To find all the DS/DD/DM/DF etc frustrating?

[MissClarke86]

Very light hearted post here and I am 7 weeks pregnant so likely just being a hormonal grump, but all the abbreviations to refer to family members drive me mad! It takes me longer to work out what means what than it would for the person to just type "mum", "son" etc. Many of them are only one letter longer than writing DM/ DS and it doesn't require a caps lock press!! I know that it's not that hard to figure out really, but they always look so similar that I do have to pause and think about it and it affects the flow of anything I'm reading.

It's even worse when trying to figure out long stories about step families, and also figuring out the differences between DSs (sisters) and DSs (sons).

Why do we insist on abbreviations for EVERYTHING here?

I'm still fairly new but can work out most of them, I think the only one I use is OH for other half because I can't bring myself to call him DP!

Most times I get it but today I read a thread that was full of DBil, DFs, more relatives, DCs, more children, more friends...I was so confused I couldn't work out who was who and what the actual question was. Still don't know!

I've been on internet forums for over a decade, and MN for about a year and still absolutely, completely, totally and utterly loathe the DH, DD, DNiece bollocks. It's twee as fuck and lazy too.

There's no way on God's clean earth I'll ever use any of them.

Mystery solved. Thank you. Although I'm kind of disappointed now, I was hoping it was some scathing insult.

www.mumsnet.com/info/acronyms

HTH.

I did get confused by some of the acronyms for a while (for some reason I used to read STBXH as 'Steve the Bastard Ex-Husband'...) but I quite like them and have to be careful not to accidentally use them on other forums.

For example an acronym allows you to very efficiently type FOTTFSOFATFOSM, possibly my favourite Mumsnet-learned phrase so far. (Fuck off to the far side of fuck and then fuck off some more).

You'll get used.

the ones that get me are DF (dear friend/dear fiance - both very different things lol) and and BF (best friend, boyfriend, breast feed)

whilst i'm here can anyone tell me what NT stands for, in the context of SN meaning special needs? x

Neurotypical i think

I hate them too and haven't started to like them after years on the site (serial namechanger). Besides all the confusion (is DD4 your fourth daughter or your four-year-old daughter? Is DF your friend or father?) it's so cringey to refer to anyone as your dear or darling. Shudder.

OP - the day will come when you realise with horror that you have started thinking in MN acronyms in RL.

DD scowls when I refer to her as DD in RL.

I keep doing [grin ] on fb I'm going to blow my cover aren't i?

I don't use any of the "D" ones because I find they can be a bit confusing.

DS - dear son or dear sister?

DF - dear father or dear friend?

It's just easier to write the actual words.

I used to like HTH but realised quite shortly after joining that it is used in a sarcastic rather than sincere way here.

I must be so accustomed to MN acronyms that I don't even bat an eyelid at DDog I've genuinely never seen it??

I find a very long OP with no paragraphs or grammar much more difficult than acronyms. Sometimes they're so dense to read, I just don't bother. What's wrong with the full stop, people!!!!

And a couple of hits on what used to be called the !

HTH always reads to me like when French people say "desolee" (don't know how it's spelt) but is translate as "sorry", but when they say it, it sounds like "fuck you".

Meh. They're not compulsory.

I haven't seen a DCat yet. Has anyone seen a DCat? Dogs always get an extra D, but never cats.

That's because cats are officially cat!bastards :o

Can't believe nobody has mentioned LTB yet!

(I love acronyms).

do not forget the "dilligaf"
fottfsof
odfod
swmnbn

god help you if your dc has sn and you have to get to know sn/nt/asd/asc/spd/echp/ot/as/eds/senco/send/ar/ados/pip/dla/la/ipsea/sc/ss/salt/aba/jr/hlta/ta/ht/dx/ep

I like Dcat. I think I'm going to start using that one.

If I ever talk about my daughter's cat is it my DGCat or DDDCat?

Doubt I will but you never know these things until the time comes

For the most part DH in relationships means DickHead, although most OPs don't realise at first.

About numbers after DS and DD, I particularly snigger and despair at 3.11, for example. No, it doesn't read as 3 years and 11 months. It reads like 3 years and 11/100, i.e 0,11, ie. just over a month.
You can easily abbreviate it to 3y11m.

HTH Mystery solved. Thank you. Although I'm kind of disappointed now, I was hoping it was some scathing insult.

Well... it is, most times here. It's mostly done sarcastically. Genuine users tend to write the whole words or similar so not be misinterpreted.

It took me ages to get used to, but now it's so familiar I able to stop myself from doing it in real life texts and stuff!

I feel the the DH, DS etc are replacements for the people's actual name, rather than husband, son etc.

Because you would say, "DH did this today", as opposed to "my DH did this today" iyswim?

But then sometimes you would say my DH if using it in that context.

Not explained what I mean very well at all there sorry!