# 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:** 2
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2008, 7:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-only-see-used-on-the-internet/476652/21 "2008-12-11T07:38:54Z")
> [@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”) > [@neutron\_star](#): > > Oh wow. Don’t do this. Actually the practice is already commonplace among geeky-nerdy types. Especially over voice-comms like Ventrilo. When I was playing WoW and using Vent, most people would say “lawl”, or even “el-oh-el” with their speaking voices. ---
**Author:** ![El\_DeLuxo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_deluxo/32/9043_2.png) [@El\_DeLuxo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_DeLuxo)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2008, 8:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-only-see-used-on-the-internet/476652/22 "2008-12-11T08:11:09Z")
Some of the more colorful terms of abuse you run into on the Internet are (fortunately?) never encountered in real life; notably “hambeast”, “asshat” and “fagtard.” Nor have I heard anyone in the flesh use “fail” as a noun, like in the 'Nettism “a puddle (pile, bucket) of fail”. ---
**Author:** ![Illuminatiprimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/illuminatiprimus/32/11520_2.png) [@Illuminatiprimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Illuminatiprimus)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2008, 10:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-only-see-used-on-the-internet/476652/23 "2008-12-11T10:14:56Z")
> [@Lucky\_13](#): > > 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!” Interesting - I say it exactly the same as “pawned”. In my head, that is. Never said it out loud. ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2008, 10:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-only-see-used-on-the-internet/476652/24 "2008-12-11T10:34:00Z")
I frequently use “Meh” in real life, along with “Lol” (as in “I Lol at your pathetic attempt to get the DVD player working”, not in place of actual laughter), “QQ”, and “pwned” (pronounced “owned”). They’re very useful phrases, IMHO. I also use Phonetic Acronyms too, largely “Whiskey, Tango, Foxtrot?” and “Foxtrot, Foxtrot, Sierra!”. Very useful at work, I can tell you. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2008, 11:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-only-see-used-on-the-internet/476652/25 "2008-12-11T11:29:54Z")
> [@Illuminatiprimus](#): > > Interesting - I say it exactly the same as “pawned”. > > In my head, that is. Never said it out loud. My brother and I say ‘pwowned’. ---
**Author:** ![melodyharmonius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/melodyharmonius/32/21310_2.png) [@melodyharmonius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/melodyharmonius)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2008, 11:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-only-see-used-on-the-internet/476652/26 "2008-12-11T11:34:10Z")
Okay - I totally think anyone who says “O M G” versus “omigod” out loud when speaking just comes off as pretentious. us true geeks are identified by our natural speech patterns, not some affectation! However, I have adopted certain words and phrases outside my WoW addiction that could probably be equally annoying: “epic fail” “crafted” et al (for reference, I highly recommend you watch “Watch the Guild” - 5 minute webisode series.) “phat lewtz” ---
**Author:** ![willthekittensurvive](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/91b2a8/32.png) [@willthekittensurvive](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/willthekittensurvive)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2008, 11:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-only-see-used-on-the-internet/476652/27 "2008-12-11T11:44:17Z")
In Dutch “Lol” means fun…so you can kinda use it in conversation ---
**Author:** ![grey\_ideas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/dfb087/32.png) [@grey\_ideas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grey_ideas)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2008, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-only-see-used-on-the-internet/476652/28 "2008-12-11T12:51:37Z")
Pretty much every single expression used in this daft but very funny WoW video…[ROFLMAO!](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iEWgs6YQR9A) 😉 …think that has just about ALL of the gaming acronyms in it ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2008, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-only-see-used-on-the-internet/476652/29 "2008-12-11T13:46:42Z")
> [@melodyharmonius](#): > > Okay - I totally think anyone who says “O M G” versus “omigod” out loud when speaking just comes off as pretentious. > > us true geeks are identified by our natural speech patterns, not some affectation! > > However, I have adopted certain words and phrases outside my WoW addiction that could probably be equally annoying: > > “epic fail” > > “crafted” et al (for reference, I highly recommend you watch “Watch the Guild” - 5 minute webisode series.) > > “phat lewtz” Well, I always thought that “Epic Fail” had pretty much entered the common vernacular (even my Mum knows what it means, and she’s so computer illiterate she almost uses correction fluid on the monitor!). I confess to using “Phat Loot” as a useful way of describing “Getting Lots of Money Or Cool Shit”, and have also used “Shift Click Loot” in conversation at work to describe taking all of something from a particular area (“Can someone Shift Click Loot the cheap MP3 players from out the back and put them in the Bargain Bin at the front of the store?”). Describing oneself as being “Le Tired” is also a great way of saying “I really can’t be bothered”, too. 😉 Perhaps I’m more influenced by gaming culture than I realise… 😃 ---
**Author:** ![norinew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb9ed0/32.png) [@norinew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norinew)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2008, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-only-see-used-on-the-internet/476652/30 "2008-12-11T14:33:38Z")
In our house, we really do use “Meh”, “pwned” (pronounced “powned”), WTF? (Very useful when we want to convey the emotion but there’s a child about) and “OMG ponies!” although this last is most often used between me and my 17YO when we desire to express an _extreme_ level of, well, OMGness. Oh, also “epic fail”, as in, 'well, there was this one time I tried adding leftover corn to the meatloaf? Epic fail!" The fact that we actually use some of these is probably influenced by the fact that I have kids/teens/young adults in the house. One more thing, somehow or other, when my 17YO and I leave each other notes (on the computer using NotePad), we always do them in “kitty pidgin” (The last note she left me was something like: Ohai. U wakez me up at 8 for goin to skool. I is needin more bukz today, plzkthx") and each of us (I’m almost embarrassed to admit this) has our own “LOLCats” name. She is ‘AriehKitteh’ and I am “Mama Kitterz”) Is it silly? Yeah, it is. But it seems like little “in-jokes” help keep you connected to your family, and when your kid is 17, it never hurts to stay a little more connected. Plus it’s fun. 🆒 ---
**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, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-only-see-used-on-the-internet/476652/31 "2008-12-11T14:49:34Z")
> [@davidm](#): > > “pwned” I’m not even sure how it would be pronounced. Sorry for the hijack, but I’ve seen this word a couple times, and I’ve no clue what it means or refers to. And obviously, my dictionary isn’t going to help.Someone cares to explain? ---
**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, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-only-see-used-on-the-internet/476652/32 "2008-12-11T15:07:42Z")
> [@Rigamarole](#): > > Actually the practice is already commonplace among geeky-nerdy types. Especially over voice-comms like Ventrilo. When I was playing WoW and using Vent, most people would say “lawl”, or even “el-oh-el” with their speaking voices. Yeah, those people suck. ---
**Author:** ![grey\_ideas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/dfb087/32.png) [@grey\_ideas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grey_ideas)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2008, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-only-see-used-on-the-internet/476652/33 "2008-12-11T15:14:41Z")
> [@clairobscur](#): > > Sorry for the hijack, but I’ve seen this word a couple times, and I’ve no clue what it means or refers to. And obviously, my dictionary isn’t going to help.Someone cares to explain? It’s a misspelling of “owned”, due to ‘o’ and ‘p’ being so close together on the keyboard, that has caught on. Normally used in gaming in the sort of “wow, you totally pwned that guy!” way. ---
**Author:** ![melodyharmonius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/melodyharmonius/32/21310_2.png) [@melodyharmonius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/melodyharmonius)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2008, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-only-see-used-on-the-internet/476652/34 "2008-12-11T15:31:44Z")
> [@Martini\_Enfield](#): > > Describing oneself as being “Le Tired” is also a great way of saying “I really can’t be bothered”, too. 😉 My brother and I have a phrase which phonetically is equivalent to: “2 oh vo sag” but in reality it’s just “out of gas” backwards. we did a lot of backwards speak when I was a kid. If someone was helping themselves to too much mashed potatoes, they were a “tell gip” (piglet) If you were acting foolishly you were a “dip putz” (stupid - a word my mother wouldn’t allow us to say) Etc. /hijack ---
**Author:** ![melodyharmonius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/melodyharmonius/32/21310_2.png) [@melodyharmonius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/melodyharmonius)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2008, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-only-see-used-on-the-internet/476652/35 "2008-12-11T15:37:06Z")
the other one i’ve used is “QQ more” ---
**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, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-only-see-used-on-the-internet/476652/36 "2008-12-11T15:37:16Z")
> [@melodyharmonius](#): > > My brother and I have a phrase which phonetically is equivalent to: “2 oh vo sag” > > but in reality it’s just “out of gas” backwards. No it’s not. 😕 ---
**Author:** ![melodyharmonius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/melodyharmonius/32/21310_2.png) [@melodyharmonius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/melodyharmonius)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2008, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-only-see-used-on-the-internet/476652/37 "2008-12-11T15:42:36Z")
> [@neutron\_star](#): > > No it’s not. 😕 tuo fo sag = out of gas. The words are backwards, not the whole sentence. Sorry - we like to confound y’all that way. Remember, we would have been backwards translating as we went along - not whole sentences at a time. ---
**Author:** ![Arglefraster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3bc359/32.png) [@Arglefraster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arglefraster)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2008, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-only-see-used-on-the-internet/476652/38 "2008-12-11T15:52:22Z")
> [@DLuxN8R-13](#): > > Nor have I heard anyone in the flesh use “fail” as a noun, like in the 'Nettism “a puddle (pile, bucket) of fail”. I sometimes use “full of fail” or “full of win”. I also sometime use “made of awesome”. Slight hijacki: I once saw a WoW guild that was gnome-only. It was called “My Little Pwnies”. This cracked me right up. ---
**Author:** ![DeadlyAccurate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ac91a4/32.png) [@DeadlyAccurate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeadlyAccurate)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2008, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-only-see-used-on-the-internet/476652/39 "2008-12-11T16:08:48Z")
I’ve probably used most of these out loud, though I think only used pwned in an ironic manner. Meh is most common around our house. A lot of MMO gaming vernacular has entered my common language, especially in tabletop roleplaying. We regularly use words like aggro, kiting, mobs, drops, and vendor trash in D&D now. ---
**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, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-only-see-used-on-the-internet/476652/40 "2008-12-11T16:57:30Z")
> [@melodyharmonius](#): > > The words are backwards, not the whole sentence. Sorry - we like to confound y’all that way. Huh. Guess it worked! For the OP, I’ll nominate “whinging,” but that’s probably because I’m not British. Hell, I don’t even know how you’d pronounce it, but it’s an awfully stupid word. There are still a lot of people out there who aren’t Internet-savvy, so I make it a point not to use any words they wouldn’t understand (unless I’m talking about computers). There’s also the fact that most of them (“el oh el”) sound incredibly cringeworthy to my ears to the point where I’m embarrassed for the person who said them. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-only-see-used-on-the-internet/476652.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-only-see-used-on-the-internet/476652.md?page=3)