Fun with Apocopes

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sod = sodomite

telly - UK vernacular for television

Thanks, all!

Yet another common apocope, one that does double duty: rev, as in "Nice sermon, Rev! And now I'm all revved up to do some good deeds."

you've got sci fi; how about sat nav? (Weirdly its Google status is still as two words. I thought it'd've been condensed by now.) I woke up with this one.

I realise that these may not be politically correct, but bi, homo, fag, and tranny would fit the criterion.

Less potentially offensive: lino, butt, blankie, bacchus and his pards.

How about dorm?

Epocopa?

Here's another common one: grid, though my dictionary lists it as a back-formation (from gridiron).

Of course you're right about "edit" being a back-formation, though I suppose back-formations are a particular kind of apocope.

Thanks, all. Geez, don't know how I missed obit, especially. Rolig, I think "edit" is more a back-formation than an apocope. But don't worry--I have a list for back-formations too. ;-)

Two common examples: exam and obit.

Edit: I see you have exam on page 2. But come to think of it, what about edit (n.), as short for "editing"? Tricky, I guess.

Do you have hack yet (orig. from hackney)? A case of an apocopic toponym.

I love sionnach's comment. I'm going to go around posting it on other lists. "This list is remarkably rhino-free."

And dino-free.

Irish English? And all this time I thought it was Brooklynese.

This list is remarkably rhino-free.

'dis' is, of course, a time-honored demonstrative adjective in Irish English. Together with its brother, 'dat' and its cousins, 'dese' and 'dose'.

I've always assumed it's short for "disrespect," although I do agree with bilby--it always sounds vague to me and I've never much cared for it.

Still, in the interest of thoroughness--and because it's also a city in The Divine Comedy, not to mention the NYSE symbol for the Disney Company--I'll add it. ;-)

*also hoping not to be dissed by sarra*

disrespect, there's no doubt. Though it is of course rich with other possibilities (making it one of the kings of apocopes, rather, I'd've thought.) Pick a preferred source and see what it has to say?

I'm put off by the muddiness of dis. It's apocope of what? Disparage, dismiss, disabuse, discredit, dismiss, dis...? I won't have it on my own apocope list until I can pin it down a bit. Call me back in 2030.

no dis?!

I'm off to dis you in front of my friends! (It is a strain for me not to spell it diss, mind.)

Funny, I was thinking Christmas thoughts this morning, too. I think it was the misled/mizzled thread. I thought there should be a joke about someone being misled by mistletoe, but I could not quite get there. . .something about work getting in the way!

I have never liked "tot" for "total" either, although I suspect that if I were from a linguistic environment where that was standard I would have a different opinion. Come to think of it, I have never liked the verb tote much either. Again, it is probably a regional preference.

I suppose as a good junk food eater I should. ;-) But no, I think of young'uns. Must be that Christmas song that includes "tiny tots with their eyes all aglow." Or...boy, where'd that come from??

You don't immediately think of tater tots?

Thanks, s! For some reason "tot" as short for "total" grates on my nerves, so I'm adding it instead as short for "totterer" (small child). :-)

tot (total); tad (probably tadpole); merc (mercantile); sib

I wondered about where suss came from. It seems that it is short for suspect. (Then why not sus?)

How did I miss that one? Thanks, s.

Ah, temp for both temporary and temperature.

Thanks, S! I agree--I don't think "chick" is a shortened version of a word in this use; more like a nickname. And since I already have lit listed, I'll just add crit. You also reminded me of audio and stereo (along the lines of video).

lit crit, promo, pomo (for post-modern). I'd suggest chick flick and chick lit, but I'm not sure what exactly is abbreviated by those terms. video might be another possibility.

Well, thank heavens for seanahan, or I wouldn't know a damn thing about this list! ;-)

Actually, newbie is short for newbitron.

I thought newbie came from British boarding schools - shortened from new boy.

Hmm. I could see that, in the late '80s, when people actually talked that way. Back when "Welcome to our humble BBS, newcomer" was more common than "omgz u hvae a mspace lolollol?!?"

I remember "newbie" being coined as a name for newcomers to the 'net.

What is newbie short for? I think noob is a shorter form of it, but I'm pretty sure "newbie" is the long version, itself a made-up word. I'd love to be proven wrong, though. :-)

Thanks, AZ. Wow, I'd forgotten all about term. Sometimes these words become so common that most people forget that they were ever part of a longer word. Amazing how many of them are in use, too.

how's about porn, term, specs (for spectacles), rad, non trad, bull, sim

Ah, I see. Thank you for the clarification =]

Zipf's law describes the frequency of many things, including words.

Thanks, Valse! All good ideas. Prep was shortened from preparatory, I believe.

I've only heard Zipf's law used to describe the frequency of word occurrences, not for shortening words--although I believe apocope can also refer to cases where, for example, you drop the "g" on an "-ing" word.

And rep

prep as in prep course? dem for democrat, chem, phenom (which sounds very odd to me). noob or newb?

Isn't this what they call Zipf's law?