I'm sure acronyms in English predate telegraphic era and Wodehouse, though many txt speak abbreviations actually were first used with Morse and later Telegrams. It's inevitable some abbreviations are pronounced and are similar to or actual words. Cam be hard sometimes to know if deliberate acronyms or retronyms, Till more recent times retronyms were called acronyms. Acrostics are sometimes acronyms.
Ancient Romans and Greeks used them.
The Church used them from earliest times. The acronym ikhthū́s is over 1900 years old. Greek for fish and the initials mean
Quote:
Iota (i), Iēsoûs (Ἰησοῦς), "Jesus"
Chi (ch), Khrīstós (Χρῑστός), "anointed"
Theta (th), Theoû (Θεοῦ), "of God", the genitive singular of Θεóς, Theós, "God"
Upsilon (y or u), (h)uiós[10] (Yἱός), "Son"
Sigma (s), sōtḗr (Σωτήρ), "Savior"
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I suspect Shakespeare and others used them?
But Wodehouse is still a genius.