How come "abbreviated" is such a long word?

Never stand between a dog and the hydrant. 

    - John Peers

A bus station is where a bus stops.
A train station is where train stops.
On my desk, I have a work station .... what more can I say..........

"It's Benno with a black coat, dark hair and a hairy bit."
"No, this is a hairy bit."
"What about this hairy bit?"
"No, this is a stiff hairy bit."
                        -- Karen (talking about my facial hair),
                           Andrew (talking about Karen's hair),
                           me (being rude),
                           Karen (not thinking about what she's saying)

In the beginning the Universe was created... This made a lot of people 
angry and was widely regarded as a bad move. 
     -- Douglas Adams, The Restaurant at the End of the Universe