Online Slang for the Not-So-Savvy

Sat, Jan 24, 2009, by Cassis

Web Talk

There’s no shame in not knowing what some words mean, especially if they aren’t in a real dictionary. Sometimes you get some weird slang term thrown at you and you don’t know what it means.

Teenagers say so many things these days that just boggle the mind. You hear words flying at you that make no sense. Have you ever had those, “What did you just call me?” moments? For those who are new to the internet, things might be a little confusing when you meet an online geek. When I got on, I was made fun of for not knowing some of these terms. Don’t let that be you, and use this dictionary. It might keep you safe in some instances.

AFK – An acronym for “Away From Keyboard”.
Example:
Fred: Are you there?
Bob may not respond because his status is set to away.
 ~ a few minutes later ~
Bob: Sorry, I was AFK.

Avvie – Avvie is short for one’s avatar or DP.
Example:
Fred: Dude, check out my avvie!
Bob: Sweet!

BRB – A full sentence in three letters, this acronym means “Be Right Back”. It’s easily typed, therefore often used to speedily get away from the computer.
Example:
Fred: So, how are you?
Bob: brb
Fred: kk
~ a few minutes later ~
Bob: Back

Chatspeak – A lighter, and more accepted form of leet, chatspeak is widely used among teenagers these days. It’s a form of laziness, as it includes shortened words, missing vowels, a lack of proper grammar, and missing punctuation. A common form of making fun of those who use chatspeak or leet, people will put a ton of exclamation points, along with “1″s and “one”s mixed in.
Example:
Fred: hay how r u?
Bob: im awsom!!!11!!one!

Citrus – A fanfiction term, citrus refers to lemons(graphically sexual) and limes(sexual reference). Stray away from fanfictions with these labels if these topics are not to your taste.
Example:
Bob: Hey, check out this fanfic.
Fred: Okay… EW! Citrus!
Bob: lol Got you!

DP – Display picture; avatar.
Example:
Fred: Dude, sweet DP.
Bob: Thanks, I found the pic online.

Elite – Distinctly different from leet, the elite is a self dubbed group of online users. They usually have small, centered font on the chatboards, the default avatar for the particular website, and a signature that nobody can possibly understand. They speak with a high level of literation, though some prefer the variation of not capitalizing anything. They consider themselves to be literates, and belittle those who are below their literacy. It’s an online label.
Example:
Fred: Yo
EliteEliot: i find your lack of punctuation disgusting. get off my board.

Fin – Usually used in fanfiction writing that is posted online, it looks like a fancier way to indicate that the writer is finished with their piece. It’s often used if, for some reason, it isn’t apparent that the piece is finished when the writing ceases. It looks clean at the end, especially for a dramatic stop.
Example:
. . . And so, little Tommy lived happily ever after with his ninja friends and pet monkey Bob.
Fin

Flame – To flame is like virtual bullying. A flamer(one who flames) will find people to yell at for miniscule to nonexistent reasons. Flamers generally yell at people because of easily triggered irritation rather than amusement as kirbies do.
Example:
Bob: Hay, man. Nice gray shirt.
FlamerFobio: You’re such an idiot!!1!! It’s spelled grey!!1!

Grammar Nazi – One who goes around and corrects anyone’s grammar and spelling on anything.
Example:
Fred: Hey, Bob.
Bob: Hey, your going to be on tomorrow, right, Fred?
NaziAbby: *you’re

Kirby – A kirby is like a newbie flamer. They seek out people who are newbies and make fun of them merely because of what they are. They typically travel in packs and trash threads with uninvited none sense.
Example:
Sally: Hi, I’m new to the site.
Bob: Welcome. :)
Sally: Thanks!
KirbyKen: Where is Chicken Little?
Sally: What?
KirbyKen: The sky is falling.
Sally: Go away!
KirbyKen: Ah! Sue the sky!

Leet – Known in its own language as 1337, leet is the practice of using numbers and ASCII characters for words. It’s often used by “noobs”(aka n00bs), and is a very obnoxious way to speak. Despite it’s annoying nature, it’s easily learned on the internet. It’s a harsher version of Chatspeak, and comes in varied extremities.
Example:
1337H@x04: 1 //1|_|_ |2(_)|_3 7|-|3 //0|2|_|)!1!!1!
Translation: I will rule the world!!!!!!

Literate/Semi-literate – Literate, as many know, means to be ability to read and write. Online, it measures your ability to write intellectually. Literates are often elitists, and will act pompous and avoid others like the plague. Semi-literate is a term used loosely to refer to someone who is between literate and not. Some people find this category to be nonexistent. It can be shortened to lit.
Example:
LiterateLucy: Rules of joining the board: You must be literate. No semi-lits allowed.
SemiSammie: hey, can i join?
LiterateLucy: Get out.

LOL – Another acronym, this one is a humorous little three-lettered saying meaning “Laugh Out Loud”. It’s rather commonly found among any internet user. Spoken aloud, you could either say “l-o-l”, or shortened “lawl”. Other forms of “LOL” are “GLOL”, for “Genuine Laugh Out Loud”.
A common association with “LOL” is the new internet craze “LOLcat”. It takes pictures of cats and has humorous comments in chatspeak.   
Example:
Fred: Why did the chicken cross the road?
Bob: To prove to the possum it could actually be done!
Fred: lol

ROFL – Another form of online laugher, it means “Roll On Floor Laughing”, and is often used for the funnier things. An addition that some people put at the end is “ROFLMAO”, meaning “Roll on Floor Laughing my A** off”. The hilarity of the internet sometimes calls for such expression.
Example:
Fred: Dude, look, someone wrote an entire article on s’mores!
Bob: ROFLMAO! Where? Who would do that?
Fred: It’s here… I’m serious!

Noob – Annoying, begging, leet-using idiots, noobs(or n00bs) are often hated online. They gather in their noob-ish sites, often scam innocent people, and plot new begging methods.
Example:
NoobyNate: can i has photoshop free?
AnnoyedAnnie: Go get it yourself, or a free online version, idiot. Stop begging.
NoobyNate: where can i get it free?
AnnoyedAnnie: Here.

Newbie – Though pronounced the same as noob, a newb is one more often welcomed, though sometimes an irritant. A newbie is one who is new, hence the name newbie. They are the Freshman of the internet. The newbie of the site is frequently treated in three different manors. Either they are A) Ignored. Typically this is because they are not descriptive on what sort of assistance they require. B) Babied. This happens when they are found by seniors that adore little things; typically girls are the ones that baby, or the “big brother” type. C) Hated. Some people profess in flaming the newbies, whether or not they deserve it.
Example A:
Newbie1: hey, can anyone help me?
Newbie1: anyone?
Newbie1: i need help here!

Example B:
Newbie2: Hiya, I’m new.
SeniorSally: OMG, your avvie is so cute! Here, have some items pertaining to this site, or tons of tips!

Example C:
Newbie3: hiya im new whats up?
FlamerFobio: Hey, newb, get off the boards! Idiot!!1!1!

OMG – Popular among teenage girls, “OMG” means “Oh, my God”. Variations include “OMFG” meaning “Oh, my Freaking God”, or “OMJ” meaning “Oh, my Jesus”. It’s usually an overused expression for an astonished teenager, but is now used for just about any news or statement.
Example:
Fred: Hay, Suzy.
Suzy: OMG, Fred, like, guess what!

Own – A slang term that can be used for a variety of things. It’s usually used in the sense of rocking, beating, or winning.
Example:
Fred: You just got owned, man!
Bob: Dangit, I lost the game.

Pic – Shortened version of picture.
Example:
Fred: Check out this pic!
Bob: Awesome, man.

Pwn – A misspelling of the slang term “own”. The popular term used to be “own” before so many misspelled it as “pwn” due to the “p” and “o” being so close together. Pronounced “pone”.
Example:
Fred: Dangit, I’m dead!
Bob: Dude, I just totally pwned your robot.

Siggy – Short for signature; the font or picture that you customize to show up after your main posts in chat forums.
Example:
Bob says: Hey guys!
~Bob~  

TGIF – One that you will find online and offline, “TGIF” is one anyone would be glad to use as it means “Thank God it’s Friday”.
Example:
Bob: Ugh, I had two tests today.
Fred: Me too… Well, no school tomorrow. TGIF!

TMI – A popular teenager term, “TMI” means “too much information”.
Example:
TalkativeTilly: I’ll brb, gotta go pee.
Bob: Woah, woah, TMI!

For those of you in need of further help, keep an eye out for my soon-to-be-written articles Teenage Slang for the Not-So-Savvy, Anime Terms for the Not-So-Savvy, and Emoticons for the Not-So-Savvy, soon coming to a website near you.

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