PCR (No, not Polymerase Chain Reaction)

I had to define a slang word for one of my classes that is used particularly among a specific group, and so I picked on my missionaries. This was actually a really fun assignment, so I share it with y'all.



PCR: An acronym that stands for "Pop Culture Reference" (though it may stand for "Polymerase Chain Reaction" among biologists). LDS missionaries in the Provo Missionary Training Center use this acronym when identifying allusions to any type of popular culture--movies, music, TV shows, etc. The reason it may have become popular among this group is that they are young men training to become servants of the Lord, with their focus completely shifting from things of the world. During the transition, it becomes necessary to identify when one dabbles back in the things of the world.

This term may be used in several different ways. For one, it may be used as a corrective measure from one missionary to another, i.e., "Elder Smith, you need to stop dropping PCR's, at least in front of the teacher" (said following a recognizable quote from a popular film). Some may even use the term to self-correct, "I made a goal to stop using so many PCR's because it's distracting me from my purpose." It may also be used in exclusion of certain groups of missionaries, as some see a lack of knowledge of PCR's as equivocating social awkwardness:

Elder Johnson: "That was a sweet PCR Elder Smith!"
Elder Anderson: "I didn't even realize that was a PCR."
Elder Johnson: "Did you live in a hole before you got here?"

Though this term is generally used and understood among this group, newcomers are often confused by its use. Its use marks one as having spent sufficient time in the Missionary Training Center to understand the meaning. Some outsiders are also often confused by its use, especially when they don't understand why it would be such a big deal to use a PCR. It is a very useful term among missionaries, however, in that it helps them recognize when they are being secular rather than spiritual.