FBI cracks Twitter slang, releases glossary
Do you ever feel out of the loop while texting or tweeting? Well, don't worry, Mom and Dad! If you can't decipher the hundreds of acronyms sent your way, we have a new resource for you.
MuckRock, a site dedicated to sharing and analyzing government documents, submitted a Freedom of Information request to the FBI and landed on the holy grail of manuals - The FBI's official guide to Twitter slang, titled Twitter Shorthand.
According to Gawker, Twitter Shorthand is 83 pages long, listing nearly 3,000 words ... or acronyms 'n' such.
The Washington Post notes the glossary is somewhat outdated, though. The introduction of the manual states the resource can be used to understand shorthand on Myspace and in instant messages as well as on Twitter. You know, in case a criminal mastermind is scheming, in slang, via Myspace.
Do you think you can crack the code? A few of the more outrageous terms listed by the FBI include: TSTL, BFFLTDDUP and ITTET. We'll give you a few seconds ... OK, stumped? They mean "too stupid to live," "best friends for life til death do us part" and "in these tough economic times," respectively.
According to Daily Mail, the FBI kept things lighthearted, writing in the introduction, "The list has about 2,800 entries you should find useful in your work - or for keeping up with your children and/or grandchildren."
Whether you find the manual ridiculous or informative, some of the terms from the in-depth list will be sure to make you LOL.
