How do I reprogram an acronym in my brain?

[Joe Woodbury]

My brain is also almost hard wired toward the non-Point of Sale interpretation.

[GuyWithDogs]

I used to work at an engineering R&D company, so I got used to a lot of acronyms that also have "real", "acceptable", or at least "non-vulgar" uses. But this one is the toughest to get rid of, and since some clients deal with POS systems that involve our software, it's really messing up my ability to keep a straight face in meetings. Especially since in my previous job we talked about the POS systems our competitors produced... :laugh:

[Michael Dunn]

It's not just you. :-\

--Mike-- Dunder-Mifflin, this is Pam.

[Olivier_Giulieri]

I know what you mean. I worked for Business Objects in Paris where French employees called the company "BO". Later, I moved to their US office, and I noticed that American called the company "BOI" (with "I" for "Inc."). I was wondering if it was to differentiate between BO France, and BO US, but I quickly learned that in America "BO" simply meant "body odor".

[John Nurick]

Australian stores have EPOS systems, electronic point of sale. Can you guess why?

[Stuart Jeffery]

I get around that easily, if someone says P O S (said as 'pee oh ess') then it is the other version but POS is read/heard as EPOS and therefore point of sale.

[JDL EPM]

POS has LOTS of meanings. See: http://acronyms.thefreedictionary.com/POS BTW, I'm pretty naive, so I didn't think of anything but Point of Sale...

[Russell Jones]

I worked on some PoS systems a few years ago, don't worry about reprogramming you'll just come round full circle in the end!

[Member 3717204]

Over the last 30 years, I have been in software moving from Networking, to Document management and now Medical... Each vertical group seems to have their own unrelated acronyms. Anytime a new one coms up which conflicts with an old one (vulgar or not),I just tell them I can't use that TLA as it conflicts with other TLA's I know. Its Better Manually In Bleakest Mordor

[Rage]

And, for us non english natives, what were you thinking about ?

[Michael Haines]

My company is based in France and really overuses acronyms to the point that almost any document from there is unreadable. We also have a product called PMS.

You are here - through no fault of mine!

[Dan Neely]

It probably was flushed.

The European Way of War: Blow your own continent up. The American Way of War: Go over and help them.

[Dan Neely]

Piece of Sh*$

The European Way of War: Blow your own continent up. The American Way of War: Go over and help them.

[VSmrk]

POS in the US (at least) has long meant "piece of sh*t".

_______ VSmirk

[Asday]

I immediately thought "Player owned Structure". Thank you EVE-online. D:

[Member 2053006]

Oh, dear. I was thinking of the Pos function in Delphi. I am a geek :(

[Member 1709723]

What else would it mean?

Opium is my business. The bridge mean more traffic. More traffic mean more money. More money mean more power. Speed is important in business. Time is money. You said opium was money. Money is Money. Well then, what is time again? icalburner.net

[Trevortni]

I program for QuickBooks. I've worked with the POS version. The translation you're thinking of is correct.

[Homncruse]

Although the method is a little different, another related "quirk" is when people pronounce acronyms like words, but the words they sound like mean something COMPLETELY different if you're just overhearing it from over the cube wall. Example (I hear variations of this all the time): "Did you finish the BOM?"

[bVagadishnu]

I was having a real hard time keeping a straight face at a meeting with many business types. Finally someone clued me in the T&C meant Terms and Conditions. :doh: