# What does TMI stand for?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-tmi-stand-for/244094>\
**Category:** About This Message Board\
**Created:** [May 7, 2004, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-tmi-stand-for/244094 "2004-05-07T23:03:19Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 7\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Plan\_B](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Plan\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Plan_B)\
**Post date:** [May 7, 2004, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-tmi-stand-for/244094/1 "2004-05-07T23:03:19Z")

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No elaboration other than I don’t recall seeing it before joining this board so I’m thinking it’s something local.

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**Author:** ![Celyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9dc877/32.png) [@Celyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Celyn)\
**Post date:** [May 7, 2004, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-tmi-stand-for/244094/2 "2004-05-07T23:09:59Z")

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TMI = “Too Much Information”. It serves as a warning in a thread title that the subject matter might involve icky aliments, or, in general, what you might not want to read while eating - OR working, perhaps!

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**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\
**Post date:** [May 8, 2004, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-tmi-stand-for/244094/3 "2004-05-08T01:29:56Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> What does TMI stand for?

That’s…more than you really want to know. 🙂

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**Author:** ![Celyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9dc877/32.png) [@Celyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Celyn)\
**Post date:** [May 8, 2004, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-tmi-stand-for/244094/4 "2004-05-08T01:44:21Z")

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> [@Celyn](#):
>
> . the subject matter might involve icky aliments, …

Haha - I _meant_ to type “icky AILMENTS”, but, since we have had some threads abut eating/drinking unusual things - perhaps “aliments” also works. 🙂

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**Author:** ![scotandrsn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a4c791/32.png) [@scotandrsn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scotandrsn)\
**Post date:** [May 10, 2004, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-tmi-stand-for/244094/5 "2004-05-10T17:43:58Z")

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Yeah, it stands for “Too much information”.

The one I never sussed out for myself was “WAG”

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**Author:** ![Jimmy\_Chitwood](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f475e1/32.png) [@Jimmy\_Chitwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jimmy_Chitwood)\
**Post date:** [May 10, 2004, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-tmi-stand-for/244094/6 "2004-05-10T17:46:22Z")

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Wild Ass Guess.

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**Author:** ![TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tellmei_mnotcrazy/32/3419_2.png) [@TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TellMeI_mNotCrazy)\
**Post date:** [May 10, 2004, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-tmi-stand-for/244094/7 "2004-05-10T18:55:51Z")

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Not much to add other than the fact that TMI is not a “local” SDMB thing… I am not exactly sure what the etymology of it is, but I’ve definitely been seeing it/hearing it on TV and in general for several years now.