acronyms - Is it appropriate to treat "FYI" as a noun?


Since FYI stands for "for your information", I would tend to use it like this:



FYI, I think the fish has gone bad.



In other words, the acronym simply replaces the phrase. However, I've heard FYI used many times in the following way:



As an FYI, you shouldn't mention his ex-wife.



Here, it is being used as a thing. This doesn't quite sound right if you fill in what the acronym stands for. It's as if a for-your-information is taken to be an object in a similar fashion to a(n) FAQ.


Anyone have some insight as to whether the second usage above is considered valid?



Answer



Using FYI as a noun is perfectly normal and common in business. "As an FYI, check out today's report on sales," is the sort of thing you hear all the time. "He sent me an FYI on that" is unobjectionable.


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