What is an Acronym?
What is an Acronym?
“XTLA” Extended Three Letter Acronym
One really special one.
Strictly speaking the following are not all Acronyms since they do not all form a pronounceable word in the abbreviation, but this is not a language class.
Acronyms are widely used on the net and these are a few examples of more common ones.
Teenagers use these to hide what they are saying when “PIR” (Parent in room.)
The military and governments love them and flood their communications with ambiguous badly constructed acronyms. Falsely believing they are more efficient and ensuring those who are not familiar with them feel left out and insecure.
The Romans used acronyms 2000 years ago.
“CV” Clarissimus Vir A man of distinction or importance.
Define an Acronym
It is an abbreviation using the first letters of a short communication; usually the abbreviation forms a word in its own right. Otherwise they become initialisations.
When using acronyms be careful to avoid insulting words accidentally formed from the initials.
Are acronyms avoidable? Yes! But they can be fun and do speed up unimportant communications.
We use them today in msgng a lot.
A Few Acronyms for Fun
AAMOF - As a matter of fact
AFAIC - As far as I know
AFK - Away from Keyboard
BEG - Big evil grin
BOL - Be on later
CWOT - Complete waste of time.
DIKU - Do I Know You
FOFL - Falling on floor laughing
HHIS - Hanging head in shame
KWIM - Know what I mean
LOL - Laugh out loud
NE1 - Anyone
NIFOC - Naked in front of camera
PAH - Parents at home
ROFL - Roll on the floor laughing
SETE - Smiling ear to ear
STFU - Be quiet
TMI - Too much information
WTGP - Want to go private
There are thousands more and they grow daily as communications grow on the net and people want to communicate in brief.
I searched for a few I expected which weren’t there:
ITHETM - In the heat of the moment
THABTO - Two heads are better than one
TBTILAF - The best things in life are free.
IFFU - I fell for you.
AAFU - An acronym for you
HTMMWWA - How to make money with WA
Have you got any really good ones?
Recent Comments
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TFYI GR8P TFS
That was for the young WA members. And here for the more mature WA members like me:
Thanks For Your Information. Great Post! Thanks For Sharing!
Good Morning Peony,
It was fun to read the list but I hope you do not mind if I stick to old fashioned language.
( ok, I am guilty of using p.s. and also etc. but that is in the category of old fashioned. )
Greetings from the south of Spain, Taetske
Thanks Taetske
I prefer the cleared full phrasing although the young on social media seem to have a language of their own, full of Acronyms.
Thanks Hal. Yes, I deliberately edited out a few of those, just in case someone got offended. They are used a lot though.
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DWL, Peony, still learning some of the ones you have mentioned. Thanks for the share and putting a SML on my face. Another is SMH shake my head.
Oh thanks Harvey - that is one I have not seen.