Mumsnet please stop with the abbreviations..

[2026newbie]

I actually stop reading some posts because I can't be arsed to try and work out what is being said. Why do people put DS instead of son? What is STBX?

Good point. Why is everyone a Darling anyway? Why not use Bloody instead, BS, BD, far more honest really! 🤣

I first encountered dh etc. on another forum, well over 20 years ago. At first I wondered who on earth was this dh? Dopey Herbert? Dratted husband?

But it very soon dawned!

Ach. It might be naff. But MN is great. Beware AIBU, things can get pretty feisty pretty quick there but theres loads to get stuck into.

There are so many experts here in so many areas. Want to know about 3 different types of pushchairs? Well there are pushchair officionados galore here.

Perfume, designer handbags, DIY, legal matters, skincare, court processes, ypu name it and there is an army of women willing to share their expertise with you and it's awesome.

You'll get used to the acronyms.

POW confused me, always assumed Prisoner Of War, it was referring to Princess Of Wales 🤷‍♀️bloody ridiculous some of these acronyms 🥴

Oh totally but all do it

it’s when you get

bf - best friend or boyfriend

or

dd which could be dog or daughter or even dad

so you need to read the thread to work out the context 😂😂

@2026newbie you do know that NAFF originated as an abbreviation for not available for fucking don’t you?

I've often found the "D" in DH / DS / Ddog multipurpose, I tend to read it as either "Dear" or "Dickhead" depending on the post. If I ever post about my dog you can safely assume it's the latter (much as I love him).

Are you new to abbreviations? They are a time-saving device

If you find it naff the question is whether efficiency or being cool is more important to you.

After a few weeks of writing daughter, husband, mother-in-law, father-in-law, soon-to-be-ex-husband (et cetera, et cetera) you will understand why people use abbreviations.

YABU, OP

It can be a somewhat gormless aspect of Mumsnet (particularly, for example, when a poster is telling us how much she hates her horrible abusive husband, but still refers to him as DH), but they just won't stop doing it, so all one can really do is set a better example.

😂😂😂

At the risk of sounding like my 16 yr old dd, it's not that deep.
It's for simple and instant recognition, that is all.

It’s not all about you 😉

That’s interesting I always assumed it was twee because back in the day MN was populated by those jolly hockey stick Sloane ranger types - boarding school girls who give each other chummy nicknames. I never saw it anywhere else.

"so all one can really do is set a better example."

One is humbled.

Ah the perennial
"pretending to be a newbie aiming for classics " thread
nature is healing

I always read that differently - I prefer my version 😂

Oh - was your post a joke then? I got the impression you were genuinely complaining. Also - lots of posters very much have replied with a good sense of humour!

Why is “abbreviation” such a long word?

I first came across it on a knitting message exchange! Way way before Mumsnet or any other forums really existed. It was quite hard to read as a newbie. You'd get "DH told me he saw MIL KIPing! She was WIPing her UFO on the bus"

Translates as My husband saw my mother in law knitting in public, making progress on her knitting project.

can someone tell me what LTR means? In relation to a crappy partner? It seems like an invitation to break up the relationship but i cant make out the acronym. Thanks

Long term relationship

Really?

I use and don’t mind the AIBU / IYSWIM type but I refuse to use the ds / dh nonsense and I agree that it can get confusing . In one thread they were using dp for parents and partner .

LTR is long term relationship, but the context of your post makes me think you might mean LTB, which is leave the bastard