# I hate people who put btw and then... **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [June 9, 2003, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-people-who-put-btw-and-then/180548 "2003-06-09T00:12:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![7\_up\_yours](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/7/919ad9/32.png) [@7\_up\_yours](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/7_up_yours)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2003, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-people-who-put-btw-and-then/180548/1 "2003-06-09T00:12:07Z")
write in brackets (by the way) WTF? And it’s not a one time thing either. They do it for every shortened phrase. IMO (In my opinion), G2G (got to go), LOL (laughing out loud), WTG (way to go), the list can go on, but it’s just so uuuuuugh. What’s the point of shortening a common phrase when you’re just going to write it out anyway?! And by putting the shortened form and then writing down the long form, YOU’VE JUST LENGTHENED IT!!! _screams into a pillow_ ---
**Author:** ![samarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4da419/32.png) [@samarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samarm)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2003, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-people-who-put-btw-and-then/180548/2 "2003-06-09T00:17:43Z")
> [@](#): > > _screams into a pillow_ MRTTMSJ (Must… Resist… Temptation To Make… Smutty Joke…) ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2003, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-people-who-put-btw-and-then/180548/3 "2003-06-09T00:18:09Z")
Yeah. It makes me wonder why people up in Maine always called the Bath Iron Works the BIW, when “Bath Iron Works” has fewer syllables. Ya know? ---
**Author:** ![samarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4da419/32.png) [@samarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samarm)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2003, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-people-who-put-btw-and-then/180548/4 "2003-06-09T00:19:34Z")
Also… link or cite? Or are you talking about seeing this on e-mails and discussion boards in general? I can’t say I’ve noticed this a lot on the SDMB, but I agree with you that it is stupid to spell out acronyms. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2003, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-people-who-put-btw-and-then/180548/5 "2003-06-09T02:40:37Z")
BTW (by the way) you’re talking about parentheses, not brackets. Just FYI (for your information). TTFN (ta ta for now). ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2003, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-people-who-put-btw-and-then/180548/6 "2003-06-09T03:06:50Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by friedo \* > \*\*Yeah. It makes me wonder why people up in Maine always called the Bath Iron Works the BIW, when “Bath Iron Works” has fewer syllables. > > Ya know? \*\* Because that way we have to _think_ about fewer letters. ---
**Author:** ![tcdaniel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9bd4f/32.png) [@tcdaniel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tcdaniel)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2003, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-people-who-put-btw-and-then/180548/7 "2003-06-09T03:12:05Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by 7 up yours \* > \*\*write in brackets (by the way) > > WTF? > > What’s the point of shortening a common phrase when you’re just going to write it out anyway?! And by putting the shortened form and then writing down the long form, YOU’VE JUST LENGTHENED IT!!! > > _screams into a pillow_ \*\* WTF (White Toad Farts?) ---
**Author:** ![Shabadu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/46a35a/32.png) [@Shabadu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shabadu)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2003, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-people-who-put-btw-and-then/180548/8 "2003-06-09T04:15:53Z")
I had the same feeling about commercials for **CSI: Crime Scene Investigation**. It used to piss me off when they would continually say both. Just call the show Crime Scene Investigation if you are going to say both. I haven’t heard this in a long time, but I still think about it when I see other commercials for **CSI**. ---
**Author:** ![Purd\_Werfect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e47c2d/32.png) [@Purd\_Werfect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Purd_Werfect)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2003, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-people-who-put-btw-and-then/180548/9 "2003-06-09T04:28:12Z")
WGAF? ---
**Author:** ![3trew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/3/13edae/32.png) [@3trew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/3trew)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2003, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-people-who-put-btw-and-then/180548/10 "2003-06-09T04:37:41Z")
I think this is possibly a subset of one of my own pet peeves, which involves people who insist that they use their PIN number at the ATM machine. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2003, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-people-who-put-btw-and-then/180548/11 "2003-06-09T04:37:55Z")
ITISTETCTPWANFWTCAMF (I think it is to eliminate the confusion that people who are not familiar with common abbreviations might face) ---
**Author:** ![Aslan\_of\_Narnia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecd19e/32.png) [@Aslan\_of\_Narnia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aslan_of_Narnia)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2003, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-people-who-put-btw-and-then/180548/12 "2003-06-09T04:43:00Z")
OMGWTFBBQ WB 7UY? I think that should clear it up. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![blowero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/41988e/32.png) [@blowero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blowero)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2003, 7:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-people-who-put-btw-and-then/180548/13 "2003-06-09T07:07:39Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by 2trew \* > \*\*I think this is possibly a subset of one of my own pet peeves, which involves people who insist that they use their PIN number at the ATM machine. \*\* That reminds me; I have to get my hot-water heater fixed.😉 ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2003, 8:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-people-who-put-btw-and-then/180548/14 "2003-06-09T08:29:24Z")
WIWTKIHTFAFE. (What I want to know is how to fry a fried egg.) ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2003, 9:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-people-who-put-btw-and-then/180548/15 "2003-06-09T09:40:22Z")
It is called RAS syndrome (Redundant Acronym Syndrome Syndrome) ---
**Author:** ![RexDart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b77776/32.png) [@RexDart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RexDart)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2003, 9:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-people-who-put-btw-and-then/180548/16 "2003-06-09T09:55:29Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Aslan2 \* > \*\*OMGWTFBBQ WB 7UY? > > I think that should clear it up. > > 😉 \*\* I never understood what was so OMG or WTF about BBQ as to necessitate that particular acronym. Oh well, YMMV. I’d rather see a screen full of acronyms than l337-speak any day of the week. ---
**Author:** ![green\_bladder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/73ab20/32.png) [@green\_bladder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/green_bladder)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2003, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-people-who-put-btw-and-then/180548/17 "2003-06-09T12:29:06Z")
INOTUAA. TS (I’m never one to use acronyms anyway. They’re silly) ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2003, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-people-who-put-btw-and-then/180548/18 "2003-06-09T12:36:25Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Captain Amazing \* > \*\*ITISTETCTPWANFWTCAMF (I think it is to eliminate the confusion that people who are not familiar with common abbreviations might face) \*\* TFLOYASBAIATIAUTNTE. (The fourth letter of your acronym should be an I, and there is an unneeded T near the end.) 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2003, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-people-who-put-btw-and-then/180548/19 "2003-06-09T14:38:45Z")
Although more commonly accepted grammer that “ATM machine” and “PIN number”, it still bothers me to see a number written as “36 (thirty-six).” As in: > [@](#): > > As this was the 1st (first) time that Dirk was to take Genevieve, he threw her on the bed forcibly. “Kiss me you fool”, he said hotly. She heaved her 2 (two) breasts at him, then turned around to engage in a lustful 69 (sixty-nine). Wallaby Troglodyte Frenchman is that? ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2003, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-people-who-put-btw-and-then/180548/20 "2003-06-09T16:03:48Z")
tdn, it’s more common the other way around, and it’s done for a reason (which escapes me at the moment). I work at a law firm, and whenever numbers are written into documents, they’re written “words (number)”, as in “two (2)”. It’s proper to have the number written out, but the numerical representation is there for clarification. For really large numbers, it becomes much more apparent: Five Hundred Eighty-Four Thousand Seven Hundred Seventeen Dollars and No Cents ($584,717.00). [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-people-who-put-btw-and-then/180548.md?page=2)