People are only just realising what ASOS stands for
People are realising the fashion retailer ASOS is a name that actually stands for something and isn't just a collection of letters arranged in a nice-sounding way.
A bit like laser, GIF or scuba, you might not have known ASOS was actually an acronym based on its original name condensed down into something catchier.
It's one of those moments which has people freaking out when they realise the truth and wondering how they never spotted it before.
Advert
Yes, it turns out that ASOS actually stands for 'as seen on screen' and isn't just a catchy shop name.
When the fashion brand first launched in 2000 it was actually called 'As Seen On Screen' and as the name suggests you could buy copies of clothes which appeared in movies or on TV.
They used to pair with major celebrities and offer styles worn by famous faces so if you saw a celebrity and thought 'I want to wear what they wear' you knew where to get it.
A couple of years later it decided to sell other clothes as well and thought its original name probably wouldn't do a good job of communicating this.
Luckily it could be squashed down into a handy acronym which ended up going on to be a hugely famous brand name.
Now everybody gets the treat of learning what the ASOS name stands for, or if you already know it you get to be the one who wows your friends with this nifty bit of trivia.
People working this out for the first time are absolutely shocked to find out there's more in a name than they first thought.
One person said 'I'm sorry f***ing hwhat' when they found out, while another said they 'never knew' and wondered 'why am I so behind on things'.
Others who did already know what was behind ASOS said it made them 'feel so old' to see new generations discovering the truth.
It's a bit weird to think ASOS is over 20 years old and for lots of people who shopped there they never knew it used to be called something else.
As for how you say it, it's pronounced 'ay-sos' instead of 'ay-es-oh-es' so let's hope you weren't saying it wrong all this time.
The brand itself confirmed it doesn't want you to sound out every single letter in their name, just the first one.
Now you know all about ASOS and its real name, so you can dazzle your friends with your knowledge of fashion brand history.
Joe Harker