He felt secure and encouraged, had visions of a BEM and made the first payment on a Morris Minor. 1953, Ian Fleming, “The Secret Agent”, in Casino Royale, London: Pan Books, published 1955, page 11:
(abbreviation, alt-of, initialism) Initialism of block, element, modifier, a convention for authoring CSS.
Where OOCSS and SMACSS can be seen as a more of frameworks for thinking about structured CSS combined with some handy rules of thumb, BEM is a much more rigid system for how to author and name your styles. BEM is originally an application development methodology from the search engine company Yandex. 2016, Andy Budd, Emil Björklund, CSS Mastery, Apress, →ISBN, page 387:
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BEMs
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lexicographic
BEM en · NOUN · etymology 2
Etymology
Acronym of bug-eyed monster.
Meanings
(derogatory, often, slang) A stock character in science fiction; a grotesque creature, often an extraterrestrial, that menaces the protagonists.
Incidentally, Mr. Bergey, the BEM's on your latest smear have extremely jovial expressions on their pans to be as tough a bunch of eggs as Friend made them out. 1940 November, Parmer Farrell, “The Reader Speaks”, in Thrilling Wonder Stories, volume 18, number 2, page 120:
This is my first time in active BEM service. They've never let me near the Bugs before. 1997, Lawrence Miles, Alien Bodies, →ISBN, page 89: