Why do some acronyms only look right in lower case and others in upper case?

[FrannyandZooey]

btw

is definitely lower case

so is tbh

however IME and IMO are upper case

also OMG

ffs and fgs work either way I think

What do you think?

imo and ime work both ways I think but I usually use upper to show it's MY experience/opinion. btw and atm def lower case, as are ffs, fgs, wtf. OMG! is better upper, I agree. With an exclamation mark too preferably.

IIRC is better in upper IMO btw!

Wot's AFAIAC? As Far As I Am C...?
Whatever, AFAIK and its ilk, I agree, better in upper.

Concerned

AFAIAC they should all be upper case. When they're lower case I keep finding myself trying to 'read' them, as if they were words.

Scuba, radar, laser - they're all acronyms, but you don't spell them out, you say them as words.

oh thank you!

Tardis is also an acronym that doesn't take block caps.

Don't think MN slang abbreviations really count as acronyms though - they don't make words.

That's exactly what I mean: they don't make words so they shouldn't be presented as words.

Do you know, FaZ, I was thinking the very same thing earlier today. Or is it faz? Or indeed, FAZ?

How about iirc? I usually do that lower case. I think. IIRC... ROFL!

think we need to invent a new category for 'collections of letters which represent the initial letters of words to give a well-known phrase or saying'. Or I could actually heave my behind off this chair and look up my copy of Fowler's to see if he had anything to say about it. But am too lazy.

I was not convinced they should be called acronyms, either, but up there on that linky thing, they are, so I just copied that.

Hunker, I always think FaZ looks the nicest :)

That's how I usually type you, I think, FaZ. I think. Not sure now.

Or some people put F&Z which is also very pleasing to the eye :)

I call you Franny. Or franny because I am too lazy to press the shift key
can't be doing with this new fangled "and Zooey" nonsense

But not "fran", please

oh fran, please don't tempt me

[geek hat to match edam's]

Acronyms are only things like Aids, radar and Nato that make a pronouncable word.
Things like HIV, LED and ffs are 'initialisms'.

According to The Times' Style Guide, acronyms should take only an initial cap if they're a proper noun, and initialisms should be all capped, but there are a bunch of exceptions for trademarked things like IMAX, BUPA, MORI etc.

Obviously on MN we are at the cutting edge of grammar development so we can do whatever the hell we like and the OED will follow...

they all look good lower case to me cos i can't be arsed to try to press the shift key while typing with ds sleeping on the other arm!

That is true, as so many Mumsnetters post one-armed, shift key usage does need to be optional.

Isn't there an internet-speak 'word' for these things - TLA, or something like that? Of course, Three Letter Abreviation doesn't really fit the bill when you get to things like AFAIAC etc.

ffs (FFS) prettycandles don't revive this thread

I was looking for a bit of fun but this is the most boring thread I have ever read

let it die

If you're so bored by it then don't read it! Some of us like this stuff.

LOL

yes go and find some argument about the Beckhams or something more challenging

the beckhams are more challenging?