# My friend and I are pretty sure his Dad thinks LOL means lots of love **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 28, 2013, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-friend-and-i-are-pretty-sure-his-dad-thinks-lol-means-lots-of-love/651598 "2013-02-28T04:23:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Runs\_With\_Scissors](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/278dde/32.png) [@Runs\_With\_Scissors](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Runs_With_Scissors)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2013, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-friend-and-i-are-pretty-sure-his-dad-thinks-lol-means-lots-of-love/651598/1 "2013-02-28T04:23:00Z")
He’ll get texts like these from his dad: Grandma is in the hospital with pneumonia LOL We had to put the dog to sleep LOL Mom was in a car accident LOL Aunt Lila’s cancer came back LOL And each time these NEVER fail to crack me up. LOL ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2013, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-friend-and-i-are-pretty-sure-his-dad-thinks-lol-means-lots-of-love/651598/2 "2013-02-28T04:27:26Z")
Let’s go to the quarry and throw stuff down there! ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2013, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-friend-and-i-are-pretty-sure-his-dad-thinks-lol-means-lots-of-love/651598/3 "2013-02-28T04:30:49Z")
Once **FTW** used to mean “Fuck the World!” but now it means “For The Win!” which is essentially it’s 180° opposite. This confused me for a couple of years. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2013, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-friend-and-i-are-pretty-sure-his-dad-thinks-lol-means-lots-of-love/651598/4 "2013-02-28T04:40:18Z")
Well, back in the day, LOL meant “Little Old Lady”, so some of his posts kind of make sense. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2013, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-friend-and-i-are-pretty-sure-his-dad-thinks-lol-means-lots-of-love/651598/5 "2013-02-28T05:23:44Z")
Your friend sure has a family with bad luck. LOL ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2013, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-friend-and-i-are-pretty-sure-his-dad-thinks-lol-means-lots-of-love/651598/6 "2013-02-28T05:39:09Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > Let’s go to the quarry and throw stuff down there! Gotta give you props-- this is the one instance where your tagline is appropriate… and hilarious. _Grandma is in the hospital because she got thrown in the quarry LOL_ ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2013, 6:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-friend-and-i-are-pretty-sure-his-dad-thinks-lol-means-lots-of-love/651598/7 "2013-02-28T06:01:51Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > Once **FTW** used to mean “Fuck the World!” but now it means “For The Win!” which is essentially it’s 180° opposite. > > This confused me for a couple of years. I’ve long thought it was funny as hell that John Doe, from the Band **X** , had FTW (for Fuck The World) tattooed on his arm and that the meaning in popular culture had changed. I wonder if he cares or if he thinks it’s funny/cool as hell too. ---
**Author:** ![Baracus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/2bfe46/32.png) [@Baracus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baracus)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2013, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-friend-and-i-are-pretty-sure-his-dad-thinks-lol-means-lots-of-love/651598/8 "2013-02-28T12:56:35Z")
My daughter was listening to the radio one evening at bed time and the station had some show hosted by John Tesh on. He had some segment on what LOL, ROFL, etc, meant and he claimed that WTF meant “why the face?”. Uh, yeah… ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2013, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-friend-and-i-are-pretty-sure-his-dad-thinks-lol-means-lots-of-love/651598/9 "2013-02-28T13:15:12Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > I’ve long thought it was funny as hell that John Doe, from the Band **X** , had FTW (for Fuck The World) tattooed on his arm and that the meaning in popular culture had changed. I wonder if he cares or if he thinks it’s funny/cool as hell too. I know a couple people with FTW tattoos. One look at them and you’d realize which phrase they’re abbreviating. ---
**Author:** ![tenacious\_j](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/439d5e/32.png) [@tenacious\_j](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tenacious_j)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2013, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-friend-and-i-are-pretty-sure-his-dad-thinks-lol-means-lots-of-love/651598/10 "2013-02-28T14:38:26Z")
> [@Baracus](#): > > My daughter was listening to the radio one evening at bed time and the station had some show hosted by John Tesh on. He had some segment on what LOL, ROFL, etc, meant and he claimed that WTF meant “why the face?”. Uh, yeah… Sadly, I have heard parts of that show. Sadly, I think he truly believes that. Sadly, the tagline for the show is “Intelligence for your life.” ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2013, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-friend-and-i-are-pretty-sure-his-dad-thinks-lol-means-lots-of-love/651598/11 "2013-02-28T14:44:30Z")
If I had a boat I’d go out on the ocean And if I had a pony I’d ride him on my boat And we could all together Go out on the ocean Me upon my pony on my boat -LOL ---
**Author:** ![xizor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xizor/32/102_2.png) [@xizor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xizor)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2013, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-friend-and-i-are-pretty-sure-his-dad-thinks-lol-means-lots-of-love/651598/12 "2013-02-28T16:14:15Z")
My son thought he had correctly deduced from context that ETA meant “estimated time, about” as in ETA 7:00PM = “Estimated time, about 7:00PM”. I was happy when I got to correct him, because usually the teaching of acronyms flows the other way between us. ---
**Author:** ![RandMcnally](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b782af/32.png) [@RandMcnally](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RandMcnally)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2013, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-friend-and-i-are-pretty-sure-his-dad-thinks-lol-means-lots-of-love/651598/13 "2013-02-28T16:45:20Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > I know a couple people with FTW tattoos. One look at them and you’d realize which phrase they’re abbreviating. I wouldn’t be so sure about that. I had no idea that ftw had any other meaning than “for the win.” ---
**Author:** ![Yorikke](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yorikke/32/4335_2.png) [@Yorikke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorikke)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2013, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-friend-and-i-are-pretty-sure-his-dad-thinks-lol-means-lots-of-love/651598/14 "2013-02-28T16:55:02Z")
> [@Runs\_With\_Scissors](#): > > He’ll get texts like these from his dad: > Grandma is in the hospital with pneumonia LOL > > We had to put the dog to sleep LOL > > Mom was in a car accident LOL > > Aunt Lila’s cancer came back LOL > > And each time these NEVER fail to crack me up. LOL Old meme is older than the dirt under Caesar’s fingernails. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2013, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-friend-and-i-are-pretty-sure-his-dad-thinks-lol-means-lots-of-love/651598/15 "2013-02-28T16:55:54Z")
> [@RandMcnally](#): > > I wouldn’t be so sure about that. I had no idea that ftw had any other meaning than “for the win.” huh. I just recently discovered the “for the win” meaning. I know a few older bikers with FTW tattoos. ---
**Author:** ![Yorikke](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yorikke/32/4335_2.png) [@Yorikke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorikke)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2013, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-friend-and-i-are-pretty-sure-his-dad-thinks-lol-means-lots-of-love/651598/16 "2013-02-28T16:56:06Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > Once **FTW** used to mean “Fuck the World!” but now it means “For The Win!” which is essentially it’s 180° opposite. > > This confused me for a couple of years. EXACT same experience for me. I was like “WTF! FTW?” ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2013, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-friend-and-i-are-pretty-sure-his-dad-thinks-lol-means-lots-of-love/651598/17 "2013-02-28T23:23:23Z")
For awhile, I was certain that “QFT” meant “quit fucking trolling”. I only recently found out it meant “quoted for truth”. ---
**Author:** ![Yorikke](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yorikke/32/4335_2.png) [@Yorikke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorikke)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2013, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-friend-and-i-are-pretty-sure-his-dad-thinks-lol-means-lots-of-love/651598/18 "2013-03-01T02:18:53Z")
> [@teela\_brown](#): > > For awhile, I was certain that “QFT” meant “quit fucking trolling”. I only recently found out it meant “quoted for truth”. I still say that “Quoted for truth” is a revisionist lie by internet society, and that it was originally “Quite Fucking True.” ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2013, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-friend-and-i-are-pretty-sure-his-dad-thinks-lol-means-lots-of-love/651598/19 "2013-03-01T02:38:47Z")
> [@hrhomer](#): > > I still say that “Quoted for truth” is a revisionist lie by internet society, and that it was originally “Quite Fucking True.” Yeah, that’s what I’ve always believed it to be. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2013, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-friend-and-i-are-pretty-sure-his-dad-thinks-lol-means-lots-of-love/651598/20 "2013-03-01T02:41:04Z")
I know a woman who _STILL_ thinks LOL means “Lots O’ Love” and so uses it inappropriately. And often. I didn’t set her straight, because her daughter said that it’s a constant source of amusement for her friends, who crowd around her phone to see the latest text from Mommy Dorkiest: _“Be careful walking to your car. Lots of rapists in parking garages. LOL!”_ [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-friend-and-i-are-pretty-sure-his-dad-thinks-lol-means-lots-of-love/651598.md?page=2)