Not a bad assessment of the situation. I'm not sure Zerocoin is a bandoned though. it went open source may 27th i think. That means its out there for others to use in their coins not abandoned.
"Chop Shop" : the practice of building a car from two halves, welded together.
"A chop shop must be able to take apart a car without damaging the parts and keep them organized. Time is of the essence: more cars processed equals higher profits. There is no advantage to a large inventory, as it can be done more efficiently in a "JIT" (Just In Time) manner"