# Stupid question of the day: What does "TMI" stand for? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 8, 2004, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-question-of-the-day-what-does-tmi-stand-for/254054 "2004-07-08T01:34:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![dotchan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9d8465/32.png) [@dotchan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dotchan)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2004, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-question-of-the-day-what-does-tmi-stand-for/254054/1 "2004-07-08T01:34:47Z")
Couldn’t google it, archive search it, or wikipedia it to my satisfaction (“Three Mile Island”? 😕 ) So, help me fight some ignorance! ---
**Author:** ![daffyduck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ec9cab/32.png) [@daffyduck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/daffyduck)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2004, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-question-of-the-day-what-does-tmi-stand-for/254054/2 "2004-07-08T01:35:20Z")
Too Much Information ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2004, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-question-of-the-day-what-does-tmi-stand-for/254054/3 "2004-07-08T01:41:40Z")
\*\*dotchan \*\* - I’m pleased to see that I’m not the only one who had no idea what TMI stood for. As a broader inquiry - is there a list anywhere of the acronyms commonly used on the SDMB? Some of them are completely incomprehensible to those of us who are newer members. ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2004, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-question-of-the-day-what-does-tmi-stand-for/254054/4 "2004-07-08T01:42:53Z")
It is used in the context of “This may be more than you _really_ want to read about.” Other internet and SDMB abbreviations may be found at [Acronyms (abbreviations?)](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=2528) or in one of the other links found in [this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=136936). ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2004, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-question-of-the-day-what-does-tmi-stand-for/254054/5 "2004-07-08T02:09:59Z")
\*\*tomndebb \*\* - thank you for that information. It’s very helpful. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Ed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Just\_Ed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Ed)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2004, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-question-of-the-day-what-does-tmi-stand-for/254054/6 "2004-07-08T02:14:22Z")
[Acronym Finder](http://www.acronymfinder.com/) ---
**Author:** ![brane\_damaj](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a587f6/32.png) [@brane\_damaj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brane_damaj)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2004, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-question-of-the-day-what-does-tmi-stand-for/254054/7 "2004-07-08T13:21:16Z")
I always thought it meant “Truculent Minks Inbreed”. Now, suddenly, the world makes a lot more sense. ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2004, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-question-of-the-day-what-does-tmi-stand-for/254054/8 "2004-07-08T14:48:06Z")
It’s used a lot when the subject of the post is something you might not really want to read. For example, a post that begins “The other day I had a bowel movement, and when I looked in the bowl…” should definitely be preceded by a TMI warning. BTW1: any acronyms you used to use or would like to but are afraid no one else would get them? One that was used a lot back in my BBS2 days was TSIA (Title Says It All), which I think would be particularly useful for many OPs3. 1. By The Way 2. Bulletin Board System 3. Original Post ---
**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2004, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-question-of-the-day-what-does-tmi-stand-for/254054/9 "2004-07-08T15:01:09Z")
> [@Cunctator](#): > > \*\*dotchan \*\* - I’m pleased to see that I’m not the only one who had no idea what TMI stood for. > . So I am. I was precisely thinking this morning about asking. Thanks to OP to spare me the embarassment, given I’ve been around for quite a long time, now… ---
**Author:** ![LouisB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@LouisB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LouisB)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2004, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-question-of-the-day-what-does-tmi-stand-for/254054/10 "2004-07-08T15:28:00Z")
It was originally used by George Custer and had a completely different meaning.