- 8-) (and variants): look at it from the side, and you'll see a smiley face!
Indicates that a reply isn't to be taken entirely seriously.
- AE15: `I demand an AE15!': I demand an apology ! (in a ranting tone of voice).
Named after Andy Edwards ("The Bear").
The phrase refers back to the AE15 v. DRM8 slanging match...
Also heard as "I demand a Freddie Mercury !" (q.v.)
- AFAIK: As Far As I Know
- ANORAK: A general term of abuse for chronic NatScis. The term is derived
from their general attire, and can also be applied to others who "dress"
similarly.
- BIRDCAGE: Harrison Birdcage (JML11), ex-editor of Groggs and originator of TGGD.
- BOGGLE: Weeble!
- BOYDIE: Chris Boyd (CB113). See also NOBOYDIE.
- BTW: By the way...
- CROWS is a bulletin board being developed by RRW1000. Contact him for more
information.
- dAvE "Dave/." Mantripp lead singer and keyboard player with legendary rock band
"Fragile Skies".
- DRIVEL is the name of a Zinque section (see HELPG ZINQUE) set up to house
mindless wibblings of the kind not wanted on Groggs.
- EAGLE: The "Eagle Delta Function" refers to a massive spike in the output from
XEAGLE, indicating some impossibly high charging rate which does not in fact
happen at that time.
- FAQ: Frequently Asked Question. From many Usenet news groups, which have lists
of FAQs in the hope of preventing millions of users from using huge amounts of
'net bandwidth asking the same questions over and over again.
- FACT: Usually used before some piece of entirely bogus information.
- FNARR, FNARR! Used to point out that it's possible to interpret somebody's
(probably) completely innocent comment as a double entendre. Inspired by the
Viz comic strip "Finbarr Saunders and his Double Entendres".
It's fun to put it in occasionally. (Fnarr, fnarr!)
- FOAD: F*** Off And Die. Generally considered impolite.
- FREDDIE MERCURY: An AE15 (in both senses of the word).
- MFI: Merely for information.
- FYI: For your information.
- IAMFI: I ask merely for information.
- IAMTA: I ask merely to annoy.
- IRMFI: I reply merely for information.
- IRMTA: I reply merely to annoy.
- IME: In my experience.
- IMLE: In my limited experience.
- GNASHER: A Gnasher-ism is an attempt to make oneself look impressive
by inserting incidental and irrelevant background details into an
otherwise straightforward discussion, with the aim of showing that
one's lifestyle is superior to everyone else's. For example, "I had an
idea for a new type of toothpaste the other day" becomes, when
Gnasher-ised, "(SWITCH GNASHER) I was sunning myself on the deck of my
yacht last week, on my way to the International Brain Surgeon's
Convention where I was Honorary Chairman, when it occurred to me as I
watched my stunningly beautiful millionairess girlfriend reeling in a
barracuda that there was a market in social circles lower than those I
usually inhabit for chocolate-flavoured toothpaste. I immediately used
my satellite-linked cellphone to dictate a memo to my secretary in
Honolulu. (SWITCH NOGNASHER)" SG and SNOG are occasionally used as
abbreviations for the two SWITCHes.
The original phrase is due to CB113 (see HELPG BOYDIE) and refers to Ganesh
(GS104), whose lifestyle genuinely epitomizes the superiority to which others
aspire when they fraudulently use Gnasher-isms.
- GROAN: A program in JRP1's library (and many others). See JRP1.H:INFO for
details.
- HUP: Hup! is used as a trivial rcontribute to force an item to the top of
NEWITEMS where it will get read soon by READNEW.
- IMHO: "In my humble opinion..." (This is usually a lie.)
- IMO: "In my opinion..." (This is more honest and therefore rarer.)
- IPKUSFSAISGEMA: "If people keep using such f***ing stupid abbreviations, I
shall get even more annoyed."
- ITWSBT: I Think We Should Be Told - often used to indicate that a certain
titbit should be made public.
- ITYSBT: I Think You Should Be Told.
- IYSWIM: If You See What I Mean.
- JRC14: Jim Chapman (ex-JRC14) - right-wing ranter; originated the "I don't
believe this myself but..." argument.
- K: Indicates imminent use of the Kill facility of Readnew - the writer is
bored with the item and will not read it again.
- MOTOS: Member of the Opposite Sex
- MOTSS: Member of the Same Sex
- MOTAS: Member of the Appropriate Sex
- MUD is (more or less) the original "Multi-User Dungeon". It ran on the Essex
University mainframe, and had to be accessed via JANET between 2 o'clock and
7 o'clock in the morning, so only real terminal junkies ever played it. It was
the most incredibly addictive game ever, and ruined various famous GROGGers'
lifestyles for months, before they achieved immortality as wizards (or
witches). Various other multi-user adventure games have been set up since, but
none are as much fun (and none are anything like as successful). It has now
been removed, so none of the rest of you will be able to experience it!
- NARG: "Not A Real Gentleman." A term describing anyone obsessed with some
extremely boring topic - for example, computing. See also HELPG ANORAK.
- SWITCH NOBOYDIE (or SNB for short) can be set in a request of the form
"Can anyone tell me the way to Alaska?" to avoid replies from Chris
Boyd of the form "Yes."
- SNQ: This is used in (notify) conversation to indicate that one doesn't want
one's remarks to end up in the quotes file. See HELPG QUOTE.
- NTBTS: Not to be taken seriously.
- YUPPIE: Paul Christensen (ex-PC103) is undeniably a yuppie. Paul Clark
(ex-PRC10) is too.
- QUIRKAFLEEG: A quirkafleeg is a name given to several unsuccessful attempts
to leave the ZED editor. This is most often caused by forgetting that you are
in insertion mode or forgetting what the commands are.
/*
*/
a
quit
q
w
- RANT: A violent, bogus or generally interminable argument about anything. While
there's nothing really wrong with ranting on GROGGS, to keep GROGGS from
getting bogged down, "Ranting systems" were created for long on-going or very
minority interest rants. Using these systems, users can write as much as they
like about any subject, including games or other "fun" items which would be too
long for GROGGS. Neither the CS nor the GROGGS editors have anything to do with
the ranting systems - all enquiries and/or complaints should be directed to
their owners!
The original Jabberwock Ranting System, which with the coming of Zinque is
rather outdated, has been removed. Please use Zinque instead (see HELPG ZINQUE)
- RTFM: Read the flippin' manual.
- RTFI: Read the flippin' instructions.
- SUGGS is an affectionate name for the Computing Service's SUGGEST system (see
HELP SUGGEST, HELPG SUGGEST). It has some rudimentary bulletin board capability
and is the system on which Groggs was originally based.
- SECURIC: This refers to a particular Securicor guard who was most often in the
User Area. Notorious for his random injustices and the exaggerations in his
reports, he has now retired. Whew!
- SNAFU: Situation Normal - All F***ed Up! Commonly applied to Phoenix, Mail,
Eagle but never, NEVER to GROGGS which is well-known to be flawless. (Apart
from the bugs, that is.)
- SPONG: This word is completely meaningless. Used by brainless wombats (see
HELPG WOMBAT) who can't think of anything better to say.
- TGGD: The Great God Debate: this was a rant that started in Groggs, was
moved to a rant file and just kept growing... noted for its bitter attacks
and weird hypotheses - a truly legendary rant. Still surfaces from time to
time. A large amount of this debate also resides in Zinque. (See HELPG ZINQUE.)
- TGHD: The Great Homosexuality Debate: an acronym formed by analogy with TGGD.
A large item of this name is present on Zinque (see HELPG ZINQUE) but it
still returns to Groggs now and then.
- TLA: Three Letter Abbreviation
- TMBSNMOTWwombatOWIWNPA: This must be some new meaning of the word "wombat"
of which I was not previously aware. From Douglas Adams's "Hitchiker's
Guide to the Galaxy".
- TOAD: a program in JRP1's library, which takes a text file
and shuffles its words around to produce a garbled version.
Contributions which look as if they have been TOADed already are
sometimes said to be "TOAD-invariant".
- TTFN: Ta ta for now.
- TTTHD: Talk to the Help-Desk. The modern version of TTTA (q.v.).
- TTTA: Talk to the Adviser. TTTMA: Talk to the Micro-Adviser.
Used by GROGGers fed up of people bringing their queries to GROGGS
instead of the Computing Service's advisers. It never works.
(N.B. -- the Advisers are now known as the Helpdesk.)
- TYVM: Thank You Very Much.
- WEASEL: A small nimble reddish-brown white-bellied slender-bodied ferocious
carnivorous quadruped allied to the stoat and ferret, according to my
dictionary here. All of which is totally inappropriate for its usual meaning on
GROGGS, which is of an inexperienced Phoenix user who frequently needs help
with even the most simple operations. Such users are often spotted by their
inability to use text editors properly, resulting in hopelessly formatted (or
often completely empty) replies. The courses which the CS run for these people
are commonly referred to as "Computing for Weasels".
- WEEBLE: Boggle!
- WOARGH: "Woaaaarrrrrrrrggggghhhhh!" is a gratuity used in certain circumstances
to mean such things as "Coming for some lager?" or "Want a curry?"
- A WOMBAT is the device used for playing the game of "Wom". Anyone who knows the
rules to this game is advised to see a psychiatrist as soon as possible.
- WTGROMT: Well, that's got rid of me, then!
WTGROHT: Well, that's got rid of him/her, then!
Pronounced "wut-gromt".
- The Zinque discussion board is an alternative to GROGGS, on which more serious
and considered discussion takes place. It has a distributed nature, meaning
that items do not overflow into continuations like GROGGS. It has a similar
index system to GROGGS, but uses item names rather than numbers. It also serves
several societies, providing restriced access `sections' for groups such as
CUCS, CUFCS, CUSFS, ARCHIM and various others. To load Zinque use:
%C RPTB1.PUBLIC:ZINQUE
The ZHELP command then gives more information. New users are advised to read
ZHELP NEWCOMER (or ZINQUEHELP NEWCOMER if you have a ZHELP command in another
library). Please address enquiries to CRB11. See also HELPG RANT.