# Acronyms (abbreviations?) **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [July 1, 1999, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acronyms-abbreviations/1514 "1999-07-01T02:47:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 1999, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acronyms-abbreviations/1514/1 "1999-07-01T02:47:00Z")
It is already hard to debate with some of the members here, but I get definitely lost when they post “words” like BTW, AFP, BtK (I’m making up some of these, ok? 🙂 ). So I’m asking you: Could you post a list of the most common abbreviations (acronyms)? Or if there’s one already, could you direct me to it? Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 1999, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acronyms-abbreviations/1514/2 "1999-07-01T04:19:00Z")
Hmm, lessee, let’s make a list: BTW = By the way IMO = In my opinion IMHO = In my humble opinion brb - be right back WAG - wild ass guess WTF - what the (well, you know) ROFL - Rolling on floor laughing ROFLMAO - Rolling on floor laughing my ass off LOL = Laugh out loud IRL - In real life IIRC - If I recall correctly YMMV - Your mileage may vary (meaning that things may be different in different circumstances) That’s all I can think of for now. . . . -Melin * * * I’m a woman phenomenally Phenomenal woman That’s me (Maya Angelou) ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 1999, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acronyms-abbreviations/1514/3 "1999-07-01T04:45:00Z")
Hope this is a good start: BTW = By The Way IMO = In My Opinion IMHO = In My Humble Opinion IIRC = If I Recall Correctly AFAIK = As Far As I Know MST3K = Mystery Science Theatre 3000 (sorry, had to include it) OP = Original Post LDS = Latter Day Saints PC = Politically Correct / Personal Computer GGD = Great God Debate (it’ll last longer than cockroaches) GQ = General Questions BBQ = The BBQ-Pit (flamers welcome!) GD = Great Debates PM / TPM = The Phantom Menace UBB = Ultimate Bulletin Board LOL = Laughing Out Loud LMAO = Laughing My Ass Off ROFL = Rolling On the Floor Laughing BP = Before Present IDL = International Date Line ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 1999, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acronyms-abbreviations/1514/4 "1999-07-01T04:46:00Z")
whoops…Melin beat me to it… 😉 ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 1999, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acronyms-abbreviations/1514/5 "1999-07-01T05:38:00Z")
TTYA! (Thanks To You All!) Could we leave this thread here as a “reference” link or something like that for the begginers like me? By the way, my son was chatting with a friend on ICQ, and as soon as I approached, he wrote this: **PAW** , so for all those with ICQ addicted kids, like me, it means **Parents Are Watching** 🙂 (I hope my son forgives me for giving this away, he, he…) ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 1999, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acronyms-abbreviations/1514/6 "1999-07-01T12:30:00Z")
AFK = away from keyboard And yes, E1, these topics remain here … they only become “invisible” if the date on the latest posting is further back than the number of days you have selected to view posts. ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 1999, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acronyms-abbreviations/1514/7 "1999-07-01T13:18:00Z")
IIRC (don’tcha just love it?), Opalcat has a long list of acronyms at her Teeming Millions site. Check here: [http://fathom.org/teemingmillions/](http://fathom.org/teemingmillions/) * * * The overwhelming majority of people have more than the average (mean) number of legs. – E. Grebenik ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 1999, 6:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acronyms-abbreviations/1514/8 "1999-07-02T06:44:00Z")
Here’s one I can’t find. What is BBS? * * * The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation. – Henry David Thoreau ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 1999, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acronyms-abbreviations/1514/9 "1999-07-04T03:03:00Z")
BBS could either be a Bulletin Board System, typically not accessed through a URL, but dialed directly through your modem. Or it could be the British Broadcasting System, the primary (I believe) TV / Radio network in Great Britian (is it also in Canada and Australia?) ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 1999, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acronyms-abbreviations/1514/10 "1999-07-04T03:04:00Z")
Wait…I think I’ve confused the BBS and the BBC…ignore the second half of my post… sheesh! ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 1999, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acronyms-abbreviations/1514/11 "1999-07-04T06:26:00Z")
And my personal favorite: LSHIPIMP (Laughing So Hard I Peed In My Pants) * * * sosumi ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 1999, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acronyms-abbreviations/1514/12 "1999-07-05T02:38:00Z")
> [@](#): > > Could we leave this thread here as a “reference” link or something like that for the begginers like me? You bet. In fact, let’s get a good list going and then we’ll put it in the FAQ, as well as a link to other lists, perhaps, so you get everything. Don’t forget, you can access the FAQ by simply clicking on **FAQ** in the upper right hand corner of the board. Thanks for the additions. folks, keep 'em coming. And of course my all time favorite: LSHIGRBUMN: Laughed So Hard I Got Root Beer Up My Nose. It happens. your humble TubaDiva/SDStaffDiv for the Straight Dope ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 1999, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acronyms-abbreviations/1514/13 "1999-07-05T04:01:00Z")
FAQ-Frequently Asked Questions Had to do it. IOW-In Other Words SD-Straight Dope SDMB-Straight Dope Message Board TM-Teeming Millions HTML-Hypertext Markup Language Some Abbreviations may be usefull too. Reg.-Regular visitor Sig.-Signature (the little quote people stick at the bottom of their posts) ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 1999, 11:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acronyms-abbreviations/1514/14 "1999-07-05T11:51:00Z")
Let’s not forget: JERK = Poor excuse for a human being MUSH-FOR-BRAINS = not a rocket scientist ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 1999, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acronyms-abbreviations/1514/15 "1999-07-05T21:20:00Z")
A long acronym, but useful in many circumstances: TWIAVBP = The World Is A Very Big Place Comes in handy when a poster assumes that the whole universe has the same senibilities of the poster’s hometown. A: “How could anyone find raw fish appetizing?” B: “TWIAVBP” Alphagene ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 1999, 7:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acronyms-abbreviations/1514/16 "1999-07-06T07:11:00Z")
WOMBAT:Waste Of Money, Brains And Talent-saw it on the Dilbert List and it’s become my favorite. “c’mere my little wombat” ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 1999, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acronyms-abbreviations/1514/17 "1999-07-07T05:21:00Z")
TLA - Three Letter Acronym ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 1999, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acronyms-abbreviations/1514/18 "1999-07-06T19:03:00Z")
I think BBS usually stands for Be Back Soon. * * * sosumi ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 1999, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acronyms-abbreviations/1514/19 "1999-07-06T20:05:00Z")
I like BILC–Because It Looks Cool. This acronym explains why a movie has a flashy special effect in it that does nothing to further the plot. ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 1999, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acronyms-abbreviations/1514/20 "1999-07-08T12:15:00Z")
SWF ISO - Single white female in search of NIMBY - Not in my back yard GIGO - Garbage in, garbage out YOYO - You’re on your own FMAIHP - Feel my ass, it has powers GD&R - Grinning, ducking and running [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acronyms-abbreviations/1514.md?page=2)