# Words you only see used on the Internet **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 11, 2008, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-only-see-used-on-the-internet/476652 "2008-12-11T01:20:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2008, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-only-see-used-on-the-internet/476652/1 "2008-12-11T01:20:11Z")
Top of the list has to be “meh”. When was the last time you heard someone say something like, "The Yankees signed CC Sabathia? “Meh.” The non-abbreviated forms of things like “LOL!” you never hear either. “Laugh out loud! That guy just slipped on a banana peel!” ---
**Author:** ![Bear\_Nenno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bear_nenno/32/3358_2.png) [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2008, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-only-see-used-on-the-internet/476652/2 "2008-12-11T01:35:16Z")
Lots of people _do_ say “meh”. And LOL isn’t so much a word you say as it is a description of what you’re doing. It’s supposed to be short for explaining that you are currently laughing out loud. You would never say “I’m laughing out loud” in person because people could see that you are laughing. ---
**Author:** ![AllWalker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/db5fbb/32.png) [@AllWalker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AllWalker)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2008, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-only-see-used-on-the-internet/476652/3 "2008-12-11T01:35:17Z")
I don’t get it. I say ‘meh’ all the time. I don’t see why I can’t, it’s phonetically acceptible and they say it on the Simpsons. It’s not like ROFLMAO which sounds like your trying really hard to cast a magic spell. “Roffle-mayo! Presto chango!” 😕 Oh, beaten to the meh thing. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2008, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-only-see-used-on-the-internet/476652/4 "2008-12-11T01:36:28Z")
“cow-orker” ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_T-Cups](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@Sir\_T-Cups](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_T-Cups)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2008, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-only-see-used-on-the-internet/476652/5 "2008-12-11T02:09:19Z")
Whenever I am in conversation I will pronounce the word “lol” the way I use it online. If something is funny enough to make me smile and maybe say a “ha”, instead I just say “lol” (pronounced “lawl”) ---
**Author:** ![neutron\_star](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/51bf81/32.png) [@neutron\_star](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/neutron_star)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2008, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-only-see-used-on-the-internet/476652/6 "2008-12-11T02:13:42Z")
> [@Sir\_T-Cups](#): > > Whenever I am in conversation I will pronounce the word “lol” the way I use it online. If something is funny enough to make me smile and maybe say a “ha”, instead I just say “lol” (pronounced “lawl”) Oh wow. Don’t do this. ---
**Author:** ![jali](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ecae2f/32.png) [@jali](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jali)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2008, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-only-see-used-on-the-internet/476652/7 "2008-12-11T03:11:26Z")
“When come back bring pie” should NEVER be used outside the boards. Trust me. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2008, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-only-see-used-on-the-internet/476652/8 "2008-12-11T03:20:44Z")
“Meh” is in the dictionary now. There’s a thread about it somewhere. ---
**Author:** ![ASAKMOTSD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/919ad9/32.png) [@ASAKMOTSD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASAKMOTSD)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2008, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-only-see-used-on-the-internet/476652/9 "2008-12-11T03:35:48Z")
I hardly ever hear “woosh” ---
**Author:** ![eldowan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/848f3c/32.png) [@eldowan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eldowan)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2008, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-only-see-used-on-the-internet/476652/10 "2008-12-11T03:41:28Z")
oops ---
**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2008, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-only-see-used-on-the-internet/476652/11 "2008-12-11T04:23:11Z")
Well…; there are words that not only I only ever use or see used on the net, but also only on this English-speaking board… As a result, I forgot the equivalent French words. For instance, I don’t remember how to say “statutory rape” or “begging the question” in French. ---
**Author:** ![chacoguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/50afbb/32.png) [@chacoguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chacoguy)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2008, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-only-see-used-on-the-internet/476652/12 "2008-12-11T04:25:51Z")
HOTASIANTEENS ;):rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2008, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-only-see-used-on-the-internet/476652/13 "2008-12-11T04:27:27Z")
“pwned” I’m not even sure how it would be pronounced. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Carrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f0a364/32.png) [@Captain\_Carrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Carrot)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2008, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-only-see-used-on-the-internet/476652/14 "2008-12-11T04:41:20Z")
> [@davidm](#): > > “pwned” I’m not even sure how it would be pronounced. I’ve heard that in real life many times. Of course, I’m in college, so… Just add a ‘p’ to the beginning of ‘owned’. That’s what it means anyway. ---
**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:** [December 11, 2008, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-only-see-used-on-the-internet/476652/15 "2008-12-11T05:40:49Z")
> [@neutron\_star](#): > > Oh wow. Don’t do this. I did this senior year of college, to mock things that weren’t really funny. But I didn’t pronounce it “lawl,” it was instead “LAAAAWWL!!!11” ---
**Author:** ![Lucky\_13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucky_13/32/13209_2.png) [@Lucky\_13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucky_13)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2008, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-only-see-used-on-the-internet/476652/16 "2008-12-11T06:08:53Z")
> [@davidm](#): > > “pwned” I’m not even sure how it would be pronounced. My brother pronounces it “puwned”. And we occasionally use “meh” in conversation. It does get on my nerves when my niece sprinkles her conversation with texting abbreviations, as in “OMG! Me and my friends are going to see ‘Twilight’ this weekend!” ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2008, 6:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-only-see-used-on-the-internet/476652/17 "2008-12-11T06:48:41Z")
> [@clairobscur](#): > > Well…; there are words that not only I only ever use or see used on the net, but also only on this English-speaking board… As a result, I forgot the equivalent French words. > For instance, I don’t remember how to say “statutory rape” or “begging the question” in French. I’m not sure the French have a term for “statutory rape” let alone a grasp of the concept. D’oh! :smack: Never mind. I thought this was the “Why Do Americans Hate the French?” thread. ---
**Author:** ![KGS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/90ced4/32.png) [@KGS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KGS)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2008, 7:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-only-see-used-on-the-internet/476652/18 "2008-12-11T07:22:12Z")
My speaking vocabulary includes “Meh”, “Pwned”, “W.T.F.?” and “S.T.F.U. & G.T.F.O.” I’ve never spoken “LOL” or “BRB”, though. ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2008, 7:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-only-see-used-on-the-internet/476652/19 "2008-12-11T07:31:58Z")
Don’t think I’ve ever seen the word “meme” used in real life. ---
**Author:** ![Cazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cazzle/32/75_2.png) [@Cazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cazzle)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2008, 7:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-only-see-used-on-the-internet/476652/20 "2008-12-11T07:38:43Z")
> [@jali](#): > > “When come back bring pie” should NEVER be used outside the boards. > > Trust me. Not even [here](http://www.weebl.jolt.co.uk/pie.htm)? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-only-see-used-on-the-internet/476652.md?page=2)