the same acronyms can apply to vastly different things. The CIA, of course, is the Central Intelligence Agency, but if you’re in the food world, your CIA is the Culinary Institute of America. Doctors may belong to the AMA (the American Medical Association), but singers might want to win an AMA, or American Music Award. (Speaking of the CIA and AMA, here’s a list of the most and least trusted institutions in America.)

Click here to see acronyms that don’t always mean what you think they do

24/7 Tempo has collected 20 common acronyms (and abbreviations, if you insist), then searched them on Google to find secondary meanings beyond the ones that first come to mind. In many cases, in fact, there are a number of secondary meanings – but we’ve just chosen the most interesting or unexpected ones.

Prostock-Studio / iStock via Getty Images

AA
> Stands for: Alcoholics Anonymous

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AA
> Stands for: American Airlines

AAA
> Stands for: American Automobile Association

Pgiam / iStock via Getty Images

AAA
> Stands for: American Accordionists’ Association

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400tmax / iStock Unreleased via Getty Images

ABC
> Stands for: American Broadcasting Company

Shaun Taylor / iStock / Getty Images Plus

ABC
> Stands for: Appalachian Brewing Company

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wutwhanfoto / iStock via Getty Images

AMA
> Stands for: American Medical Association

Kevin Winter / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images

AMA
> Stands for: American Music Awards

sshepard / iStock Unreleased via Getty Images

CDC
> Stands for: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

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pixinoo / iStock via Getty Images

CDC
> Stands for: Canadian Dairy Commission

Alex Wong / Getty Images News via Getty Images

CIA
> Stands for: Central Intelligence Agency

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ClarkandCompany / E+ via Getty Images

CIA
> Stands for: Culinary Institute of America

Massimo Giachetti / iStock Editorial via Getty Images

CBS
> Stands for: Columbia Broadcasting System

CBS
> Stands for: Copenhagen Business School

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Prathaan / iStock via Getty Images

CSI
> Stands for: Crime scene investigation

jacoblund / iStock via Getty Images

CSI
> Stands for: Christian Surfers International

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Joe Raedle / Getty Images News via Getty Images

ESL
> Stands for: English as a second language

FotografieLink / iStock via Getty Images

ESL
> Stands for: European Super League

tobiasjo / iStock Unreleased via Getty Images

NHL
> Stands for: National Hockey League

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Stephen Barnes / iStock via Getty Images

NHL
> Stands for: National Hurling League

NASA via Getty Images

NASA
> Stands for: National Aeronautics and Space Administration

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Instants / E+ via Getty Images

NASA
> Stands for: North American Sommelier Association

RomanBabakin / iStock Editorial via Getty Images

NATO
> Stands for: North Atlantic Treaty Organization

Omar Osman / iStock via Getty Images

NATO
> Stands for: National Association of Theatre Owners

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helen89 / iStock Editorial via Getty Images

NBA
> Stands for: National Basketball Association

kzenon / iStock via Getty Images

NBA
> Stands for: Nippon Badminton Association

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nazdravie / iStock Editorial via Getty Images

NBC
> Stands for: National Broadcasting Company

danr13 / iStock via Getty Images

NBC
> Stands for: National Ballet of Canada

by_nicholas / iStock Unreleased via Getty Images

NFL
> Stands for: National Football League

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South_agency / Getty Images

NFL
> Stands for: National Forensic League

Scott Olson / Getty Images News via Getty Images

NRA
> Stands for: National Rifle Association

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NRA
> Stands for: National Restaurant Association

Brooks Kraft / Getty Images

NSA
> Stands for: National Security Agency

Juanmonino / iStock Unreleased via Getty Images

NSA
> Stands for: National Scrabble Association

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Craig Mitchelldyer / Getty Images News via Getty Images

OTC
> Stands for: Over the counter

panitan punpuang / iStock via Getty Images

OTC
> Stands for: Okefenokee Technical College

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wellesenterprises / iStock Editorial via Getty Images

PGA
> Stands for: Professional Golfers’ Association

Thos Robinson / Getty Images

PGA
> Stands for: Producers Guild of America

Handout / Getty Images News via Getty Images

RNC
> Stands for: Republican National Committee

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Courtesy of Royal Newfoundland Constabulary

RNC
> Stands for: Royal Newfoundland Constabulary

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