# This - What does it mean? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [September 24, 2009, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-what-does-it-mean/511376 "2009-09-24T15:35:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Trepa\_Mayfield](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/edb3f5/32.png) [@Trepa\_Mayfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trepa_Mayfield)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2009, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-what-does-it-mean/511376/21 "2009-09-24T21:26:39Z")
> [@Una\_Persson](#): > > It is really damn lazy; it seems to serve no purpose other than to pad post counts. You can also include “QFT”. This. ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2009, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-what-does-it-mean/511376/22 "2009-09-24T21:42:28Z")
> [@pedescribe](#): > > > [@Una\_Persson](#): > > > > It is really damn lazy; it seems to serve no purpose other than to pad post counts. You can also include “QFT”. > > This. I see what you did there. ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2009, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-what-does-it-mean/511376/23 "2009-09-24T22:00:30Z")
BTG. ---
**Author:** ![amarone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@amarone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarone)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2009, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-what-does-it-mean/511376/24 "2009-09-24T23:01:57Z")
> [@Yllaria](#): > > So, is “Word” dying out as a one-word sign of approval? Oh I do hope so. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2009, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-what-does-it-mean/511376/25 "2009-09-25T01:58:35Z")
I don’t understand how its meaning is not self-evident, especially given, as the OP said, that it follows quotes of posts. ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2009, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-what-does-it-mean/511376/26 "2009-09-25T03:14:37Z")
> [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](#): > > This. I’m afraid it doesn’t mean what you think it does. Just sayin’. And BTW, How \*you \*doin’? > > +1, for 20 minutes, back in the 1960s, when Opal brought\*\* us pie\*\*. > > I write all that because the cute phrases kind of bug me. I put them out there in the hopes they will be smote by the Og of this Board. Begone, evil words, begone! I thought it was Buck eyes…mmmm tasty buck eyes…step 3, vomiting… ---
**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:** [September 25, 2009, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-what-does-it-mean/511376/27 "2009-09-25T03:44:37Z")
> [@Oakminster](#): > > This. QFT ---
**Author:** ![ToeJam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dfb087/32.png) [@ToeJam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ToeJam)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2009, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-what-does-it-mean/511376/28 "2009-09-25T05:22:17Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > QFT I used to for the longest time think this meant “Quite fucking true” and I had no idea why you guys were using it so much- but I mostly saw it in the Pit or in Great Debates, so I figured maybe it was just part of the heated up debates. ---
**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:** [September 25, 2009, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-what-does-it-mean/511376/29 "2009-09-25T05:29:08Z")
> [@Ro0sh](#): > > I used to for the longest time think this meant “Quite fucking true” and I had no idea why you guys were using it so much- but I mostly saw it in the Pit or in Great Debates, so I figured maybe it was just part of the heated up debates. It was a while before I learned what it meant. The same with FTW. I hate it when these kinds of things start to appear ubiquitously, seemingly overnight, and I’m utterly mystified by what they might mean. ---
**Author:** ![ToeJam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dfb087/32.png) [@ToeJam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ToeJam)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2009, 6:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-what-does-it-mean/511376/30 "2009-09-25T06:44:36Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > It was a while before I learned what it meant. The same with FTW. ME TOO on FTW! Imagine my horror upon learning I was hearing all those FTW in a TOTALLY different context then what was meant by all those happy people. -\_- I didn’t want to point that one out, because I didn’t want to keep cursing up in this layer of the boards. Usually that’s reserved for the lower levels of topics rather than ATMB. ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2009, 7:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-what-does-it-mean/511376/31 "2009-09-25T07:38:31Z")
For those who don’t want to google: Urban Dictionary: FTW “For The Win.” An enthusiastic emphasis to the end of a comment, message, or post. Sometimes genuine, but often sarcastic. Originated from the game show Hollywood Squares where the result of the player’s response is expected to win the game. Bob: Your 1up t-shirt rocks Sally: 1up t-shirts ftw. QFT QUOTED FOR TRUTH Used on internet forums when quoting someone with similar views as yours. BTG: The entry at urban dictionary is simply too painful to repost here. So I’ll turn to the dictionary of acronyms instead. \*\*\*\*\* BTG BIT (Built-In Test) Target Generator \*\*\*\*\* BTG Bridging the Gap \*\*\*\* BTG British Technology Group \*\*\*\* BtG Betreuungsgesetz (Germany) \*\*\* BTG Biomass Technology Group BV \*\*\* BTG Begbies Traynor Group (Manchester, UK) \*\*\* BTG Beta Thromboglobulin \*\*\* BTG By the Glass (restaurants) \*\*\* BTG Boiler, Turbine, Generator \*\*\* BTG Ball-Turret Gunner \*\*\* BTG Biotechnology Group \*\*\* BTG Before The Game \*\*\* BTG Beat the Geeks (TV show) \*\* BTG Basic Target Graphic \*\* BTG Buck Tooth Grin \*\* BTG Be That Guy \*\* BTG Bio-Technology General Ltd (Israel) \*\* BTG Band Theory Group \*\* BTG Berndt Toast Gang (National Cartoonists Society, NCS) \*\* BTG Broadband Transmit Group ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2009, 8:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-what-does-it-mean/511376/32 "2009-09-25T08:41:28Z")
I’m more annoyed with posters who write “Just saying” than those who write “This.” Writing “This” is merely redundant. It’s a waste of the time of everyone who reads the post, but then that’s pretty common on the SDMB. A lot of posts that are much longer are just near repetitions of previous posts on the same thread because posters think that a point hasn’t been established until it’s been repeated several times with minor variations. When someone adds “Just saying” to their post though, they are apparently saying that they have no way whatsoever to back up their ideas. They are just spouting offhand comments that they haven’t thought about at all. At least, that’s apparently what it means. To be honest, I spent a long time puzzling over “Just saying” in posts before I could figure out what it meant. Urban Dictionary says that this is what “Just Saying” means, and it’s as close as I can come to what it means on the SDMB. ---
**Author:** ![Yookeroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yookeroo/32/323_2.png) [@Yookeroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yookeroo)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2009, 9:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-what-does-it-mean/511376/33 "2009-09-25T09:02:14Z")
> [@the\_first\_supraliminal](#): > > Ask yourself what would happen if everyone who viewed a thread did it- Why should I do that? This is never going to happen. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2009, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-what-does-it-mean/511376/34 "2009-09-26T01:29:57Z")
> [@Wendell\_Wagner](#): > > I’m more annoyed with posters who write “Just saying” than those who write “This.” Writing “This” is merely redundant. It’s a waste of the time of everyone who reads the post, but then that’s pretty common on the SDMB. A lot of posts that are much longer are just near repetitions of previous posts on the same thread because posters think that a point hasn’t been established until it’s been repeated several times with minor variations. When someone adds “Just saying” to their post though, they are apparently saying that they have no way whatsoever to back up their ideas. They are just spouting offhand comments that they haven’t thought about at all. At least, that’s apparently what it means. To be honest, I spent a long time puzzling over “Just saying” in posts before I could figure out what it meant. Urban Dictionary says that this is what “Just Saying” means, and it’s as close as I can come to what it means on the SDMB. That’s very interesting and informative. In my area of the South, “Just saying” means something more like, “I don’t mean to hurt your feelings or anything — I’m just saying this because it’s true.” […shrug…] Maybe Charlotte, Atlanta, and Memphis aren’t “urban” enough. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2009, 10:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-what-does-it-mean/511376/35 "2009-09-26T10:57:08Z")
The fact that it’s called the Urban Dictionary doesn’t mean that it’s restricted to urban areas. As far as I know, it’s just a user-created dictionary of recent English-language terms. Perhaps it’s even more bothersome if the term is used to mean “I know this is going to offend you, but I’m going to say it anyway” than if it’s used to mean “I have nothing whatsoever to back up this claim.” To be honest, I’m still not sure if I really understand the phrase “Just saying.” I’ve been reading it on the SDMB for years now, and I still have problems figuring out what posters mean when they use it. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2009, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-what-does-it-mean/511376/36 "2009-09-26T14:22:24Z")
Well, I’m with you one the central gist of you point. I hate ambiguity. A person should say what he means, and say it plainly. As a 99er, if you have interacted with me at all, you can remember times when even I can see in retrospect that my responses were cryptic or ambiguous. It annnoyed some people, and I can certainly understand why. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2009, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-what-does-it-mean/511376/37 "2009-09-26T18:59:28Z")
This is probably the 5th time or so that I’ve seen someone asking what it means when someone quotes a post and writes, “This”, under it. What exactly is unclear about this practice that it confuses people? Why does it need to be explained in the first place? It seems like something that should be no less clear than if you go to the Wikipedia and see a picture of some animal and under it, it has a caption saying, “Deer”. I’d generally have no problem getting the idea that the animal in the picture was something called a “deer”. There’s nothing subtle about “This”. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2009, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-what-does-it-mean/511376/38 "2009-09-26T20:11:14Z")
Since I’m the one who dragged in "just sayin’ " – I use it to mean “this is my opinion but I’m not trying to start an argument or anything.” ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2009, 9:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-what-does-it-mean/511376/39 "2009-09-27T09:41:00Z")
I read “just saying” as adding a bit of humility to the post. “This” is fine when there is more substance to the post. Often I see it used where multiple posts are quoted and “this” might be used to respond to one, but further thoughts are given in reply to others. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2009, 9:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-what-does-it-mean/511376/40 "2009-09-27T09:51:09Z")
What do you mean by “adding a bit of humility to the post”? Do you mean that a poster says, “Here is my opinion about the subject of the thread. Oh, and incidentally, I’m a very humble person.” What would a statement like that add to a thread? Why would it advance the discussion of a subject for a poster to tell what his own personality is like? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-what-does-it-mean/511376.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-what-does-it-mean/511376.md?page=3)