"LOL" is the king of internet acronyms. It stands for "laugh out loud" and is used to communicate amusement. It was introduced in its current form as far back as 1989, when it was used in an early internet newsletter. Pre-internet, some folks would add "LOL" to correspondence to indicate "lots of love" (and it's still used as such by less-internet-savvy folks). Have you ever used "LOL" in your daily communications?

"OMG," like "LOL," is a power player of the online abbreviation lexicon, and folks use it in verbal communications as well. It stands, of course, for "oh my god" or "oh my gosh," and it's believed to have been first used by Lord John Fisher in a 1917 letter to Winston Churchill. He likely coined the initialism because he was familiar with using abbreviations in his naval career. Before this survey, were you aware that "OMG" was originally coined by Lord John Fisher a century ago?

The "NSFW" initialism dates back to 2000, right around the time many workers began to be able to connect to the internet on company time. It means "not safe for work." It's fair to assume most of us occasionally look at content during work hours that is not 100% work-related, so when sending someone a link or an image, it's considered proper etiquette to include a NSFW tag so the recipient should tread carefully before opening it in a public or professional place, the content might be risque' or vulgar. Have you ever seen or received anything marked "NSFW" while browsing the net?

"FTW" is used as shorthand for "for the win," which itself can be traced back to game-show hosts of the 1970s, who would use it to precede a question that might reveal a victory for the contestant. The abbreviation was adopted into internet usage by online video game players in the early 2000s. The three letters can also suggest another NSFW phrase: "eff the world." Have you ever heard or used this abbreviation in both of its meaning?