By Heather Weidner
My day gig is in IT, and we love our acronyms. It’s almost
like a game to see how many acronyms we can put in one sentence. We use them as
every part of speech (all the time). I often have to translate for our business
partners.
When I was a young technical writer, our development team kept talking about processes in a system that were abended and were causing problems. Things were happening (or not happening in this case) because of the abends, and we needed to communicate this to the users. I thought I knew what it meant from context clues, but I needed to be sure so I could explain it to the folks using the system. I couldn’t find the word anywhere, and no one knew the true definition. Weeks later, I finally found it. It’s a coding term for an abnormal ending of a process. Ab-end is a portmanteau word, one that combines parts of several words for a new expression. That’s when I started a glossary to ensure everyone had the same understanding because some of our acronyms have multiple meanings.
The more research I did, I learned that there are different kinds of acronyms and abbreviations. According to Merriam-Webster, there are acronyms, which are pronounced as a word like SCUBA and NATO and initialisms, which are abbreviations created from the first letter of each word. These are pronounced as a series of letters like POV and CPR.
My job has always been to translate for the non-geeky side of our business and to ensure that our communications are clear and understandable. My glossary morphed into a webpage that is now a resource in our knowledge base.
During my stay in IT-land, I have found some interesting acronyms and initialisms over the years. Here are a few that may give you a giggle.
Terms to Describe User Errors
BFO – Blinding Flashing of the Obvious
CBE – Carbon-based Error
EBK – Error Behind Keyboard
ID10T – Geek-speak for Idiot
NSFW – Neglected to Save File in Word
PEBCAK – Problem Exists Between Chair and Keyboard
PICNIC – Problem in Chair, Not Computer
RTFM – Read the Freakin’ Manual
TLDR – Too Lazy, Didn’t Reboot
Terms for Motivation
BICFOK – Butt in Chair, Fingers on Keyboard
Terms to Describe Often Unexplainable System Errors
BBS – Bizarre Beeping Sounds
IRL – Infinite Reboot Loop
Terms Used to Explain Things
BTD – Bored to Death
IIRC – If I Remember Correctly
NSFW – Not Safe for Work
PFM – Pure Freakin’ Magic
SWAG – Stuff We All Get
TLDR – Too Long, Didn’t Read
WYSIWYG – What You See Is What You Get
What are some acronyms or initialisms you would add to the list? And have you ever run into one that you couldn’t find the meaning?
Heather Weidner writes cozy crime fiction for readers who want justice with a sprinkle of fun and a southern accent.
Through the years, Heather has been a cop’s kid, technical writer, editor, college professor, software tester, and IT manager. She writes the Pearly Girls Mysteries, the Delanie Fitzgerald Mysteries, The Jules Keene Glamping Mysteries, and The Mermaid Bay Christmas Shoppe Mysteries. Her short stories appear in a variety of anthologies, and she has non-fiction pieces in Promophobia and The Secret Ingredient: A Mystery Writers’ Cookbook.
