On the principles of latin grammar a case can certainly be made for 'vermibus'. In fact the three classical sources I have all read 'verminibus'.
--jg On 8/20/12, Bill Fairchild <[email protected]> wrote: > An "apar" (all lower-case letters) is also a three-banded South American > armadillo, as I learned decades ago by doing crossword puzzles. > > Also I believe the Latin word should be "vermibus" and not "verminibus". > > Bill Fairchild > Programmer > Rocket Software > 408 Chamberlain Park Lane * Franklin, TN 37069-2526 * USA > t: +1.617.614.4503 * e: [email protected] * w: > www.rocketsoftware.com > > -----Original Message----- > From: IBM Mainframe Discussion List [mailto:[email protected]] On > Behalf Of John Gilmore > Sent: Monday, August 20, 2012 12:19 PM > To: [email protected] > Subject: Etymology of APAR > > The 10th edition of IBM Jargon, a semi-official publication edited by Mike > Cowlishaw, contains the definition: > > <begin extract> > APAR (ay-parr). 1. n. Authorized Program Analysis Report. This is an > official report to IBM of an error in a program. The acronym is used so > often that most people don't know what it stands for. This is one of the > many acronyms whose expansion and meaning has changed with > time. The group in Poughkeepsie th at wrote the early System/360 > systems programs (compilers, sorts, etc.) were called "Applied Programming" > or "Application Programming", hence a request for assistance was called an > "Applied Programming Assistance Request." In the period between the demise > of the 'Applied Programming" > > > organisation and the determination that "AP" could mean "Authorized Program" > the acronym was interpreted as "Always Process As Rush", > [This actually got printed on some forms.] 2, verb. To make such a > report. Note that only programs (and not microcode) can be APARed. > 3, n. A specific fix for a reported problem [an incorrect usage]. > "I've applied all the APARs, but it still crashes." > <end extract/> > > IT clarifies a recent thread here; and, in doing so, it also provides a neat > illustration of IBM's practice of jacking up acronyms to stick something new > under them. > > Some historical perspective is of course needed. Acronyms often turn > themselves into words, and confusion about their etymology is often the > result. I discovered recently that none of my young-genius students knew > that 'cadaver' had been an acronym: CAro DAta VERminibus, flesh given to the > worms ==> CADAVER. > > John Gilmore, Ashland, MA 01721 - USA > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email > to [email protected] with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, > send email to [email protected] with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to [email protected] with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
