This remnant will be replaced soon. The FAQ is back, with a new design! What does ___ stand for? The Internet is known for widespread use of abbrevations and acronyms. Pholks on the Phish.net use scores of additional ones to refer to songs and the like. This can be particularly confusing in environments that include lots of new folks. Bold entries are local (or at least in some way specific) to Phish.net. Italicized entries are relatively common throughout cyberspace, or elsewhere, or were at some time. This is intended to be an exhaustive list of common ones, but you still use them at your own risk (of not communicating). See also, acronymn index. ABB: Allman Brothers Band AFAIK: as far as i know AFK: away from keyboard (esp. in IRC) AGR: Agents of Good Roots ALO: A Live One AIUI: as i understand it ASAP: as soon as possible ASZ: "Also Sprach Zarathustra", aka "2001" AUD: Audience recording of a show, made using microphones with in the taping section or FOB, as opposed to a recording made from the soundboard (2-track or otherwise), FM radio, pre-FM, local FM (e.g. for handicapped seating), or monitor feed. B&P or B and P: blanks and postage BATR: Bouncing Around the Room BBFCFM: Big Black Furry Creature From Mars (once argued as BFatFCFM, but released as Black on Hampton Comes Alive) BBS: be back soon (esp. in IRC) BBJ: Big Ball Jam or Beach Ball Jam or Big Beach Jam BOAF: Birds of a Feather BRB: be right back (esp. in IRC) BRTR: Bouncing Round the Room BTGOG: by the grace of God BTGOI: by the grace of Iculus BTN: better than nothing BTSOOM: beats the shit out of me BTP: back to paul (alternative to FOB; see also BTP, RUF; compare OTS) BTW: by the way BUDD: Bountiful Universe of Digital Dead, a mailing list similar to digiphish BYOB: bring your own beverage/bottle/beer/bud CD: Compact Disk (See bootlegs, and CDR, below. CD-R: Compact Disk Recordable, compact discs that can be purchased blank and recorded to (for storing or transport, of data or music), or the drive that records them. Don't confuse CDRs traded not for profit with commercial bootlegs. CD-RW: Compact Disc ReWritables, compact discs that can be recorded to multiple times, by writing at a different angle, or the drive that can write (and rewrite) to CD-RW discs. Blanks typically cost 4-10 times as much. CDT: Chalkdust Torture CTB: Cars Trucks Busses CWYTWM: Come waste your time with me (chorus from orginal tune "Waste") DAO: Disk-At-Once recording, a process for writing CDRs that leaves no gaps between tracks. DAT: Digital Audio Tape, a technology for recording audio (or data) on tape digitally. DAUD: audience tape (see AUD) mastered on a DAT DAUD1: analag master of an audience tape, e.g. Mics > Dat > Analog, as opposed to DAUD2, which is Source > Dat > Analog master > Analog copy. (See generations.) DBB: deep banana blackout, a jam band DEG: "Dave's Energyguide" DFC: dead fucking center (as in good seats or good mic location) DMB: Dave Matthews Band DOL: Dude of Life DSBD: soundboard tape (see SBD) mastered on DAT DSBD1: analog master copy of a DSBD, i.e. SBD > DAT > Analog, constituting the first analog generation. DWD: Down with Disease ELOL: evil laugh out loud (see LOL below) FEFY: Fast Enough For You FM: Frequency Modulation, a technology for transmitting audio (or other data) along radio frequencies, or a tape made by capturing those transmissions FM1: master recording of an FM transmission (radio broadcast or otherwise; see AUD for other possibilities.) FMU: from my understanding FOB: Front of Board (tapes made with mics forward of the soundboard) FOTM: Fire on the Mountain FS: for sale FT: for trade FTF: face-to-face FTR: for the record FTM: for that matter FWIW: for what it's worth FWTW: for what that's worth FUBAR: fucked up beyond all recognition FYI: for your information GA: go ahead, used in TTY at the end of each line or request GCH: Giant Country Horns GD: the grateful dead GDTS: Grateful Dead Ticket Service GIAT: give it a try GTBT: Good Times Bad Times GR&D: grinning running and ducking (i.e. flame bait) GWOS: goes without saying HAND: have a nice day HQ: high quality, esp. in re a tape or recording, as in "ISO HQ 2/20/93" (i.e. "someone got a phat Roxy tape?") HTH: happy to help HYHU: Hold Your Head Up IAC: in any case IAE: in any event IAH: i am hydrogen IANAL: i am not a lawyer IDK: i didn't know IIH: if it helps IIWY: if i were you IIRC: if i remember correctly IIUC: if i understand correctly IMO: in my opinion IMCO: in my considered opinion IMHBIO: in my humble but informed opinion IMHO: in my humble/honest opinion IMNSHO: in my not so humble opinion IOW: in other words IRC: internet relay chat IRL: in real life (as opposed to online) ISO: in search of, esp. in re tapes (as in "ISO HQ 2/20/93" or "ISO 12/31/99 tix") ITA: if that's alright ITNOI: in the name of Iculus JMP: jazz mandolin project KMA: kiss my alvin LOL: laugh out loud LXL: "limb by limb" MB: megabyte (1,024 kilobytes; a floppy disc is usually 1.4MB; a CDR is typically 640MB or 700MB) MD: MiniDisc, a technology for recording digital music on cute little teeny-weeny diskettes, which seemed like a good idea but hasn't really taken off in the way that DAT and CDR have. MO: Mail Order, as in Tickets-By-Mail MFMF: My Friend, My Friend MLB or MLBJ: Mind Left Body (Jam) MMGAMOIO: My minds got a mind of its own MMW: Medeski Martin and Wood (funky jazz trio) MO: mail order or money order MP3: sound file using a specific compression scheme recently popular on the internet MSO: My Sweet One NFW: no friggin' way NG: newgroup NICU: song title NOPC: no obligatory Phish content NPC: no Phish content NPC: not politically correct NRN: no reply necessary NSTAAFL: no such thing as a free lunch (may be TANSTAAFL, There Ain't...) NBTYRSP: now back to your regularly scheduled program(ming) NYE: new year's eve OMT: one more time OOC: out of control or out of commission OPC: obligatory Phish content OTN: on the net OTR: on the road OTOH: on the other hand OTS: official taper section (compare FOB, BTP, SCT, or RUF) PBs: the phunky bitches PB&J: peanut butter & jelly PB&J&B: peanut butter & jelly & bananas PITA: pain in the ass PLM: People for a Louder Mike PMITE: "punch me in the eye" PON: Picture of Nectar PS: Phish sighting, or post-script (something added below a signature on a letter) PTBM: Phish Tickets-by-Mail PYITE: Punch You In The Eye (orgininally PMITE) RLA or Antelope: Run Like an Antelope RMP (usually in lower case, rmp): rec.music.phish ROTFL: rolling on the floor laughing ROTFLMAO: rolling on the floor laughing my arse off RSN: real soon now RT: return (as in "RT address" for mailing tapes) RTFM: read the "friggin" manual/message; or, read the faq, man RUF: right up front (alternative to FOB; see also BTP, SCT; compare OTS) SBD: SoundBoaRD -- a tape made from the actual mixing console, rather than from microphone input. Typically an analog master recording, as opposed to DSBD which is initially recorded directly from the soundboard to DAT. SCT: self-centered tapers (alternative to FOB; see also BTP, RUF; compare OTS) SEG: shit-eating grin SCI: string cheese incident, a jam band from boulder colorado SITD: still in the dark SITM: Silent in the Morning SIYNE: smilies if you need em SK: used in TTY to indicate that you wish to disconnect SNAG: sensitive new age guy SNAFU: situation normal, all fucked up SSIA: subject says it all SSTTA: Sneakin Sally Through the Alley STTA: Surrender to the Air SOAM: Split Open & Melt (more commonly Split or Melt) or Scent of a Mule (more commonly Scent or Mule) TAB: Trey Anastasio Band, typically his Summer 2000 ("money love and change") tour but sometimes also to refer to his earlier "solo" tours (both of which included other musicians, inc. Tony and Russ). TAO: Track At Once, a method of recording to CDRs that places short artificial gaps between tracks TAYL: talk at ya later TBS: to be sure TBW: to begin with TFBT: Traders for a Better Tomorrow (was) TFTB: Theme From the Bottom (more commonly Theme) TGIF: thank god it's friday TGIF: thank gordon it's friday TIA: thanks in advance TIC: tongue in cheek TLA: three-letter acronym TLC: tender loving care TMI: too much information TMWSIY: The Man Who Stepped Into Yesterday TOO: The Other Ones (post-Garcia Grateful Dead) TTYL: talk to ya later WAV: a WAV file (such as sound.wav or caspian.wav) is a kind of sound file WAYSIYEM: What Are You Saying In You Enjoy Myself? and its variant WATSIYEM: What Are They Saying In You Enjoy Myself? (but remember: it's an acronym because its an overused question!) 'Ween: Halloween (vs. simply Ween, the band) WMGGW: While My Guitar Gently Weeps WOTC: "Walls of the Cave", a Phish original WRT: with respect to WSP: Widespread Panic WTB: Wanted To Buy (as in, "WTB: 2 for Lakewood", indicating the desire to pay for two tickets to Atlanta's Lakewood Amphitheater) WTF: what the fuck WTR: Wanted To Rent WUDMTF : Washa Uffitze Drive Me to Firenze (probably WTASIYEM) WWW: world wide web YEM: You Enjoy Myself YHABIYE: you have a banana in your ear, and its variant ICHWYSIHABIME.... YHBT: you have been trolled (as when someone has posted flamebait and you flame them) YHL: you have lost (often YHBT HYL HAND, as on alt.society.generation-x) YMMV: your mileage may vary YYSSW: yeah yeah sure sure whatever Note: Many titles can be shortened to one word. Except for TMWSIY, abbreviations may only lead to later confusion, whereas one-wording will be pretty darn clear, or at least real darn close. (e.g. Creature, Hood, Ice, Antelope....) Thanks to Dan Mielcarz, Mike Lerdawg, Rob H at Columbia;, SJack, Beth Haas, Paul D. Crittenden, Taylor, Craig Volpe, James McMullen, Andrew Cogan, and Kristen Godard, among others in the Phish.Net; and to Brad Jackson, for his 1/26/92 post to SAS-L. See also, more complete list, as well as Emoticon Dictionaries 1, 2, 3; and How to Speak 1337. "[Other species] tend to work with what's there. They don't really change the basic structure of it." -- Jon Fishman, 4/22/92 interview with Shelly Culbertson This page last updated June 04, 2007. All contents © 1992-2007 Ellis Godard. All rights reserved.