tl;dr / TLDR
Added 14 years ago by stickmeister • Updated about a month ago by Zach
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| About • Unknown Origin • Spread • Usage • Related Concept: RTFM • External References • |
Type: Slang
Tags: teal deer slang textual forums posting internet disregard dismiss comment comments acronym initialism 1980s tldr meaning internet slang
Additional References: Encyclopedia Dramatica Urban Dictionary Wikipedia
About
tl;dr or TLDR (abbreviation for too long; didn't read) is an internet slang expression commonly used in discussion forums as a shorthand response to previous posts that are deemed unnecessarily long and extensive. Due to its indiscriminate usage by many, tl;dr is frequently considered as spam or meaningless replies by both those unaware of the term and those who are familiar with the meaning.
Unknown Origin
It’s not entirely clear where and when tl;dr first began, but the first Urban Dictionary entry was submitted on January 15th, 2003:[1]
"Too long; didn't read."
"OMG LOOK AT ME I AM THE MASTAR OF TEH INTARNET!!! ONE TIME I WAS AT THIS PLACE ON THIS WEBSITE AND IT WAS PORNOS WITH GIRLS NAKED1!1!SO IN CONCLUSION I RULE!"
"TLDR."
Spread
tl;dr has been adopted into common usage on discussion forums like General Mayhem, 4chan, SomethingAwful and FARK since at least 2003, with the earliest known instance dating back to a discussion thread posted by GenMay user "waptang" on June 19th, 2003.[2]
Another Urban Dictionary entry submitted on November 20th, 2003 was later chosen as UD's Word of the Day on May 16th, 2005.[3] The Google Insights graph for the term indicates a noticeable spike in search interest circa 2006.
The Wikipedia essay article for tl;dr was first submitted on September 18th, 2007, suggesting its widespread usage among Wikipedia editors.[4] Reddit's /tldr/ subsection, a daily round-up of Reddit's most notable threads, was launched by poweruser qgyh2 on November 14th, 2009.[5]
Usage
Most of the time, tl;dr is used to call out another user on the length of their post. However, in cases of more courteous exchanges and serious discussions, tl;dr can be self-invoked by the original poster as a disclaimer to the readers. It is then paired with a brief summary of the longer original text.
Image macros of teal deers are sometimes used in place of tl;dr, due to it sounding close to "tee el dee are."
Related Concept: RTFM
In communities where information is valued, tl;dr is often unwelcome, as it is antithetical to the more widely-accepted philosophies of RTFM (Read the Fucking Manual) and Lurk Moar.
External References
[1] Urban Dictionary Urban Dictionary:TLDR / Posted on 1-15-2003
[2] General Mayhem – tl;dr – Genereal [M]ayhem / Posted on 7-19-2003
[3] Urban Dictionary – Urban Dictionary: tl;dr / Posted on 11-20-2003
[4] Wikipedia – Wikipedia: Too long; didn't read / Submitted on 9-18-2007
[5] Reddit – /tldr/ Too Long Didn't Read / Launched on 11-14-2009
Entry Editors ( 11 )
Recent Images ( 68 )
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v;dw
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Anthony Fauci
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The duality of TLDR
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I have no words
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Way too many words~
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A unique pleasure
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Whoa Nigga Do You Really Expect Me To Read All That Shit By You
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TL;DR
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TL;DR
![From: Fauci, Anthony (NiH/NIAID) [E] Thu, 19 Mar 2020 02:12:30 +0000 Eisinger, Robert (NIH/NIAID) [E] FW: typo, etc. fixed, Sent: To: Subject: )( Too long for me to read](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/list/002/305/025/a1b)
Comments ( 80 )
I wouldn't quite call it a meme… more like a widespread internet phenomenon. It needs some place here though.
That's a meme ¬_¬
is the dear relevant?
I'm in a meme!
I don't think we need to get caught up on whether or not this is a meme. It's a relevent entry for the forthcoming dictionary section.
Also, just a suggestion:
The images section should represent instances of the meme found elsewhere online. By including entries that occur on our own site, it kind of taints the quality of the entry. We want to be a great source of information about memes, self-referential materials conflict with that interest.
This might be worthwhile as an entry as there are many, many images for it -- that's been my current distinction b/w what should be a full entry vs. just a dictionary entry (although this can & should evolve)
and agreed on keeping self-referential documentation to a minimum… despite being quite funny ;)
It's not a meme, it just a term for long things. >_>
added bunch o pics
Words ARE memes. The question is, did it arise on teh internets?
I think we've pretty much decided that most Internet Slang (even popular slang derived IRL) will be implemented in our site in the form of a dictionary/glossary. These will likely not be presented right next to other Internet Memes, but instead as supplemental materials.
i just realized why the teal deer was relevant
No one would say TL;DR out loud, and no one would send any text messages long enough for anyone to TL;DR.
So, most definitely internet-based.
my opinion on this entry: tl;dr
i use this all the time
tl;dr
Adding new picture from Nameless 3!
LOL @ Necronomicon pic.
Seahting you are wrong on the txting part. I get long msgs all the time.
See, this is ironic. Because, when reading the description to find the origin of tl;dr, i tl;dr'd it. lulz for irony?
hahahaaa Teal dear?
well, it is not exactly a meme.
i will define it as as a trolling phrase, it is somthing that trols usaly say on forums.
i am sceptic about this one, mybe it is not yet a meme. it's like "what is this i don't even"
-1 (right now, give it some time to get bogger)
I use this a lot on the FML comments sections for my long, irrational rantings, such as the time I was talking about burning down an orphanage in respect to our personal freedoms. These "orphans," as I believe they are called, really have very little freedoms in today's modernistic society and we need to kill this establishment with fire. Of course, shipping them to third-world countries could prove to be beneficial as a whole, as well. Think about it. We could sell the help to other countries in exchange for goods and services we (the United States) depend on, thus contributing to repaying our deficits and debts in a more timely fashion.
tl;dr – +1 confirm
I use teal deer. Of even more potential use is teal dove – as in any Youtube clips your friends send you that are more than 3 minutes in duration.
Too Long; Don't View.
Maybe teal deer, but the slang term "pwnge" isn't a meme, so why should this be?
-1
actually, usage of "pwnage" as internet slang has been confirmed: https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/owned-pwned
Also has anybody ever managed to read the entire bible? >_>
tl;dr
I've never seen 'Teal Deer' used before during my long adventures on the Information Superhighway. That needs verification of widespread usage.
That must be a big coincidence. I have seen it been used many times.
I never saw this before until this week when i saw SO MANY people comment'TL;DR'
that i am convinced its a meme.But i haven't seen Teal Deer.
It's a bit like "Cool Story. Bro!" But a bit more negative and rage-building.
This meme was long so TL;DR
I do this quite a bit
TL;DR is quite common in my sphere.
Teal Deer is new to me, and I like it
tl;dr
TL;DR – there's a typo on this page. Find it and fix it if you want. Think of it like word search.
There was a typo in the origin. I'm pretty sure it wasn't intentional, due to the fact that it was the actual subject. But due to the fact at that point people should know it's really, "tl;dr," they probably just skim past it.
So it's not of much importance.
It's used a lot in The Flood on bungie.net. Not really a meme, just a phrase.
just pick random words and jump betwin words,
i dont always understand much, but do i care?
TLDR Spam bots.
TL;DR
I kid, of course I did. Nice phrase, probably gonna start using it.
tl;dr
@Brave Sir Robin,
tl;dr… xD
if you ask me; a good example of tl:dr is the intros to all the star wars movies, srsly they just go so slow and it makes you want to fast forward it, y'get what I'm saying?
whole article was tl;dr
Popular, but not so much of a meme.
-1
tl;dr
tl;dr this whole thread!
Hadn't heard of teal deer, but I like that. I'ma start usin' it.
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51MH9T1MTGL.SL500_AA300.jpg
tl;dr
"tl;dr" equaling a "teal deer" is why I love the internet. People are awesome.
Ever since I played Prawn to be Wild for the first time, I always read this phrase in Insanity Prawn Boy's voice. =P
How about a variation for videos, like Won't Buffer, Didn't Watch (wb;dw). Cause really, who reads anymore?
How about a variation for videos, like Won't Buffer, Didn't Watch (wb;dw). Cause really, who reads anymore?
tc;du
too complicated, didn't understand
Great! Now I know what to say to stupid idiots who think themselves as experts of everything.
Replied message:
"Hi."
tl;dr
Huh… How about ts;dt… Too short, didn't trust. (Not the article, but it could be applied to others.)
"Too little, did not regard"?
@holydemonsnap tl;dr
This whole page.
tht guy looks like from GTA (Ballas member)
Because he's black and has a purple shirt on?
Nice one bro
Because he's black and has a purple shirt on?
Nice one bro
It doesn't matter what song you play, this dance will go to the beat.
Apple EULA .. tl;dr
Remember comrades, tl;dr every shitstorm you encounter for a healthy internet life.
Hey guys, you gotta read this awesome story called Clarissa!
@Jane Doe
Oh. My god!
Your c.omment hasbeen -33 thumbsed
excsue the bad english I am russian
Isn't this also used when someone posts a chain mail?
tht guy looks like from GTA (Ballas member)
Because he's black and has a purple shirt on?
Nice one bro
Because he's black and has a purple shirt on?
Nice one bro
It doesn't matter what song you play, this dance will go to the beat.
"Too little, did not regard"?
TL;DR the fastest way to get down-voted, guaranteed.
Terms of Use or Service.
tl;dr
I find it ironic that this article is relatively short.
Terms and Conditions
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Agree Decline
tl;dr
tl;)¤="=¤(")="¤"¤"#_¤"¤":¤"?¤"=?¤"dr
tl;dr
+1 confirm
This would be the part where I insert a very long paragraph and put tl;dr at the end, but you aren't even reading this so why bother.
why this is good: when a 1st grader really didnt read his book for summer, just puts tl;dr, easy as that.
tl;dr
tl;dr
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