Adidas stands for “All Day I Dream About Sports.” I remember when a friend of mine told me that back in high school. And it blew my little teenage mind. “I wonder what Nike stands for,” I thought to myself. “And what about Reebok?” But, as it turns out, “Adidas” is one of many backronyms that was invented after the fact. Let me explain.

Backronyms Defined

Let’s start with a bit of clarification of terms.

  • An abbreviation is the shortened version of something. When you say “Mac” instead of “Macintosh,” you’re using an abbreviation.
  • An initialism is a subset of abbreviation where you take the first letters of other words, like KFC for Kentucky Fried Chicken or PPD for post-partum depression.
  • An acronym goes one level deeper. That’s a subset of initialism where the resulting term can be pronounced like a word, as in NASA, SCUBA, or PIN.

When we think about most acronyms, we start with the original full term. You may make some adjustments for a convenient acronym, but the point is that the full version is the beginning. Like National Aeronautics and Space Administration for NASA.

When you go in the opposite direction — starting with the acronym and then reverse engineering words to fit it — you end up with backronyms. You have the shortened form, and then you try to justify it with an acronym that fits.

Examples of Backronyms in Everyday Life

You might be familiar with some of these backronyms. It’s just that you might not know they were backronyms.

  • Adidas: While “All Day I Dream About Sports” might make a good slogan, the brand name comes from the company’s founder. His name was Adolf Dassler, but he went by “Adi.” Thus, the sportswear company is Adi-Das (or Adidas).
  • Bae: Young people might refer to their boyfriend or girlfriend as “bae.” It’s a term of endearment. And while you might think it stands for “before anyone else,” it’s probably just an abbreviated version of “baby.”
  • COLBERT: When NASA named a piece of equipment after talk show host Stephen Colbert, they named it the COLBERT. It’s the Combined Operational Load Bearing External Resistance Treadmill. See! Backronyms can be fun!
  • MADD: It’s true that the nonprofit organization’s name is Mothers Against Drunk Driving. It’s also true that they surely came up with the name to align with a convenient acronym.
  • Piru: The Pirus are a street gang based out of Compton, California. As they are aligned with the Bloods, members normally wear red. And while Piru can stand for Pimps in Red Uniforms, the name really derives from a street in Compton.
  • Posh: Today, “posh” is used as an adjective for something that is stylish, fancy and/or luxurious. It’s falsely associated with the phrase “port out, starboard home,” referring to the more desirable ship location on the trip between England and India.
  • SOS: Lost in the middle of the ocean? Send out the distress signal, asking someone to “save our souls.” Except SOS doesn’t really stand for that at all. They chose SOS because the corresponding Morse code is easily identified: three shorts, three longs, three shorts.
  • Wiki: Wikipedia is the wiki you probably know best. And while you might think it stands for “What I Know Is,” it’s just an abbreviation for the Hawaiian term “wikiwiki.” That translates as “fast” or “quickly.”

Acronyms With Multiple Meanings

You may not lose the intended meaning with backronyms. When I talk about Adidas, you know I’m talking about the sportswear company. But, there are countless acronyms and initialisms that can confuse listeners and readers. The ambiguity in meaning can only be clarified in context. Think about these.

  • ADA: Is that the American Dental Association? Or the Americans with Disabilities Act?
  • AP: These days, I think of Associated Press. Back in high school, it might have been Advanced Placement.
  • ATM: Thanks to the omnipresence of texting and online chat, ATM stands for “at the moment” for me. Maybe that’s why banks have moved away from the Automated Teller Machine to the Automated Banking Machine (ABM) to avoid confusion?
  • BTS: When I asked Twitter earlier this year, “back to school” came out on top. But, depending on context, it could very easily refer to “behind the scenes” or “Bangtan Sonyeondan” (the K-pop group). And then, of course, there’s BTS: The BTS BTS Video.
  • CIA: It wasn’t until I started reading Anthony Bourdain’s books that I learned CIA also stands for the Culinary Institute of America. It’s not just the Central Intelligence Agency. Though, I suppose both organizations can be pretty secretive.
  • IRA: American readers might think of their Roth IRA, or individual retirement account. Other readers may think of the Irish Republican Army.
  • LSD: Do you think of the hallucinogenic drug (lysergic acid diethylamide) or the limited slip differential on a car?
  • MLS: With my latent interest in real estate, I associate MLS with the Multiple Listing Service. But, there’s also Major League Soccer, plus a genetic condition called microphthalmia with linear skin defects.
  • PDA: Before I got my first smartphone, I had a Personal Digital Assistants by Palm and Sony. That’s quite different from a public display of affection.
  • POS: Is that point of sale (i.e., cash register) a real piece of sh*t?
  • RPG: Are there any role-playing games (RPGs) that feature rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs)? Probably.
  • SWF: If you’re browsing the personal ads, you’re probably encountering a single white female. If you’re a nerd on the web, that’s a Shockwave Flash file.
  • T.O.: Sports fans might think of a timeout… unless you’re a Raptors fan. Then, it might be Toronto, Ontario.

Text Speak and Kids These Days

And we’ve barely grazed the surface of backronyms and acronyms, particularly in terms of Internet shorthand. We all know about LOL and BRB, but what about TIL, FBF, WCW, SMH, MFW and FWIW? It’s sth that can be confusing AF if you know nth about this world. IKR?