# Why do people use such obscure abbreviations here? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 5, 2011, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-use-such-obscure-abbreviations-here/566524 "2011-01-05T19:37:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**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:** [January 5, 2011, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-use-such-obscure-abbreviations-here/566524/21 "2011-01-05T22:11:31Z")
> [@descamisado](#): > > WCB, BP, mkay. White Crazy Bitch? British Petroleum? I resent that: I’m not British, mkay! ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2011, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-use-such-obscure-abbreviations-here/566524/22 "2011-01-05T22:17:27Z")
[ATMB glossary.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=320298) ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2011, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-use-such-obscure-abbreviations-here/566524/23 "2011-01-05T22:52:33Z")
> [@rogerbox](#): > > There are certain acronyms that I’m sure we can all agree are standard internet ones (LOL, BRB etc), but I keep seeing people use ones on the SDMB I have never seen before. > > I can’t give a solid example of this, except MAYBE “IANA(first letter of what you aren’t)”. I can USUALLY figure them out, but it is extremely annoying to have to stop and decrypt what people mean by them…and they’re not even just SDMB common acronyms, there are ones I have seen ONCE, by one poster here, and then never again. > > Just wondering if I am the only person who finds this extremely annoying, or maybe someone who does it could fess up as to what they get out of it. 😛 I see IANA(D,L, whatever) all of the time. And not just here. To me it seems like a common acronym, just like BRB, LOL, or AFK. ---
**Author:** ![rogerbox](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/76d3ee/32.png) [@rogerbox](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rogerbox)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2011, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-use-such-obscure-abbreviations-here/566524/24 "2011-01-05T23:09:27Z")
> [@Giles](#): > > Indeed: one purpose of slang and jargon is to separate insiders from outsiders. The SDMB is not unique in this. Ah. This is what I suspect it is. > [@cochrane](#): > > I see IANA(D,L, whatever) all of the time. And not just here. To me it seems like a common acronym, just like BRB, LOL, or AFK. That was a reeeeaaally bad example, IANA isn’t that hard to figure out, but there are some ridiculous ones I wouldn’t be able to figure out without googling, and what is the point of a message board if it isn’t clear communication, especially in a medium without body language and visual cues? edit: None of the ones that brought on this thread’s creation are in the glossary. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2011, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-use-such-obscure-abbreviations-here/566524/25 "2011-01-05T23:28:29Z")
So add them. ---
**Author:** ![Shmendrik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Shmendrik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shmendrik)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2011, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-use-such-obscure-abbreviations-here/566524/26 "2011-01-05T23:43:15Z")
They’re not that unique, just kinda more usenet style than txt message style. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2011, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-use-such-obscure-abbreviations-here/566524/27 "2011-01-06T00:32:18Z")
If they were obscure, you’d expect to see more people asking what they mean. I think most of the abbreviations you see here are pretty common. MMP is the only one I can think of that is unique to this board. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2011, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-use-such-obscure-abbreviations-here/566524/28 "2011-01-06T01:05:30Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > . MMP is the only one I can think of that is unique to this board. Then perhaps we should make some. Like **1@1960s420min** or **3HiO** 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Implicit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Implicit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Implicit)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2011, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-use-such-obscure-abbreviations-here/566524/29 "2011-01-06T01:25:53Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > If they were obscure, you’d expect to see more people asking what they mean. I think most of the abbreviations you see here are pretty common. MMP is the only one I can think of that is unique to this board. I broke down and [asked](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=13269216#post13269216) about that one. Most acronyms are common and easy to figure out. I do wonder why people bother with many of them though, often they seem like a crutch or disclaimer. Kind of like people who announce that they read something somewhere that would answer the question, but unfortunately they don’t remember the exact details. Gee, thanks for nothing. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2011, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-use-such-obscure-abbreviations-here/566524/30 "2011-01-06T01:56:33Z")
> [@Shagnasty](#): > > I know what it stands for, I just still don’t understand the concept. > > YIMV It’s a weekly thread that starts each Monday. The usual suspects show up, briefly discuss whatever the op puts as a topic and then gets back to the usual chit chat for the rest of the week. Newbies welcome. ---
**Author:** ![PlainJain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5daacb/32.png) [@PlainJain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlainJain)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2011, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-use-such-obscure-abbreviations-here/566524/31 "2011-01-06T01:59:31Z")
> [@Baracus](#): > > TLDR Tastes like duck rectum. ---
**Author:** ![BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bcef8e/32.png) [@BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2011, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-use-such-obscure-abbreviations-here/566524/32 "2011-01-06T02:38:32Z")
> [@PlainJain](#): > > Tastes like duck rectum. Reminds me of a colorful Aussie expression I was introduced to only last year, to be said when very hungry: I’d eat the cunt out of a low-flying duck. Hungry enough to eat a horse just doesn’t have the same punch. ---
**Author:** ![EvilTOJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee59a6/32.png) [@EvilTOJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EvilTOJ)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2011, 9:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-use-such-obscure-abbreviations-here/566524/33 "2011-01-06T09:22:19Z")
So if you try to eat a duck cunt and miss, does an annoying dog laugh at you? ---
**Author:** ![Kozmik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/8dc957/32.png) [@Kozmik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kozmik)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2011, 9:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-use-such-obscure-abbreviations-here/566524/34 "2011-01-06T09:52:06Z")
> [@rogerbox](#): > > There are certain acronyms that I’m sure we can all agree are standard internet ones (LOL, BRB etc), but I keep seeing people use ones on the SDMB I have never seen before. > > I can’t give a solid example of this, except MAYBE “IANA(first letter of what you aren’t)”. I can USUALLY figure them out, but it is extremely annoying to have to stop and decrypt what people mean by them…and they’re not even just SDMB common acronyms, there are ones I have seen ONCE, by one poster here, and then never again. > > Just wondering if I am the only person who finds this extremely annoying, or maybe someone who does it could fess up as to what they get out of it. 😛 TMI ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2011, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-use-such-obscure-abbreviations-here/566524/35 "2011-01-06T13:16:53Z")
**Polycarp** once said that he’d operated for years under the misapprehension that YMMV stood for “you make me vomit.” That still makes me giggle. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2011, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-use-such-obscure-abbreviations-here/566524/36 "2011-01-06T13:57:49Z")
> [@twickster](#): > > **Polycarp** once said that he’d operated for years under the misapprehension that YMMV stood for “you make me vomit.” That still makes me giggle. That kinda changes the tone of a post, doesn’t it? LOL! ---
**Author:** ![Drain\_Bead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e47774/32.png) [@Drain\_Bead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drain_Bead)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2011, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-use-such-obscure-abbreviations-here/566524/37 "2011-01-06T14:10:52Z")
> [@EvilTOJ](#): > > So if you try to eat a duck cunt and miss, does an annoying dog laugh at you? It’s posts like this that make me realize why I waste so much time here. ---
**Author:** ![Crotalus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crotalus/32/41_2.png) [@Crotalus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crotalus)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2011, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-use-such-obscure-abbreviations-here/566524/38 "2011-01-06T14:15:30Z")
These abbreviations have caused me to find and bookmark [Acronym Finder](http://www.acronymfinder.com/), quite a useful site. ---
**Author:** ![BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bcef8e/32.png) [@BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2011, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-use-such-obscure-abbreviations-here/566524/39 "2011-01-06T14:57:10Z")
> [@EvilTOJ](#): > > So if you try to eat a duck cunt and miss, does an annoying dog laugh at you? Only if you miss three times. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2011, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-use-such-obscure-abbreviations-here/566524/40 "2011-01-06T15:33:59Z")
> [@Shagnasty](#): > > I know what it stands for, I just still don’t understand the concept. > > YIMV now that it’s been explained to me, it makes sense. think of what people do at work. On Mondays, most people will natter on about their weekend, then get on with work. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-use-such-obscure-abbreviations-here/566524.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-use-such-obscure-abbreviations-here/566524.md?page=3)