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Original poster

Am I seriously the only person in the whole world who didn't know this??

26 replies

Bluesheep8 · 22/06/2020 08:17

Remember Tiswas? The kids Saturday morning TV programme from the 80s?
Well I discovered yesterday that the letters stood for:
Today Is Saturday, Watch and Smile.
Unbelievable! How did I not know this before?!
I'm now thinking everyone else knew this all along apart from me.....Confused

OP posts:
smartiecake · 22/06/2020 08:18

I thought it was
This is Saturday we are silly

morelikeaclubsandwich · 22/06/2020 08:19

Really? I had no idea. It was the highlight of my weekend! How did you find this out?

Aposterhasnoname · 22/06/2020 08:20

I thought it was today is Saturday, wake up and smile.

Original poster
Bluesheep8 · 22/06/2020 08:23

Paul O Grady said it on his Radio 2 show last night

OP posts:
PolaDeVeboise · 22/06/2020 08:24

I understood it was 'This is Saturday, watch and suffer'

Sally99 · 22/06/2020 08:24

I didn't know it stood for anything! I just accepted it as Tiswas!

user1494055864 · 22/06/2020 08:25

I had no idea it stood for anything x

Dhalandchips · 22/06/2020 08:25

Today is Saturday, wear a smile

heartsonacake · 22/06/2020 08:28

OP’s right, TISWAS was an acronym for Today Is Saturday: Watch And Smile.

EatsShootsAndRuns · 22/06/2020 08:53

I remember the slogan but my parents didn't let me watch it.

BalloonSlayer · 22/06/2020 08:58

I thought it was a word in common use before the programme, to mean a confused muddle. "He was in a right tiswas!"

Conflation of tis for "it is," and "was."

Are you sure it's not a case of shoehorning an acronym in, like when people claim News is an acronym for north, east,west, south, when it actually isn't?

redwoodmazza · 22/06/2020 09:02

I knew that.

ArbitraryNameChange · 22/06/2020 09:10

I thought it was 'today is Saturday wear a smile'.

Not that I was ever allowed to watch it. Too anarchical....Swap Shop all the way in my house

Beamur · 22/06/2020 09:12

I didn't know that Grin

HunkyPunk · 22/06/2020 09:18

I did know that, but I can't remember how!

Deathraystare · 22/06/2020 09:35

I never knew that either!!

Original poster
Bluesheep8 · 22/06/2020 09:42

Are you sure it's not a case of shoehorning an acronym in, like when people claim News is an acronym for north, east,west, south, when it actually isn't?

Yes, that could well be the case.

OP posts:
Love51 · 22/06/2020 10:28

I believe it is known as bacronym.
A reverse engineered acronym.

CloudsCanLookLikeSheep · 22/06/2020 10:29

@BalloonSlayer

I thought it was a word in common use before the programme, to mean a confused muddle. "He was in a right tiswas!"

Conflation of tis for "it is," and "was."

Are you sure it's not a case of shoehorning an acronym in, like when people claim News is an acronym for north, east,west, south, when it actually isn't?

That is known as a backronym! Great word!
Jaxhog · 22/06/2020 10:45

I didn't know this either. The other common backronym is TWAIN. That had me fooled for years (and I work in IT).

pistolknight · 22/06/2020 10:49

I thought it was Today is Saturday wear a smile

Zaphodsotherhead · 22/06/2020 10:53

I've got a feeling that they used to end the intro song with the slogan 'Today is Saturday, Watch and Smile'. So it was always part of the programme title. They probably chose a title and then worked out something it could stand for.

Original poster
Bluesheep8 · 22/06/2020 11:08

jaxhog what's TWAIN?

OP posts:
Mostpeculiar · 22/06/2020 11:16

@user1494055864

I had no idea it stood for anything x
Snap
CloudsCanLookLikeSheep · 22/06/2020 11:23

POSH (port outward starboard home) is another common backronym. It's not how the word posh originated at all.