Emoticons
Emotional Icons, also known as "Emoticons", are used to compensate for the inability to convey voice inflections and body language (such as facial expressions and bodily gestures) in Internet Messaging. Some emoticons are better known as "smileys." Emoticons can be very effective toward avoiding misinterpretation of the writer's intents. While there are no standard definitions for the following emoticons, these are their most usual meanings. Most emoticons will look like a face (eyes, nose, and mouth) when rotated 90 degree clockwise. Some of the most commonly used Emoticons are:
| :) or :-) | Expresses happiness, sarcasm, or joke |
| :( or :-( | Expresses unhappiness |
| :] or :-] | Expresses jovial happiness |
| :[ or :-[ | Expresses despondent unhappiness |
| :D or :-D | Expresses jovial happiness |
| :I or :-I | Expresses indifference |
| :-/ or :-\ | Indicates undecided, confused, or skeptical. Also :/ or :\. |
| :Q or :-Q | Expresses confusion |
| :S or :-S | Expresses incoherence or loss of words |
| :@ or :-@ | Expresses shock or screaming |
| :O or :-O | Indicates surprise, yelling or realization of an error ("uh oh!") |
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Acronyms
Acronyms are words formed by using the first letters of a multi-word name, Internet Messagers sometimes resort to using acronyms to help get their message across.
| AAMOF | as a matter of fact |
| BBFN | bye bye for now |
| BFN | bye for now |
| BTW | by the way |
| BYKT | but you knew that |
| CMIIW | correct me if I'm wrong |
| EOL | end of lecture |
| FAQ | frequently asked question(s) |
| FITB | fill in the blank |
| FWIW | for what it's worth |
| FYI | for your information |
| HTHM | hope this helps |
| HWISBTHID | His/her Wheel is Spinning, but the hamster is dead. |
| IAC | in any case |
| IAW | In Accordance With |
| IAE | in any event |
| IMCO | in my considered opinion |
| IMHO | in my humble opinion |
| IMNSHO | in my not so humble opinion |
| IMO | In My Opinion |
| IOW | in other words |
| LOL | lots of luck, lots of laughter or laughing out loud |
| NRN | no reply necessary |
| OIC | oh, I see |
| OTOH | on the other hand |
| ROF | rolling on the floor |
| ROFL or ROTFL | rolling on the floor laughing |
| RSN | real soon now |
| SITD | still in the dark |
| TANSTAAFL | There ain't no such thing as a free lunch |
| TIA | thanks in advance |
| TIC | tongue in cheek |
| TTFN | Ta-Ta for now |
| TTYL | talk to you later |
| TYVM | thank you very much |
| WYSIWYG | what you see is what you get |
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| Abbreviations
Yes, and there are even a few abbreviations running about. :) Abbreviations, such as these, have been mostly replaced by emoticons. You still may see them occassionally.
| (G) | Grin |
| (J) | Joking |
| (L) | Laughing |
| (S) | Smiling |
| (VBG) | Very Big Grin |
| (Y) | Yawn |
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