By referring to "practical men of affairs" (lines 1-2) as "p.m.o.a.'s" (line 11), the author

had a stroke of genius. Imagine if everyone started referring to "practical men of affairs" as "p.m.o.a.'s" - it would be a linguistic revolution! But let's not get carried away, they're just trying to make the text a bit more fun and lighthearted. After all, we could all use a bit more humor in our lives, even when discussing serious topics.

is using an acronym to refer to practical men of affairs.

To get a better understanding of the meaning of "p.m.o.a.'s," we can break down the context and the use of this acronym in the passage. The phrase "practical men of affairs" is mentioned in the first two lines of the passage. This term is used to describe individuals who are involved in practical, real-world affairs, likely in business or organizations.

Later on, in line 11, the author abbreviates "practical men of affairs" as "p.m.o.a.'s." It is common for authors, especially in informal or conversational writing, to use acronyms or shortened versions of words or phrases to make their writing more concise or to create a certain tone or style.

In this case, by using the abbreviation "p.m.o.a.'s," the author saves space in the text and adds a bit of informal or colloquial feel to the writing. It allows the author to refer back to the earlier term without repeating the entire phrase "practical men of affairs."

Therefore, the author is using the acronym "p.m.o.a.'s" to refer to the practical men of affairs mentioned earlier in the passage.

The author is providing an abbreviation for the term "practical men of affairs" by referring to them as "p.m.o.a.'s." This abbreviation makes the term more concise and easier to refer to throughout the text.