FAQ is an abbreviation for "Frequently Asked Question(s)". The term refers to listed questions and answers, all supposed to be frequently asked in some context, and pertaining to a particular topic. Since the acronym originated in textual media, its pronunciation varies; both "fak" and "F.A.Q." are commonly heard (and therefore, when used with an indefinite article, it is either "a FAQ" or "an FAQ"). Depending on usage, the term may refer specifically to a single frequently-asked question, or to an assembled list of many questions and their answers. An alternative suggestion is that FAQ is actually a clumsily-constructed three letter acronym purported to have come from computer IT specialists, frustrated with answering over and over again the same, perceived stupid questions from computer users, and which secretly stands for the pronunciation "fah-queue". For example: "Please read the FAQ list to ensure your question has not already been answered before bothering the overworked IT department".

Origins

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While the name may be recent, the FAQ format itself is quite old. For instance, Matthew Hopkins wrote The Discovery of Witches in 1647 in FAQ format. He introduces it as "Certaine Queries answered," ... Many old catechisms are in a question and answer format.

More on [ FAQ ]

NPR Topics: Politics & Society

Alaska Gov. Palin To Resign
Fri, 03 Jul 2009 19:44:00 -0400
Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, who was Republican Sen. John McCain's running mate in the 2008 presidential campaign, says she will resign from office July 26.
Gov. Ted Strickland On Ohio's Budget Impasse
Fri, 03 Jul 2009 16:45:00 -0400
Ohio is facing a $3.2 billion shortfall in its finances. Gov. Ted Strickland has proposed slots at racetracks and spending cuts, but has not been able to reach a deal with the Legislature. The state is operating on a temporary budget for the next few days.
Rare Copy Of Declaration Found In England
Fri, 03 Jul 2009 16:00:00 -0400
An original copy of the Declaration of Independence was recently discovered in the British National Archives. Edward Hampshire, the diplomatic and colonial specialist at the archives, talks with Melissa Block about the discovery of the 26th copy of the document.

The Talk of the Town

Lauren Collins: Track School
Lauren Collins Mon, 29 Jun 2009 04:00:00 -0000
June marks the onset of what one Village resident refers to as “devil-baby season”--the time of the year when the temperature climbs and New Yorkers start doing crazy stuff. This year, the weather stayed cold, and damp. Things still got weird. On Long Island, a newborn was found . . .
James Surowiecki: Caveat Mortgagor
James Surowiecki Mon, 29 Jun 2009 04:00:00 -0000
In 1937, the Massengill Company began selling a health product called Elixir Sulfanilamide, which contained one of the antibiotic sulfa drugs. Unfortunately, it also contained diethylene glycol, a solvent that happens to be deadly to humans. In a matter of months, the elixir killed more than a hundred consumers. The . . .
Hendrik Hertzberg: Stonewall Plus Forty
Hendrik Hertzberg Mon, 29 Jun 2009 04:00:00 -0000
The most improbable of America’s mass movements for civil rights--improbable at the time, inevitable in retrospect--got its start at a most improbable hour in a most improbable place. The hour: two in the morning, forty years ago. The place: the sidewalk in front of the Stonewall Inn, a . . .

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