TASK DEFINITION: Generate the answer for a given question. The question requires common knowledge of English. Make sure that the answer is in detail, long, consistent with the context, and requires general knowledge of English. To be less repetitive, please vary your language for each question. Give a proper explanation to answer, and if necessary, provide the definition of various terms. And conclude your answer if it's long. If you have used other resources (e.g., Merriam Webster's.) to answer the question, include citations in your answer. You don't need to paraphrase the context of your resources, but make sure that your answer is consistent and complete.
PROBLEM: In technical literature as well as aircraft user interfaces where there is not enough space to write the whole word, the prefix 'trans' is shortened to 'x'. Transmit -> Xmit Transfer -> Xfer I am interested to know what is the origin of this. I am curious because 'Ex' and 'Trans' do not have a similar sound.

SOLUTION: X is commonly used to refer to cross because of its shape of two lines crossing. Trans- means cross/across. Trans- and cross- are interchangeable in many cases. From Wikipedia (emphasis mine): In abbreviations, it can represent trans- (e.g. XMIT for 'transmit', XFER for 'transfer'), cross- (e.g. X-ing for 'crossing', XREF for 'cross-reference'), Christ- as shorthand for the labarum (e.g. Xmas for 'Christmas', Xian for 'Christian'), the crys- in 'crystal' (XTAL), or various words starting with ex- (e.g. XL for 'extra large', XOR for 'exclusive-or'). Example: a transatlantic flight is one that crosses the Atlantic, and something that is transdermal crosses through the skin. The trans- in transmit and transfer is analogous to transatlantic. Crossing a mit or a fer makes perfect sense. -Mit is from the Latin mittere which means to send. -Fer is from the Latin ferre which means to bear or carry. 'Transmit' often means to send across something or over a specific medium and 'transfer' can be to carry across from one to another. Therefore trans- is often replaced with X- in certain words.

PROBLEM: What am I doing when I search for something on the internet and the search provides for some other interesting stuff apart from what I was looking for and I end up opening an infinite number of browser tabs and browsing more and more it goes in an endless loop and the whole episode makes for after thought to ponder upon. PS: I lost the term I had found on Wikipedia and I cannot get it back.

SOLUTION: Tab-surfing From wikipedia: Tab-surfing, also more accurately known as 'Branching' is a type of link-surfing in which, rather than click directly through to the next web page, the link is opened as a new window or new Tab. This method is used by people wishing to read as much information as possible on a variety of subjects which may or may not be related. The parent article is about Link-surfing: Link surfing is the process of starting on one article on a website and clicking on various hyperlinks to eventually finish on a different (pre-determined) article. There are all sorts of web browsing details here.

PROBLEM: I am referring to someone who makes people 'buy' what he says and gets things done by them through nothing but clever speech something one can describe as crafty or beguiling, but not fraudulent. I pondered over con man and con artist for a while but those terms seem to hold a hint of crime, so those terms won't fit in. I am wondering if there is a more suitable phrase or word.

SOLUTION:
Sophistry is crafty speech intended to deceive, not necessarily out and out lying. So then a sophist is someone who does it. This is mostly just to win arguments though, not necessarily to get people to do things. That would be a demagogue, but that is someone, yes, who is clever with words but in a very specific way, appealing to the listener's baser instincts.