These Words Are Not Acronyms (Despite 黑料网 You Think)

Posh?

Quick, what does the word posh stand for? Wrong!听

You may be wondering how we can be so sure your answer was incorrect, but the fact is it doesn鈥檛 stand for anything. It鈥檚 one of those words that people like to believe originate as an acronym, but its true etymology is quite different.听

This belief is known as folk etymology, or “a popular but false notion of the origin of a word.” And there’s been a lot of folk etymology out there surrounding the terms on this list, but one thing that is true about all of them is: they aren’t acronyms!听

Now, these folk etymologies, no matter how much they get debunked, have a way of getting circulated on the internet or in casual convos time and time again. But here is a tip (yep, we’ll get to that word in this slideshow) on how to sniff out a folk etymology. If the word origin is just too clever to be true, too tidy of an etymological package, it’s likely false. Also, many of the words that get the ole folk-etymology treatment are very old鈥攁nd with obscure origins, just asking for a bogus backstory. But lack of a clear, concrete origin doesn’t mean they began as acronyms … especially because acronyms only became fairly common starting in the 20th century.

WATCH: 黑料网 Is The Difference Between Abbreviations And Acronyms?

Click through to see how many of the following words you thought were acronyms and the real story behind them鈥攊ncluding posh. Don’t worry, we won’t leave you hanging!

POSH

So as not to keep you in suspense, let鈥檚 start with posh, which some people will try to tell you stands for the phrase 鈥淧ort Out, Starboard Home.鈥� There鈥檚 a widely shared theory that the word, which means 鈥�sumptuously furnished or appointed; luxurious,鈥� came from the traveling habits of highfalutin English citizens who used to visit India via ship in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In order to keep their skin fair (or, in other variants of the folk etymology, stay cooler), so they wouldn鈥檛 be mistaken for common workers who toiled outside, they would request seats on the ship that kept them out of the sun. Those seats supposedly were on the port side on the journey there, and the starboard side for the return leg鈥攖hus P.O.S.H.

There are many reasons why that story doesn鈥檛 pan out, not the least of which being that most cabins back in those days didn鈥檛 even have balconies.听

First evidence of the word can be found in 1915鈥�20. Its true origin is obscure, but it may stem from a British slang term, such as the noun posh, or a听dandy, 鈥渁 man who is excessively concerned about his clothes and appearance; a fop.鈥澨� There鈥檚 also some thought that posh may have been used to refer to 鈥渕oney,鈥� stemming from a Romani word for halfpenny.听

We鈥檙e just glad it was around when the Spice Girls formed.

TAG

Tag, you’re it! It sounds pretty legit that the word for the traditional child鈥檚 game tag would have come from the phrase 鈥渢ouch and go.鈥� After all, that鈥檚 pretty much what the running game consists of. But while it would be a fun bit of playground trivia to have in your pocket, that鈥檚 not how the word came to be.

First evidence of the word used for the game can be found around 1730鈥�40. It may be a version of the Scottish word tig, meaning 鈥渢ouch, tap,鈥� or a special use of tag in its sense of “label, small hanging piece.” This sense of听tag is from the Middle English tagge, and is connected to tack.

NEWS

There are various folk etymologies that claim the word news is short for “north, east, west, and south” and “notable events, weather, and sports.” Pretty cool, right? Only they鈥檙e not accurate.听

First evidence of the word can be found around 1425鈥�75. It stems from the late Middle English word newe, which meant 鈥渘ew thing, novelty.鈥� New, of course, is related, and its a cousin to the Latin novus, meaning “new,” and source of such English words as novel,听novelty, and innovate.听Is that news to you?

F*CK

A favorite of pottymouths far and wide, there are some interesting theories about how the F-word came to be, but they are a different sort of F-word: false.

No, f*ck is not an an effing acronym for “For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge” or “Fornication Under Consent of the King,” dealing with supposed ancient rules around love-making.

The F-word is an old word. While not attested until the 1500s (vulgar words weren鈥檛 historically widely written down), f*ck is likely from an ancient root meaning 鈥渢o strike鈥� (consider the Middle Dutch fokken, 鈥渢o strike鈥�).

SH*T

As long as we鈥檙e discussing potty talk, let鈥檚 talk about sh*t. There are a lot of, well, sh*tty explanations as to how the word came about, but most stem from the idea that the word sprang from the phrase 鈥淪hip High In Transit.鈥�

One popular theory goes that, when manure was shipped overseas, if it was stored below deck, the gases would build up and the ships would explode when someone went down there with a lantern. Yikes! Therefore, they marked the packages S.H.I.T. so people would know to keep them above deck.

Only, this is basically a load of sh*t as far as the word鈥檚 origins go. Sh*t is a very old word in English, first recorded in Old English as scite, originally a non-offensive word for “diarrhea,” especially as it affected cattle. It only later became a naughty word.

SWAG

Who doesn鈥檛 like a little swag? While the word has a host of meanings, we鈥檙e talking about the slang version that鈥檚 used to describe fancy, often branded gifts and other free goodies. While some believe the term is an acronym for 鈥淪tuff We All Get,鈥� that story doesn’t have a lot of swagger, etymologically speaking.

First recorded in 1790鈥�1800, swag, in its “cool freebie merch” sense, develops out of older uses for “plunder; booty” and “money; valuables.” These senses, in turn, may be special uses of听swag referring to 鈥渁 suspended wreath, garland, drapery, or the like, fastened up at or near each end and hanging down in the middle; festoon.鈥� Which sounds pretty fancy, just like swag.

GOLF

Golf has long had a reputation for being an 鈥渙ld boys club,鈥� but the origin of the word itself isn鈥檛 as sexist as the folk etymologies claim. While some think it sprung from the phrase 鈥淕entlemen Only, Ladies Forbidden,鈥� that鈥檚 not the case.听

First evidence of the word can be found in 1425鈥�75 in late Middle English. While its origin is uncertain, it’s first recorded in Scots鈥攁nd indeed, the modern game developed in Scotland. The world听golf may be related to the Dutch听kolf, “club, bat.”