Mysteries in the World of Texting

I’m a little nervous about doing this post. SIMB (Shaking in my boots) because I think I’ve had TMB (too many birthdays) to figure out all these shortcuts in the world of texting. See the picture. That’s where I am. Still thinking a fountain pen and notebook has to be the best way to write anything. But alas, I no longer use that fountain pen that I had so much fun filling up out of the glass ink bottles I bought when I was a teen and imagining myself a writer.

I’m still imagining myself a writer, but now I do use a keyboard while I’m trying to imagine a story. If I use pen and paper, the pens are the kind that accumulate until you’ve filled up several cups on your desk and you know you should go through them to figure out which ones still work. Then when you do, they all work and how can you throw away pens or pencils that still have words in them.

But texters don’t have to worry about whether a pen has ink or a pencil needs sharpening. Texters whip out their phones from their pockets and then their thumbs start flying across the screens.  They don’t bother typing out words. They use shortcuts like LOL. I know what that one means although the first few times I saw it some years ago my first thought was that it meant Lots of Love. That brought on some puzzled frowns when that expression of love showed up at the oddest times in texts. Finally I figured out they were laughing. Probably at me! Of course ROTFL means something is even funnier. I did figure that one out too, but somehow I always doubt if the person is actually rolling on the floor laughing. Have you ever seen anyone over the age of five roll on the floor laughing? Especially while typing. But perhaps you can ROTFL and text at the same time.

This is actually a rework of a post I wrote 14 years ago when texting was truly more of a mystery to me. Now with grandkids sometimes texting me, I’m not quite as clueless as I once was. Not quite, but still not text savvy. What got me started on the post those years ago was a message from a friend that ended with TTYL. At the time, I had no idea what TTYL stands for. So I tried to figure it out. Since it was at the end of her message, I thought it might be some kind of Yours truly. Truly truly you live. Text till you’re loved. Tomorrow take your leave. Take that you loser. That’s the yellow lemon. Obviously, as you can see I’m TOTT. Too old to text. But now these years later, I realize fairly quickly that it actually means talk to you later. In fact, I’m a little surprised I was so bewildered then. Does that mean that I’m becoming text savvy after all?

For a certainty, I was not back then when I did one of my first on-line interviews. People signed in and I was signed in and they asked questions that after a respectful pause I was supposed to answer. Somebody asked me if I was a SOTP writer. Well, not wanting to appear out of it and TOTT (too old to text), I frantically tried to make sense of what in the world a sotp writer was. Silly? Old? Timid? Proud? I had to forget about the proud and admit my ignorance. Of course! Seat of the pants. Anybody – especially a writer – should be able to figure that out. More so, since I am one. A sotp writer. But not a sotp texting interviewee it seemed.

Now with Google, if I’m confused about a text shortcut, I can just ask the internet what IDK means. Maybe there are even reference books to help us figure out what our youngsters are trying to tell us. I would say I could come up with one, but I doubt anyone would want my versions of those texting shortcuts. But with your help, I’m sure we could come up with some entries that would have us laughing and that might just stay a mystery forever. Even Google wouldn’t be able to figure them out. But I could put some letters together that I might think means one thing when it might mean something not so nice to text experts. Like IITD (I’m in the dark.) So educate me those of you not TOTT. What’s a texting shortcut you use or that you’ve seen. I’m positive we can find some new and different meanings for them. Then we can all be ROTFL.

Here’s a texting joke about a old mom like me that you may have heard but might make you smile again.

A mom sent a text to her son. “What do IDK, LY, TTYL mean?”

The son answers, “I don’t know. Love You. Talk to your later.”

Mom texts back. “That’s okay. Don’t worry about it. I’ll ask your sister.”

What text shortcuts have puzzled you in the past? Or are you one of those texting experts?

Book Giveaway

Leave a comment and I’ll throw your name in my giveaway drawing hat to have the chance to win a set of my Hidden Springs mysteries, Murder at the Courthouse, Murder Comes by Mail, and Murder Is No Accident. If you already have copies or have read these and don’t want to give them as a gift, you  can exchange the three for one of my other books if you are the winner. Deadline to enter is midnight EST, November 26, 2024. I’ll pick the winner by random the next day and notify her or him by email. You must be at least 18 years old to enter. Whenever you comment on a new post before the deadline, you get an additional entry.