to hate this "D"C, "D"H, "D"D business

[kitnkaboodle]

... and wonder if everyone else hates it too and is just to afraid to break the cycle! I'm a relative newcomer to posting on forums, and I'm sure there is some hilarious origin to the tradition. But:

• it now just looks and sounds twee
• it isn't humorous in any way
• you'd all save yourselves a keystroke if you just typed D, H, P, M, C, etc...?? Still perfectly understandable

There are some ambiguities I guess - S for son or sister? but that's still there whether or not you drop the D anyway ..

Go on .. I dare you ...

And it's not supposed to be humorous. Just a quick way of typing.

That's OK. I'm not so thin skinned that I'll fuck off just because someone in a huff tells me to.

I'm just curious, really, why "DH" is supposed to be clearer than "H".

Someone upthread (sorry - can't even figure out how to quote yet) says

"after a short while you automatically register that the two-letter combination beginning with D means a person, and it makes it much easier to skim-read"

ermm... does it??? and someone else says it's a shorthand. But H is an even shorter shorthand!

I wanna know why! And how it originated. It's weird to a newbie

I don't hate it and don't care, but I find it odd when people are complaining about abusive partners or relatives.

However, note that DH could also mean dickhead.

Well there is an H. But he's done wrong. Cos he's not a DH.

It doesn't annoy me really but it does make me laugh when women on here are complaing about their husbands/ partners yet still write DH/DP. I would never call my husband 'dear husband' if he had just pissed me off!

"BD" is indeed vile. The MN term is SWI.

I don't really like it either, you are not alone!

I'm not keen either, not sure why husband seems to be so much more difficult to type than DH.

There are some nasty bastards on here - Suppose a fair cross section of society is represented though hey.

I don't like it particularly but have kind of gotten used to it.

I prefer to type words out in full for the sake of clarity.

Bit I sometimes wish people could draw a diagram of their family relationship, though - I can get terribly confused! Particularly involved stories about in-laws....

I think it's stupid too, but I have been indoctrinated into using it since joining MN.

I don't always use those acronyms but when I do, I still cringe inwardly.

To me it is a MN only thing and when I see it elsewhere I think 'nobber'

I think it would be a bit confusing to read a sentence saying, for example, "H took the C to the park today. S got tired and wanted to come home but D had a tantrum and he had to take them to McDonald's." Or something. Especially if, like some MNetters I know of, you type everything in lowercase.

It is cringeworthy, but it is shorter to type. DTD is IMO the naffest of all, but my iPad corrects it to STD

I've been here for 4 years and have never used it. So don't pat me on the head and say I'll get used to it.

You don't have to like it, and you certinly don't have to use it.

But a post littered with H, D, S, etc can be ambiguous, and the reader does have to concentrate to figure out exactly who is being referred to, which detracts from the post.

Darling Husband or Dear Husband is unbelievably twee and naff and no-one in their right mind would actually use these phrases in full.

But DH is greater than the sum of its parts, and simply means 'husband' in a forum-orientated, instantly recognisable way, and it's quicker to write.

Everyone who's new to forums thinks it's weird. And then, after a while, it becomes the norm.

If you really, really hate it, then just write husband out in full. Go your own way.

To DD or not to DD that is the question/

Oh Dear LazyJaney I just looked up DTD! . I obviously need a context to understand some of these!

Aaaaaah yes, once upon a time when all this was fields ...

I hate the term "darling husband" but "DH" is just MNish for him indoors. I don't ever read it as darling anything. Maybe that's where you're going wrong?

Anyway, overlooking the usual "blunt" responses, it's spectacularly rude to arrive somewhere and start complaining about things. I wouldn't come round to your place for a cuppa and start questioning your taste in curtains, OP, so perhaps you can understand why people are a bit riled.

Do hang around though, they're a bunch of crabby old vipers but they're very lovable really

It's pretty standard forum abbreviations, it's been around since they have. If you don't like it, don't use them!

You won't stop other people doing so though.

I've almost wet myself laughing at any thoughts of me and DH being described as "twee".

I must admit I found it difficult to get used to at first. Give it time.

"H took the C to the park today. S got tired and wanted to come home but D had a tantrum and he had to take them to McDonald's."

this seems perfectly understandable to me - so that's what I'll use and save myself 4 keystrokes in that sentence

still wanna know how the D thing originated - must be American, surely?

Thought maybe it was an Emperor's new clothes-type thing and everyone secretly hated it and didn't want to break the mould. Seems not!

No,no,no. H was in Steps. It would never do.

I hate it too and I'm not a newbie!

Yeah it's used all over the place not just MN. I imagine it started in the US. Best to not use abbreviations at all to save confusion.

Oh dear Kit, you can't do that! You'll have the wrath of hundreds of confused mumsnetters (1t or 2??) to deal with if you do!