There are a whole bunch of acronyms we use to make communication that little bit more convenient.
From your standard 'BRB' (be right back) and 'LOL' (laugh out loud) all the way through to your go-to 'ASAP' (as soon as possible) - it's clear many of us use a number of these abbreviations on the daily.
Some of us, however, clearly aren't totally sure about the meaning of some of them given the major mistake a lot of people make when saying 'RSVP' as the real meaning behind the phrase has been revealed.
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Now, if you've ever been formally invited to an event like a wedding - or any kind of fancy function for that matter - then you'll no doubt be familiar with the term 'RSVP'.
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It's put at the end of invitations so that the organiser of said event can get a good idea of who is going to show up. If it's a yes from you, then make sure you RSVP - it makes it so much easier for the soon-to-be newlyweds.
What does RSVP stand for?
Well, the term is actually of French origins and stands for 'réspondez s'il vous plaît' which translates in English to 'respond please' - or with our syntax, 'please respond'.
Interestingly, however, the French apparently no longer use the acronym anymore as it's deemed 'old-fashioned'.
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And, perhaps even more interestingly, most English speakers seem to be under the impression that RSVP is just a fancy synonym for 'respond' and therefore write 'please RSVP' which makes it redundant or just plain desperate as it means 'please please respond'.
Regardless, it's definitely safe to say that people were absolutely mind-blown after making the bombshell discovery and couldn't help but share their feelings, with one social media user writing: "I just realised I've never questioned this acronym. I've just accepted it my whole life. I feel sick," followed by the green face vomit emoji.
A second clearly shocked user questioned: "Wait, it’s not Reserved Persons????"
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"Never bothered to know the meaning of that and this is how I find out lol," confessed another, while a fourth piped up: "I was today years old!"
Someone else joked: "RSVP sounds fancy but it’s literally just a French guy panicking in your inbox."
"It's an abbreviation in French? I had no idea lol," echoed a final social media user.
Guess you really do learn something new everyday - eh?
Rhiannon Ingle