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Jul 9, 2003

This week's theme
Abbreviations and acronyms

This week's words
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snafu
gulag
kayo
gestapo

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gulag

noun 1. The system of forced-labor camp in the former Soviet Union.
2. Any prison or forced-labor camp, especially one for political prisoners.
3. A place of great hardship.

[From Russian Gulag, acronym from Glavnoe Upravlenie ispravitel'no-trudovykh LAGere (Chief Administration for Corrective Labour Camps).]

"So it was that (Harry Hongda) Wu, without a trial or even a chance to say goodbye to his family, disappeared into the netherworld of the Chinese gulag."
Steven W. Mosher; Barbarians In The Gates; Newsday (New York); Feb 20, 1994.

"Kariya stands out, not only because he has been a prolific goal scorer throughout his career. For years, he has been fawned over by the Canadian media -- particularly from his hometown of Vancouver -- who saw playing for the Ducks as doing time in the NHL's gulag." Chris Foster; Vision of Cup Is No Longer an Illusion; Los Angeles Times; Jun 5, 2003.

This week's theme: abbreviations and acronyms.

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