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[–] 28 points 2 years ago* (10 children)

not really, it's short for washed-up, which has been in use for at least a century

https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/washed-up

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  • [–] 41 points 2 years ago (9 children)

    Why do we need to shorten a two syllable word?

    My knees hurt.

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  • [–] 1 point 2 years ago (7 children)

    just wait until you hear about people saying “comp sci” or worse, “poli sci”. if you are so pressed for time that you can’t afford to say all the syllables in “computer science” you can use an acronym. i will still be upset about the acronym, but i can live with it

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  • [–] 6 points 2 years ago (2 children)

    I'm so old I remember a time when sci-fi fans were offended by the term "sci-fi", preferring "SF".

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  • [–] 2 points 2 years ago (3 children)

    Those examples are abbreviations, not acronyms. Acronyms use initial letters (though people have gotten lazy with that to get nice sounding acronyms), whereas abbreviations are a category containing shortened words and also acronyms.

    I would also like to note that the 'poli' in 'poli sci' is way too close to the prefix 'poly' to not cause confusion. This is just one example of an abbreviation causing confusion among those not yet aware of the meaning. That's why when addressing a general audience I avoid them or in longer conversations introduce them first.

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  • [–] 2 points 2 years ago (2 children)

    my point is that people should use acronyms instead of those abbreviations. e.g., “CS” instead of “comp sci”. i hate those abbreviations. and you’re right that the “poli” does cause confusion. it always takes me a second to figure out what people mean when they say it. i think we’re on the same side here.

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