Why is abbreviation such a long word?

Please share your thoughts about "things that make you go 'Hmmm' ":

If you are a kleptomaniac, what can you take for it?

In response to last week’s questions, “Why is abbreviation such a long word? ”, my friend Tracey realized it’s “because abbr. doesn't really spell anything.” To which my flustered sailing and writing friend Rich added, ”It’s yet another oddity of the English language that was given by Satan to Miss Clara Bowen, my eighth grade English teacher to torture, confuse and destroy me with. The woman would have flunked Shakespeare and Twain.”

On a more positive note, my friend Richard wrote, “Isn't the point of an abbreviation to "make a long story short"? So a word has to be long before it can be shortened, right?” To this, my friend Kevin deduced, “by being able to be abbreviated, it leads by example!” And my running buddy Tony added, “and thus, to be better appreciated it when you abbreviate it.”

My dad’s beach buddy Bob replied, “It’s because there are so many synonyms.” And my friend Marlene responded, “Why is wisdom such a short word?”

While my neighbor Al came up with what he believes is the truth, (see below), my cable marketing friend Mark sent :-), which I often receive and enjoy knowing that people have a smile on their face on Monday morning.

Live well...laugh often and heartily….be happy and have a good week…and L’shana tova.

Hal

The truth according to Al: "It all stems for the male ego and the need to demonstrate phallic prowess in order to attract a suitable mate.

Abbreviation comes from the Latin abbreviationem and the past participle of abbreviare meant to make brief. Ad = "to"; breviare, from brevis means shorten, little, or shallow. Now most scholars argue over the "brief" part. Because a brief can refer to the shortening of a letter and was used as a term to summarize a Papal letter. But "brief" can also mean a pair of underwear or under shorts.

Now when you are discussing the male undershorts and its intent to hold certain physical attributes securely, one would certainly not want to use the terms "shorten" or "make little". However, when the knights of old would come in from the cold their squire would assist them with the removal of armor. Having spent the day clad in a metal suit and the cold of the European weather would result in a condition which modern medicine calls "shrinkage." (ref; the May 1994, "The Hamptons" episode of Seinfeld aka "The Shrinkage" episode.)
Naturally, not wanting the word to spread around the castle and jeopardize the knight's chances with the young maidens, and the lack of modern medical science to fully understand the condition, the knight's lack of a proper extension of manliness was blamed on abbreviation.

I'm sorry. What was the question? "