LOL

[peter]

Beryl, I think either you've mixed some up, or, its one I don't recognise, but basically tese sort of combinations represent the smilies or emoticons that you can put on here, but in text form. Colon and close bracket is smile, colon and open bracket is sad and so on. A.minus or open angular bracket can be included for a nose. / is lopsided mouth.
As can be expected someone somewhere with too much spare time has catalogued them, see http://www.cool-smileys.com/text-emoticons

[Beryl]

Ah thanks Peter that really does explain it.Thank you.
All makes sense now. The one I copied was from a French lady so maybe that's why.
My grandaughter in Atlanta and her friends use it a lot. Trying to keep up with teenagers these days is hard work.

Thaks again
Beryl.

[alan refail]

Just a thought.

Can I be the only person who has never even seen a text message let alone sent one? I don't think I have ever touched a mobile phone, though I have seen a few

[oldherbaceous]

Morning Alan, it appears we are, Brothers in arms, when it comes to mobile phones and texts.

I think the only thing worse than that is, voice mail when it has been sent using texting. it comes through as a normal telephone call on your land line, but as a computer generated voice, but trying to work out what the sentences mean are an absolute nightmare.

I had this a few weeks ago, when my very good freind got taken seriously ill in Italy whilst on holiday. I was getting updates on his health and being asked to keep the fort running in their absence, but struggled to work out each call.

[Johnboy]

Hi Alan and OH,
What really annoys me is when my mobile phone decides that I want to use this awful text. The big snag is I can never remember how to change it back and have to phone my daughter for help.
What is even worse, and this is a sign of age, she is the only person I text, then having spoken to her on the phone to sort it all out, I text her!!! Sometimes I question my own sanity!
JB.

[The Grock in the Frock]

L.O.L laugh out loud...,L.M.A.O laugh my ar**e off....l8 late...,l8er later...,.P.O.S parent over shoulder...U you...R are ..C see and theres lots more
cu all l8er,im off 2 l.m.a.o wiv me m8s.....DO U GET IT NOW

t.t.4.n

[alan refail]

dyfi Grockie

cfhyw

fgab

Alan

OFN - siarad tcst Cymraeg

[Elaine]

Like Glallotments, I use capitals and punctuation too. I never use lol but I do use the smilies, which are similar to the ones on here...I do like those! Fortunately,out of the people who send me text messages, there are only one or two who use text-speak....and they are on'y young uns!

[lizzie]

I also use full punctuation when texting. Can't stand un-punctuated sentences.

My mum, at the age of 80, has learned to text now but it has taken us 2 years to do it. She can send, receive and read and find numbers on her mobile phone. Teaching here did lead to some hilarious moments including the classic

"Oh Elizabeth, I am fed up with all this predictive sex, why can't it be normal?"

I do use the lol. rolmfao but not too many and I also use smilies too.

[Primrose]

I'm a total mobile phone Luddite as I only use mine for emergencies. Yesterday I tried to extract somebody's phone number from my mobile to add to our land line phone's memory. Couldn't figure how to do it, even with the ancient Nokia manual. I thought if I called up the "Edit phone number" option, I could get it from there but couldn't even find how to get there, so now I face the humiliation of having to ring her from my mobile to ask her what her mobile number is

[Elaine]

Hi Primrose. Have you looked under "Names" for your friends number? Depending how you have your phone set up, it should immediately display your contacts numbers or give you an option to view them.
Cheers.

[JohnN]

Still vaguely on thread.... does anyone know if the following story is true. It was told to me by an Australian crop-dusting pilot, now sadly dusted off.
When the first settlers were trying to converse with the Aboriginies they saw a kangaroo and asked what they called it. After a lot of discussion the Ab. spokesman said "Kan-gar-oo".
Only later did the settlers find out this was Ab. for "I don't know".

[peter]

The version I heard gave the translation as "There it goes!" Or a variation along those lines.

[alan refail]

Another beloved myth bites the dust

Captain Cook and his crew learned the word from the Guugu Yimithir tribe of north-east Australia, where the Endeavour was beached for repairs. Their word for the strange animal in question (the grey kangaroo) was gangurru

Presumably the conversation was thus:

"I say (pointing to grey kangaroo) what's that?

"Kangaroo."

[I don't know what the Guugu Yimithir word for thread drift is ]

[JohnN]

The Guugu Yimithir word for thread drift is "Sor-ry"