Acronyms.

The following is a list of Acronyms used on the Internet, specifically those you would find in your News or Mail.

There are a few non-acronyms included, but it was thought they should be listed also, as you will come across them too. eg Snip.

This list is not 100% complete yet, but will be added to as new ones are received/found.

Quick Jump Index.

From here you can jump to the relevant section in this document by clicking on the appropriate letter.

B-C-D-E-F-G-H-I-J-K-L-M-N-O-P-Q-R-S-T-U-V-W-X-YZ

AAMOF

As A Matter Of Fact.

ADN

Any Day Now.

AFAICR

As Far As I Can Remember.

AFAICS

As Far As I Can See.

AFAICT

As Far As I Can Tell.

AFAIK

As Far As I Know.

AFAIU

As Far As I Understand.

AFJ

April Fool's Joke.

AFK

Away From the Keyboard.

AIRIT

?

AIUI

As I Understand It.

AKA

Also Known As (aka).

ASAP

As Soon As Possible.

ASP

As Soon as Possible.

ATB

All The Best.

ATBF*

All The Best From ****

ATM

At The Moment.

ATYS

AnyThing You Say.

AWGTHTGTTA

Are We Going To Have To Go Through This Again.

AWGTHTHTATA

Are We Going To Have To Go Through All This Again.

A

C-D-E-F-G-H-I-J-K-L-M-N-O-P-Q-R-S-T-U-V-W-X-YZ

BAC

By Any Chance.

BBFN

Bye-Bye For Now.

BBIAB

Be Back In A Bit.

BBFN

Bye Bye For Now.

BBL

Be Back Later.

BCNU

Be(B) see(C)ing(N) you(U).

BFD

Big F****** Deal.

BFI

Brute Force and Ignorance.

BFN

Bye For Now.

BG

BackGround.

BIOYIOP

Blow It Out Your Input Output Port.

BK

Because.

BRB

Be Right Back (Generally Used on Chat Systems [IRC]).

BTA

But Then Again.

BTDT

Been There, Done That.

BTDTGTTS

Been There, Done That, Got The T-Shirt.

BTSOOM

Beats the Ship? Out Of Me.

BTW

By The Way.

BYKT

But You Knew That.

BYKTA

But You Knew That Already.

BYKT

But You Knew That.

A-B

D-E-F-G-H-I-J-K-L-M-N-O-P-Q-R-S-T-U-V-W-X-YZ

CMIIW

Correct Me If I'm Wrong.

CU

See(C) You(U).

CU L8R

See You Later.

CUL

See You Later.

CYA

Cover Your Arms?

CYL

See(C) You Later.

A-B-C

E-F-G-H-I-J-K-L-M-N-O-P-Q-R-S-T-U-V-W-X-YZ

DIIK

Damned If I Know.

DILLIGAFF

Do I Look Like I Give A Flying Fish?

DLG

Devilish Little Grin.

DNPM

Damn Near P'd Myself.

DNSM

Damn Near Shot Myself.

DOM

Dirty Old Man

A-B-C-D

F-G-H-I-J-K-L-M-N-O-P-Q-R-S-T-U-V-W-X-YZ

E-mail

Electronic Mail (Email/email).

ECAL

Enjoy Computing And Learn.

EOD

End Of Discussion.

EOL

End Of Lecture.

EOT

End Of Thread.

ESOSL

Endless Snorts of Stupid Laughter.

ETLA

Extended Three-Letter Acronym.

EWAN

Emulator Without A Good Name.

A-B-C-D-E

G-H-I-J-K-L-M-N-O-P-Q-R-S-T-U-V-W-X-YZ

F2F

Face 2 Face.

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions.

FDROTFL

Falling Down Rolling On The Floor Laughing.

FIFO

First in, first out.

FIIK

F***** If I Know.

FITB

Fill In The Blank(s) ....

FLA

Four Letter Acronym.

FOAD

F*** Off And Die.

FOAF

Friend Of A Friend.

FOD

Finger Of Death.

FOMCRWL

Falling/Fell Off My Chair Rolling/Rocking With Laughter.

FOTCL

Falling/Fell Off The Chair Laughing.

FROPPED

F***ing dROPPED (as in "dropped carrier" or kicked off the phone line or network)

FS

For Sale.

FTF

Face To Face.

FUBAR

Fouled? Up Beyond All Recognition.

FWIW

For What It's Worth.

FX

Effects. Used to signify Special Effects. eg. FX - Slap!.

FYATHYRIO

F*** You And The Horse You Rode In On.

FYBITS

F*** You, Buddy, I'm The Sysop.

FYA

For Your Amusement.

FYE

For Your Entertainment.

FYI

For Your Information.

A-B-C-D-E-F

H-I-J-K-L-M-N-O-P-Q-R-S-T-U-V-W-X-YZ

<g>

Grin. (Used instead of a Smiley)

GA

Go Ahead.

GAL

Get A Life.

GBP

Great British Pounds.

GD&R

Grin, Duck & Run or

Grinning, Ducking & Running (usually left at the end of a digging message)

GIGO

Garbage In, Garbage Out.

GIWIST

Gee I Wish I'd Said That.

GLG

Goofy Little Grin.

GMT

Greenwich Mean Time.

GOK

God Only Knows.

GOTFIA

Groaning On The Floor In Agony.

<grin>

Grin. (Used instead of a Smiley)

GROK

As in "I GROK", means thorough understanding. (From R.A. Heinlein's "Stranger in a Strange Land")

A-B-C-D-E-F-G

I-J-K-L-M-N-O-P-Q-R-S-T-U-V-W-X-YZ

HHOJ

Ha Ha Only Joking.

HHOK

Ha Ha Only Kidding.

HHOS

Ha Ha Only Serious.

HLAYK

Here's Looking At You Kid. (a parting)

HTH

Hope That Has (answered your question, etc) or

Hope That Helped or

Hope That Helps or

Hope This Helped or

Hope This Helps.

HTNOTH

Hit The Nail On The Head.

HVMA

Help Very Much Appreciated.

HYGISOS

Hope You Get It Sorted Out Soon.

A-B-C-D-E-F-G-H

J-K-L-M-N-O-P-Q-R-S-T-U-V-W-X-YZ

IAC

In Any Case.

IAE

In Any Event.

ICOCBW

I Could Of Course Be Wrong.

IIRC

If I Recall/Remember Correctly.

IIUC

If I Understand Correctly.

IITYWYBAD

If I Tell You, Will You Buy Another Drink.

IITYWYBMAB

If I Tell You, Will You Buy Me A Beer.

IMCDO

In My Conceited Dogmatic Opinion.

IMCO

In My Considered Opinion.

IME

In My Estimation.

IMHO

In My Humble/Honest Opinion.

IMO

In My Opinion.

IMVHO

In My Very Humble Opinion.

IMNSHO

In My Not So Humble/Honest Opinion.

INPO

In No Particular Order.

IOW

In Other Words or

It Originally Was.

IRL

In Real Life (as opposed to Net.life).

IRMFI

?

IRO

In Respect of.

IRT

In Reference To.

ISC

I Stand Corrected.

ISR

I Seem to Recall/Remember.

ISTM

It Seems To Me.

ISTR

I Seem To Recall/Remember.

ITTOTMA

It's That Time Of The Month Again.

IWBNI

It Would Be Nice If.

IYSWIM

If You See What I Mean.

A-B-C-D-E-F-G-H-I

K-L-M-N-O-P-Q-R-S-T-U-V-W-X-YZ

JAM

Just A Minute.

JIT

Just In Time.

JOOI

Just Out Of Interest.

JSNM

Just Stark Naked Magic.

A-B-C-D-E-F-G-H-I-J

L-M-N-O-P-Q-R-S-T-U-V-W-X-YZ

KCBIWIYWI

Keep Coming Back, It Works If You Work It.

KISS

Keep It Simple Stupid.

A-B-C-D-E-F-G-H-I-J-K

M-N-O-P-Q-R-S-T-U-V-W-X-YZ

L8R

LateR

LAB&TYD

Life's A Bitch & Then You Die.

LLTA

Lots and Lots of Thunderous/Thundering Applause.

LMAO

Laughing My Arms? Off.

LOL

Laughing Out Loud or

Loads/Lots Of Laughter or

Loads/Lots Of Love.

LTLYB

Love To Love You Baby.

LTMSH

Laughing 'Til My sides Hurt.

A-B-C-D-E-F-G-H-I-J-K-L

N-O-P-Q-R-S-T-U-V-W-X-YZ

M8

Mate.

M8S

Mates.

MEGO

My Eyes Glaze Over.

MORF

Male OR Female.

MUNG

Mash Until No Good.

MYOB

Mind Your Own Business.

A-B-C-D-E-F-G-H-I-J-K-L-M

O-P-Q-R-S-T-U-V-W-X-YZ

NALOPKT

Not A Lot Of People Know That.

NBD

No Big Deal.

NBL

Not Bloody Likely.

NE1

Anyone.

NESSIE

Never Ever Seen Since Initial Excitement.

NHOH

Never Heard Of Her/Him.

NHOT

Never Heard Of That/Them/This.

NICBDAT

Nothing Is Certain But Death And Taxes.

NIMBY

Not In My Backyard.

NIMTO

Not In My Term of Office.

NMT

Not My Type.

NOT

Not Our Type.

NP

No Problem.

NPLU

Not People Like Us.

NQOS

Not Quite Our Sort.

NRN

No Reply Necessary.

NTYMI

Now That You Mention It.

NWIIC

Not While I'm In Charge.

A-B-C-D-E-F-G-H-I-J-K-L-M-N

P-Q-R-S-T-U-V-W-X-YZ

O

Over (to you).

OB

OBligatory (Joke)

OBJ

OBligatory Joke

OIC

OH!, I See.

OO

Over and Out.

OOO

Own Opinion Only.

OTOH

On The Other Hand.

OTT

Over The Top.

A-B-C-D-E-F-G-H-I-J-K-L-M-N-O

Q-R-S-T-U-V-W-X-YZ

PCMCIA

People Can't Memorise Computer Industry Acronyms.

PF&HOMW

Printed, Framed & Hanging On My Wall.

PF&HOTW

Printed, Framed & Hanging On The Wall.

PFM

Pure F***ing Magic.

PGY

Post Graduate year PGY-1, PGY-2 etc. used in PGY Med.

PITA

Pain In The Arms?

PM

Preventive Maintenance.

PMETC

Pardon Me Etc.

PMFB

Pardon Me For Breathing.

PMJI

Pardon My Jumping In.

PMYMHMMFSWGAD

Pardon Me, You Must Have Mistaken Me For Someone Who Gives A Damn.

POM

Phase Of the Moon.

POV

Point(s) Of View.

PPL

People.

PT

Point Taken.

PTO

Please Turn Over or Patent and Trademark Office (US Government).

A-B-C-D-E-F-G-H-I-J-K-L-M-N-O-P

R-S-T-U-V-W-X-YZ

Q&A

Questions and Answers (Q+A).

A-B-C-D-E-F-G-H-I-J-K-L-M-N-O-P-Q

S-T-U-V-W-X-YZ

RAD

Raw, Unadulterated Dumbness.

RE

RE-hello (hello again) or RE-hi.

RFC

Request(s) For Comment(s).

Rgds

Regards.

RL

Real Life.

ROFL

Rolls/Rolling On the Floor Laughing.

ROFLAHMSWL

Rolling On the Floor Laughing And Holding My Sides With Laughter.

ROFLASTC

Rolling On the Floor Laughing And Scaring The Cat (Originated by Pamela Dean, who types with a cat on her lap).

ROTBA

Reality On The Blink Again.

ROTFIA

Rolling On The Floor In Agony.

ROTFL

Rolling/Rolls On The Floor Laughing/with Laughter.

ROTFLBHHGACWHOA

Rolls On The Floor Laughing Banging His/Her Head Gasping And Choking While Hacking Off Arms.

ROTFLMAAOBPO

Rolling On The Floor Laughing My Arms? And Other Body Parts Off.

ROTFLMAO

Rolling On The Floor Laughing My Ass Off

ROTM

Right On The Money.

ROYGBIV

Red Orange Yellow Green Blue Indigo Violet (Colours of the Rainbow).

RPC

Risc PC.

RSN

Real Soon Now.

RTFAQ

Read The FAQ.

RTFM

Read The Flipping? Manual!.

RTM

Read The Manual.

RUOK

aRe U (you) OK ?.

A-B-C-D-E-F-G-H-I-J-K-L-M-N-O-P-Q-R

T-U-V-W-X-YZ

SITD

Still In The Dark.

Smileys

ASCII graphics used to indicate a face (sideways). eg.

  Amazed/surprise          :-o   or   :-O
  Big eyes or Glasses      8-)   or   B-)  with Ray-Bans.
  Big Nose                 :o)
  Clown                  *<:-)
  Devilish                :-   or   :-
  Frown/disappointed      [:-|   or   :-(
  L/H Smiley             (-:
  Long Nose                :˜˜)
  Lost for Words           :-|
  Oops                     :-*
  Propellor-head/Nerd     X:-)
  Sad                      :-(    or  :-[
  Sarcasm                  :-
  Smiling (Basic Smiley)   :-)
  Smug                     |-)
  Surprised and Confused  /:-{} 
  Very Funny               :-)))))
  Very Sad                 :-<    or  :-(((((
  Winking/cheeky etc       ;-)    or  9-)    or  6-)
  etc.

Snip

Indicates that part of the quoted text has been cut out. [Snip]/[Snipped]

SO

Significant Other.

SOP

Standard/Standing Operating/Operational Procedures.

SUD

Still Under Development.

SWAG

Simple Wild Ar?'d Guess.

STFU

Shut The F*** Up.

SUP

what'S UP?

SWEIN

So What Else Is New?.

SYT

Sweet Young Thing.

A-B-C-D-E-F-G-H-I-J-K-L-M-N-O-P-Q-R-S

U-V-W-X-YZ

TAFN

That's All For Now.

TANJ

There Ain't No Justice.

TANSTAAFL

There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch.

TBF

To Be Fair.

TBH

To Be Honest.

TEOTWAWKI

The End Of The World As We Know It.

TIA

Thanks In Advance/Anticipation, (also aTdHvAaNnKcSe or advTHANKSance)

TIC

Tongue In Cheek.

TINALO

This Is Not A Legal Opinion.

TINAR

This Is Not A Recommendation.

TIWTGLGG

This Is Where The Goofy Little Grin Goes.

TJATAW

Truth, Justice, And The American Way.

TLA

Three-Letter Acronym.

TMIIW

That Means It Is Wrong.

TNX 1.0E6

ThaNKS a million (also TNX1M)

TOTM

Time Of The Month.

TPTB

The Powers That Be.

TRDMC

Tears Running Down My Cheeks.

TTBOMK

To The Best Of My Knowledge.

TTFN

Ta-Ta For Now.

TTOTM

That Time Of The Month.

TTUL

Talk To U (you) Later.

TTUS

Talk To U (you) Soon.

TTYL

Ta-Ta You Lot.

TTYL

Talk To You Later.

TTYS

Talk To You Soon.

TVM

Thanks Very Much.

TYVM

Thank You Very Much

A-B-C-D-E-F-G-H-I-J-K-L-M-N-O-P-Q-R-S-T

V-W-X-YZ

UKP

UK Pounds.

UOK?

are you (U) OK?

A-B-C-D-E-F-G-H-I-J-K-L-M-N-O-P-Q-R-S-T-U

W-X-YZ

VBG

Very Big ? (vbg).

A-B-C-D-E-F-G-H-I-J-K-L-M-N-O-P-Q-R-S-T-U-V

X-YZ

WAMKSAM

Why Are My Kids Staring At Me.

WB

Welcome Back.

WIBAMU

Well I'll Be A Monkey's Uncle.

WRT

With Regard/Respect To.

WTB

Wanted To Buy.

WTD

WanTeD.

WTF

What The F...

WTFH

What The Flamin'? Hell.

WTH

What The Hell.

WYSBYGI

What You See Before You Get It.

WYSIWYG

What You See Is What You Get.

WYTYSYDG

What You Thought You Saw, You Didn't Get.

A-B-C-D-E-F-G-H-I-J-K-L-M-N-O-P-Q-R-S-T-U-V-W

X

YZ

A-B-C-D-E-F-G-H-I-J-K-L-M-N-O-P-Q-R-S-T-U-V-W-X

YZ

YA

Yet Another.

YAFA

Yet Another Flippin' ? Abbreviation/Acronym.

YAFIYGI

You Asked For It, You Got It.

YAP

Yet Another Ploy.

YHM

You Have Mail.

YMMV

Your Mileage May Vary.

Quick Jump Index.

From here you can also jump to the relevant section in this document by clicking on the appropriate letter.

A-B-C-D-E-F-G-H-I-J-K-L-M-N-O-P-Q-R-S-T-U-V-W-X-YZ

If you notice any incorrect, missing, or mistaken Acronyms, please contact me so that they can be amended, updated, or included.

You can also see a list of General Acronyms which cover other aspects of computer-related jargon.

For anyone interested, you can also have a look at the Glossary of General Computer-related names, terms, abbreviations, etc which also gives more detailed definitions of the General Acronyms.