What Does NPR Stand For?

When someone says they listen to NPR, can you really know what they mean?

If you've ever set foot on a liberal arts campus, or hung out with anyone who wears thick-rimmed glasses, or know a guy who plays a "uke", chances are good you've heard the phrase "I heard this thing once on NPR."

What is this NPR thing?

Well if they followed it up with the words "global warming," or "This American Life," or "little known scandanavian ska opera band…you've probably never heard of 'em," it's a pretty safe bet they were referring to National Public Radio.

But my mother always said "assumptions are the devil's toy"—which I'd assume means they're bad… but there I go assuming again!

Here are some other possible meanings of the NPR abbreviation.

Nepalese Rupee

Hey, ya never know! Your friend may have an affinity for Ira Glass AND small landlocked South Asian republics.

(Don’t bother Googling it: 1 NPR = 0.011 USD)

National Performance Review

Also known as the National Partnership for Reinventing Government, this NPR was President Clinton’s 1993 effort to analyze efficiency and efficacy of government. No word yet if the effort has actually been completed, you know how long it takes to get these things started.

Noiseless Portable Reflex

It’s a 1960s 16mm camera. Great for capturing cat sweaters you found at a thrift shop.

Norwegian Patient Registry

(For the record, this is the very first image on Google for 'Norwegian')

Well it's in Norwegian, so I can't be certain, but it appears to be a database of patients with artificial joints. You know, in case there's ever an uprising of bionic people or whatever.

Nuclear Posture Review

Not to be confused with the Nuclear Posture Check (which sees how well our missiles sit in a backless chair) this is a process to determine the role of nuclear weapons in U.S. strategy.

Side note, check out how much better the NPR is at graphic design than the NSA

Noise-Power Ratio

Um… there’s a graph? I dunno.

Point is: Don't Assume

Okay?