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From: gwyn@smoke.BRL.MIL (Doug Gwyn)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.wizards
Subject: Re: Pronunciations (was: And how do you pronounce "csh"?)
Message-ID: <11411@smoke.BRL.MIL>
Date: 24 Oct 89 21:47:33 GMT
References: <929@uakari.primate.wisc.edu> <4305@csd4.csd.uwm.edu> <3598@frame.UUCP> <440@nixba.UUCP>
Reply-To: gwyn@brl.arpa (Doug Gwyn)
Organization: Ballistic Research Lab (BRL), APG, MD.
Lines: 57

In article <440@nixba.UUCP> mike@nixba.UUCP (Mike Lyons) writes:
>		sed = ess - e - dee
>		ed  = e - dee

In the environment that spawned "ed", the follow-on editors were
named "fred", "jim", then "sam".  This suggests that "ed" is short
for "edward".

Thus "sed" must be short for "sedward".

>		awk = a - w - k

awk: bailing out near line 1

Obviously it's inspired by an "auk" (a bird) with a parachute;
there are even T-shirts to corroborate this view.

>		ioctl = i - o control

Ok, also the Lone Ranger's "i-o Cuttle, away!" and "i-octal"
(I dislike the last).

>		fcntl = f - control

Ok.  There is an alternative but not in mixed company.

>		strrchr = stir - recker

"stir-r-chir", inspired by strchr being "stir-chir".
Some people pronounce this "r-index".

>		tty  =  t - t - y

Or "titty", as in "An ADM-3 is a glass titty".

>		uucico = you - you - kee - ko

"u-u-c-i-c-o" (Unix-to-Unix copy-in copy-out, obviously an acronym).

>		HUPCL = hoop - sell

"hup-cluh" or "hup-cul", because HUP is short for "hang-up", as in
SIGHUP.

>		mkdir = m - k - dir

"make dir", because that's what it does.

>		mknod = m - k - node

"make node", because that's what it does.

>		pg  = p - g

Ok.

Gee, isn't this silly.