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I'm sure I can get the card cancelled before he reaches an ATM machine
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313 – A mug’s game

by Luke on May 12, 2010 at 12:00 am

Discussion (21) ¬

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  1. grammarnazi
    grammarnazi
    May 12, 2010 at 12:33 am | # | Reply

    Tautology is a statement that just means true such as “life is life” ATM machine and PIN number are redundancies where the same word is repeated redundantly.

    • (x, why?)
      (x, why?)
      May 12, 2010 at 1:20 am | # | Reply

      From dictionary.com: “needless repetition of an idea, esp. in words other than those of the immediate context, without imparting additional force or clearness, as in “widow woman.””

      Doctor Who had an episode with an “ATMOS System”, and the whiny, child genius who developed it kept referring to that expression as a tautology because the S stood for system.

      • Marymoo
        Marymoo
        May 12, 2010 at 2:04 am | #

        I remember that dr who!!! thats when me man david was in it lol but yeah that kid was annoying

    • Oliver
      Oliver
      May 12, 2010 at 3:36 pm | # | Reply

      Using acronyms in this way is in fact known as Redundant Acronym Syndrome, or RAS Syndrome for short.

      see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAS_syndrome

    • Sandbox Steve
      Sandbox Steve
      May 13, 2010 at 4:29 pm | # | Reply

      This thread has been reported to the Department of Redundancy Department
      http://uncyclopedia.wikia.com/wiki/Redundancy

  2. Somejerk
    Somejerk
    May 12, 2010 at 4:16 am | # | Reply

    grammarnazi’s right in the strictest sense of the words. A good way to think of “tautology” is that it means “something that is always true”. “Widow woman” is a tautology because all widows are women, so it’s always true. “Number number” isn’t exactly a tautology, though; it’s simply a repetition.

    I think “redundancy” is the best way to describe “ATM machine” or “PIN number”, though I’ll admit that this entire discussion is a superfluous pleonasm.

    • Fraser
      Fraser
      May 12, 2010 at 12:07 pm | # | Reply

      Well, no, “widow woman” is not a tautology in the strictest sense, because the two words don’t mean the same thing — a tautology is an if-and-only-if relationship. Widow implies woman, but woman does not imply widow.

  3. Elemecca
    Elemecca
    May 12, 2010 at 5:40 am | # | Reply

    The phrase “redundancies where the same word is repeated redundantly” is redundant.

    • Anonymous
      Anonymous
      May 12, 2010 at 7:12 am | # | Reply

      *<—- The point
      * <— Your shot

  4. clem
    clem
    May 12, 2010 at 9:53 am | # | Reply

    there’s worse. Some people say ‘Personal PIN Number’

    • Sandbox Steve
      Sandbox Steve
      May 13, 2010 at 4:32 pm | # | Reply

      I prefer Personal PIN Number of Identification.

  5. Don
    Don
    May 12, 2010 at 11:31 am | # | Reply

    I rofl’ed on the floor, very well done!

  6. zomgmouse
    zomgmouse
    May 12, 2010 at 12:32 pm | # | Reply

    I wonder if that guy plays role-playing RPG games.
    Namely, role-playing games where your character is a rocket-propelled grenade.

    • Tom
      Tom
      May 12, 2010 at 5:51 pm | # | Reply

      Fun, with an explosive finish. Tend to be over quickly though.

  7. danineteen
    danineteen
    May 12, 2010 at 7:31 pm | # | Reply

    I’ve never read such intense discussion on a comic here, but I guess I’m thankful ’cause I wasn’t 100% what tautology was.

  8. Wait a minute
    Wait a minute
    May 12, 2010 at 9:54 pm | # | Reply

    I don’t get it. Is the tautology only about the redundancy of “PIN number” when the N already stands for number? What about the fact that Credit Cards don’t USE PIN numbers? Is that relevant? ’cause that’s kinda throwing me off. Seems more like a ‘mistake’ on the muggers part rather than tautology… Debit cards use PINs, not credit cards. was this a deliberate mistake?

    • Anonymous
      Anonymous
      May 12, 2010 at 11:47 pm | # | Reply

      Credit cards are being updated to ones with PINs now. Banks have been switching over for over a year now, I believe, to prevent fraud.

    • Luke
      Luke
      May 12, 2010 at 11:51 pm | # | Reply

      I have a PIN for my credit card. It’s one, three, three…

      • james
        james
        May 12, 2010 at 11:57 pm | #

        last number’s seven, isn’t it?

      • Sandbox Steve
        Sandbox Steve
        May 13, 2010 at 4:26 pm | #

        dammit, that’s the same as the combination on my luggage!

    • Sandbox Steve
      Sandbox Steve
      May 13, 2010 at 4:26 pm | # | Reply

      Someone needs a chip’d credit card….

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