AHIPS! (ACRONYMS HIDDEN IN PLAIN SIGHT)

From a casual LOL (Laugh Out Loud) to your bank card PIN (Personal Identification Number), acronyms infuse our lives now more than ever. Sometimes, you might not even realize you’re using one. For example:

▶ Did you know that laser is the lazy way of saying Light Amplification by the Stimulated Emission of Radiation?

▶ Taser might shock you even more. That’s the Tom A. Swift Electric Rifle, named after a 1911 young adult adventure novel that was much beloved by NASA researcher Jack Cover, who invented the Taser in 1974.

▶ Scuba diving? Hope your Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus is working.

▶ Lube a greasy wheel with WD-40— that’s Water Displacement, 40th formula—a name straight out of the lab book of the chemist who invented the stuff in 1953, after 39 failed attempts.

▶ Shop at IKEA? Thank founder Ingvar Kamprad, who grew up on the farm of Elmtaryd near Agunnaryd, a town in Sweden.

▶ When in Sweden, listen to plenty of ABBA. The famous pop quartet was named after its members: Agnetha, Björn, Benny, and Anni-frid.