[Glossary] No0bz guide to Internet slang phrases

0-9

1337 (written in ASCII) - From the word Leet, derived from the word elite
2 - too, or to
4 - For

A

AFAICR/S/T - As far as I can recall / remember / see / tel
AFAIK - As far as I know
AFK - Away from keyboard
ANFSCD - And Now For Something Completely Different. Used to change the subject of conversation.
ASAP - As soon as possible
ASL - Age / sex / location
ATEOTD - At The End of the Day
ATM - At the moment
AWOL - Absent Without (Official) Leave
AYBABTU (also abbreviated as AYB) - All your base are belong to us (from the video game Zero Wing)

B

B2B - Business to Business
B& and/or B7- Banned
BBIAB - Be back in a bit
BBL/S - Be back later / shortly / soon
BCNU - Be seein' you
Blog - Also known as web log or an online journal
BOFH - Bastard operator from hell
Bot - Any type of automated software in chatrooms and web-cataloging software
BRB - Be right back
BSOD - Blue Screen of Death
BTDT - Been there done that
BTW - By the way
Bump - Increment (For example, C's ++ operator.)or a backronym for "Bring Up My Post"

C

Crawl - To retrieve a web page along with the hyperlinks that reference it
Crapplet - A poorly written computer application
CU - See you (later)
CYA - See ya OR Cover Your Ass
Cyber (prefix) - A term used to connect the subsequent word loosely to the world of computers or the Internet or sex over a computer
Cyberspace - Virtual reality, the Internet, the World Wide Web, and other kinds of computer systems. Science fiction author William Gibson popularized the term in his novel Neuromancer. Gibson used the word to describe a virtual world of computer networks that his cyberpunk heroes 'jacked into'

D

DFTT - Don't feed the trolls
DGAF - Don't Give A Fuck
DIAF - Die in a fire
DILLIGAF/D/S - Does it look like I give a flip / damn / shit
DND - Do not disturb
DOA - Dead on arrival. Refers to hardware that is broken on delivery.

E

EOF - End Of File
EOM - End of Message
EOL - End of Life. Device or hardware that is at the end of its product life cycle.
EQ - EverQuest
ETA - Estimated time of arrival

F

FAQ - Frequently Asked Question(s)
FFS - For Fuckin's sake
Flamer - Someone who makes inflammatory, abusive or directly offensive comments. Similar to, but not quite the same as an Internet troll[3]
FMCDH - From My Cold Dead Hands
FOAD - Fuck off and die
FOAF - Friend of a friend
FTL - For the loss
FTW - For the win
FU - fuck you
FUBAR - fucked up beyond all recognition / repair (from military slang; pronounced "foo-bar")
FUD - Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt (the purposeful spread of misinformation)
FWIW - For what it's worth
FYI - For your information

G

GBTW - Get back to work
GF - Great/good fight/girlfriend
GFU - Good for you
GFY - Go fuckin yourself
GG - Good game, used at or near the conclusion of a gaming match
GJ - Good job, often used in online gaming when a teammate performs an act benefitting his team, such as killing an opponent or enabling that kill
GMTA - Great minds think alike
Godwin's Law - Dictates that the longer a thread, the more likely someone will post a comparison involving Nazis or Hitler
Gratz - Congratulations
GTFO - Get the fuck out
GTG or G2G - 'Got to go' or 'Good to go'
GR -Good Race
GR8 - Great

H

HAND - Have A Nice Day
Handle - Name used in online chat, (AKA nick(name), alias, screen/user name)
HF - Have fun
Haxor or H4x0r (1337) - Hacker
Hit - A request made to the web server, (noun) the results of an internet search, (verb) loading a Web page. Hits are not equivalent to visitors of a webpage.
Home page - The website's introduction page, starting point, and guide. The technical term is "index"
Hot list - A collection of publicly available URLs (World Wide Web site addresses), sometimes available as text files.
HTH - Hope this / that helps
H8 - Hate

I

IANAL - I am not a lawyer
IBTL - In before the lock
IDC - I don't care
IDK - I don't know
IIRC - If I recall / remember correctly
IIUC - If I understand correctly
IMO/IMHO/IMNSHO/IMAO - In my (humble / honest / not so humble / arrogant) opinion
Information superhighway - The Internet (AKA: I-way, infobahn)
IONO - I don't know
IOW - In other words
IRC - Internet Relay Chat
IRL - In real life
ITYM - I Think You Mean
IWSN - I want sex now
IYKWIM - If you know what I mean

J

Jaggy - Aliased computer graphics
JK or j/k - Just kidding, or joke
JFGI - Just Fuckin/Freaking Google It

K

k or kk - OK
KISS - Keep it simple stupid.
KS(ing) - Kill-Steal(ing)
KOS - Kill on sight
KTHX - OK, thanks
KTHXBAI or KTHXBYE - OK, thanks, goodbye, used either to cut short a conversation or to express displeasure with being cut short

L

L2P - Learn to play; an admonishment to MMORPG players who are incompetent and/or whine
L8R - Later, L8R also sometimes abbreviated as L8ER is commonly used in chat rooms and other text based communications as a way of saying good bye.
Lag - Slang term for slow Internet speeds or high Internet latency; Lag is sometimes due to a server problem, but more frequently due to the connection between client and server. A slow or intermittent connection may often be referred to as laggy
Lamer - A know-nothing, one who is lame.
Leet - Often spelled as l33t or 1337 in ASCII form. It originally meant elite
LFG - Looking for group
LFM - Looking for more
LM(F)AO - Laughing my (frigging) ass off
LMIRL - Let's meet in real life.
LMK - Let me know
LOL - Laughing out loud, laugh out loud
LTNS - Long time no see
Lurker - Someone who frequents a Usenet group without participating in discussions

M

MMORPG, MMO - Massive Multi-player Online Role Playing Game
MMOFPS - Massive Multi-player Online First Person Shooter
MOTD - Message of the day
MS - MapleStory, an MMORPG
MTFBWY - May The Force be with you
MUD - Multi-User Dungeon
MUSH - Multi-User Shared Hallucination
MYOB - Mind your own business
M8 - Mate

N

NE1 - "Anyone"
NFI - "No Fuckin Idea"
Newbie, noob, or n00b - An inexperienced user of a system or game,or an annoying person.
NIFOC - Naked In Front Of Computer
NM - (Sometimes written N/M) Not much, Never mind or no message, used on message boards or in e-mails to indicate that everything is already said in the subject line.
NP - No problem
NSFW - Not safe for work. Warning about content that may get the viewer in trouble with his employer or co-workers.
NVM, NVMD, or nm - Nevermind, not much

O

O RLY - Oh really?
OIC - Oh, I see
OFN - Old fuckin news
OMG - Oh my god
OMFG - Oh my fuckin god
OMW - On my way or Oh my word
OP - Original poster / Operator / Outpost
OS - Operating system
OT - Off topic
OOT - Out off topic
OTOH - On the other hand
OTP - On the phone or One true pairing

P

P2P - Peer to peer, or pay to play
PAW - Parents are watching
PEBKAC/PEBCAK - Problem exists between keyboard and chair
Ping - From the popular network monitoring tool, used as a greeting similar to "Are you there?".
PITA - Pain in the arse / ass
PLMK - Please let me know
PMSL - Pissing myself laughing
POS - Piece of ~censored~, or parent over shoulder.
POTS - Plain old telephone service
POV - Point of view
PPL - People
PTKFGS - Punch the Keys For God's Sake
pr0n - Intentional misspelling of porn
PW - Persistent World (gaming)
pwned - Intentional misspelling of owned

Q

QFT - Quoted for truth. Used on internet message boards to show agreement from a previous message

R

Rehi (or merely re) - Hello again
RL - Real Life[3]
RO(T)FL - Rolling on (the) floor laughing
RO(T)FLMAO - Rolling on (the) floor laughing my ass off
RO(T)FLOL - Rolling on (the) floor laughing out loud
RSN - Real soon now (used sarcastically)
RTFB - Read the fuckin binary (or book)
RTFS - Read the fuckin source
RTFM/RTM - Read the (fuckin) manual

S

SCNR - Sorry, could not resist
sk8/sk8r - skate/skater
Smiley - Another name for emoticons
SMH - Shaking my head
SNAFU - Situation normal: all (fucked/[3]fouled) up
Snail mail - Normal paper mail service
SOHF - Sense of humor failure
Spider - The program behind a search engine
STFU - Shut the fuck up
STFW - Search the fuckin web

T

TANSTAAFL - There ain't no such thing as a free lunch
TBF - Time between failures
TBH - To be honest
TG - That's great
TGIF - Thank god it's Friday
TH(N)X, TNX or TX - Thanks
TIA - Thanks in advance
TINC - There Is No Cabal, a term discouraging conspiracy theories
TMI - Too much information
TOS - Terms of service
TTBOMK - To the best of my knowledge
TTFN - Ta ta for now
TTT - To the top, used in forums to bump a thread
TTYL - Talk to you later (also spelled TTUL, T2UL or T2YL)
TTYTT - To Tell You The Truth
Tweedler - One who has deep love for all computer related technology and gadgets
TWIMC - To Whom It May Concern
TY - Thank you
TYT - Take your time
TYVM - Thank you very much

U

U - You
UTFSE - Use the fuckin search engine

V

W

w00t, w00T or WOOT - First two express exuberance, the latter is a backronym for the term "We Own the Other Team".
W/ or W/O - With or without
WB - Welcome back
W/E - Whatever
WRT - With respect / regard to
WTB - Want to buy
WTF - What the fuck
WTG - Way to go
WTH - What the hell
WTS - Want to sell
WTT - Want to trade
WUG - What you got?
WoW - World of Warcraft (game)
WUBU2 - What (have) you been up to?
WUU2 - What (are) you up to?
WYSIWYG - What you see is what you get
W8 - Wait

Y

YARLY - Yeah Really
YHBT - You have been trolled
YKW - You know what?
YMMV - Your mileage may vary.
YTMND - You're The Man Now, Dog
YW - You're welcome.
YOYO- You're On Your Own.

Z
ZOMG - An intentional misspelling of the acronym shorthand for "Oh My God/Gawd" and pronounced "Zoh My God/Gawd" This version is mainly used in jest or to ridicule people who use abbreviations like OMG and OMFG

Hacking Glossary

Anonymous FTP – A method by which computer files are made available for downloading bythe general public

awk – A programming language designed for working with strings.

backdoors – An undocumented way of gaining access to a program, online service or an entire computer system.

Baud – bits per second, used to describe the rate at which computers exchange information.

BIOS – basic input/output system. The built-in software that determines what a computer can do without accessing programs from a disk. On PCs, the BIOS contains all the code required to control the keyboard, display screen, disk drives, serial communications, and a number of miscellaneous functions. The BIOS is typically placed in a ROM chip that comes with the computer.

blog (weblogs) – Web page that serves as a publicly accessible personal journal for an individual.

Boolean logic – Boolean logic is a form of algebra in which all values are reduced to either TRUE or FALSE. Boolean logic is especially important for computer science because it fits nicely with the binary numbering system, in which each bit has a value of either 1 or 0. Another way of looking at it is that each bit has a value of either TRUE or FALSE.

Boot sector – The first sector of the hard disk where the master boot records resides, which is a small program that is executed when a computer boots up.

cache – Pronounced cash, a special high-speed storage mechanism. It can be either a reserved section of main memory or an independent high-speed storage device. Two types of caching are commonly used in personal computers: memory caching and disk caching.

Client – a program on a local computer that is used to exchange data with a remote computer, see server.

cluster / allocation unit – A group of disk sectors. The operating system assigns a unique number to each cluster and then keeps track of files according to which clusters they use

cookies – A message given to a Web browser by a Web server. The browser stores the message in a text file. The message is then sent back to the server each time the browser requests a page from the server.

CRC – Cyclical redundancy check.

cyclical redundancy check (CRC) – a common technique for detecting data transmission errors. Transmitted messages are divided into predetermined lengths that are divided by a fixed divisor. According to the calculation, the remainder number is appended onto and sent with the message. When the message is received, the computer recalculates the remainder and compares it to the transmitted remainder. If the numbers do not match, an error is detected.

DHCP – Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol.

Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) – A technology that allows the simultaneous transmission of voice and high-speed data using traditional telephone lines.

DNS – Domain Name Server.

Domain Name Server (DNS) – A service that translates domain names into IP addresses.

domain names – A name that identifies one or more IP addresses. For example, the domain name microsoft.com represents about a dozen IP addresses. Domain names are used in URLs to identify particular Web pages. For example, in the URL http://www.pcwebopedia.com/index.html, the domain name is pcwebopedia.com. Every domain name has a suffix that indicates which top level domain (TLD) it belongs to. There are only a limited number of such domains. For example: .gov - Government agencies. .edu - Educational institutions. .org - Organizations (nonprofit). .com - Commercial Business. .net - Network organizations. Because the Internet is based on IP addresses, not domain names, every Web server requires a Domain Name System (DNS) server to translate domain names into IP addresses.

DSL – Digital Subscriber Line.

Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) – A protocol used to allow for the dynamic configuration of networks.

E-mail – A service with allows for the transmission of simple messages across networks.

ethereal – a packet sniffer that records traffic on your computer.

ethernet – A local-area network (LAN) architecture developed by Xerox Corporation in cooperation with DEC and Intel in 1976. It is one of the most widely implemented LAN standards.

file signature – Small 6-byte signature at the start of the file which identifies what kind of file it is.

file transfer protocol (FTP) – Used to allow local computers to download files from remote computers.

filtered (ports) – ports for which a firewall examines the header of a packet that is directed to that port and determines whether or not to let it through (see open ports).

firewall – A system designed to prevent unauthorized access to or from a private network. Firewalls can be implemented in both hardware and software, or a combination of both.

forums – An online discussion group. Online services and bulletin board services (BBS's) provide a variety of forums, in which participants with common interests can exchange open messages

FTP – File transfer protocol.

GCHQ – Government Communications Headquarters, is an intelligence and security organization in the UK.

grep – Short for global-regular-expression-print, a UNIX utility that allows the user to search one or more files for a specific string of text and outputs all the lines that contain the string. The user also has the option to replace the string with another.

HIDS – a host based intrusion detection. An intrusion detection system.

honeypot – An Internet-attached server that acts as a decoy, luring in potential hackers in order to study their activities and monitor how they are able to break into a system.

http – hypertext transfer protocol

hub – A common connection point for devices in a network. Hubs are commonly used to connect segments of a LAN.

Hypertext – a method of organizing and presenting data that allows the user to easily move between related items.

hypertext transfer protocol (http) – The underlying protocol used by the World Wide Web, HTTP defines how messages are formatted and transmitted, and what actions Web servers and browsers should take in response to various commands.

IANA – Internet Assigned Numbers Authority.

ICMP – Internet Control Message Protocol.

IM – Instant messaging.

Instant messaging (IM) – a type of communications service that enables you to create a kind of private chat room with another individual in order to communicate in real time over the Internet, analogous to a telephone conversation but using text-based, not voice-based, communication.

interfaces – A boundary across which two independent systems meet and act on or communicate with each other.

Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) – An organization working under the auspices of the Internet Architecture Board (IAB) that is responsible for assigning new Internet-wide IP addresses.

Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP) – An extension to the Internet Protocol (IP) defined by RFC 792. ICMP supports packets containing error, control, and informational messages. The PING command, for example, uses ICMP to test an Internet connection.

internet protocol (IP) – IP specifies the format of packets, also called datagrams, and the addressing scheme. Most networks combine IP with a higher-level protocol called Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), which establishes a virtual connection between a destination and a source.

Internet Relay Chat (IRC) – A service which allows for real-time, text-based communication between Internet users.

Internet Service Provider (ISP) – A company which provides users with access to the Internet

IP – Internet protocol.

IP address – An identifier for a computer in the internet or on a TCP/IP network. The format of an IP address is a 32-bit numeric address written as four numbers separated by periods. Each number can be zero to 255. For example, 61.160.10.240 could be an IP address.

ipconfig – Tool to display information on the active interfaces on a computer.

IRC – Internet Relay Chat.

ISP – Internet Service Provider, a company which provides users with access to the Internet

logicbombs – code designed to execute when a specific activity occurs on a network or computer.

loopback – when a computer refers to itself. Loopback address is a special IP number (127.0.0.1) that is designated for the software loopback interface of a machine. The loopback interface has no hardware associated with it, and it is not physically connected to a network.

MAC – Media access control .

MD5 hash – An algorithm used to create digital signatures. It is intended for use with 32 bit machines and is safer than the MD4 algorithm, which has been broken. MD5 is a one-way hash function, meaning that it takes a message and converts it into a fixed string of digits, also called a message digest.

media access control (MAC) – A hardware address that uniquely identifies each node of a network.

Modem – Modulator/Demodulator, a device which translates digital signals into analog signals, and analog signals back into digital signals, allowing computers to communicate with each other through analog telephone lines.

MS-DOS (Microsoft Disk Operating System) – MS-DOS is an Operating System. Mainly it allows the communication between users and PC hardware, and it also manages available resources, such as memory and CPU usage.

netstat – command which displays the status of a network.

network intrusion detection (NIDS) – Intrusion detection system in which the individual packets flowing through a network are analyzed.

newsgroups – Same as forum, an on-line discussion group.

NIDS – Network intrusion detection.

nmap – a program which conducts a probe of your computer for open ports.

NSA – The National Security Agency is the United States' cryptologic organization. It coordinates, directs, and performs highly specialized activities to protect US information systems and produce foreign intelligence information.

open (ports) – ports for which all packets that is directed to that port are allowed through (see filtered ports).

operating system – The underlying program that runs on a computer. Every general-purpose computer must have an operating system to run other programs. Operating systems perform basic tasks, such as recognizing input from the keyboard, sending output to the display screen, keeping track of files and directories on the disk, and controlling peripheral devices such as disk drives and printers. Some Operating Systems are Windows, Linux and UNIX.

P2P – Peer-to-peer.

packet sniffer – A program and/or device that monitors data traveling over a network.

packets – A piece of a message transmitted over a packet-switching network.

password cracking – the process of attempting to determine an unknown password.

peer-to-peer (P2P) – a type of network in which each workstation has equivalent capabilities and responsibilities.

ping – A utility to determine whether a specific IP address is accessible. It works by sending a packet to the specified address and waiting for a reply.

Plain Old Telephone Service (POTS) – Used to describe basic, old-fashioned telephone service.

POP – Post Office Protocol, a protocol used to retrieve e-mail from a mail server. Most e-mail applications (sometimes called an e-mail client) use the POP protocol, although some can use the newer IMAP (Internet Message Access Protocol).

ports – An interface on a computer to which you can connect a device. Personal computers have various types of ports. Internally, there are several ports for connecting disk drives, display screens, and keyboards. Externally, personal computers have ports for connecting modems, printers, mice, and other peripheral devices.

POTS – Plain old telephone service.

ppp – Point-to-Point Protocol, a method of connecting a computer to the Internet. PPP is more stable than the older SLIP protocol and provides error checking features.

privileged access – A privilege to use computer information in some manner. For example, a user might be granted read access to a file, meaning that the user can read the file but cannot modify or delete it. Most operating systems have several different types of access privileges that can be granted or denied to specific users or groups of users.

protocol – An agreed-upon format for transmitting data between two devices.

RAM (Random Access Memory) – a type of computer memory that can be accessed randomly; that is, any byte of memory can be accessed without touching the preceding bytes.

rootkits – malware that creates a method to retain access to a machine.

router – A device that forwards data packets along networks. A router is connected to at least two networks, commonly two LANs or WANs or a LAN and its ISP’s network. Routers are located at gateways, the places where two or more networks connect. Routers use headers and forwarding tables to determine the best path for forwarding the packets, and they use protocols such as ICMP to communicate with each other and configure the best route between any two hosts.

routing table – In internet working, the process of moving a packet of data from source to destination. Routing is usually performed by a dedicated device called a router.

sandbox – A security measure in the Java development environment. The sandbox is a set of rules that are used when creating an applet that prevents certain functions when the applet is sent as part of a Web page.

script kiddie – A person who runs hacking tools without knowing how or why they work.

sectors – The smallest unit that can be accessed on a disk.

Secure Shell – A protocol designed as a more secure replacement for telnet.

Server – A program on a remote computer that is used to provide data to a local computer, see client.

Services - Network services allow local computers to exchange information with remote computers.

SMTP – Simple Mail Transfer Protocol, a protocol for sending e-mail messages between servers. Most e-mail systems that send mail over the Internet use SMTP

social engineering – The act of obtaining or attempting to obtain otherwise secure data by conning an individual into revealing secure information.

spyware – Any software that covertly gathers user information through the user's Internet connection without his or her knowledge

SSH – Secure Shell, a program to log into another computer over a network, to execute commands in a remote machine, and to move files from one machine to another.

switch – In networks, a device that filters and forwards packets between LAN segments.

TCP – Transmission Control Protocol. Whereas the IP protocol deals only with packets, TCP enables two hosts to establish a connection and exchange streams of data. TCP guarantees delivery of data and also guarantees that packets will be delivered in the same order in which they were sent.

TCP/IP – Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol. The suite of communications protocols used to connect hosts on the Internet.

tcpdump – a packet sniffer that records traffic on your computer.

Telnet – a protocol that allows a local user to connect to a remote computer and access its resources.

timebombs – code designed to execute at a specific time on a network or computer, for example when the expiration date is reached on a trial software.

topologies – The shape of a local-area network (LAN) or other communications system.

tracert – A utility that traces a packet from your computer to an Internet host, showing how many hops the packet requires to reach the host and how long each hop takes.

tracks – A ring on a disk where data can be written. A typical floppy disk has 80 (doubledensity) or 160 (high-density) tracks. For hard disks, each platter is divided into tracks, and a single track location that cuts through all platters (and both sides of each platter) is called a cylinder. Hard disks have many thousands of cylinders.

trojans – A destructive program that masquerades as a benign application. Unlike viruses, Trojans do not replicate themselves but they can be just as destructive.

Web Browser – a program that allows users to connect to web servers and view the pages stored on them.

Web Server – A computer where web pages are kept to be accessed by other computers.

weblogs (blogs) – Web page that serves as a publicly accessible personal journal for an individual.

Whois – An Internet utility that returns information about a domain name or IP address.

World Wide Web (www)– A service for the transmission and presentation of hypertext.

worms – A program or algorithm that replicates itself over a computer network and usually performs malicious actions, such as using up the computer's resources and possibly shutting the system down.

zine – Small, often free magazine, usually produced by hobbyists and amateur journalists.