What those text-message acronyms really mean


If you’ve seen kids exchanging text messages, fingers and thumbs flying over the keypads of their mobile phones, you might wonder just what they’re saying to one another. With the rise of so-called ‘sexting’ and other such nastiness, it seems that a whole new vocabulary of acronyms has surfaced to disguise from their parents what they’re talking about.

The NetLingo web site has published a list of the acronyms used in such text messaging. If you need to keep an eye on what your kids are sending to (and receiving from) their friends, these are invaluable. Here are twenty of them, culled from a shorter list, just to show you some examples:

  1. 8 – Oral sex
  2. 1337 – Elite
  3. 143 – I love you
  4. 182 – I hate you
  5. 459 – I love you
  6. 1174 – Nude club
  7. 420 – Marijuana
  8. ADR – Address
  9. ASL – Age/Sex/Location
  10. banana – Penis
  11. CD9 – Code 9 – it means parents are around
  12. DUM – Do You Masturbate?
  13. DUSL – Do You Scream Loud?
  14. FB – F*** Buddy
  15. FMLTWIA – F*** Me Like The Whore I Am
  16. FOL – Fond of Leather
  17. GNOC – Get Naked On Cam
  18. GYPO – Get Your Pants Off
  19. IAYM – I Am Your Master
  20. IF/IB – In the Front -or- In the Back

Go read the whole list. Very useful information – although it’s somewhat sickening to think that young teens (and even some pre-teens) are involved in this nastiness when they should still be enjoying their childhood.

Peter

1 comment

  1. I’m reminded of Maureen’s Dad in Heinlein’s “Sail Beyond the Sunset” book. Something to the effect of “you kids think you invented all this stuff, poor thing.” Nothing there that would have shocked me too awful much in highschool mumbledy-odd years ago.

    The difference ain’t that kids are sex obsessed now when they weren’t before. The difference is that once upon a time, they’d be about ready to get hitched. Same desires, same impulses – different expression.

    Prolonged adolescence has its benefits in a technologically specialized society that requires years (or decades) to get up to speed – but its not without cost.

    Pays your money, makes your choices.

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