# What's up with all these abreviations? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [July 4, 2002, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-all-these-abreviations/117393 "2002-07-04T18:44:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![DrLiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90ced4/32.png) [@DrLiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrLiver)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2002, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-all-these-abreviations/117393/1 "2002-07-04T18:44:23Z")
Hmm…I’m not quite sure that abbreviation is the right word but…anyway you people here on this board use tons of ‘abbreviations’ that I don’t understand, would someone please explain to me the following; and post some more that aren’t on my list with the definition: because it’s hard for a non-english-as-mother-tongue-speaking-guy to understand what you mean: Here are some I’ve noted: IIRC [sic] e.g. FWIW FARs IMHO OP IANAL YMMV thanks a lot for your help! ---
**Author:** ![Daerlyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/898d66/32.png) [@Daerlyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daerlyn)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2002, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-all-these-abreviations/117393/2 "2002-07-04T18:48:14Z")
Lemme take a crack at 'em: IIRC: If I Remember Correctly [sic]: error was in orginal text e.g.: not sure what the direct translation of this is, but it’s pretty much ‘for example’ FWIW: For What It’s Worth FARs: 😕 IMHO: In My Humble Opinion OP: Original Post (the threadstarter) IANAL: judging from context – I Am Not A Lawyer YMMV: Your Mileage May Vary ---
**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:** [July 4, 2002, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-all-these-abreviations/117393/3 "2002-07-04T18:54:11Z")
Some of these are standard usage, found in any dictionary – [sic] is Latin for “thus”, and is used when you are quoting material that has something wrong (grammar, thought, whatever), you use [sic] to indicate that you know that the author you are quoting was wrong. e.g. is Latin for “exempli gratia” – “for example” i.e. is Latin for “id est” – “that is” The other abbreviations are part of the internet language. There were some common expressions that people disliked typing out – I refrain from comments about literacy – and so arose IIRC, FWIW, etc ---
**Author:** ![CnoteChris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/278dde/32.png) [@CnoteChris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CnoteChris)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2002, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-all-these-abreviations/117393/4 "2002-07-04T19:16:36Z")
If you want the definitive list (Particularly acronyms used here), check out this link - [Attn Newcomers - Abbreviations List](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=32636). ---
**Author:** ![Jabba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b5e925/32.png) [@Jabba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jabba)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2002, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-all-these-abreviations/117393/5 "2002-07-05T01:09:19Z")
Most of these will now be clear from the definitions presented by **Daerlyn** and **C K Dexter Haven** but not all. YMMV, for example, gave me particular difficulty. Its original meaning seems to have been something like “your area may follow different local customs” e.g. “In England you do not tip bar staff. YMMV” In recent usage, however, it seems to have degenerated to merely “You may have a different opinion” e.g. “I consider capital punishment barbaric. YMMV”. ---
**Author:** ![Coldfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a587f6/32.png) [@Coldfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coldfire)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2002, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-all-these-abreviations/117393/6 "2002-07-05T01:16:22Z")
Off to ATMB. ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2002, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-all-these-abreviations/117393/7 "2002-07-05T03:09:08Z")
I always thought that YMMV came more from the alt.drug crowd. You know “\>\>AFOAF(a friend of a friend) said a quarter gram gave him a good buzz but YMMV”. I seem to see it more often on “those” sites. [This dictionary at info.astrian.net](http://info.astrian.net/jargon/terms/y/Your_mileage_may_vary.html) says it’s a ritual warning on UNIX freeware meaning you don’t know how well it will work on anyones particular system. After saying what works for you, YMMV qualifies that different individual circumstances may affect results. ---
**Author:** ![zut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zut/32/2875_2.png) [@zut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zut)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2002, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-all-these-abreviations/117393/8 "2002-07-05T14:58:53Z")
Also check out the [Technical Issues FAQ](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=103503) stickied at the top of this forum. **Arnold** links to a general NetLingo dictionary of sorts that defines those terms that are not board-specific.