ACRONYMS: Could we use them less and more responsibly?
Perhaps I'm not the only Chowhounder who finds acronyms overused and abused? I can remember many times a (new?), Chowhounder asking, "What does OP mean?" I'm not suggesting that we stop using "OP", but these questions suggest that there are confused newbies, neophytes or unhip, out of step Chowhounders out there. I constantly leave “Acronym Finder” open in my browser to help me understand posts. I admit I'm an old fart. Right now, I'm having enough trouble learning Spanish, as a second language.
So, is it just me? Am I the only curmudgeon on Chowhound slowed down by them? I think if you start using obscure and specialized acronyms you should at least state what they mean (in parentheses), the first time you use them in the thread. I was a busboy at 16. The food industry lingo means little to me, so FOH, BOH, MP and other restaurant acronyms are often difficult for some of us to decipher. I've heard others ask.... I have enough trouble remembering RDA and BYOB. Many acronyms have multiple, common meanings. I would appreciate New Englanders, who use only "NH" in the title of a post, to consider that I immediately think of "New Haven"! It is in New England, just as New Hampshire is. There are more search results for NH "New Haven" than there are for NH "New Hampshire".
My acronym anxiety is compounded by two things:
One: Chowhound has graciously given us an expandable box to write in (which I really appreciate, when I get longwinded), but they don't allow for any expression (like italics), with text. If you want to be more expressive you have to SHOUT! A lot of emphatic words in caps, (and sometimes inappropriate emphasis), mixed in with strange capitalized acronyms and abbreviated words, often make my mental gears jam.
Two: People choose weird Chowhound names, which often appear as acronyms. Chowhounders, unable to cope with weird ciphers, long or unspellable, farcical names, often create their own abbreviated nicknames, when they address the Chowhounder. That can really start to confuse things when it's mixed into a sentence containing acronyms and/or other abbreviations. I am guilty of doing this because I can't remember, or don't want to remember and type in, a long, bizarre name. Think about your Chowhound name. Would you name your child that? Think of how they would be ridiculed in school and their name shortened to a workable nickname. Also, remember, I confuse easily.
I do not text message (TM), (or, is that "trade mark" or "time management"?). I don't ever intend to. I have built my last two computers but perhaps I am a luddite about this. I N V U (in my humble opinion), is not appropriate on Chowhound. I think, given the limited Chowhound writing format, it is a poor place to use text messaging lingo. You are supposed to use teeny-tiny keypads on cell phones for that, when you are illicitly communicating in class! I like it when Chowhounders are more "conversational".
Do you think we could try and limit ourselves to a few acronyms like DH, DW, OK and SO, so there's less ambiguity and mystification? There is a lot of confusion about what DH is! I think it primarily means "husband". You might also be calling him stupid.... Could we use the fancy ones with an explanation of what they stand for? Is this (and me), a hopeless cause? Would there be a place for a sentence in the etiquette area about this?
Scargod
Sep 06, 2008 12:24PM
Bravo Scargod. Very entertaining, amusing and spot-on. I am with you 100%.
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I totally agree. But, I have to ask... do you have a kid named Scargod? JK (just kidding). I have stared at acronyms way longer than I should admit to. Sometimes, I can figure them out in context, and I kind of look at them as a brain teaser exercise. There was one awhile back that stumped me. Someone wrote "The last TWP pizzas I ordered from there were crap" (paraphrased). I went through a lot of iterations in my head, then finally hung my head in shame and typed the embarrassed reply "what is TWP?" Another CH'er replied to me "I think they meant TWO". (As in 2). Well, hell.
Where is Acronym Finder? I've never heard of that.
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Never heard of AF? OMG! LOL.
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His name is Robogod.
http://www.acronymfinder.com/
Also, another good one is Urban Dictionary. This is good for deciphering what the younger people are saying: http://www.urbandictionary.com/
BTW, whenever something looks funny...(meaning odd or wrong), I always look at my keyboard and see what letters are on the perimeter of the letter that is in question. Another common mistake is transposing letters like thsi (this). I do it when I get in a hurry.
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The meaning of many of the acronyms that you mention is not critical. In most cases it doesn't matter who DW or DW or SO refers to. OP as in Original Post(er) is occasionally useful, such as when a thread drifts on to a tangent. Note for example that there is the option at the bottom of this page to reply to the 'original post'. Usually if I don't understand an acronym I just ignore it.
Acronyms are quite useful in the subject lines of regional posts. Often those are based on airport designations. For example in Pacific NW threads it helps to know whether the question is about Portland (PDX) or Seattle/Tacoma (SEA), or some other town or subregion.
As far as I am concerned people can use any chow name they choose. 'Scargod' is not better or worse than 'small h' or 'paulj' or one of the long names. If including the name in your text might create confusion, quote it or use some other punctuation to set it apart.
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Scargod, while you are at it, could you tell me what DH, DW, and OK are? My thoughts exactly with all you said. Maybe I should ask what each acronym is for each person who uses it, but who has that time?!
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Since Scargod didn't answer your query - I'll oblige.
DH = Dear (or Darling) Husband
DW = Dear (or Darling Wife) or as The Ranger likes to say, "SWMBO" (She Who Must Be Obeyed)
OK is the abbreviation for Oklahoma.... J/K (Just Kidding) In this case it probably just means OK.. as in Oh Kay! LOL
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i confess, i've noticed my acronym use increasing lately..and sometimes i hesitate before doing it because i wonder if someone is going to be scratching their head wondering what the heck WFM stands for. [it's Whole Foods Market, BTW]. i really just do it out of laziness, but yes, i can be confusing to others. the first few times i saw DH & DW on CH, i had no idea what they were - i assumed DW was dishwasher, which made no sense in the context of some posts...so i googled the acronyms & found out what they meant. and i was really perplexed by ETA for a while - what does "estimated time of arrival" have to do with this post?! i eventually figured out it meant "edited to add." OP was another one that took me a few reads to get. and i know there are more, but i'm too tired to think of them right now.
i think Scargod was on to something with his question about addressing this in the etiquette section - perhaps we should compose a CH acronym guide that the mods could post somewhere on the site...?
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I've never bothered to look up acronyms like this, instead depending on context. Even if there was a table, I wouldn't count on everyone following it.
If the thread is about dishwashers, then DW might mean that. On the other hand if some one writes 'DW does not like to spicy food', or 'DW is afraid of heights' (on an RV forum for example), it most likely refers to a wife. There's no special science to deciphering things like that.
On Chow forums the meaning of WFM, TJs, or 'Whole paycheck' can be picked up from context. On a car forum they probably wouldn't ring any bells. I also like to use nicknames like 'Wallyworld'. Using acronyms and nicknames in writing isn't much different from using them in speech. We don't need a rule book. If someone does not understanding something, they should feel free to ask. This isn't a business or a classroom; for most of us it is purely recreational.
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While I can see old fartdom a little ahead, I'm not quite there yet! But I'm old enough that many of the acronyms are new to me. I also am childless, so I'm even further behind on the techno learning curve!
Sometimes the context helps illuminate it, some I look up, some I'm just not interested enough to decipher it! I suspect we will be seeing this usage increase. Each year will bring younger people who are well versed with texting, and each year us old farts (or close to it) will have picked up more of the lingo and may have even started to use it!
I do use some of the more common ones. I try, especially if getting long winded about a topic, to use the full phrase and then indicate the shorthand in parenthesis.
Ultimately, it doesn't really obstruct my following a thread. And sometimes I find my investigation of a new acronym takes me to an interesting tangent!
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Could we wipe out EVOO while we're at it? I can't help but hear the rest of the post in a gravelly, shouty, overexcited tv host voice when somebody uses that one . . .
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Though I despise everything that Rachael Ray stands for, the EVOO abbreviation is actually a good one I think. It saves quite a bit of typing, and everyone knows what it means.
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EVOO existed long before R.R. (that's, Rachel Ray, of course) rose to stardom--it sure makes it a lot easier to transcribe recipes! I won't stop using it just because she's adopted it!
~TDQ (that's me, The Dairy Queen)
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Yep - I agree - it's a useful acronym.
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That it's been around longer than RR gives me some degree of comfort. The funny thing is, in her cookbooks (ok, well, the one I've seen at a friend's house) she uses all these acronyms, and then just writes them out in parentheses afterwards! Thus undermining the efficiency-mindedness of the acronyms in the first place.
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actually, RR does that on her show as well. i used to watch the occasional episode of 30 Minute Meals, and every time, she would say "EVOO, extra virgin olive oil."
but i agree, it is a useful acronym.
as is S&P - that's salt & pepper, not Standard & Poor's ;)
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I suppose, but at first I was confusing it with GEE, thinking EVOO was the clarified butter of India.
Doh! I think I just made myself look stoopid, I mean stupid...SMF STFU
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"SMF STFU"
scargod, i cannot believe you just said that!
ps (is that one ok -- ooooh, is THAT one ok?) i will *never ever* give you a nickname of endearment here on chow, such as "sca", "scar", "scarg", scargo" or even "sco"!
AND for all you smiley-haters: ;-D
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I suppose olive oil should suffice. Extra virgin goes without saying, no?
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There seem to be new languages developing in th text messsage era. Took me a while to determine exactly what ISO mwant. But despite the acronyms, I've always been to figure out the gist of the message. I sorta like OMG and WTF, myself.
Reminds me of the era when PCs came along, We quickly learned the mysterious jargon.
Yr obd serv (your obedient servant)
mpalmer6c
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I agree. I propose we institute an effort to wipe out overuse of acronyms. Hey, I know! Any time anyone uses an unnecessary acronym, we could post "WOOOA!" and add the URL of this post. For once and for all we can finally get acronym abusers to STFU and then everything will be OK here on CH.
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What a great idea Chris! How about using 555190 whenever we are confounded or feel acronym abuse is rampant? Perhaps we could shorten it to AA?
I never intended for Chowhound to have a Glossary of foodie/food industry terms and acronyms, or a "registry of acceptable acronyms". Hmmm.. ..
What I was thinking might help this situation would be something like this (from "The Powers That Be" at Chowhound):
Dear Chowhounders,
Please be aware that many here are new to food and/or restaurants. It's scary enough joining a community of heavyweights, without using acronyms and abbreviations that are over their heads! Please state what specialized acronyms mean (in parentheses), the first time you use them in a thread. Also see our Glossary of Commonly Used Acronyms. These have been thoroughly vetted and are considered safe for use and consumption by Chowhound.
Please use international airport designations or zip codes in topics to avoid confusion with state abbreviations.
Please refrain from using expletives, such as WTF, NFW and KMA. Make it palatable for all. We actually wouldn't allow you to say KMA, in any case). Please do not use text messaging lingo as we have a high proportion of older people on the boards who are confused enough by the site, and computers, as it is. Please refer to topic 555190 for further information.
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ROTFLMAO!
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Rotten Florida mayonnaise? LSHIPIMP
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Large shrimp in my plate?
yes, please!
I always keep my mayo in the fridge, especially in FL. But that is a whole 'nother thread!
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One thing that this forum lacks is a collection of smilies. Forums that use vBulletin have a basic set, and some have rather extensive, custom sets. They can be useful for conveying emotions. They are also easier to standardize than acronymns and abbreviations.
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Blech, ugh. Hate HATE those smilies that litter vBulletin and other forum software. I don't mind a text smilie but there's something about that full set of smilies that makes me want to retch. And then when you get onto the animated smilies... even worse.
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and, you say this while cookie monster is smiling at me. That's funny!
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the difference, of course, is that cookie monster is BADASS.
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see, my kids always thought Oscar was the badass. Given the garbage can accessory...there's still a chow reference...
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OFGS. GWTP.....(~_^)
(Oh for goodness sakes. Get with the program. Wink. ) (No turning emoticon)
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AA! They (acronyms) are like little word games... I enjoy a good puzzle but I do not like crossword puzzles.
I like a smiley face or a sad face once in a while and it is amazing what you can do with a keypad if you work at it. I have often wondered why Chow-hound didn't use vBulletin. They would not have to enable or offer emoticons. They are a conundrum themselves. Don't much care for them.
How about sounds? Screams, foot stomping, slugging sounds, kisses, moans (good, bad and other), coming out of the PC? Mods would love that!
Speaking of Mods, they deleted my first attempt to post this topic. Then another Mod suggested that here, on Site Talk, is the place it should be (instead of "Not About Food), and, if I didn't refer to anyone it would (at least), not be a rant that could be considered directed at anyone. We all know that's a no-no (don't we?). So, I thought this was a funny, tongue-in-cheek piece, where the Mods didn't. I did clean it up a bit...
I have had a lot of fun with it and am glad others have found it amusing or topical and Mods/site managers, I won't be offended if you ignore my suggestions.
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I Love crossword puzzles.... brain exercises. And, I think acronyms alleviate the necessity of typing out phrases one finds with some regularity every where on the net.
OTOH.... I would not like to hear sounds... no, no sounds, thank you. Can you imagine? As for ignoring your suggestions..... Never! IJS.
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IJS= I jest solicitously?
But what about the cliqueiness of using acronyms? Don't you feel a little special or smug if someone has to ask you what it means? Don't you feel a little smaller if you're the one asking? I mean, what rock have you been hiding under if you don't know what OK means? Being a Texan, that's easy.... but IJS? You have humbled me... :)
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"I'm Just Saying" (and all of these and more than you will ever want to possibly know or use are available via Google - which is not an Acronym).
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There is tremendous precedence for the use of acronyms. I give you:
N. B. = Nota Bene
QED = quod erat demonstrandum" (literally, "that which was to be demonstrated").
CD-Rom = Compact Disc read-only memory
FAQ = frequently asked questions
DNA = deoxyribonucleic acid
NAACP = National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
USA = United States of America!
IJS = I'm Just Sayin'
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I'm not saying that acronyms aren't common. You wouldn't sprinkle an article with specialized or unusual acronyms and dispense it for consumption by the unwashed masses. IJS they wouldn't get it or they'd have a hard time getting it or like some here have said, FI (let's move on). Compound that with hyperbole, shouting, common acronyms, misspelling and member abbreviations, and you can end up with some pretty unintelligible sentences. PEACE
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Oh I totally agree with you - the unwashed masses would never understand. But, I say that acronyms have their place among those whose paths cross regularly and understand the lingo. That's all. TA.
Ciao............
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The problem is that these new, specialized acronyms are selfish and indulgent.
It saves the writer 5 seconds of typing, but then transfers that time threefold to the reader who then is slowed down because of the need to "decode" the cryptic acronym. That's not the case with common acronyms.
I hate 'em.
Mr Taster
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That's right! You tell 'em! Easy to throw out but hard to figure out. How about tenfold?
It's like the Good O'l Boy's Club that you can't get into.
It causes a train wreck with my train of thought and comprehension flow.
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I have to say, they don't really bother me. If I don't know what something is, I google it. I try not to use them myself - stopped using DH awhile ago - but I also think that it is a simply a "reality" with those who are younger than I (early 40s), and I appreciate getting chow tips from hounds of all ages, even if sometimes I have to work a little bit to decipher something in a post.
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I think it's really strange when anyone beyond college age uses "LOL," or even worse, "ROFL." The smiley faces kill me also. Very juvenile.
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I don't disagree with that, but, at the same time, if LOL or ROFL is included w/ a great chow tip, that's just fine with me.
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When I see people write "LOL" or :), I find that for the most part, it's being used to convey intent. When one is conversing online, it's very difficult to gauge what one is trying to say. Sometimes I'm joking, but it may be difficult to ascertain that unless there's a smiley face put next to my statement.
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I totally agree with you - it is very hard to convey intent. I'm personally one of those dry humor kind of people but I've learned over the years that the humor part doesn't always convey it typed form. So to avoid appearing to be a complete sarcastic bitch I throw in a couple of LOL's and :) or ;)
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I agree with the above two posters. I use smileys and LOL frequently either to convey that I'm joking or happy or actually laughing out loud. If someone LOL'ed one of my posts I would consider it a compliment and that is what I'm trying to do.
I'm also a friendly person who smiles alot, but you guys can't see me so I just use these :)
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I wouldn't say they get under my skin or anything, but in general, I don't really like them. I rarely, rarely use them, except for maybe MIL (mother-in-law) just because that's a pretty long one. I guess what I don't like about them is that they seem a little less personal... I've always hated when people abbreviated X-mas or b-day, especially on a card. I kind of equate chatboard acronyms to that.
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I do use MIL/SIL/BIL as well, have to confess!
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Can't stand the MIL/SIL/BIL... even now in the context of this conversation I have to use unnecessary energy to understand what is conveyed by these. So unnecessary!
Mr Taster
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So is it Mr Taster or Mister Taster?
Even us old puppies can learn new tricks. :-))
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The problem is not with old, well-established acronyms which everyone reads as quickly as if the word were spelled out.
The problem is this rash of new, cryptic acronyms that allow for lazy writing but extra effort on the part of the reader. These new acronyms slow down and even impede communication rather than facilitate it.
That's the problem.
Mr Taster
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on first blush jfood agrees that the acros cause some speed reduction and some jfood dislikes alot. but once u understand them and they become embedded in ur vocab, they are really ez.
remember "Mr." was at one time a new concept. and heck you removed the period and everyone understood.
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I removed the "." because when Chowhound transitioned to CNET, they wouldn't let me register with a "."
Of course everything old was new at one point. That's not the point.... what is the point is this profound and sudden proliferation of internet acronyms which benefit nobody except the lazy writer. It's selfish and indulgent on the part of the writer, and helps only to dumb up Chowhound.
As someone else said, if you're text messaging someone on a 12 button cell phone, it's forgivable. If you're sitting at a full keyboard, it's not.
Just type it out. It's good for your soul.
Mr Taster
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I think they all came about because lots of people under the age of 30 can't spell for shit.
OMG, I'm gonna catch hell for that one.
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ok, the "ez" and "ur" and "u" are despicable. if i see posts like that, i cannot stand to read them at all.
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