My pet peeve is radio traffic reports.? You're driving in an unfamiliar area so you tune in to learn whether you are about to hit traffic and you hear:? "Tie up on the approaches to the GWB," and being from out of town have no clue what "GWB" means or whether it's relevant to? your route. Now, "GWB" read out as the letters has 5 syllables. Coincidentally, perhaps, "George Washington Bridge" ALSO has five syllables, so the radio station has conveniently shortened 5 syllables to 5 syllables!
Similar problems ensue with terms like "the Holland", meaning "the Holland Tunnel", etc.? You have to be "in with the in crowd" to get any use of such reports.?
My all time favorite is "the Blue Route".? You will not find "the Blue Route" on ANY road map, and the radio will NEVER tell you what they mean.? You can find it with a Google search, but few of us can do that while driving...
So, while I recognize the value of abbreviation, I vote for defining important terms before abbreviating them.? I may use unimportant abbreviations like IMO ("in my opinion"), but I reserve the right to interpret your "LOL" or? "ROTFL" any way I like, possibly casting indecent aspersions upon your character!
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Bruce
NJ
