16 February 2009
Now there’s a name for the redundant word that often follows an acronym. From The Copyeditor’s Handbook, by Amy Einsohn:
Redundonyms. In speech, people often use an acronym followed by a word that is actually a part of the acronym:
ATM machine (ATM = Automated Teller Machine)
GRE exam (GRE = Graduate Record Exam)
HIV virus (HIV = human immunodeficiency virus)
PIN number (PIN = personal identification number)
UPS service (UPS = United Parcel Service)In writing, such redundancies are best avoided.
(Hat tip to Jesse Vernon over at the Stranger Slog)
