'I'm a language expert – here's 7 words people don't realise are acronyms'

Laurie Knox has provided a database of 7 communal words successful the English connection you whitethorn not person realised are acronyms of presumption that person been shortened into abbreviations

Every time is simply a schoolhouse time arsenic they accidental - particularly erstwhile it comes to mastering the English language.

In fact, the Oxford English Dictionary estimates that determination are astir 170,000 words presently successful use, with an further 47,000 deemed obsolete. Laurie Knox, who is an adept successful linguistics regularly takes to TikTok to connection an penetration into the world of words, educating his followers connected each things to bash with the English language.

In his latest clip, helium revealed 7 communal words helium believes you whitethorn person ne'er realised are acronyms. An acronym is an abbreviation formed from the archetypal letters of different words and pronounced arsenic a connection - specified arsenic ASAP (as soon arsenic possible) and NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration).

1. Captcha

You whitethorn person seen this connection erstwhile proving your individuality erstwhile entering a web tract successful a process designed to thwart bots. "It stands for 'Completely Automated Public Turing trial to archer Computers and Humans Apart," Laurie explained.

2. E-fit

Continuing the computing theme, helium moved connected to 'E-fit' - typically an physics facial representation utilized by constabulary successful the anticipation of identifying a criminal. Laurie revealed it stands for 'Electronic Facial Identification Technique'.

3. Taser

Another constabulary instrumentality is that of the taser. "Did you cognize this is an acronym too?" Laurie asked. "It stands for 'Tom A Swift Electronic Rifle'. The sanction comes from Victor Appleton's Tom Swift bid of books from the aboriginal 1900s, 1 of which was titles, Tom Swift and His Electric Rifle.

4. BASE jumping

This enactment is an utmost athletics that involves jumping from fixed objects - often a gathering oregon a bridge. The antithetic pastime's afloat sanction is 'Buildings Antennas Spans Earth' Jumping, Laurie says.

5. Scuba diving

Fifth connected Laurie's database is simply a overmuch much communal enactment - scuba diving, which is an underwater diving signifier utilizing breathing instrumentality . "This stands for 'Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus'," Laurie said.

6. Laser

An each time connection - but 1 you're apt to person not realised is an acronym is laser - a instrumentality that emits a beam of coherent monochromatic light. "It stands for 'Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation'," Laurie added.

7. Gulag

Laurie closed by admitting he'd lone conscionable been informed that gulag is successful information a Russian acronym utilized successful English - referring to a strategy of labour camps maintained successful the Soviet Union betwixt 1930 and 1955. "It fundamentally means 'Chief Administration of Corrective Labour Camps' [in translation]," Laurie said. In it's autochthonal language, however, it stands for 'Glavnoe Upravlenie ispravitel'no-trudovykh LAGerei'.

"Every time is simply a schoolhouse day, emotion these," 1 TikTok idiosyncratic penned successful response. "Brilliant!" agreed a second. "Learned thing caller again!"

A 3rd wrote: "I already knew astir scuba and laser, I should’ve known astir taser." Whilst a 4th commented: "TWAIN is 1 I like, 'Technology Without An Interesting Name'."