Unfortunately, Ackerman succeeded in popularizing the term "Sci-Fi". It was a pun on "Hi-Fi", a shortening of "High Fidelity" newly popular in the 50s. The term seems to have come into wide-spread use after the publication of Famous Monsters of Filmland #1 (Feb 1958), and was first applied widely by the media (and in ads) to reviews of Attack of the 50 Foot Woman (May 1958).
Its current use within fandom is to denote low-quality SF, especially low-quality media SF. In the mundane world, it's used fairly indiscriminately for all SF. Many fans will use the pronunciation "skiffy" to refer to guilty-pleasure media SF. Not really very good, but still fun.
The LA-based fan organization for running conventions, the Southern California Institute for Fannish Interests, SCIFI, deliberately picked its name as a riff on skiffy.
(1) Science fiction-like junk grade-B movies produced for mass audiences.
(2) Mundane or non-fannish term for science fiction.
(3) Seriously intended hyper fannish name for science fiction, based on the popularity of "hi fi" equipment, invented by Forrest J Ackerman. Unfortunately, his own association and involvement with "schlock"/grade B sf movies through editing Famous Monsters of Filmland brought the term to its sometimes currently accepted pejorative meaning (covered adequately by definitions 1 and 2 above). See “SKIFFY”.
Contributors: Dr. Gafia
| from Fancyclopedia 2 ca. 1959 |
| (Ackerman) 4e is trying to popularize this expression as an equivalent for stf, ie a contraction for science-fiction. So far it has attached chiefly to several professional movie-fan magazines and other Hollywood-level stuff. |
