The trouble with email and other digital communications is that there are no facial expressions or sounds to emphasise meaning. Often it’s hard to tell if someone’s being sincere, funny, sarky or having a pop. Hence ’emoticons’ those funny winky things that some people add to their email, which have been dubbed ‘the hieroglyphics of a hurried generation’.
But what if you don’t know what they mean? How do you know of someone’s foaming or mildly amused? The ’26 Internet Lingo Translator’ should put you out of your misery.
But we’re also looking for your own imaginative emoticons, abbreviations or acronyms, which we’ll publish in a forthcoming newsletter and add to the list. Send them to info@26.org.uk :-}) (oops, I appear to have grown a moustache).
bf boyfriend
bfn bye for now
br best regards
brb be right back
cu see you
gf girl friend
gg got to go
j/k just kidding
qt cutie
sys see you soon
thx thanks
ttfn ta ta for now
ttyl talk to you later
yw you’re welcome
<s> smile
<w> wink
🙂 smile
<g> grin
*g* giggles
😉 wink
:-< pouting
>:-( angry
c[“] coffee mug
*** popcorn
A seasonal response from Chas Walton
I hate emoticons. But once, during an idle hour, I tapped out a few of my
own. Here they are:
°|¦:O)» Santa Claus
°|¦:¤[ cold weather
(:¤•) polar bear
:O°°°° hay fever / streaming cold
:O}°°°° senile
¦:o| displeased / fed up
?¬ drunk
:O/° juicy / salivating
¦°o( tearful
¦:¬« dismayed
¦:¬[» exasperated
¦:¬» smug
¦:¬|» art critic
°¦:¬•» dentist
<|¦:oÞ clown
=]:¤Þ top dog
=|¦¬•» Uncle Sam / capitalist / toff
§¦¬• teddy boy
§¦:¬•> Rolf Harris
§:¬•> beatnik
=]§:¬•> dandy
([:] ) astronaut
<([:] o) aeroplane / cabin crew / jumbo jet
[|:o[ train driver / policeman / authority
:Oî wry expression / bad luck