+568 If ATM stands for Automatic Teller Machine, why do we call it an ATM machine? And if PIN stands for Personal Identification Number, why do we call it a PIN number? amirite?

by Anonymous 13 years ago

This was on Countdown yesterday haha, you beat them to it :)

by Anonymous 13 years ago

:)

by Anonymous 13 years ago

Because otherwise we'd have AT Machines and PI Numbers. :P

by Anonymous 13 years ago

"hey can we stop at an ATM" "do you have an ATM here?" "do you remember your pin?" "Enter your pin, please." It's pretty simple to not be redundant you know?

by Anonymous 13 years ago

Well, I can't really explain ATM, but I don't really hear people put machine the end of that anyways. But, as for pin; There's more than one type of pin. Like there's pins for walls, so maybe they're just being specific?

by Anonymous 13 years ago

Its actually called the RAS syndrome, which is strange because it's doing what it says (RAS means redundant acronym syndrome) so its saying redundant acronym syndrome syndrome

by Anonymous 13 years ago

An ATM machine is a machine that makes the ATM. A PIN number is an index to your PIN (if a few PIN are in a list, for example, "your PIN is the third one" would be PIN number 3). RAS syndrome is just weird. Welcome to the Redundant Department of Redundancy (RDR department).

by Anonymous 13 years ago

I always thought ATM stood for All The Money.

by Anonymous 13 years ago