Editing 2759: Easily Confused Acronyms
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==Explanation== | ==Explanation== | ||
− | In this comic, [[Randall]] compared the acronym "laser" with various other five-letter acronyms. | + | {{incomplete|Created by a RIGHT OMPLIFICATION BY BIMULATED OMISSION OF TADIATION - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}} |
− | + | In this comic, [[Randall]] compared the acronym "laser" with various other five-letter acronyms. | |
− | He first explained "laser" correctly. Then "maser", which is a type of laser and changes only one word in the acronym, he also explains correctly. | + | He first explained "laser" correctly. Then "maser", which is a type of laser and changes only one word in the acronym, he also explains correctly. But he makes the following three entries follow the same pattern, simply taking the full name of "laser" and changing the first word and first initials of any other words that need to change. The replacement first word is correct for these acronyms, but the other words formed from changing the first letter are nonsense. |
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− | Laser and maser are true-to-life acronyms. The remaining | + | Laser and maser are true-to-life acronyms. The remaining 3 words' true definitions are as in the table. The 3 false definitions suppose that all 5 of the acronyms simply follow the same model as the first two correct ones, and swap out the necessary letters to fit in a square-peg-round-hole manner. Note that these 3 each include the second letter from their first word in the acronym. |
− | The title text extends this to the | + | The title text extends this to the 5-letter word "lever". This is an ordinary word, not a commonly used acronym. Levers have been used since time immemorial (even [https://quatr.us/physics/levers-simple-machines-physics.htm animals have been known to use them)], and predates high-tech uses of radiation by millennia (it's one of the {{w|simple machines}} that {{w|Archimedes}} studied in Ancient Greece). [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/2722:_Etymonline Etymonline] traces the origin of the word to the year 1300, from the French "levier", which shares the same definition. |
==Transcript== | ==Transcript== |