Acronyms

An acronym is a new word created from the first letters of a phrase, and read like a complete word.

aga

Aktiebolaget Gasaccumulator
mooc

massive open online class
AIDS

Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (later stage of HIV)
nimby

not in my back yard
asap

as soon as possible
PIN

personal identification number
AWOL

absent without leave (= they have left, but they shouldn’t have)
radar

radio detection and ranging
BASE jummping

building, antenna, span, Earth
SARS

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome
captcha

completely automated public Turing test to tell computers and humans apart
scuba

self-contained underwater breathing apparatus
care package

Cooperative for Assistance and Relief Everywhere (previously Cooperative for American Remittances to Europe; care packages were started during WWII)
SIM card

subscriber identification module
E-fit

electronic facial identification technique
snafu

situation normal, all f**ked up
Gestapo

Geheime Staatspolizei (German; translated: secret state police)
sonar

sound navigation and ranging
GIF

graphics interchange format
Soweto

south west townships
gulag

Glavnoye Upravleniye Ispravitelno-trudovykh Lagerey (Russian; translation: Chief Administration of Corrective Labour Camps)
swag

stuff we all get
humvee

high-mobility multi-purpose wheeled vehicle (HMMWV has been changed to humvee)
taser

Thomas Swift’s electric rifle
laser

light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation
zip code

zone improvement plan