Need sone help with the abbreviations . Havent been posting long enough to know what a lot of them mean.
thanks
Try this:
http://fathom.org/teemingmillions/acronyms.html
I am a redhead, you see, and I do not tempt. I insist. -Cristi
Seems like there should be a list of them somewhere but I dunno where, so here are a few:
IIRC = if I recall correctly
IMHO = in my humble opinion (may or may not be humble)
AFAIK = as far as I know
ICBM = intercontinental ballistic missile
TVA = Tennessee Valley Authority
i.e. = that is
cf. = compare
q.v. = which see
e.g. = for example
et. al. = and others
N.B. = note carefully
nos = not otherwise specified
op.cit. = in the work cited
seq. = the following
If you refer to a reference book, you should identify it, e.g.: “the OED (Oxford English Dictionary) defines felching as…”
And always cite your vague irrational claims.
Who exactly are the official authority on approving abbreviations?
I mean, some of them are obvious - they’re just acronyms, and you’d hardly need approval for that. But for contractions etc. who approves them and allows them freedom in the world of the written word?
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Shadow of the Pigeon -
Weirdo of the Night
Guano, as with most words in language, I’d say they just sort of happen. They’re convenient and become part of the lexica of things people say. Language is a societal process, not an organized study.
I sold my soul to Satan for a dollar. I got it in the mail.
What I need help on are the latest generation of ROFL acronymns. It started with LOL, laughing out loud, then ROFL, rolling on the floor laughing, and then ROFLMAO, rolling on the floor laughing my ass off.
Now I see things like ROFLLRPPRYYQQSWXYZABE,and I say to myself, WTF (what the flip, or words to that effect).
GuanoLad,
Some abbreviations have been around since before computers. i.e. is the abbreviation for “id est”, which is Latin for “that is”; e.g. is “exempli gratia”, Latin for “for example”.
The acronyms you see flying around the web (LOL, IMO, IIRC, et. al.) were just made up. People accepted them and started to use them and they became common. You can start you own acronym if you want to, and if enough people use it it will be on the tips of everyone’s fingers!
Personally, I coined the term “sackie” for the Sacagawea dollar. I’m hoping that one catches on. 
First thing to know is that they use a period
e.g. abbr.
Say, why is ‘abbreviation’ such a long word?