Miscellaneous

24/7 - (abbreviation) 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Usage example: "a: are you online often?" "b: yeah, 24/7".

404 - have no clue. Literally: error message 404, address not found.

^5 - (abbreviation) high five; that hand slapping in the air thing American basket-ballers do whenever they score. Just turn on the telly some Saturday afternoon.

** - denotes that the words or (abbreviation) between the asterisks represent physical expression. Usage example: "*sigh*", "*S*", "‘*weg*".

(((((((monkey))))))) - the brackets indicate that a chatter is being hugged, usually in greeting or at parting.

A

AFK - away from keyboard. Signalling that the person is currently busy but will return in 1 minute, 5 minutes, half an hour or when their boss has left the building. If you wonder why a person is not responding to you, scroll back to see if they have left a "afk" or "brb" message. Alternatively, they may be pm’ing and just too damn busy to talk to you.

AKA - also known as. Usage example: "do you know Suz aka wildgrrl?".

A/all - the form of address when directing a remark to all dommes and all subs. Usage example: "hello A/all".

ASAP - as soon as possible.

A/S/L - Age? Sex? Location? A question often asked very early in a conversation by wankers and other rude people. You don’t have to answer. The whole point of cyberspace is that you are a person rather than a vehicle for your genitals or someone else's prejudices.

ATTN - attention.

av/avi - see avatar.

avatar - picture or image you choose to represent you in chat. Static pictures may be posted in some text chatrooms, 3D pictures are used in 3D chatrooms. Some chatters are av makers, that is, they make avatars for other chatters or for their friends. The wearer or maker of a great av is much admired. A great many av's used are simply unaltered pictures saved from a site somewhere on the net. Some large chat providers have a selection of av's for their members to choose from. However, these usually bear evidence of the heated imaginings of misogyny, as do most of those from clip-art sites. Usage examples: "hey, gillfish, love your av. did you make it?", "hang on. i’ve got an address for good av's". 'Avatar' is from Sanskrit. It's original meaning is the descent of a deity or released soul to earth in bodily form; incarnation; manifestation [Oxford dictionary, 1997].

AWOL/ AWL - absent without leave. Usage example: "A: hey, what happened to C?" "B: She went awol. I think her browser is on the blink.", "D: what’s wrong, E?" "E: my gf went awol. She just dumped me without a word."

AYT - are you there?

B

B&D/B and D - bondage and discipline. That is, sexual activity in which one person gets tied up and the other person inflicts verbal or physical punishment on them. Note: There are many and varied permutations on this theme. Usage example: "anyone fancy a little B and D?", "sorry, ropegrrl, you're cute but I’m not into B&D".

BDSM - bondage discipline sadism masochism; B&D with the specific inclusion of the infliction of punishment by a sadist on a masochist. Usage example: "This is a bdsm room and may contain pictures or activities of a sexual nature. If you have chosen this room in error please click here".

BF - boyfriend.

blue screen of death - when this happens to your computer, close one or more programmes. It's not actually fatal, despite its name.

board - messageboard; an address in cyber-space where comments and replies to comments can be posted. Many boards are publicly accessible but some have passwords to restrict them to members-only use. On all boards, brevity is the soul of netiquette. Long, rambling and pointless posts are looked upon with disfavour and rarely attract replies.

bottom - See sub.

boyf - see bf.

BRB - be right back. The person is on a toilet break, pretending they are working because their boss is in the room, taking their dinner out of the oven before it burns, retrieving a file or pic for you to look at, emailing you, ghosting in another room, etc.. They will probably be back within 3 minutes. When is it considered impolite to "brb"? When at a crucial point in cybering.

browser - the software thingy that lets you get onto the internet and look at websites like this one.

B4 - before.

BEG - big evil grin.

BFN - bye for now.

BIBO - beer in beer out.

BMOC - big man on campus.

BS - bullshit.

BTDT - been there, done that.

BTSOOM - beats the shit out of me.

BTW - by the way.

C

C - see.

chat - "hi, you've reached x's phone. I can't come to the phone right now. I'm either not home, at work or in chat", "this is my new gf. We met in chat".

chat - to communicate with others in a chat room. Usage example: "I would chat all night if I didn't have to work in the mornings", "how often do you chat?"

chat provider - a website on which public or members-only chat is possible. These sites range from the very large and popular and heavily populated, to very small sites with chat facilities provided for a specific subject at a specific time, such as a chatroom provided on an academic website. The big, popular websites are free to all comers, if you don't mind the bombardment of pornography advertisements, but most offer membership also. Membership on these sites usually offers benefits like guaranteed entry to rooms even when they are full, reservation of your nick and, sometimes, less advertising.

chatroom - see room.

chatter - person who chats.

clip-art - copyright-free illustrations, pictures, avatars, etc. available on sites on the internet.

collar - a collar worn by a sub to indicate that she is in a committed relationship with a domme. Usage example: "A: hey, guess what? C's taking a collar next week." "B: you're kidding? I thought she wasn't into commitment".

collar - the act of giving, receiving or wearing a collar. Usage example: "E: she can't cyber with you without her domme's permission. She's collared".

CNP - continued (in my) next post.

CRAFT - can't remember a fucking thing.

CU - see you.

CUL8R - see you later.

CYA - see ya.

cyber- takes place or is located in cyber-space. Usage example: "cyber-sex", "cyber-cafe". Virtual is also used in the same way, though mainly by newspapers now.

cyber - the virtual act of sex or other acts of a sexual nature, for example, sadomasochism and bondage & discipline. Usage example: "I am in mid cyber. Come back later".

cyber - the act of computer-mediated sex or performance of other acts of a sexual nature. Usage example: "so, this new girl you met online. did you and her cyber?" Some people don't get cyber, they're not turned on by it or they don't believe they would be if they tried it. Some people use cyber to have sex with someone in another city or country. Some people stick to stick realism when they cyber, i.e., if it can't be done in real life they don't do it in cyber. Some people use cyber to remove the physical restraints of their human bodies, i.e., they might be more flexible in cyber or be the opposite sex or an hermaphrodite (person with fully functional male and female genitals) or an animal or tree.

cyber-space - the place inside our heads which we enter when we go online; the place we imagine we are when we communicate with others by means of the internet. Usage example: "the infinity of cyber-space", "in cyber-space no-one can hear you fart".

D

Domme/ dom - in bdsm, describing a person who is dominant. Usage example: "are you a Domme?", "he is too Dom for me". See also sub.

Domme/ dom - in bdsm, she or he who dominates. Usage example: "she is a Domme, "are you a Domme or a sub?".

DFG - devilish fucking grin.

DL/ D/L - download.

E

EG - evil grin.

EMSG - email message.

EOD - end of discussion.

EOF - end of file. May be used to denote the end of a file that has been included in a post.

F

flamer - 1. she or he who flames; person who posts or emails purely negative comment. Usage example: "Flamers will be given two warnings then blocked by the moderator". 2. gay or bisexual male who behaves in a flamboyant or obviously (to hetersexuals) gay manner.

flame - on messageboards, the posting of comment or replies ranging from the purely childish to the splendidly witty, and hitting every mark in between. Usage example: "Warning: flaming is allowed on this board".

F2F - face to face; in RL; in the real world. Usage example: "I'm meeting my online gf f2f next month. I'm really nervous. What if I don't like her in real life? What if she doesn't like me?".

FAQ - frequently asked questions.

FOAD - fuck off and die.

FYI - for your information.

G

G - grin.

GAL - 1. get a life. 2. girl.

GBG - God bless Google.

gf/GF - girlfriend.

GGL - giggle.

ghosting - to appear to be in a room for chat but to be chatting in another room or carrying out some other task at the same time. Usage example: "Newbie: why won't H talk to me?" "J: she's ghosting. She'll be back in a while".

godmod/godmoder - a moderator with delusions of grandeur, literally a mod who thinks they are God. Usage example: "a lot of the other gaming rooms I've been in either don't stick the rules or have too many godmoders in them".

Google - www.google.com, a popular search engine; the use of Google. Example: "Don't ask me, go to Google." "That lazy bastard can't even be bothered to Google."

Graphic chat - a room in which chatters are represented by graphics or avatars (pictures) and the room itself is represented by a picture of a room/garden/alien space ship/etc. The chatter can navigate her avatar around this room and into others and so appears to be moving through a physical space. Usage example: "I went into a graphic room the other day. It was pretty cool", "Yeah, it's fun but I still prefer text-only".

graphic - picture or image.

graphic heavy - having lots of graphics.

H

harness - 1. worn around the hips and legs, for the purpose of attaching a strap-on dildo to the body. 2. a bdsm item, a number of straps, attached to a collar, and often decorated with metal studs.

H & K/hak - hugs and kisses.

HAND - have a nice day.

HJ - 1. headjob, blowjob, oral sex. 2. handjob, sexual stimulation using the hand or hands.

I

IC - I see.

ICQ - I seek you. Refers to the messaging and chatter-tracking services provided by such sites as icq.com.

IM - instant messaging; instant messenger. IM is a private chat window which allows the chatter to see when the other person is online and to activate the window for chat. Usage example: "I'm online in the mornings. We could chat. Have you got IM?" IM programs include, but are not limited to, Yahoo Messenger, AIM, AOL, Trillian.

IMHO - in my humble opinion.

IP - Internet Provider.

IRC - Internet Relay Chat.

ISP - Internet Service Provider.

J

JAM - just a minute.

JK - just kidding; it's a joke.

K

K - okay.

KISS - keep it simple, stupid.

KOTC - kiss on the cheek.

KIT - keep in touch.

KMA - kiss my arse; kiss my ass.

L

L - laugh.

L8R - later.

L8R G8R - later gator; see you later, alligator.

lat - latitude.

lexicographer - a writer of dictionaries; a harmless drudge, that busies [them]self in ... detailing the signification of words. This definition is lifted from Johnson's Dictionary: a modern selection by E.L. McAdam & George Milne (1995) Cassell: London. Samuel Johnson is the father of the modern dictionary.

LMAO - laughing my arse off.

loff - log off.

lol/LOL - laughing out loud.

lon - 1. log on. 2. longitude.

LTNS - long time no see.

LY - love ya.

M

mod - moderator; person who has the authority and the passwords to block another person's use of or entry to a room or board. Usage example: "It's time we called the mod in on this wanker".

MIDI - musical instrument digital interface.

MorF/ M/F - male or female.

MOTD - message of the day.

MOTSS - members of the same sex.

MSG/ MSSG - message.

MTF - more to follow.

MUD - multi-user dungeon.

MYOB - 1. mind your own business. 2. a software programme for money management.

N

netiquette - net etiquette; polite behaviour while online; no shouting, no flaming (except in flame-specific rooms or boards), no PM'ing those who don't want to be PM'd (stop if they're not interested), no chucking wobblies when no-one will talk to you. Why won't people talk to you? They could be PM'ing, or in the middle of a conversation already, or you're being an arsehole and they don't want to talk to you. How to be an arsehole in cyber-space: expect everyone to love you, PM those who don't want to be PM'd, SHOUT, chuck a wobbly when no-one will talk to you, go into a room and start slagging off the topic of conversation, enter a room which specifically excludes you (for example: go into a female-only room if you are a male), behave in a manner that would be unpleasant or inappropriate in RL.

nick - nickname or online name. Usage example: "funkyfunkypinkgala: hey, it's X, how do you like my new nick?" "nervouswombat: hey, I love it, babe". The selection of an imaginative, unique and accurately-descriptive nick will earn the admiration of others and is considered something of an art among dedicated chatters. To call yourself "Anonymous" is to invite ridicule.

N/A - not applicable/ no answer.

NC - no comment; I wish to make no comment or give no answer.

Newbie - novice user, person is not yet familiar with the internet or with computers. See also: virgin.

Noob - American abbreviation of newbie.

Nothing between the nipple and the knee - don't have sex in this chatroom. Public sex is not welcome in most public chatrooms. You wanna get down and get squinky in front to strangers? Go to google and search "chat" + "voyeur".

NP - no problem.

NSS - no shit, Sherlock.

O

offline - that which is not online; the condition of not being connected to or on the internet. Usage example: "I have to quit chat for good to save my offline relationship", "I write my email offline then come online and paste it into compose", "I've only been online a couple of months but I don't think I could live offline now".

online - that which is not offline; the condition of being connected to or on the internet. Usage example: "I come online first thing in the morning", "I am online 24/7", "I'm not on with her in RL. We met online. She lives on the other side of the planet".

OIC - oh I see.

OMG - oh my god.

OTP - on the phone. An explanation of the chatter's temporary absence from the chatroom conversation.

P

Peeps - people.

Pic - picture.

post - 1. message left on a messageboard. Usage example: "to all board users - it is inconsiderate to other users to leave long posts as these cause the board to take longer to load". 2. participate in conversation in a chatroom. Example: "what was that last post? I can't scroll back. I had to reload". 3. publish words, pictures or multimedia files on a blog. 4. (non-American) mail, snail mail.

PM - private message; exchange private messages within a chatroom. Usage example: "can I pm you?", "oh goddess, I could pm you forever. You are sooooo sexy".

pml - pissing myself laughing.

ppl - people.

PS - post script; a thought added to a letter or email after the signature or sign-off.

Q

q - question.

qt - cutie; spunkrat.

qwertied - having the imprint of the keyboard on your face when you fell asleep at the computer. From QWERTY, the letters on the left of the top row of letters on a keyboard.

How to use this site

To find a word, press CTRL and F on your keyboard, type a word or letter into the box that comes up and press ENTER or search.

Adult learners of English, this site is at an advanced learners' level of English. Chatting on the internet or world wide web will NOT improve your English. Language used by native speakers of English on the internet is at an extrememly advanced level, it is frequently spelled badly and it is a combination of written and spoken language found nowhere but on the internet.
When writing email to a business or of a commercial nature, use standard written formal language.

R

RL - real life; those parts of one's life not mediated by cyber-space. Note: the chatter usually recognises that cyber-life is also real life but says RL to distinguish those parts of her life not mediated by the internet from those parts which are. Usage example: "I gotta go in 10 [minutes]. Gotta get back to RL", "are you on with her in RL too?", "I'm not on with her in RL. We met online. She lives in Canada".

Room - an individual chat forum within a chat site, or a stand-alone chatroom on a smaller site. A large popular chat site may have as many as 200 rooms, a small chat site may have one room used at different times for different chatters or less than 10 rooms used simultaneously. Rooms have names intended to inform the chatter of the interests of the chatters within them.

rofl/ROFL - rolling on the floor laughing. In reply to a funny message.

R - are.

RCI - rectal-cranial inversion; the person referred to has their head up their arse, metaphorically speaking.

Re - regarding; in reference to. Usage example: "LOL re the unicorn, julie."

RTFM - read the fucking manual.

RTI - real time interruption.

RUOK - Are you okay?

S

S - smile.

shout - to type in CAPS or CAPITAL letters. THE EFFECT OF TYPING IN CAPS IN CYBERSPACE IS VERY SIMILAR TO SHOUTING IN RL CONVERSATION. It is irritating to others. Usage example: "Stop shouting. It makes you look like such a dickhead."

smilies / smilicons / emoticons - the combination of keyboard keys to represent facial expressions. Examples of smilies: : ) :- ) smiley face ; ) winking face :_( crying face : P poking tongue out face >: ( frowning face :D grinning face etc.

SNAFU - situation normal, all fucked up.

SNERT - snot-nosed egotistical rude teenager.

SO - significant other (girlfriend, boyfriend, lover, wife, husband, etc).

SorG/ S/G - are you straight or gay?

S B or G/ S/G/Bi - are you straight, bisexual or gay?

sound of one hand typing, the - the act of having sex via text chat. Your other hand is in your underwear. See cyber.

SPAM - sometimes known as Stupid People's Advertisement; unsolicited email sent in mass mail-outs, usually of a commercial nature.

Strap-on - dildo; a silicone or latex object similarly shaped and used similarly to the way a penis is used.

sub - in bdsm, a submissive person; a bottom. Usage example: "is your sub collared?"

subby - behaving in a submissive manner. Usage example: "I'm a bit subby when I want to be", "He's too subby for me."

SWALK - sealed with a loving kiss.

switch - in bdsm, she who moves between being domme and sub or sub and domme.

switch - in bdsm, to move between domme and being sub.

T

tech-head - a person who knows how computers work. Usage example: "Don't ask me, I’m no tech-head."

text chat - chat in which the chatter’s input is typed and not graphic. Usage example: "Hey, anon, you wanna post so many pics go to a pic room. This is text chat", "I still prefer text chat. I like to bypass all the visual distractions and plug straight into the person's intellect."

top - in sexual intercourse, the one who penetrates. IN BDSM, see domme.

TY - thank you.

TA - thanks again.

TAT - turn around time.

TC - telephone call.

TCP/IP - Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol.

U

U - you.

UL/ U/L - upload.

UnPC - politically incorrect.

URL - universal resource locator; website address. http://www.google.com/ is an URL.

V

vanilla - non-B&D/bondage and discipline/ bdsm/ sm/ sado-masochism. Usage example: "You wanna do vanilla sex for a change?", "Hey, vanilla, you're in the wrong room".

VC - virtual community.

W

wanker - 1. literally: he who masturbates. 2. A male who comes into chat or who emails for the purpose of one-sided sexual gratification. The wanker is typified by his persistent and aggressive behaviour and his total disregard for the rights of others. 3. Person whose behaviour is negative or causes others to have little respect for him or her. Usage example: "I wouldn't bother replying to him if I was you, he's just a wanker."

whisper - a private message within a chatroom. Usage example: "hey, pet, let's take it to whisper."

whisper - to send or receive a private message. Usage example: "are you whispering to someone?".

W - wink.

WB - welcome back.

WEG - wicked evil grin. Usage example: *weg*.

w/o - without.

WTFRU - who the fuck are you?

WYSIWYG - what you see is what you get.

Z

ZIAO - zoning in and out; not concentrating all the time. Usage example: "Did you mean me? I was ZIAO a bit there".