Do you know your TIT from your TOT, your BKK from your PATTS, or your 555 from your OMB?
You don't care, right?
I know, acronyms have got way out of hand. I blame social media and lazy kids. But hey, if you can't beat 'em you might as well join 'em.
So, as a bit of fun, I have taken it upon myself to put together the first definitive expat acronym guide, to ensure you stay at the forefront of cool while living in Thailand.
I readily admit that a few of these I just made up, though they probably exist on Twitter, Reddit or somewhere else.
The Definitive Thailand Acronyms Guide
1. LOS
Land Of Smiles: Thailand.
2. TIT
This Is Thailand: Used as a way of saying, accept it, love it or leave it, that's just the way it is).
3. BIB
Boys In Brown (police): Also known among a minority as Baht In Pocket (no explanation required).
4. TAT
Tourism Authority of Thailand.
5. TOT
Telephone Organization of Thailand: A state-owned telecommunications company, originally established in 1954 and corporatized in 2002.
6. BKK
Bangkok: Otherwise known as the City of Angels, or Bangers.
7. PATTS
Pattaya: otherwise know as Sin City.
8. CM
Chiang Mai: The one time capital of the ancient Lanna kingdom
9. CR
Chiang Rai: North of Chiang Mai, CR is the main commercial centre serving the Golden Triangle border region of Thailand, Myanmar and Laos.
10. NST
Nakhon Si Thammarat: A southern province on the western shore of the Gulf of Thailand.
11. UC
Upcountry: anywhere considered to be in the middle of Nakhon no where
12. SUK
Short for Sukhumvit in Bangkok.
13. Swampy
Short for Suvarnabhumi Airport
14. 555
Used by Thais to indicate through writing that something is very funny. The number 5 is “ha” in Thai. So, hahaha = 555. Genius.
15. ++++
used as many times as you want to exaggerate anything, especially ‘555’.
16. OMB
Oh My Buddha! (The Buddhist play on OMG – Oh my God).
17. TV
17. Short for the popular ThaiVisa forum.
18. TTL
Short for the popular information blog, TheThailandLife.com
19. TG
Thai Girl.
20. TW
Thai Wife.
21. TBG
Thai Bar Girl. Also shortened to BG.
22. NBG
Non Bar Girl.
23. NTG
Nice Thai Girl. Used to affirm that one is not talking about a BG, gold digger, scammer, etc.
24. LB
Lady Boy.
25. Tom
Short for Tomboy.
26. FP
Farang Pattaya: used to describe the archetypal foreigner residing in or regularly visiting Pattaya (Can also be PF, but Thais tend to put ‘farang' first).
27. OT
Over time at work. I wish I had a dime for every time I've heard a Thai say OT.
28. FK
Farang Keenok: Literally translated as ‘bird shit farang', but generally used to describe lower class and poor foreigners.
29. FKS
Farang Khaosan: Used to describe traveler-types that stay on Khaosan Road.
30. NMNH
No Money No Honey: A saying used by BGs to indicate that only those with money get to play.
31. U2U
Up To You! Can mean “I'm easy, whatever you want to do”, or, “Go ahead, but at your own peril”.
32. VR
Visa Run: Also written as BR – Border Run.
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Got one for the list? Let me know!