Acronym Dictionary and Smileys

[jerbidoc@jaws.greatwhite.com (jerry and judy)]

                     The Smileys and Acronyms Dictionary

        This list of "smileys and acronyms" is largely from an email
      message from Lee Levitt. His address has somehow disappeared into
       cyberspace, and we're taking our chances that he won't mind our
     posting it here. Please send us new smileys to add to the list (no
                              X-rated please).

 [Image]Smileys

Like prehistoric cave dwellers, the devotees of electronic bulletin-boards
and "e-mail" have struggled to find a new way to express themselves. Wall
painting would not work. Words, it seems, are not enough. Inarticulate
sounds cannot be displayed on screens.  [Image]To make their messages feel

more like personal contact, newsgroup participants have hit on using the
punctuation marks on  [Image]an ordinary keyboard to make expressive faces

at each other. To read these signs, you have to tilt your head to your left
shoulder.

The basic "smiley" is:

:-)

In context, this means "I'm happy to hear from you", or other pleasantry.
Sometimes used in place of voice inflection to express a sarcastic or joking
statement.

The smiley can also wink, as in "tongue in cheek":

;-)

or be sarcastic:

:-> and even frown:

:-(

This one is indifferent; better than a frown but not as good as happy: :-I

Those are basic smileys. Here are some specialties:

8-) :-{) :-Q @:-)

Meaning, respectively, the writer wears sunglasses, has a moustache, smokes,
wears a turban.

The smiley can also indicate subtleties of mood and response:

:-D :-/ :-e :-7 :-X

. . . laughing, sceptical, disappointed, wry, keeping lips sealed.

Many signs (maybe the majority) are simply absurd fun, verging on the
unintelligible:

:-F *:o) +-:-) @=

. . . a buck-toothed vampire with one tooth missing, a clown, a cleric,
pro-nuclear.

     (-: Writer is left handed
     %-) has been staring at a green screen for 15 hours straight
     :*) drunk
     [:] a robot
     8-) wearing sunglasses
     B:-) wearing sunglasses on head
     ::-) wears normal glasses
     (:-) is Jewish
     B-) wears horn-rimmed glasses
     :-{) has a mustache
     :-{} wears lipstick
     {:-) a toupee
     }:-( toupee is in an updraft
     :-[ is a Vampire
     :-E a bucktoothed vampire
     :-F a bucktoothed vampire with one tooth missing
     :-7 made a wry statement
     :-* ate something sour
     :-)~ drools
     :-~) has a cold
     :'-( is crying
     :'-) so happy, s/he's crying
     :-@ Screaming
     :-# ears braces
     :^) has a broken nose
     :v) has a broken nose, but it's the other way
     :_) nose is sliding off of his face
     :<) from an Ivy League School
     :-& tongue tied.
     =:-) a hosehead
     -:-) a punk rocker
     -:-( (real punk rockers don't smile)
     :=) has two noses
     `:-) shaved off one of his eyebrows this morning
     ,:-) same thing...other side
     |-I asleep
     |-O yawning/snoring
     :-Q a smoker
     :-? smokes a pipe
     O-) Megaton Man On Patrol! (or a scuba diver)
     O :-) an angel (at heart, at least)
     :-P Nyahhhh!
     :-S an incoherent statement
     :-D laughing (at you!)
     :-X lips are sealed
     :-C really bummed
     :-/ skeptical
     C=:-) a chef
     @= pro-nuclear war
     *<:-) wearing a Santa Claus Hat
     :-o Uh oh!
     (8-o it's Mr. Bill!
     *:o) Bozo the Clown!
     3:] pet
     3:[ mean pet
     d8= pet beaver wearing goggles and a hard hat.
     E-:-) a ham radio operator
     :-9 licking lips
     %-6 brain dead
     [:-) wearing a walkman
     (:I an egghead
     <:-I a dunce
     K:P a kid with a propeller beenie
     @:-) wearing a turban
     :-0 No Yelling! (Quiet Lab)
     :-: mutant Smilie
     the invisible smilie
     .-) has one eye
     ,-) ditto ... winking
     8 :-) a wizard

Mega-Smiley . . . C=}>;*{)) A drunk, devilish chef, with a toupee in an
updraft, mustache, and double chin.

Note: A lot of the above can be typed without noses to make midget smileys.

Acronym Dictionary

AE                      In Any Event
BTW                   By the way
FM                      Fine Magic
FC                      Fingers Crossed
FWIW                 For what it's worth
FYI                     For Your Information
FUA                    Frequently Used Acronyms
IITYWTMWYBMAD    If I Tell You What This Means Will You Buy Me A Drink?
IAE                     In any event
IANAL                 I Am Not A Lawyer, also IANA... such as CPA
IMO                    In my opinion
IMHO                  In my humble opinion
IMCO                  In my considered opinion
IOW                    In other words
NRN                   No Reply Necessary
OTOH                 On the other hand
PITA                   Pain in the butt
ROFL                  Rolling on floor laughing.
RSN                   Real Soon Now [which may be a long time coming]
RTFM                 Read the Fine(?) manual
SNAFU               Situation Normal: All [bleeped] Up
SITD                  Still in the dark
TANSTAAFL       There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch
TIA                    Thanks In Advance (also AtDhVaAnNkCsE)
TIC                    Tongue in cheek
TLA                   Three Letter Acronym (such as this)
YMMV                Your Mileage May Vary

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