# PWUA (People Who Use Acronyms) and terms they assume people will know (spoiler: they don't) **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [August 21, 2019, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pwua-people-who-use-acronyms-and-terms-they-assume-people-will-know-spoiler-they-dont/839030 "2019-08-21T23:32:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**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:** [August 21, 2019, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pwua-people-who-use-acronyms-and-terms-they-assume-people-will-know-spoiler-they-dont/839030/1 "2019-08-21T23:32:47Z")
I realized I have a very primal reaction to a pet peeve. Was out with a group of students and teachers (after a night class), and one woman kept going on and on about “DDD”: “So, DDD did a thing on… Waiting for DDD to come on, I made myself an egg… Oh MY GAAAAHD, did anyone see? DDD was inSAYYYYNE!” I thought it was a Millennial thing (she’s 30), but the others were giving quizzical glances whenever she said it. She tends to hog the discussion, so no one wanted to ask and prolong her stories, but finally I couldn’t take it any more… “Sorry, what’s DDD?” I got the most withering stare, then an eyeroll, and after a beat she sneered, “Only _Diner, Dives and Drive-Ins_, gaaaahd…” At least it wasn’t like playing poker with my scientist friends. Man, the acronyms! They assume you know your GMS from your GOES (I looked them up at home… different types of satellites). And the one I know best is so literate that he makes obscure references to classic thinkers. Last time I said “I wish I could click on our conversation and get footnotes”, he said “C’mon, you can’t seriously have missed the Faulkner reference…” The fact that he said this in front of a group of friends made me feel… well, there’s the problem. I don’t like to feel stupid. And people using terms and references that they assume everyone knows makes me feel like I’m not keeping up. ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2019, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pwua-people-who-use-acronyms-and-terms-they-assume-people-will-know-spoiler-they-dont/839030/2 "2019-08-21T23:35:19Z")
ikr? ---
**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:** [August 21, 2019, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pwua-people-who-use-acronyms-and-terms-they-assume-people-will-know-spoiler-they-dont/839030/3 "2019-08-21T23:38:56Z")
> [@Guest-starring\_Id](#): > > ikr? No, Hook killed Rufio. ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2019, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pwua-people-who-use-acronyms-and-terms-they-assume-people-will-know-spoiler-they-dont/839030/4 "2019-08-21T23:41:46Z")
Ah, of course - HKR :smack: ---
**Author:** ![begbert2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/begbert2/32/3357_2.png) [@begbert2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/begbert2)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2019, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pwua-people-who-use-acronyms-and-terms-they-assume-people-will-know-spoiler-they-dont/839030/5 "2019-08-21T23:50:24Z")
In my lexicon, DDD means Daily Dose of Disappointment. It’s related to how I’m constantly looking for collectibles that are released on a distinctly non-constant schedule, resulting the term describing what I’m _really_ going to the store to get. And computer science is positively _rife_ with acronyms, particularly [TLA](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three-letter_acronym)s. ---
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2019, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pwua-people-who-use-acronyms-and-terms-they-assume-people-will-know-spoiler-they-dont/839030/6 "2019-08-22T00:23:04Z")
I used to deal with IT vendors on a regular basis. Every one of them would use acronyms when we were meeting with them. It finally got to the point where I had to open a meeting with a proclamation that nobody would use acronyms during the upcoming meeting. They learned rather quickly that they needed to follow that rule. ---
**Author:** ![dasmoocher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/dbc845/32.png) [@dasmoocher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dasmoocher)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2019, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pwua-people-who-use-acronyms-and-terms-they-assume-people-will-know-spoiler-they-dont/839030/7 "2019-08-22T00:27:29Z")
I had to look up the term “stans” used in a tweet today, as in “Trump stans don’t care what he does”. Apparently, it’s like a groupie. ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2019, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pwua-people-who-use-acronyms-and-terms-they-assume-people-will-know-spoiler-they-dont/839030/8 "2019-08-22T00:30:43Z")
> [@digs](#): > > …At least it wasn’t like playing poker with my scientist friends. Man, the acronyms! They assume you know your GMS from your GOES (I looked them up at home… different types of satellites). And the one I know best is so literate that he makes obscure references to classic thinkers. Last time I said “I wish I could click on our conversation and get footnotes”, he said “C’mon, you can’t seriously have missed the Faulkner reference…” > > The fact that he said this in front of a group of friends made me feel… well, there’s the problem. I don’t like to feel stupid. And people using terms and references that they assume everyone knows makes me feel like I’m not keeping up. Well, making other people feel stupid is probably more important to that guy than winning the poker game. SPAJA.\* > [@Railer13](#): > > I used to deal with IT vendors on a regular basis. Every one of them would use acronyms when we were meeting with them. It finally got to the point where I had to open a meeting with a proclamation that nobody would use acronyms during the upcoming meeting. They learned rather quickly that they needed to follow that rule. It’s _good_ to be the buyer. \*Some People Are Just Assholes. ---
**Author:** ![Fair\_Rarity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fair_rarity/32/153_2.png) [@Fair\_Rarity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fair_Rarity)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2019, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pwua-people-who-use-acronyms-and-terms-they-assume-people-will-know-spoiler-they-dont/839030/9 "2019-08-22T00:40:19Z")
Guy Fieri doesn’t even call it DDD. He calls it “Triple D.” ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2019, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pwua-people-who-use-acronyms-and-terms-they-assume-people-will-know-spoiler-they-dont/839030/10 "2019-08-22T01:44:47Z")
> [@Railer13](#): > > I used to deal with IT vendors on a regular basis. Every one of them would use acronyms when we were meeting with them. It finally got to the point where I had to open a meeting with a proclamation that nobody would use acronyms during the upcoming meeting. They learned rather quickly that they needed to follow that rule. What happened? Did someone ask, “Is that now SOP?” ---
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2019, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pwua-people-who-use-acronyms-and-terms-they-assume-people-will-know-spoiler-they-dont/839030/11 "2019-08-22T02:10:23Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > What happened? Did someone ask, “Is that now SOP?” I would tell them that if IDK what their TLA was, they could KMA. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2019, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pwua-people-who-use-acronyms-and-terms-they-assume-people-will-know-spoiler-they-dont/839030/12 "2019-08-22T02:47:12Z")
> [@Fair\_Rarity](#): > > Guy Fieri doesn’t even call it DDD. He calls it “Triple D.” Yes, I’ve never heard it called “DDD”. Triple D or the full name of the show. Same with Triple G, or Guy’s Grocery Games (his other popular show). ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2019, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pwua-people-who-use-acronyms-and-terms-they-assume-people-will-know-spoiler-they-dont/839030/13 "2019-08-22T02:52:54Z")
I guess this is related to the acronym issue in the OP. It drives me batty when people say the acronym wrong. It’s “ay-sap”, not “ay-es-ay-pee”. ---
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2019, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pwua-people-who-use-acronyms-and-terms-they-assume-people-will-know-spoiler-they-dont/839030/14 "2019-08-22T03:01:27Z")
> [@digs](#): > > I realized I have a very primal reaction to a pet peeve. > > Was out with a group of students and teachers (after a night class), and one woman kept going on and on about “DDD”: “So, DDD did a thing on… Waiting for DDD to come on, I made myself an egg… Oh MY GAAAAHD, did anyone see? DDD was inSAYYYYNE!” I thought it was a Millennial thing (she’s 30), but the others were giving quizzical glances whenever she said it. She tends to hog the discussion, so no one wanted to ask and prolong her stories, but finally I couldn’t take it any more… “Sorry, what’s DDD?” > > I got the most withering stare, then an eyeroll, and after a beat she sneered, “Only _Diner, Dives and Drive-Ins_, gaaaahd…” This happens a lot on the SDMB. A LOT. Among twits socializing in real life it’s going to happen and there’s not much you can do. People are idiots. But I never expected to find so much of it here. Maybe it’s because everyone does it on Facebook or when they’re texting friends but here I would think people would avoid being vague like the plague. But nope. I think’s it’s actually the reverse–people get off on knowing and using niche jargon here. If you’re gonna do that, at least use the actual jargon words instead of acronyms and initialisms that nobody could ever know. Do NOT make me look it up. ---
**Author:** ![Darryl\_Lict](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7cd45c/32.png) [@Darryl\_Lict](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darryl_Lict)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2019, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pwua-people-who-use-acronyms-and-terms-they-assume-people-will-know-spoiler-they-dont/839030/15 "2019-08-22T03:08:51Z")
> [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](#): > > This happens a lot on the SDMB. A LOT. Among twits socializing in real life it’s going to happen and there’s not much you can do. People are idiots. But I never expected to find so much of it here. Maybe it’s because everyone does it on Facebook or when they’re texting friends but here I would think people would avoid being vague like the plague. > > But nope. I think’s it’s actually the reverse–people get off on knowing and using niche jargon here. If you’re gonna do that, at least use the actual jargon words instead of acronyms and initialisms that nobody could ever know. It’s a million times worse on Reddit. ---
**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:** [August 22, 2019, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pwua-people-who-use-acronyms-and-terms-they-assume-people-will-know-spoiler-they-dont/839030/16 "2019-08-22T04:23:15Z")
TIL it’s worse on Reddit. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2019, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pwua-people-who-use-acronyms-and-terms-they-assume-people-will-know-spoiler-they-dont/839030/17 "2019-08-22T05:03:28Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > I guess this is related to the acronym issue in the OP. It drives me batty when people say the acronym wrong. It’s “ay-sap”, not “ay-es-ay-pee”. I use both. I use “ay-sap” when I’m using it casually. I spell out the letters when I’m emphasizing how critical it is. ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2019, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pwua-people-who-use-acronyms-and-terms-they-assume-people-will-know-spoiler-they-dont/839030/18 "2019-08-22T05:03:55Z")
> [@digs](#): > > finally I couldn’t take it any more… “Sorry, what’s DDD?” > > I got the most withering stare, then an eyeroll, and after a beat she sneered, “Only _Diner, Dives and Drive-Ins_, gaaaahd…” I know, I just know I wouldn’t have been able to resist, and damn the consequences, saying “Really? You spend your time watching THAT? Huh.” ---
**Author:** ![Locrian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/locrian/32/14146_2.png) [@Locrian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Locrian)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2019, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pwua-people-who-use-acronyms-and-terms-they-assume-people-will-know-spoiler-they-dont/839030/19 "2019-08-22T05:57:51Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > I guess this is related to the acronym issue in the OP. It drives me batty when people say the acronym wrong. It’s “ay-sap”, not “ay-es-ay-pee”. Reverse that and you got it right. I don’t say Fibbi-aye when we’re talking about the FBI. 😃 Plus, grammatically incorrect. “I need a document, a sap.” ??? ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2019, 6:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pwua-people-who-use-acronyms-and-terms-they-assume-people-will-know-spoiler-they-dont/839030/20 "2019-08-22T06:22:39Z")
I thought one of the nicknames for the FBI is “The Feeb”. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pwua-people-who-use-acronyms-and-terms-they-assume-people-will-know-spoiler-they-dont/839030.md?page=2)