{"id":2484,"date":"2021-12-25T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-12-25T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tutor.engoo.com\/blog\/?p=2484"},"modified":"2021-12-29T06:33:13","modified_gmt":"2021-12-29T06:33:13","slug":"omg-xmas-xx-rip-ps","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tutor.engoo.com\/blog\/curiosity\/omg-xmas-xx-rip-ps\/","title":{"rendered":"\"OMG it's Xmas!\" \u2013 The Surprising History of 5 English Abbreviations"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_80 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 eztoc-toggle-hide-by-default' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/tutor.engoo.com\/blog\/curiosity\/omg-xmas-xx-rip-ps\/#1_Xmas\" >1. Xmas<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/tutor.engoo.com\/blog\/curiosity\/omg-xmas-xx-rip-ps\/#2_xx\" >2. xx<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/tutor.engoo.com\/blog\/curiosity\/omg-xmas-xx-rip-ps\/#3_OMG\" >3. OMG<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/tutor.engoo.com\/blog\/curiosity\/omg-xmas-xx-rip-ps\/#4_RIP\" >4. RIP<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/tutor.engoo.com\/blog\/curiosity\/omg-xmas-xx-rip-ps\/#5_PS\" >5. PS<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/tutor.engoo.com\/blog\/curiosity\/omg-xmas-xx-rip-ps\/#%F0%9F%91%8B_Thats_It_For_Now\" >\ud83d\udc4b That&#8217;s It For Now<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n<p>A lot of students ask us why \"Christmas\" is abbreviated \"Xmas.\" Today, we'll go over this along with the history of some other popular abbreviations that are older than most learners realize!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><a href=\"#xmas\" data-type=\"internal\" data-id=\"#xmas\">Xmas<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#xx\">xx<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#omg\" data-type=\"internal\" data-id=\"#omg\">OMG<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#rip\">RIP<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#PS\">PS<\/a><\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"xmas\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"1_Xmas\"><\/span>1. Xmas<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The abbreviation \"Xmas\" has been around for a while. For example, here it is on a postcard from 1909 that says, \"Wishing you a Merry Xmas.\"<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/thumb\/9\/92\/Christmas_postcard_with_shirt-sleeved_Santa_Claus_in_workshop_making_toys%2C_with_%22Wishing_You_a_Merry_Xmas%22.jpg\/800px-Christmas_postcard_with_shirt-sleeved_Santa_Claus_in_workshop_making_toys%2C_with_%22Wishing_You_a_Merry_Xmas%22.jpg\" alt=\"File:Christmas postcard with shirt-sleeved Santa Claus in workshop making toys, with &quot;Wishing You a Merry Xmas&quot;.jpg\"\/><figcaption>Source: <mdspan datatext=\"el1637656076389\" class=\"mdspan-comment\">Missouri History Museum<\/mdspan><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>But did you know that people have been abbreviating Christmas as \"Xmas\" for centuries? According to the Oxford English Dictionary, <a href=\"https:\/\/dictionaryblog.cambridge.org\/2011\/12\/19\/merry-xmas\/#:~:text=the%20oxford%20english%20dictionary%2C%20which%20tracks%20the%20development%20of%20words%20over%20time%2C%20the%20x%20as%20an%20abbreviation%20for%20christmas%20is%20dated%20to%201551%20in%20the%20form%20of%20x%E2%80%99temmas%20and%20to%201755%20as%20the%20modern%20xmas\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">\"Xmas\" dates back to 1755<\/a> and an even earlier version, \"X'temass\"  goes all the way to 1551.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The practice of writing X instead of \"Christ\" goes back even further. As the <a href=\"https:\/\/engoo.com\/app\/daily-news\/article\/december-greetings-to-use-this-holiday-season\/YkNJ9jgOEeuEvJP3DfNBwQ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Daily News<\/a> explains:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>The \"x\" in Xmas comes from the Greek letter chi \u2014 the first letter in the Greek word for \"Christ.\" The letter has been used as a shorter spelling of \"Christ\" in English for almost 1,000 years.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>For reference, the Greek word for \"Christ\" looks like this: <em>\u03a7\u03c1\u03b9\u03c3\u03c4\u03cc\u03c2<\/em>. As for how this Greek letter made its way into English, that's probably because the <mdspan datatext=\"el1637752223953\" class=\"mdspan-comment\">New Testament<\/mdspan> was originally written in <mdspan datatext=\"el1637746094138\" class=\"mdspan-comment\">Greek<\/mdspan> and it wasn't until the 1500s that the <mdspan datatext=\"el1637746869160\" class=\"mdspan-comment\">Bible was translated into English<\/mdspan>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><mdspan datatext=\"el1637746201834\" class=\"mdspan-comment\">There's more to this story<\/mdspan>, but this should (hopefully) be enough information for students who ask about the origins of \"Xmas.\"<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"xx\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"2_xx\"><\/span>2. xx<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>If you want to talk more about the letter X, you can mention that it also means \"kisses\" as in the greeting \"XOXO.\"  <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can also introduce students to greetings like \"x\" and \"xx\" \u2013 the virtual kisses that British people, in particular, seem to use in their online communications. For example, a <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.seattletimes.com\/explore\/shop-northwest\/xx-why-is-everyone-signing-their-emails-with-kisses\/#:~:text=By%202014,instant%20messages\" target=\"_blank\">2014 survey<\/a> of people in the UK found that \u201c95 percent of them used \u2018xx\u2019 in text messages, emails, and instant messages.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n<center><blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Happy Sunday!!! How\u2019s everyone doing? Xx <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/QbdCptWo9x\">pic.twitter.com\/QbdCptWo9x<\/a><\/p>\u2014 Jeannine Barry (@Jeannine_Barry) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Jeannine_Barry\/status\/1366044592626401287?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">February 28, 2021<\/a><\/blockquote> <script async=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/center>\n\n\n\n<p>From my experience corresponding with British friends, it seems women send virtual kisses more than men. Some of them even used it at the end of all their messages! An <a href=\"http:\/\/thejunket.org\/2014\/01\/issue-ten\/x-please-were-british\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">American expat in the UK<\/a> seems to agree:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>In my experience women are more liberal kissers, and more quick to increase the number of xs in their messages. Heterosexual men ... say that they kiss each other much less frequently. ... All this rather disappointingly suggests that virtual kissing is perceived by some as a ladies\u2019 activity.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>However, virtual kisses may not always have been a female thing. The Oxford English Dictionary actually has a record of Winston Churchill using it in a letter in 1894!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>Please excuse bad writing as I am in an awful hurry. (Many kisses.) xxx WSC.<\/p><cite>- Winston Churchill<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>So while <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/lifestyle\/style\/a-whole-lot-of-history-behind-x-and-o-kiss-and-hug\/2014\/02\/13\/0c3e218a-9341-11e3-b46a-5a3d0d2130da_story.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">we don't know for sure<\/a> how X's came to symbolize kisses, it certainly has an interesting past and present!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"omg\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"3_OMG\"><\/span>3. OMG<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Another fun fact you can share with students is that the slang expression \"OMG\" is actually much older than most people realize. Here it is, used at the bottom of a letter to Winston Churchill in 1917.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"898\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/assets.blog.engoo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2021\/11\/23092149\/winston-churchill.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2486\" srcset=\"https:\/\/assets.blog.engoo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2021\/11\/23092149\/winston-churchill.jpg 898w, https:\/\/assets.blog.engoo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2021\/11\/23092149\/winston-churchill-263x300.jpg 263w, https:\/\/assets.blog.engoo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2021\/11\/23092149\/winston-churchill-768x876.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 898px) 100vw, 898px\" \/><figcaption>Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/LettersOfNote\/status\/232479464574029824\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Letters of Note<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Feel free to share this image with your students to spark some fun discussions. For example, you can ask what they think about using \"OMG\" in a letter to a head of state or whether they're surprised to see this phrase used over a century ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"rip\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"4_RIP\"><\/span>4. RIP<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>\"RIP\" or \"R.I.P.\" is the most ancient expression we'll introduce today. It actually comes from the Latin expression for \"Rest in Peace\" (<em>requiescat in pace<\/em>), which began appearing on gravestones <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dictionary.com\/e\/pop-culture\/rest-in-peace\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">in the 8th century<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This might seem a bit morbid to teach during the holiday season, but your <mdspan datatext=\"el1637681712469\" class=\"mdspan-comment\">students<\/mdspan> may be interested to learn that it has taken on a new life as online slang. As <a href=\"https:\/\/www.netlingo.com\/word\/rip.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Netlingo<\/a> explains:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>RIP is used in response to an unfortunate but mild problem, and \u201cbig RIP\u201d is used in response to an unfortunate but slightly less mild problem. You can also say \u201cRIP me\u201d which is usually used in person or in text, or you can pronounce the individual R, I, and P letters for added drama. For example, \u201cBig RIP I just spilled coffee all over my computer\u201d or \u201c<mdspan datatext=\"el1637681784947\" class=\"mdspan-comment\">RIP me I just spilled coffee all over my computer!<\/mdspan>\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p><span class=\"has-inline-color has-black-color\"><mdspan datatext=\"el1637756928804\" class=\"mdspan-comment\">You can also encourage students to have fun making example sentences with \"RIP\" about their own lives.<\/mdspan> <\/span>For example, \"My boss told me I have to work on Saturday. RIP me.\"<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"PS\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"5_PS\"><\/span>5. PS<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>\"PS\" or \"P.S.\" is a popular abbreviation, appearing in everything from the Beatles song, \"P.S. I Love You,\" to modern-day text messages (\"PS don't forget to take out the trash\"). In English, it dates back to <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.merriam-webster.com\/dictionary\/postscript#:~:text=More-,first%20known%20use%20of%20postscript,-1551\" target=\"_blank\">the 16th century<\/a> and has even earlier roots in the Latin phrase <em><mdspan datatext=\"el1637664109975\" class=\"mdspan-comment\">post scriptum<\/mdspan><\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A fun fact about postscripts is that they weren't always written at the bottom of a letter as we think. In the old days, when you forgot to say something, you'd have to fit it in wherever you could find space, and this often meant the side margins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, here's a letter by Alexander Graham Bell with a postscript squeezed into the <mdspan datatext=\"el1637663846864\" class=\"mdspan-comment\">upper left corner<\/mdspan>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"422\" height=\"524\" src=\"https:\/\/assets.blog.engoo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2021\/11\/23103449\/alex-grahm-bell-1.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2488\" srcset=\"https:\/\/assets.blog.engoo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2021\/11\/23103449\/alex-grahm-bell-1.png 422w, https:\/\/assets.blog.engoo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2021\/11\/23103449\/alex-grahm-bell-1-242x300.png 242w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 422px) 100vw, 422px\" \/><figcaption>Source: Library of Congress<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>It might be fun to introduce this history and ask students if similar letter-writing practices <mdspan datatext=\"el1637664403153\" class=\"mdspan-comment\">exist in their culture<\/mdspan>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"%F0%9F%91%8B_Thats_It_For_Now\"><\/span>\ud83d\udc4b That&#8217;s It For Now<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>We hope this has given you some more ideas for fun topics to discuss with students this holiday season. Happy holidays, and don't forget to participate in our <a href=\"https:\/\/tutor.engoo.com\/announcements\/detail\/826\">workplace decoration contest<\/a> for a chance to win up to $200!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A lot of students ask us why \"Christmas\" is abbreviated \"Xmas.\" Today, we'll go over this along with the history of some other popular abbreviations that are older than most learners realize! XmasxxOMGRIPPS 1. Xmas...<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":137,"featured_media":2532,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"ep_exclude_from_search":false,"unified_meta_tagline_field":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2484","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-curiosity"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>&quot;OMG it&#039;s Xmas!&quot; \u2013 The Surprising History of 5 English Abbreviations | Engoo Tutor&#039;s Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/tutor.engoo.com\/blog\/curiosity\/omg-xmas-xx-rip-ps\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta 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