If you rename `fst` to `first`, then `snd` becomes `second`, which is much much (much!) longer.
No writer does this. Why are programmers obsessed with word length to such a degree?
Mathematics uses symbols because there is usually no specific context for an abstract concept, and on other cases it relies on convention to provide context. Shorter names are additionally a side due to the density of information and the ability to write complex symbols on a chalkboard and in LaTeX. The symbols are the meaning and not some shortened version of it.