FAQ:

What do BTW, FAQ, FYI, IMHO, RTFM, and other acronyms mean?

Answer:

These are all abbreviations for specific phrases commonly used in informal written computer correspondence. Following is a list of some common acronyms and their meanings:

AFAIC	As far as I'm concerned
AFAIK	As far as I know
AFK	Away from keyboard
BRB	Be right back
BTDT	Been there, done that
BTW	By the way
BUAG	Butt-ugly ASCII graphic
C/C	Comments and criticism
FAQ	Frequently Asked Question. When people say "the FAQ", they are generally referring to a list of answers to Frequently Asked Questions. These are posted monthly on many newsgroups or mailing lists to reduce discussion of topics that have already been thoroughly covered. It's a good idea to look at a FAQ file for a \ newsgroup or mailing list before participating in it. See the Knowledge Base document Where can I find a repository of Usenet FAQ files? for help in finding FAQ files. A large list of all known FAQ postings in newsgroups is also posted periodically in the Usenet newsgroup news.admin.
FWIW	For what it's worth
FYI	For your information
HTH	Hope this helps
IANAL	I am not a lawyer
IMHO	In my humble opinion
IMNSHO	In my not so humble opinion
IMO	In my opinion
IOW	In other words
LOL	Laughing out loud
MOTAS	Member of the appropriate sex
MOTOS	Member of the opposite sex
MOTSS	Member of the same sex
NG	Newsgroup
OTOH	On the other hand
RL	Real Life, as opposed to the Internet
ROTFL	Rolling on the floor laughing
RTFM	Read The Fine/**cking Manual. This may be interpreted as: "You have asked a question which would best be answered by consulting the manual (or FAQ, or other help files), a copy of which should be in your possession. The question you have asked is clearly answered in the \ manual and you are wasting time asking people to read it to you." It's good netiquette to mail this type of answer to another user rather than post it in public messages.
SO	Significant other, used to refer to someone's romantic partner without making any assumptions about gender or legal status
TLA	Three letter acronym
WTF	What the **ck
WTH	What the heck
YMMH	You might mean here
YMMV	Your mileage may vary
{g}	Grin
{BG}	Big grin

Back to: NatsWikiFAQ

-- MichaelDaum -- 18 Mar 2005