# Acronyms! Love 'em or Hate 'em - but what if you don't GET 'em? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [December 4, 2002, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acronyms-love-em-or-hate-em-but-what-if-you-dont-get-em/140354 "2002-12-04T03:52:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![CasperQ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f0a364/32.png) [@CasperQ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CasperQ)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2002, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acronyms-love-em-or-hate-em-but-what-if-you-dont-get-em/140354/1 "2002-12-04T03:52:55Z")
This might be a better thread for MPSIMS just because of the title, eh? As a newbie (a rookie, a green, SDMB infant, whatever) I have seen quite a few new ones. Post 'em here, please! Some I’ve translated: IMHO - in my humble opinion IMNSHO - in my not so humble opinion TMI - too much information! VVC - very vaguely creepy (I loved reading THAT thread!) FTR - for the record What is: IIRC - ? There are others… they lurk in innocent sentences, threads and sometimes under the toilet seat. Post 'em, folks, post 'em!! ---
**Author:** ![Meatros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Meatros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meatros)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2002, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acronyms-love-em-or-hate-em-but-what-if-you-dont-get-em/140354/2 "2002-12-04T03:58:37Z")
Fubar-F@#ked up beyond all recognition. What? No one uses that except for me? I must have the curse of the “lames”… Oh and FWIW-For what it’s worth IANA-I am not a… ---
**Author:** ![Reeder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Reeder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reeder)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2002, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acronyms-love-em-or-hate-em-but-what-if-you-dont-get-em/140354/3 "2002-12-04T03:59:09Z")
[http://www.astro.umd.edu/~marshall/abbrev.html](http://www.astro.umd.edu/~marshall/abbrev.html) ---
**Author:** ![Meatros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Meatros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meatros)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2002, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acronyms-love-em-or-hate-em-but-what-if-you-dont-get-em/140354/4 "2002-12-04T04:00:16Z")
DA- Dumb ass DSCTAS-Dumb, stupid, chipmonk throwing a#@l sack… Snafu-Situation normal all F@$ked up. ---
**Author:** ![Moe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moe/32/2972_2.png) [@Moe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moe)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2002, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acronyms-love-em-or-hate-em-but-what-if-you-dont-get-em/140354/5 "2002-12-04T04:00:35Z")
> [@](#): > > This might be a better thread for MPSIMS Actually best in **ATMB** (which is where it’ll likely be very soon). There are a few really good threads (one of which I believe I started) which cover just about any acronym that you will ever see here. I’ve no time to dig 'em up now, but they should be fairly easy to find. ---
**Author:** ![Essured](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/278dde/32.png) [@Essured](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Essured)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2002, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acronyms-love-em-or-hate-em-but-what-if-you-dont-get-em/140354/6 "2002-12-04T04:02:47Z")
Have a bit of a look through some threads in ATMB, or check [here.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?postid=1959125#post1959125) And hi 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![CasperQ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f0a364/32.png) [@CasperQ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CasperQ)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2002, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acronyms-love-em-or-hate-em-but-what-if-you-dont-get-em/140354/7 "2002-12-04T04:03:54Z")
I did do a search for ‘acronym’ and didn’t get any hits relevant to the thread I posted. Now I’ll have to look for ATMB… :S ---
**Author:** ![CasperQ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f0a364/32.png) [@CasperQ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CasperQ)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2002, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acronyms-love-em-or-hate-em-but-what-if-you-dont-get-em/140354/8 "2002-12-04T04:10:33Z")
Thanks Goo! VHLTH (very handly link to have) ---
**Author:** ![Stan\_Doubt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@Stan\_Doubt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stan_Doubt)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2002, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acronyms-love-em-or-hate-em-but-what-if-you-dont-get-em/140354/9 "2002-12-04T04:15:59Z")
None of the original examples you cited really qualify as acronyms; an acronym can be spoken like a word, e.g., NASA, HUD, NOAA. A few actually become words and are spelled in lowercase letters, e.g., laser, lidar, radar. General rule: If you can’t pronounce it, it’s an abbreviation. ---
**Author:** ![I\_can\_t\_believe\_that\_s\_butter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/8edcca/32.png) [@I\_can\_t\_believe\_that\_s\_butter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_can_t_believe_that_s_butter)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2002, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acronyms-love-em-or-hate-em-but-what-if-you-dont-get-em/140354/10 "2002-12-04T04:18:12Z")
IWATMAUSBIDAI I was about to make an unneccesary statement, but I decided against it… ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2002, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acronyms-love-em-or-hate-em-but-what-if-you-dont-get-em/140354/11 "2002-12-04T04:20:39Z")
Speaking of information found in **ATMB** , you might want to check out these threads: [Abbreviations and stuff](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=27417) [Phrase abbreviations in threads (Newbie alert!)](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=28369) [Attn Newcomers - Abbreviations List](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=32636) [Message Board abbreviations](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=57452) [abbreviations](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=80573) [YMMV and other SDMB abbreviations](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=115129) The granddaddy of them all on the SDMB: [Acronyms (abbreviations?)](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=2528) And an outside reference to the NetLingo site: [Netlingo: Acronyms & Shorthand](http://www.netlingo.com/emailsh.cfm) ---
**Author:** ![CasperQ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f0a364/32.png) [@CasperQ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CasperQ)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2002, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acronyms-love-em-or-hate-em-but-what-if-you-dont-get-em/140354/12 "2002-12-04T04:33:18Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by tomndebb \* > **Speaking of information found in ATMB, you might want to check out these threads \** Pardon me… I am going to beat my head against the wall now… :smack: But hey, good application of SNAFU! ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2002, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acronyms-love-em-or-hate-em-but-what-if-you-dont-get-em/140354/13 "2002-12-04T04:41:17Z")
[HAYNTK](http://graphics.theonion.com/pics_3844/infograph_3844.jpg). (Here’s all you need to know.) ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2002, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acronyms-love-em-or-hate-em-but-what-if-you-dont-get-em/140354/14 "2002-12-04T04:49:19Z")
I’ll move this thread to ATMB, so it can visit with all its friends. ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2002, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acronyms-love-em-or-hate-em-but-what-if-you-dont-get-em/140354/15 "2002-12-04T22:40:38Z")
assembled by the TM years ago: [http://tinyurl.com/38f8](http://tinyurl.com/38f8) ---
**Author:** ![Jake2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/cab0a1/32.png) [@Jake2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jake2)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2002, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acronyms-love-em-or-hate-em-but-what-if-you-dont-get-em/140354/16 "2002-12-05T01:47:27Z")
IIRC: “If I Recall Correctly” ---
**Author:** ![Tripler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripler/32/21807_2.png) [@Tripler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tripler)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2002, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acronyms-love-em-or-hate-em-but-what-if-you-dont-get-em/140354/17 "2002-12-06T00:03:49Z")
Here’s one I commonly use to find those I’m supposed to know on a daily basis: [AcronymFinder.com](http://www.acronymfinder.com/) Tripler ACRONYM: Abbreviated Coded Rendition Of Name Yielding Meaning