4 ms·

Interesting USG shibboleths are using the correct acronyms, especially for insider stuff (TDY, "allowances", "authorities", and referring to NSA as NSA and not

by rdl 7y ago

Interesting USG shibboleths are using the correct acronyms, especially for insider stuff (TDY, "allowances", "authorities", and referring to NSA as NSA and not "the NSA", CIA as CIA and not "the CIA", State for "the State Department", etc.)

heartbreak 7y ago
A friend at NSA deliberately uses “the NSA” when speaking about the agency online because of course they do.
- rdl 7y ago
  Yes, exactly. I’m sure there are PowerPoint decks specifically around how to pass as a non-IC person...
whatshisface 7y ago
Is that good grammar? If you expand out the acronym you get "I work at National Security Administration," and if you remove the adjectives you get "I work at administration." Administration isn't a proper noun so that's why you would want to use "the." In electrical engineering you are supposed to say "DIP" which stands for dual inline package, but laymen tend to say "DIP Package" which expands out to "Dual inline package package." In that case, having the wrong words adjacent to the acronym means you don't know what it stands for. That's in contrast to "the NSA" vs. "NSA," where the public (might?) have it right.
- sixstringtheory 7y ago
  But you would say “work at Google,” not “work at the Google.” Now abstract that to “work at <place>” and then replace <place> with “NSA.”
- lol768 7y ago
  >Is that good grammar? No, but Americans seem to do it anyway. You would definitely work at "the BBC" here.
- PascLeRasc 7y ago
  The more common ones I hear are "PCB board" and "MCU microcontroller". "CAD design" used to bother me too, but I think it's become its own legitimate term for the sub-genre of CAD, since we're used to also using Solidworks for stress analysis or simulations.
- antonvs 7y ago
  Expanding the abbreviations like that and using them to decide grammar is pretty close to something like the etymological fallacy. The point is those acronyms are now used as names in their own right.

by rdl 7y ago

heartbreak 7y ago

A friend at NSA deliberately uses “the NSA” when speaking about the agency online because of course they do.

rdl 7y ago
Yes, exactly. I’m sure there are PowerPoint decks specifically around how to pass as a non-IC person...

whatshisface 7y ago

Is that good grammar? If you expand out the acronym you get "I work at National Security Administration," and if you remove the adjectives you get "I work at administration." Administration isn't a proper noun so that's why you would want to use "the." In electrical engineering you are supposed to say "DIP" which stands for dual inline package, but laymen tend to say "DIP Package" which expands out to "Dual inline package package." In that case, having the wrong words adjacent to the acronym means you don't know what it stands for. That's in contrast to "the NSA" vs. "NSA," where the public (might?) have it right.

sixstringtheory 7y ago
But you would say “work at Google,” not “work at the Google.” Now abstract that to “work at <place>” and then replace <place> with “NSA.”
lol768 7y ago
>Is that good grammar? No, but Americans seem to do it anyway. You would definitely work at "the BBC" here.
PascLeRasc 7y ago
The more common ones I hear are "PCB board" and "MCU microcontroller". "CAD design" used to bother me too, but I think it's become its own legitimate term for the sub-genre of CAD, since we're used to also using Solidworks for stress analysis or simulations.
antonvs 7y ago
Expanding the abbreviations like that and using them to decide grammar is pretty close to something like the etymological fallacy. The point is those acronyms are now used as names in their own right.