# symbols and what they mean

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/symbols-and-what-they-mean/95078>\
**Category:** About This Message Board\
**Created:** [November 24, 2001, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/symbols-and-what-they-mean/95078 "2001-11-24T22:30:23Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![nani](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/58956e/32.png) [@nani](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nani)\
**Post date:** [November 24, 2001, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/symbols-and-what-they-mean/95078/1 "2001-11-24T22:30:23Z")

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On a Cingular commercial, they have people communicating on phones and using symbols like CUL8R (See you later) etc. The orange thing than sais “I don’t know what there saying, but keep on saying it” or something. on this Message Board they use symbols (I know there is a special word for them, but I can’t remember it) like IMHO, BTW, IIRC, FWIW, etc. the onlyone i figured out and remembered was IMHO (in my humble opinion). What do the rest mean? which have i missed, and what do THOSE mean?

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**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\
**Post date:** [November 24, 2001, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/symbols-and-what-they-mean/95078/2 "2001-11-24T22:54:28Z")

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That’s a subject often discussed in this forum.

Some previous threads:

[Acronyms (abbreviations?)](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=2528)

[Attn Newcomers - Abbreviations](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=32636)

BTW = By the way  
IIRC = if I recall correctly  
FWIW = for what it’s worth

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\
**Post date:** [November 24, 2001, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/symbols-and-what-they-mean/95078/3 "2001-11-24T22:56:28Z")

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Also see here:

[Chat Terms & Abbreviations at TechDictionary, the online computer dictionary](http://www.techdictionary.com/chat.html)