# Are there any wierd ones you use? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 16, 2003, 6:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-wierd-ones-you-use/201910 "2003-09-16T06:59:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![otherwiseknownas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/59ef9b/32.png) [@otherwiseknownas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/otherwiseknownas)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2003, 6:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-wierd-ones-you-use/201910/1 "2003-09-16T06:59:53Z")
OK I’m ready and waiting for the ridicule to spew forth but i felt compelled to ask anyhow. I’ve been reading the messages on this, and other boards, for quite some time now, and what I’ve noticed is that there are quite a few …i think the word im looking for is acronyms?..somebody correct me if im wrong. Theres your usual IMHO and the like which i know, but i see quite a few all the time and i have no idea what they are, take for instance IIRC, I’ve tried and i cant for the life of me work out what it stands for, now i know you’re all out there going ‘my god woman, can you be so stupid? crawl back under your rock and hibernate for the winter!’ which i’ll do in due time, but my thirst for knowledge must be quenched first. I guess what im asking is are there some …again im going with acronyms, and i hope its the right word…that get used more than others and are there any that you’ve seen that you haven’t seen before or even some that you’ve made yourself that other ppl have decided to adopt and make thier own? ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2003, 7:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-wierd-ones-you-use/201910/2 "2003-09-16T07:10:21Z")
I try to avoid them altogether, I’m a purist (fancy word for language nerd). 😛 [This site will tell you what a lot of internet abbreviations mean.](http://penpals.englishclub.com/abbreviations.htm) When I first came here, I had no idea what a lot of them meant either. AFAIK? IANA? WAG? But you hang around and pick them up in context. (Or screw it, click the link, and find out NOW!) 😉 AFAIK = as far as I know IANA = I am not a (name a profession relevant to the discussion. usually, it seems to be IANAL- “I am not a lawyer”) WAG = wild-ass guess IIRC = if I recall/remember correctly ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2003, 7:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-wierd-ones-you-use/201910/3 "2003-09-16T07:31:58Z")
Most useful internet abbreviation ever: NTBUSWAB (“Not to bring up Star Wars again, but…”) ---
**Author:** ![manx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/65b543/32.png) [@manx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/manx)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2003, 10:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-wierd-ones-you-use/201910/4 "2003-09-16T10:35:04Z")
I remember IANAXMF floating around the X2 threads (I am not an xmen fan). It took me ages to click to what it meant, and I pronounced it ‘Ian-zamph’. “Ian-zamph? Who in the heck is that!” :o ---
**Author:** ![otherwiseknownas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/59ef9b/32.png) [@otherwiseknownas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/otherwiseknownas)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2003, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-wierd-ones-you-use/201910/5 "2003-09-16T23:09:03Z")
Thanx Marley, that site you recommended was really helpful, and i finally know what IIRC is. thnx for your help. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2003, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-wierd-ones-you-use/201910/6 "2003-09-16T23:25:09Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by manx \* > \*\* > > “Ian-zamph? Who in the heck is that!” \*\* Magneto’s brother? ---
**Author:** ![Freiheit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e8c25b/32.png) [@Freiheit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freiheit)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2003, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-wierd-ones-you-use/201910/7 "2003-09-16T23:40:03Z")
Ian-Bampf: Nightcrawler’s brother