No Such Agency
- noun
- Informal
:
No Such Agency
- Many people jokingly refer to the NSA as No Such Agency.
Examples
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In intelligence circles, the NSA is sometimes jokingly called No Such Agency.
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Rumors suggested No Such Agency was behind the covert surveillance operations.
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The journalist received an anonymous tip supposedly from No Such Agency.
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Don't mention No Such Agency around paranoid friends!
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Many people jokingly refer to the NSA as No Such Agency.
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In intelligence circles, the NSA is sometimes jokingly called No Such Agency.
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Rumors suggested No Such Agency was behind the covert surveillance operations.
Synonyms
209
3.8
A United States government organization that collects secret information and protects US computer systems
3
3.8
A US government agency that protects secret information and gathers foreign intelligence
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase is compositionally understandable as 'an agency that does not exist' from the known words 'no' + 'such' + 'agency', so a B1 learner could infer a basic literal meaning. However, the specific pragmatic use as a humorous euphemistic nickname for the NSA and the wordplay on the NSA acronym are culturally specific and not directly predictable from the constituents, making the expression only partially transparent.
Etymology
No Such Agency may come from the early days when the real National Security Agency worked in secret, so people would joke that it did not exist and call it 'No Such Agency'. That's why the name is used to hint at 'secrecy' or to make fun of official 'denial' of its work.