this post was submitted on 07 Jan 2024
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As a kid, I was in the room at one point while my mom was watching some TV show, maybe law and order or something similar. I heard somebody letting somebody else know (verbally) the details of some victim and described the cause of injury or death or whatever as "GSW". I asked my mom what GSW meant. She said "gun shot wound". I said that that couldn't possibly be right, and she was curious why. I said because "gun shot wound" is 3 syllables and "GSW" is 5; it's literally quicker to say the full thing.
So yeah, GSW is fucking stupid when said aloud, and even me as a dumbass child knew that.
I guess it's faster to write, so people started to say it as well.
How often do You have to use the phrase "gun shot wound" in everyday speak? Found the American.
It was specifically in a police TV show, spare us the tried joke.
It's used a lot in law enforcement and certain medical environments like hospitals with trauma centers and morgues.
Don't worry, I liked your post.
W does that in acronyms. Compare syllables in World Wide Webβ¦
At work we often say "dub dub dub".
"Dubya" is one syllable, maybe two depending on your particular accent
Edit: Unfortunately I was extremely stoned at the time of this message and that should have been "[...] two syllables, maybe one depending [...]" but I'm leaving it up as evidence of my dumbshittery since it spawned discussion. Don't do drugs kids
WTF?
WWJD?
WTFWJD??
GSW isn't an acronym as far as I'm concerned. It's an initialism. But it sure is stupid, I will say. Much faster to say it the "long" way.
I think you mean GSW IAAAFAICIAI
Given how many times people make this same initialism point, itβs time we made an acronym for it.
That's an unfortunate, incorrect phrasing. π
It's a very deliberate phrasing, since not everyone agrees that initialisms are not acronyms.
Personally I think that "ackhually that's an initialism not an acronym π€" is exactly the kind of ultimately irrelevant distinction that internet know-it-alls love to know and point out. I know because I used to be like that too when I was younger.
But often those distinctions are not universally acknowledged or useful in all contexts. Like how strawberries are not scientifically berries, but we still often group them as berries.
Nitpicking word definitions is pointless when the distinction being pointed out is not relevant for the conversation.
I'm not saying I'm the tone of "aaackshually".
I personally love to learn these types of things, so in case someone learns something they'd like to learn, I'm here for it. If people get butthurt or annoyed about it because "I've been using it wrong and that makes it right..." π€·ββοΈ I dunno.
Where in the world do you live that you need five syllables to 'GSW'?
Any English speaking country? "Gee-ess-dou-ble-u". 5 syllables.
Yeah, you're right, I'm wrong.
Say W really slowly out loud and count the syllables. Where do you live that W isn't three syllables?
I was counting double as one syllable. It's still early on Sunday morning for me here.
In a lot of the US, w is pronounced as two syllables in conversational speech: dub-yuh
That doesn't excuse my stupidity because I'd guess that the places that say dub-yuh also say eh-yuss for 's'.
A lot of them do, yes.
Netherlands. It's pronounced "way" here
So youse say way way way dot com?
Dot in dutch is punt
Way way way Punt!
Scooooooorrrrrreeeee!!!!
Putting this on a T-shirt
Well, yeah way way way google punt com
Iβve heard WWW pronounced: dub-dub-dub
"Dub-yah"
Gee Ess Dub-ya
In English it's G-S-Dou-ble-U