Teen Language: Internet Lingo – Decoding Internet Lingo and Character Symbols

Found this on the internet and felt that it was such a good resource that I would share it with you here as well.  See PARENTS* The Antidrug for more details.

TGIF, RSVP or even ASAP may sound familiar; however as computers have transformed communications a new dialect has emerged: Internet lingo. Acronyms or character symbols called Emoticons (mixing symbols to express emotions or moods) enable teens to communicate with others in a few keystrokes.  While often just a convenient and quick means of communication, many teens use these acronyms and symbols to warn their friends when parents might be present and even to discuss drug use in a code that parents can’t decipher.  Instant messages, blog entries and text messages often look like Sanskrit to parents, but decoding this lingo used in digital communications is an important monitoring skill that should not be overlooked. Here is a quick guide to help you translate what teens are saying online and in their cell phone text messages. Keep in mind that, as with street names for drugs, these symbols and acronyms are subject to frequent change, particularly when those who use them suspect that others have figured out what they mean.   LINGO TO WARN OF PARENTAL MONITORING:  POS Parent Over Shoulder PIR Parent In Room P911 Parent Alert PAW Parents Are Watching PAL Parents Are Listening KPC Keeping Parents Clueless INTERNET LINGO OF SOCIAL OR SEXUAL NATURE: WYCM Will You Call Me? ASL Age/Sex/Location MorF Male or Female KFY Kiss For You MOOS Member(s) Of the Opposite Sex ADR Address LMIRL Let’s Meet In Real Life HAK Hugs And Kisses ILU or ILY I Love You KOTL Kiss On The Lips SMIM Send Me an Instant Message SMEM Send Me an E-Mail WUF Where Are You From? WYRN What’s Your Real Name? EMOTICONS: Winking :*( Crying #-) Wiped out, partied all night %*} Inebriated %\ Hangover 8-# Death :-d~ Heavy smoker :->< Puckered up to kiss :/i No smoking To view the entire list, visit here. Drug Lingo Similar to Internet lingo, drug nomenclature can be cryptic. Parents can monitor for drug use by learning popular drug lingo and asking questions. A few examples of popular drug lingo are listed below; a database containing more than 2,300 street terms is also available.   Marijuana Lingo Pot Marijuana Weed Marijuana Bud Marijuana Kind Bud An expensive and potent strain of marijuana Mary Jane Marijuana Ganja Marijuana Blunt Marijuana rolled into a Philly Blunt or similar type of cigar Bong A large water filtered pipe for smoking marijuana See the Street Terms for more drugs here. Prescription Drug Pharming Raiding medical cabinets to trade and consume prescription drugs to get high Robotripping Drinking cough medicine to get high (comes from the brand name Robotussin) Lean Drinking prescription cough syrup mixed with painkillers and soda O Oxycontin Tweaking High on amphetamines Blue Boogers Snorting Adderall or Ritalin See the Street Terms for other drugs here. 1. “The NetLingo Top 20 Internet Acronyms Every Parent Needs to Know.” NetLingo.com; 2006. 2. Ibid. 3. “Emoticons.” Computeruser.com; 2006.