# I'm ashamed I don't know all the acronyms **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [July 23, 2003, 7:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-ashamed-i-dont-know-all-the-acronyms/190337 "2003-07-23T07:09:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Grousser](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9d8465/32.png) [@Grousser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grousser)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2003, 7:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-ashamed-i-dont-know-all-the-acronyms/190337/1 "2003-07-23T07:09:27Z")
Sorry, I’ve been posting often but I still don’t know all the acronyms in the message boards. I only know two of them: IMHO - In my humble opinion IIRC - If I remember correctly (is this correct?) I’ve seen others: WAG, FWIW, and there may be more. Can you give me a list, please? (this has to be a short thread, I think). ---
**Author:** ![biqu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7feea3/32.png) [@biqu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/biqu)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2003, 8:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-ashamed-i-dont-know-all-the-acronyms/190337/2 "2003-07-23T08:10:28Z")
[http://www.netlingo.com/emailsh.cfm](http://www.netlingo.com/emailsh.cfm) I found that link in this [ATMB thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?postid=1959125#post1959125), where other frequently asked questions are answered. ---
**Author:** ![Orange\_Skinner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/3be4f8/32.png) [@Orange\_Skinner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orange_Skinner)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2003, 8:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-ashamed-i-dont-know-all-the-acronyms/190337/3 "2003-07-23T08:15:31Z")
You’re right, IIRC stands for If I Recall Correctly. Also, **Grousser** , you might do better with this thread in **ATMB** , where **amore** ’s linked you to. That’s the appropriate forum for questions like this. You might want to e-mail a moderator and have them move this thread there. ---
**Author:** ![Duderdude2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/cdc98d/32.png) [@Duderdude2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duderdude2)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2003, 8:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-ashamed-i-dont-know-all-the-acronyms/190337/4 "2003-07-23T08:29:17Z")
Why bother? The mods can move it themselves. ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2003, 9:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-ashamed-i-dont-know-all-the-acronyms/190337/5 "2003-07-23T09:43:34Z")
To answer the question… WAG == Wind Assed Guess, FWIW == For What It’s Worth (BTW is By The Way, IANAL is I Am Not A Lawyer (The L changes to other letters, depending on the subject at hand)…uhm…damn, that’s the only ones I can think of offhand.) ---
**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:** [July 23, 2003, 10:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-ashamed-i-dont-know-all-the-acronyms/190337/6 "2003-07-23T10:00:06Z")
NTBUSWAB— Not To Bring Up Star Wars Again, But… ---
**Author:** ![godzillatemple](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/49beb7/32.png) [@godzillatemple](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/godzillatemple)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2003, 12:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-ashamed-i-dont-know-all-the-acronyms/190337/7 "2003-07-23T12:05:12Z")
ROTFL = Rolling On The Floor Laughing ROTFLSHISTC = Rolling On The Floor Laughing So Hard I Scared The Cat 😉 ---
**Author:** ![fessie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c37758/32.png) [@fessie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fessie)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2003, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-ashamed-i-dont-know-all-the-acronyms/190337/8 "2003-07-23T12:30:10Z")
YMMV = “Your Mileage May Vary” and not “you make me vomit”, which is what I thought The Gaspode had said to me 😕 ---
**Author:** ![wolf\_meister](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf_meister/32/15202_2.png) [@wolf\_meister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolf_meister)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2003, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-ashamed-i-dont-know-all-the-acronyms/190337/9 "2003-07-23T19:47:23Z")
Not to be anal retentive, nitpicking, etc. but the word **acronym** is quite often misused. An acronym has to form a pronouncible word with the letters being used. Examples) LASER is an acronym FBI is an **abbreviation**. Sorry. Just thought you’d like to know that subtle difference. ---
**Author:** ![biqu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7feea3/32.png) [@biqu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/biqu)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2003, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-ashamed-i-dont-know-all-the-acronyms/190337/10 "2003-07-23T21:31:41Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by wolf\_meister_ > Not to be anal retentive, nitpicking, etc. but the word **acronym** is quite often misused. An acronym has to form a pronouncible word with the letters being used. > > Examples) LASER is an acronym > FBI is an **abbreviation**. > > Sorry. Just thought you’d like to know that subtle difference. While FBI is an abbreviation, it belongs to a subset of abbreviations known as [initialisms](http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Initialism), a term which better reflects the fact that the **initial** (first) letters of the component words are pronounced individually, rather than spoken as a single word, as an acronym is. ---
**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:** [July 23, 2003, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-ashamed-i-dont-know-all-the-acronyms/190337/11 "2003-07-23T21:50:10Z")
> [@](#): > > WAG == Wind Assed Guess I’ve always seen it as “Wild Assed Guess”. “Wind Assed” makes no sense to me. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2003, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-ashamed-i-dont-know-all-the-acronyms/190337/12 "2003-07-23T22:37:07Z")
UIGUTSEMTUBHTMATTWSP. “Ukulele Ike gums up the server even more than usual by having to move a thread that was stupidly put in the incorrect forum.” ---
**Author:** ![SolGrundy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbce88/32.png) [@SolGrundy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SolGrundy)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2003, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-ashamed-i-dont-know-all-the-acronyms/190337/13 "2003-07-23T23:24:43Z")
SWAG “Sheesh, what a grouch!” ---
**Author:** ![wolf\_meister](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf_meister/32/15202_2.png) [@wolf\_meister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolf_meister)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2003, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-ashamed-i-dont-know-all-the-acronyms/190337/14 "2003-07-23T23:26:35Z")
amore ac studio WOW - and someone ends up correcting me!!! Thank you. I always like to learn new things. Really, you won’t learn if you think you know everything. Thanks again word-meister !! ---
**Author:** ![xash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/c6cbf5/32.png) [@xash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xash)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2003, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-ashamed-i-dont-know-all-the-acronyms/190337/15 "2003-07-23T23:50:41Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Duderdude2 \* > \*\*Why bother? The mods can move it themselves. \*\* Because it really helps. If you see a thread that you believe doesn’t belong in the forum it is posted to, please do inform the moderators, either over email or through the “Report this post to a moderator” link. It greatly improves our response time. We appreciate your help. ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2003, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-ashamed-i-dont-know-all-the-acronyms/190337/16 "2003-07-24T03:14:45Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Munch \* > \*\*I’ve always seen it as “Wild Assed Guess”. “Wind Assed” makes no sense to me. \*\* 😛 Typo. (But if wind assed doesn’t make sense to you… Well, I envy you, actually.) ---
**Author:** ![DKW](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dkw/32/3118_2.png) [@DKW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DKW)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2003, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-ashamed-i-dont-know-all-the-acronyms/190337/17 "2003-07-24T05:56:12Z")
BTW - by the way IMHO - in my humble opinion FAQ - frequently asked questions (a general information guide) SO - signifigant other RTFM - read the flargbargin manual (usually in response to a really inane or obvious question) WTF - I have such an unbelievably limited imagination, something this trivial completely blows my mind. 😛 A couple of old standbys: QED - quod erat demonstratum - basicaly means the poster has finished explaining the point he/she was making SSDD - same s\*\*\*, different day ---
**Author:** ![biqu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7feea3/32.png) [@biqu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/biqu)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2003, 10:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-ashamed-i-dont-know-all-the-acronyms/190337/18 "2003-07-24T10:47:33Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by DKW_ > QED - **quod erat demonstratum** - basicaly means the poster has finished explaining the point he/she was making I believe the conjugation is [quod erat demonstrandum](http://www.swif.uniba.it/lei/foldop/foldoc.cgi?QED+-+quod+erat+demonstrandum). You can check the conjugation analysis with [William Whitaker’s Latin-English dictionary program](http://users.erols.com/whitaker/words.htm). [demonstrandum](http://lysy2.archives.nd.edu/cgi-bin/words.exe?demonstrandum) > [@](#): > > demonstr.andum VPAR 1 1 NOM S N FUT PASSIVE PPL > demonstr.andum VPAR 1 1 ACC S M FUT PASSIVE PPL > demonstr.andum VPAR 1 1 ACC S N FUT PASSIVE PPL > demonstro, demonstrare, demonstravi, demonstratus V TRANS > point out/at/to, draw attention to; explain/describe/show, give an account of; > reveal, mention, refer to; allege; prove, demonstrate; represent; recommend; [demonstratum](http://lysy2.archives.nd.edu/cgi-bin/words.exe?demonstratum) > [@](#): > > demonstrat.um VPAR 1 1 NOM S N PERF PASSIVE PPL > demonstrat.um VPAR 1 1 ACC S M PERF PASSIVE PPL > demonstrat.um VPAR 1 1 ACC S N PERF PASSIVE PPL > demonstrat.um SUPINE 1 1 ACC S N > demonstro, demonstrare, demonstravi, demonstratus V TRANS > point out/at/to, draw attention to; explain/describe/show, give an account of; > reveal, mention, refer to; allege; prove, demonstrate; represent; recommend; ---
**Author:** ![Algernon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a183cd/32.png) [@Algernon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Algernon)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2003, 12:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-ashamed-i-dont-know-all-the-acronyms/190337/19 "2003-07-24T12:01:53Z")
In addition to the link provided by **amore ac studio** , here are a couple more that might be useful. [Acronym Finder](http://www.acronymfinder.com/). [Abbreviations](http://www.astro.umd.edu/~marshall/abbrev.html) BTW, I never heard the term _initialism_ before **amore**. Thanks for providing that clarification. ---
**Author:** ![gouda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c77e96/32.png) [@gouda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gouda)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2003, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-ashamed-i-dont-know-all-the-acronyms/190337/20 "2003-07-24T13:13:26Z")
TDH: Those Damn Hamsters Gotta say though, they’ve been running pretty well the past few months… [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-ashamed-i-dont-know-all-the-acronyms/190337.md?page=2)