Constantin?

Bill Nye_2

Constantin, would it be possible for you to post a legend for some of your [and others] abbreviations?

For us intellectually challenged functional illiterates it would be a help. [while the tone of this may come of as smart ****, I am sincere, I don't follow you all the time] i.e. IIRC ? and may others. If you don't know , ask, right?

Mark Eatherton1

IIRC...

Thats the sound a series 100 B&G makes if you don't oil the bearings:-)

(It stands for If I Recall Correctly ) You know how I figured it out? I kept reading his blurbs until it made sence.

But you are correct Bill, to the unknowing it can be exasperating, and can cause people to put their own words into the acronyms, right wrong or indifferent.

Fill us in Captain:-)

ME

Unknown

Thanks Bill, I agree

you actually need a program sometimes to follow the rhetoric that goes on here. Say I think Dan had a list of acronyms somewhere, I will have to look for those.

Bill Nye_2

TMITYR

TMITYR Thanks Mark, I think you're right. Hand slap on the forehead, I should have known that.

steve_80

I also had trouble until I found that dictionary.com and acronymfinder.com define many of these acronyms.

IIRC can mean a number of things: 1. if I recall correctly , 2 if I really cared, 3 isn't it really cool, 4 if it really counts. I guess that you have to look at the context to choose the correct meaning.

Tony_8

We could call them...

"Constanisms" or something like that, like "Yogi-isms"

Internet shorthand is tiring, or is it trying ? He can probably type 40 wpm to boot !

Just picking Constantin. Really though, if you published a thread with all your abbreviations with meanings attached, we could all bookmark it and refer to it at will.

Constantin

Sorry!

Hi Bill and Mark, I'm sorry if I keep acronyming things! Creature feature habit, I'm afraid, but thanks for the heads up, I'll try to clean up my act... so do I have that many... let's see which ones I can remember right away..

• BTW = By the Way,
  
• GSHP = Ground Source Heat Pump
  
• HX = Heat Exchanger
  
• IIRC = If I recall correctly (rare, but it does happen)
  
• IDWH = Indirect Water Heater
  
• RFH = radiant floor heat
  
• WRT = with respect to

Any others I missed?

Bill Nye_2

PONPC

Point of no pressure change? No, it is not the technical ones that throw me, it is the figure of speech ones. I never had kids so I never had to deal with the text message crowd, that, and I never learned how to type. I hang with the redneck , blue collar crowd. But everyday I try to increase my understanding.

Constantin

Hee Hee!

I never learned to type properly myself! Although I can get up to 60 words per minute on a good day... My mum, she's a touch typist, and I've always admired her about that. Perhaps some day I will master the art of typing quickly w/o errors. In the meantime, I'll try to cut down on the shorthand.

Anyway, the contractors among us might also take pity on the homeowners like myself and publish a list of technical acronyms... it goes both ways... I get TRV's, HX's and other technical terms, but others may not. I'm still scratching my head over what a RPZ is, but I suppose the thrill of discovery is just about to hit me.

Speaking of which, I just found another acronym that I used carelessly... worse yet, it's an MBA'ism... BATNA = Best Alternative to a negotiated agreement. Not to worry though, as I found out today, I should be glad that my sheepskin degree is soft for the dreaded day ahead when the "excrement hits the fan".

It's all about learning! :-)

Mark Eatherton1

RPZ=

Reduced Pressure Zone backflow preventer. AKA (also known as) RPPBFP (Reduced Pressure Principle Backflow Preventer)

Thanks for clarification Constantin.

ME

Norbert_2

I believe this is what an RPZ valve is


009 - Reduced Pressure Zone Assemblies
Series 009 Reduced Pressure Zone Assemblies prevent the reverse flow of polluted water from entering into the potable water supply due to backsiphonage and or backpressure. It consists of bronze body construction (1/4 to 2 in.) or FDA approved epoxy coated cast iron (2 1/2 to 3 in.), two, in-line independent check valves, replaceable check seats with an intermediate relief valve, and ball valve test cocks. Series 009 is ideal for protection of health hazard cross-connections or for containment at the service line entrance. Check with local water authorities for installation requirements. Maximum Working Pressure: 175psi (12.06 bars).
Size Range: 1/4 to 3 in. (8 to 80mm)

LKE

acroynms

In discussing meanings it might be good to mention that acronyms are words. Dan's list is made up mostly of abbreviations. IIRC is an abbreviation that in many circles like lots of other abbr.'s are not easily recognized. An acronym is a word made up from either abbreviations or the first parts of a compound term. Like radar, laser, maser, hepa, so the meaning of acronym is becoming lost.At the same time the meaning of written (and i might add spoken) communications are becoming harder and harder to discern.Is communication also becoming a lost art? I think the government might be leading the way in this.For example hepa originally derived from the term high effiency particle arrestance.A different agency wanted to apply their own definition to the standard or something and now say the term it derives from is high effiency particulate air, a term with no meaning! Last year i was doing cbt at a nuclear facility and our course work would have abbreviations for terms never defined, how confusing! See i almost got you cbt 'computer based training' mandated by the NRC nuclear regulatory commission.These courses were full of abbreviations which were mistakenly called acronyms by most people. Well the point is i am not very fond of the overuse of abbreviating which is so common here on this site as well as sooooo many other places we go to get information that leaves us with voids unfilled.

Mike T., Swampeast MO

Here's the link (at Heating Help) to a VERY good dictionary of heating/plumbing related acronyms:

Alphabet Soup

I type absurdely fast with numbers/symbols included, but long for the day when EVERYONE understands that "TRV" stands for "Thermostatic Radiator Valve".

Mark Eatherton1

Well then...

I stand (sit) corrected sir!

English was never my stronger suit :-)

Howsabout Hackronym, that oughta IIRC my old english teachers!

New word, 50 bonus points!!:-)

Just clowning around at your expense Larry. No one here gets out alive...

ME

Uni R

SWMBO

"She who must be obeyed" never appears as an acronymn here for some strange reason despite it being 99% male.

Mitch_4

that one is

for all those who deal with MY wife...4'9" of mean and vicious when crossed

IMHO = in my humble opinion
JMHO = just my humble opinion
IRT or WRT = In 0r with regards to
IAW = In accordance with

John Starcher_4

While we are on the subject.......

.....how exactly do you pronounce your name??

Is it Con-stan-TIN, Con-STAN-tin, Con-stan-TEEN?

Silly, I know, but I have a habit of pronouncing things in my mind when I read them, and not knowing the proper pronunciation of your name is like a roadblock to my reading!!!! Meant to ask you at Wetstock, and never got the chance!

Starch

Constantin

The latter...

Hi John, nice to hear from you again!

Like many things in my life, my given name is a German-American compromise. Hence, no K at the beginning (diverging from my relative General Konstantin von Alvensleben whom I'm named after) and no "e" at the end either. Adding an "e" would have made me female in Germany... though "Constanze" is the usual female form of Constantin.

Anyway, pronounciation-wise, I guess the "Con-stan-teen" is the closest American English is going to get to the German form... I hope that removes any remaining mental roadblocks... Cheers!

John Starcher_4

Ahhhhh......

.....much better now!!


Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Starch

Scott Denny

Estimation acroynms

Wag-Wild **** quess
Swag-Scientific wild **** quess

Weezbo

I call abbreviations Alphabet soup.

in a way i liken them to statistics...you can make them mean whatever you want them to mean.sorta tweedel dee and tweedle dum sorta approach....to comunication read Jaberrwoky...

Maine doug

TRV?

Thermic Regulator Valve -
Transient Radioactive Value -
Typical Rhetoric Venting -
Technical Rule Violation -
Temporary Resident Visa -
Tobacco Rattle Virus -
Travel Reimbursement Voucher

jackchips_2

Actually, Scott

we call it a STUPID WAG. Especially when the Boss does one. :-))

Thanks Con-stan-teen, I was wondering the same thing. Is your new place anywhere near the YMCA? I designed and bid the plumbing there quite a few years ago. It was quite a challenge based on the water pressure.

It was also a challenge as downtown Peoples Republic of Cambridge was very pro-union and our Open Shop was required to enter and leave by a separate door. I trust you do not have those issues on a residential remodel.

Jack

Constantin

Hi Jack!

If I recall correctly, the YMCA is near city hall, right? We're further up Mass. Ave in the Porter Square area. Basically, get to the old Sears Roebuck building, then hike up Avon Hill.

Anyway, as far as union issues is concerned, we had only a single minor one I can think of. None of the subs rubbed each other the wrong way as best as I could tell, undoubtedly in part due to the excellent management skills of our GC.

Plus, I've found most city agencies transparent and professional to work with, with the exception of the traffic and parking division, which seems to have taken lessons from the French bureaucracy as far as creating obtuse, catch-22 situations is concerned. For instance, they won't take personal ID, property deeds, water bills, cell phone bills, etc. as proof of residency. On the other hand, self-addressed, stamped envelopes are OK. Go figure.

Carl PE

Hey Constantin!

I heard there was going to be a movie about you.

Constantin

I see...

... finally, a movie that chronicles my usual days at work, excorcising the possessed, fighting demons, saving the planet, etc. Now you will all know what I go through on a daily basis, and why I come here to unwind.

:-)

Carl PE

You must be very busy.

After bringing Christianity to the Roman Empire and all..