Not so long along, there was a discussion about the number of Internet acronyms and how confusing we often found the language we were confronted with on a, now, daily basis. I thought it would be fun to have a look at some of the more common (and not so common) variations of our language.
The origins of the use of acryonyms really has it’s basis in the growth of Text & Instant Messaging. Shortening common phrases to acryonyms helps save fingers from typing and also allows a relatively detailed message to be sent within the character limits imposed by SMS services and Twitter.
I’ve chosen a few of the more common terms to share and thrown in a handful of not so common ones. One thing I did notice when reviewing the terms, is the number of the ‘business’ terms that I’ve been using for years that seem to be in common IM use…. Thanks to NetLingo for being a reference!
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TIA – nope, TIA is not an Aunty or a Cousin. TIA mean Thanks In Advance… so when someone signs off an email or commminque as TIA, they’re really saying Thanks In Advance
IMO – Im My Opinion – this acryonm is often seen in a sentence structure that requires a person to present their own personal opinion
IMHO – In My Humble (perhaps Honest) Opinion – much like the example above, the author is trying to purview their own thoughts but make them a little more genuine by adding a level of humility to the statement
AFAIK – As Far As I Know ….. or perhap AFAIU – As Far As I Understand
AFAIUI – As Far As I Understand It
AFK – Away From Keyboard; used for online gaming and chat sessions, this acronym tells your discussion partner that you are not at your keyboard.
AUNT – And U Know It (this was a new one for me)
BBL – Be Back Later; Often used during a chat session to let your recipient know you’ll be AFK (away from keyboard…)
BEG – Big Evil Grin
CICO – a fave for me: Coffee In Coffee Out
F2F – Face To Face
FWIW – For What It’s Worth
FYA – For Your Amusement (but I don’t see why it couldn’t be Action either)
FYEO – For Your Eyes Only
FYI – For Your Information
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GLBTÂ – Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender
HTHÂ – Hope That Helps
IDKÂ – I Don’t Know
IIRCÂ – If I Recall Correctly
IMÂ – Instant Messaging
IRL – In Real Life
LARP – Live Action Role Play
LMAO – Laughing My Ass Off
LOL – Laughing Out Loud (not Lot’s of Love)
NAK – Nursing At Keyboard
NBD – No Big Deal
NUFF – Enough
OMG – Oh My God
OMB – Oh My Buddha
ROFL – Rolling on the Floor Laughing
ROFLMAO – Rolling On the Floor Laughing My Ass Off
RPG – Role Playing Game
RTM (or RTFM) – Read The Manual, I’ll let you extrapolate the second one….
SAHM – Stay At Home Mum
TNX – Thanks
TTFN – Ta Ta For Now
W8 – Wait
WTH – polite version of WTF, What The Hell
WTF – more likely to be used by Aussie’s, What The F…. you can fill in the blanks
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Family Acryonyms
DH – Dear Hubby
DD – Dear Daughter
DS – Dear Son
DW – Dear Wife
MIL – Mum In Law
FIL – Father In Law
SIL – Sister In Law
BIL – Brother In Law
What I really love about acronyms is that just seem to evolve based on the culture as well. Â I know many a grandparent has taken to using LOL as Lot’s of Love, as opposed to the common Laugh Out Loud – it can make the communication a little awkward when the receiving party doesn’t get the ‘new usage’.
For a little bit of fun, I thought I would construct a sentence:
FWIW my DH said something that had me ROFLMAO. I said OMG, NUFF said and W8 for me to recover.
What are you fave acronyms (or abbreviations) that you use when communicating with people? Â Share them below.
THANK YOU…I mean, TNX! I have wondered for the longest time what most of these acronyms are. I always thought women were calling their husband something less favourable when they referred to him as “my DH”. Things are becoming much clearer now.