An Acronym By Any Other Name
Often abbreviated as “j/k”, j/k has been around for centuries. It is usually used to add humor or sarcasm to a sentence. In this article, learn what j/k means and why it is considered the most misunderstood acronym in history!
One day in 1902, a man by the name of Lewis Carroll wrote a letter to his friend Arthur Ewing about his latest poem. He also shared another poem he had written two years prior which was titled “Jabberwocky”. Since then, people have been using the word jabberwocky interchangeably with j/k. It was not until the early 2000s that it was discovered that Carroll’s poem was actually a reference to children’s books. Children’s books are full of things that are meant as jokes or for fun, but do not really have a purpose. It was around this same time that the use of j/k in emails and text messages started becoming popular.
It is believed that it became popular because most people are unable to decipher the actual meaning behind j/k. It is not always clear whether the person who used j/k was being serious or if they were just kidding. For those who are unaware of what the actual acronym means, it is usually left to their own imagination. Many people use this lack of understanding to their advantage when they want to joke around without actually telling a joke!
Here is an example of a typical use of j/k: “I was going to take you out for dinner for your birthday, but I forgot your address! J/K – I am taking you out for dinner! Sorry I forgot your address…” In this case, it is clear that the person was joking around by adding the j/k symbol. It is also clear to the listener that the person was being sarcastic and was not taking them out for a real dinner. If a person were to say this with no j/k in it, there would be confusion as to what they were saying. The message would be lost on people who did not understand the message behind j/k.
Prior to the new millennium, people used j/k in text messages and emails for funny or sarcastic messages or phrases. The use of j/k became more common in 2008 when people started using social media such as Facebook Messenger, Twitter and Snapchat. This is because the use of j/k can be very time consuming and inefficient in long conversations.
In closing, j/k is a very common acronym used in informal situations to let people know that you are being sarcastic or humorous. It can also be used to back up something that was said or done that had a different meaning than the actual words used. This can be very confusing for people who are not familiar with the use of j/k.
Hopefully, after reading this article, you have an understanding of what j/k means and why it is used in informal situations. Here’s to hoping that you will never again use this acronym incorrectly!
http://www.lifewire.com/j-k-acronym-or-abbreviation-meaning-2629786
An Acronym By Any Other Name: The Curious Story Behind JK, FWIW, and TBH
In the digital world of texting and Twitter, initialisms like these have become ubiquitous. But what do they mean? We answer that question and others in the latest installment of our occasional series of Word Routes.
The online world is full of abbreviations, acronyms, initialisms—call them what you will; they're everywhere. They seem to be especially prevalent in the 140-character realm of Twitter. Even when the screen is wrapped in columns of nonsense symbols, it's possible to pick out words and phrases that mean something. Initialisms like OMG, LOL and FTW are so entrenched in online life that they've become the subject of office water cooler debates: What does Twitter mean when it says RT? How do you pronounce TLDR? (I personally favor "tee-lur-ur," but I'm a bit of a pedant.)
But what about JK, FWIW and TBH? These initialisms crop up so often on Twitter that it's getting difficult to tell if you're being serious or not. That ambiguity is part of their charm—and their danger.
What Does JK Mean?
The first thing to understand about these initialisms is that you're almost certainly using them wrong. That's because they're all acronyms, not initialisms, and they're all pronounced differently than you might think. The "J" in JK is silent, so it's really more like "ih-KEH," though even that's not right. JK stands for the Latin phrase "jam hoc" (now this), as opposed to the more familiar Latin phrase "eheu hoc" (alas).
Conclusion:
JK is an English acronym meaning "joking, joking." It has been used in English since at least the late 18th century. The literal translation of "joking" is of course to laugh. It is often used by adults to mock or disown children's jokes and actions, as in this example from a 1790 letter: "We are not to come and dine with you; but, on the contrary, to give you very serious advice—that is, not to laugh at your ridicule of us. Pray laugh no more at J. R.