I don't understand....

[bethieboop]

I don't understand some of the terminology I am seeing on the log posts. Such as "TTFT" or was it "TTFC" ?? Is there a place where I can find some commonly-used terms so that I don't have to ask stupid questions? My son and I are new to this and we're really enjoying ourselves!!

[+cerberus1]

Glossary of terms from Geocaching 101.

[+Chrysalides]

Another resource : http://geolex.locusprime.net/

 

There might also be some local variants.

 

Happy caching!

[+cerberus1]

Another resource : http://geolex.locusprime.net/

 

There might also be some local variants.

 

Happy caching!

I think I prefer your example.

[+fbingha]

Don't ever learn what those acronyms mean and you will make some cache owners happy.

[+cerberus1]

Don't ever learn what those acronyms mean and you will make some cache owners happy.

[+WarNinjas]

Sometimes I just make them up to keep everyone guessing!

[+joshuar9476]

Hell I got a "SL" the other day and assumed it meant "soggy log". I learned something new.

[+popokiiti]

Welcome! TFTC = Thanks for the cache. TFTH = Thanks for the hide. TNLNSL = Took nothing, left nothing, signed log. QEF = Quick easy find. There are others, check out the link above.

[+K13]

As a cache owner, I loathe the acronym logs. Please use words to describe your experience in finding (or not finding) a cache.

 

As a cache finder, I have used acronyms only a few times. (Once just to mess with a friend who placed the cache.)

[4wheelin_fool]

Hell I got a "SL" the other day and assumed it meant "soggy log". I learned something new.

It means Simple Logger.

 

TFTC indicates that the cacher believes that they are saving time by shaving two characters off of "thanks", which is longer.

 

TNLNSL means that the cacher has been geocaching since the days when there used to be swag in caches worth noting online or in the logbook.

Edited October 29, 2014 by 4wheelin_fool

[+Chrysalides]

TFTC indicates that the cacher believes that they are saving time by shaving two characters off of "thanks", which is longer.

Actually, not even that. Since they either have to hold down shift through 4 keypresses (oh, the agony) or hit caps lock before and after typing TFTC, which negates any savings.

 

The smart ones just enter tftc in lowercase. I think I saw a few "thx" which halves the effort of "thanks".

[+fbingha]

The real savvy use:

 

[+dprovan]

The smart ones just enter tftc in lowercase.

I used to use tftc in lowercase, but I switched to uppercase because I don't want anyone to get the impression that the cache wasn't worth the effort of holding down the caps key for 4 characters.

[+SageTracey]

I added TFTC to predictive text in my phone so now it comes up after the F.

[+Ambrosia]

Hell I got a "SL" the other day and assumed it meant "soggy log". I learned something new.

It means Simple Logger.

 

<snip>

 

Huh, I thought it meant "Signed Log". At least it does around here...

[+wmpastor]

Hell I got a "SL" the other day and assumed it meant "soggy log". I learned something new.

It means Simple Logger.

 

<snip>

 

Huh, I thought it meant "Signed Log". At least it does around here...

 

And then there is the occasional forum question about logging without saying *anything*.

[4wheelin_fool]

Hell I got a "SL" the other day and assumed it meant "soggy log". I learned something new.

It means Simple Logger.

 

<snip>

 

Huh, I thought it meant "Signed Log". At least it does around here...

 

Signing the log is a normal part of the game and it's redundant to mention it. Now if someone insists on writing a two character log about something that they should be doing anyway, that pretty much indicates a Simple Logger.

[+Ambrosia]

Hell I got a "SL" the other day and assumed it meant "soggy log". I learned something new.

It means Simple Logger.

 

<snip>

 

Huh, I thought it meant "Signed Log". At least it does around here...

 

Signing the log is a normal part of the game and it's redundant to mention it. Now if someone insists on writing a two character log about something that they should be doing anyway, that pretty much indicates a Simple Logger.

It may be a normal part of the game, but at least here, it means signed log. It's been around since I started caching. Back then, people quite often would even just say, "signed log". Commonly - TNLNSL meant: Took Nothing, Left Nothing, Signed Log - and people would often say that instead of doing the abbreviation.

[+MountainWoods]

Hell I got a "SL" the other day and assumed it meant "soggy log". I learned something new.

It means Simple Logger.

 

<snip>

 

Huh, I thought it meant "Signed Log". At least it does around here...

When I read that, I took it as a (welcomed) cut at folks who use such things (as being Simple), instead of using full words such as Signed Log. Perhaps a smiley at the end of the line would have indicated that it was a play on words.

[+Ambrosia]

Hell I got a "SL" the other day and assumed it meant "soggy log". I learned something new.

It means Simple Logger.

 

<snip>

 

Huh, I thought it meant "Signed Log". At least it does around here...

When I read that, I took it as a (welcomed) cut at folks who use such things (as being Simple), instead of using full words such as Signed Log. Perhaps a smiley at the end of the line would have indicated that it was a play on words.

Ok, the comments seemed straight forward to me, so that's how I took it.

[+WarNinjas]

I'm with Ambrosia. SL would mean signed log to me.

[+cachepohl]

It's plainly simple - there are lots of acronyms, but basically they are an expression that the logger was incapable to find the appropriate words to describe how astonishing the find was, how intricatly made the hide, how breathtaking the path to it. Or it expresses something like YIGTPIDRCAYPC*.

On the other hand, it seems that a certain number of caches which lack any of the attributes (imagination/location) and kind of don't deserve any more words than TFTC. First magnetic plastic tube on a road sign may look cool and may fit along a hiking way at a nice lookout. But the same next to a busy road... "TFTC" ... but hey, still someone placed it and maintains it.

 

So, in my view - and back to the topic - it's not dramatically necessary to really know all the acronyms, but best to avoid them yourself, as even the worst hidden cache implies some work, and even though one might feel 'disappointed' or even 'disillusioned' by less ingenous hides, a log that contains at least a couple of readable words is no big deal, compared to the time you surely took to seek it. If it's not a power trail cache consisting of so many that the owner likely doesn't even read the logs with 136 logs along the trail )

 

Happy caching

Mike

 

*Yeah, I got the point - I don't really care about your particular cache

[+BAMBOOZLE]

As a cache owner, I loathe the acronym logs. Please use words to describe your experience in finding (or not finding) a cache.

 

As a cache finder, I have used acronyms only a few times. (Once just to mess with a friend who placed the cache.)

 

+1....an occasional acronym as part of a larger log may be O.K. but I try to avoid them.

On the other hand I have no problem with "cut and paste " logs. The game has changed from when we packed a lunch and went across the state to find a couple of caches. Today a days outing will get you 20 to 40? caches. When we find a hat full all " normal " caches get a paste log and special caches get an addendum to that log with very special caches getting an addendum and a fav. point. At GZ I sign BAM and that's it....I cache mostly in mosquito country......the field log won't survive anyway.

[4wheelin_fool]

Hell I got a "SL" the other day and assumed it meant "soggy log". I learned something new.

It means Simple Logger.

 

<snip>

 

Huh, I thought it meant "Signed Log". At least it does around here...

When I read that, I took it as a (welcomed) cut at folks who use such things (as being Simple), instead of using full words such as Signed Log. Perhaps a smiley at the end of the line would have indicated that it was a play on words.

 

My initial thoughts were to write that it stood for Satanic Liaison, as people who used acronyms were really secretly reaffirming a pact with the devil, and aligning themselves with all of the dark forces in the universe. It was going to be a 300 word diatribe, along with a picture of a she-devil sitting on a Mercedes SL. However in the end I figured it would just take too much time to write all of that out and just be a PITA.

Edited November 5, 2014 by 4wheelin_fool

[+michellepluseight]

Maybe it's because, being a relatively early adopter to the internet, I kind of grew up on them, I don't see the problem with acronyms.* IMHO, the problem is with logs that don't actually say anything, not merely with how the nothing is said. To me, this:

 

Found this after DNF'ing it twice before. When I finally saw the hide, I had to LOL, because it was so clever. There was also a lot of cool SWAG, but I TNLN, except for grabbing a TB which I will move along ASAP. TFTC; it's clear that the CO put a lot of effort into it!

 

is infinitely preferable to this:

 

Thanks for the cache. Took nothing, left nothing, signed the log.

 

The first is a specific response to this particular cache, while the second could be cut and pasted into the log of almost any cache. I realize I'm still new to geocaching, but I'm kind of a language nerd and I think this applies to any communication. Getting across an actual message is better than using words without actually saying anything.

 

*Actually, we're mostly talking about initialisms. Acronyms are pronounceable, like RADAR or SWAG.

Edited November 7, 2014 by michellepluseight

[+J Grouchy]

Maybe it's because, being a relatively early adopter to the internet, I kind of grew up on them, I don't see the problem with acronyms.* IMHO, the problem is with logs that don't actually say anything, not merely with how the nothing is said. To me, this:

 

Found this after two DNF'ing it twice before. When I finally saw the hide, I had to LOL, because it was so clever. There was also a lot of cool SWAG, but I TNLN, except for grabbing a TB which I will move along ASAP. TFTC; it's clear that the CO put a lot of effort into it!

 

is infinitely preferable to this:

 

Thanks for the cache. Took nothing, left nothing, signed the log.

 

The first is a specific response to this particular cache, while the second could be cut and pasted into the log of almost any cache. I realize I'm still new to geocaching, but I'm kind of a language nerd and I think this applies to any communication. Getting across an actual message is better than using words without actually saying anything.

 

*Actually, we're mostly talking about initialisms. Acronyms are pronounceable, like RADAR or SWAG.

 

Agreed...though I always cringe when someone - ANYONE - uses "LOL".

[+cheech gang]

In the past 10 years on this site I believe I have actually laughed out loud about 5 times. LOL!

[+Chrysalides]

[+michellepluseight]

My kids actually say "lawl" rather than "LOL." And yes, they actually say it, regularly, because to them it's just a word like any other. The joys of growing up in the internet age.

[+TriciaG]

SWAG is an acronym? INKT.

 

Errr... I never knew that.

 

Merriam Webster defines swag as "stolen property."

[+Bear and Ragged]

SWAG is an acronym? INKT.

 

Errr... I never knew that.

 

Merriam Webster defines swag as "stolen property."

 

Swag as slang:

 

Swag, slang originating in the early 1800s for stolen goods or booty.

[+Gitchee-Gummee]

Looks like an acronym to me: Stuff We All Get

 

Swag (not all caps) is different.

 

 

 

 

ETA: At least that is what I have always thought of as SWAG meaning.

Edited November 7, 2014 by Gitchee-Gummee

[+niraD]

I think the "Stuff We All Get" explanation of "swag" is a backronym.

[+Gitchee-Gummee]

I think the "Stuff We All Get" explanation of "swag" is a backronym.

Ayep, I'd go along with that.