RTFM

Abbreviation for "Read the Fucking Manual" and kin of lurk moar RTFM refers to the manual pages (or "man" pages, after the command used to display them) contained in *nix variants and has mutated to refer to reading any help pages or FAQs. Typically used as a response on mailing lists and in chat rooms when a newbie asks questions for which the answers are readily available from other sources. Even then, some people are too retarded to bother. It is expected that if you want to play in places like misc@openbsd that you have already done your homework, or RTFM'd.

While the word "read" is a verb, the entire acronym is often used as a verb as well. Ex:

<n00b>How do I set up pf to do ALTQ?
<Theo>Dumbass, man it. 
<n00b>omg, *cry*
<Theo>You're lucky all I did was RTFM you.
*Theo sets mode : +b *!n00b@*

A common alternative to RTFM is to stop using Linux and move out of your parents' basement.

RTFM is part of a series on acronyms

[BRB LOLWTFBBQ]

Internets Lingo	AFAIK • ASL • BFF • BRB • BTFO • BTW • CBF • DBI • DFC • FFS • FTFY • FTW • G2G • GG • GTFO • IAWTC • IDGAF • IDK • IIRC • ILY • IMO • IMHO • ISHYGDDT • J/K • JFC • LMAO • LOL • M/F? • NSFW • OMG • QFT • PHP • ROFL • RTFM • SNCA • STFU • STFW • SWTF • TMI • TND • TTYL • WTF • YGGR • YWNBAW • ZOMG
Other Lingo	BCC • FIRRIB • FYIAD • FUBAR • GABYAW • IDIFTL • PITR • TLA • YHBT
Internet Places/Group	CDC • FCTC • FYAD • GNAA • IRC • LUE • PP4L • TJC • TOTSE
Moar Internet Shit	BBQ • GNU • GPG4Win • MTP • MMORPG • P2P • PGP • ROR
IRL Acronyms	BBS • BCE • BDIC • GNWT • ITT Tech • JFK • NORP • PB • YOLO
Bad Acronyms	ACLU • ACMA • ACORN • ALF • ATF • BDSM • BLP • CIA • CP • CSD • DMCA • EDL • ESRB • FBI • FA • FFA • FNB • IWF • L.U.L.Z. • MGTOW • MPAA • MTP • MUGEN • NAMBLA • NEDM • RIAA • SPH • SPLC • TBBT • TOW • WWJD

RTFM is part of a series on Language & Communication

Languages and Dialects • Grammar, Punctuation, Spelling, Style, and Usage • Rhetorical Strategies • Poetry • The Politics of Language and Communication • Media • Visual Rhetoric
Click topics to expand

1337 • Сибирской говор • Algospeak • American Language • AOL speak • Babelfish • Bemmel • Dyslexia • Ebonics • English • Engrish • Esperanto • Hebrew • HTML • Internets English • Klingon • Latin • Mathematics • Moonspeak • Pirate • Short type • Toki Pona • Wikipedese • Упячка

^ • [sic] • A and an • Abbreviation • ALL CAPS • Altcaps • Amirite • Baleet • B0rk • Captions• Cheeky Nando's • Commas • E- (prefix) • Ellipsis • etc. • EVAR • Exclamation Point • Fnord • Gaiden • GAR • Generic Article • Good Spelling • Graphic transcription • H8 • Homosexual Epithets • Hott • Introduction to English • I Will Beat A Rod Till... A Tank Empties • kthxbye • Liek • Like • Literally • Meh • Moar • Nao • Never • No Homo • Oh • Oh noes • Opposites • Plox • Plz • Plskthx • Pindos • Portmanteau • Ppl • pr0n • Prolly • Pun • Pwnt • r • Rekt • Serious Discussion • Skill • Slash • Snoregasm • Some argue • Spellcheck • Srsly • Stuff • Stylometry • Sup • There, Their, and They're • Teh • Tilde • To, Too, and Two • Typical • Typo • Twice • Uber • Underscore • User Stress Syndrome • Virii • Wat do • LOL WUT • What • Whatever • What-EVER • Winnar • w00t • Word • Yes • No • You're/Your • Your a fucking idiot

Analogy • And Fuck You Anyway • Are You Fucking Kidding Me • Bale Out • Circular Logic • Condescension • Confirm/Deny • Constructive Criticism • Come at me bro • Cry moar • Deadname • Dubious Disclaimer • Dislikes • English Is Not My Native Language • ENGLISH MOTHERFUCKER DO YOU SPEAK IT • Excuse me wtf r u doin • Fallacious Reasoning • Faulty Logic • Filibuster • Flame Wars • Fuck Her Right In The Pussy • Go fuck yourself • I have a 140 IQ • Just Saying • Killer • Lie • Logic and Reason • Mega ultra super genius • Message • Neologism • NO U • OBEY • Opinion • Prank call • Pseudo-intellectual • Questionable logic • Read a book • Sarcasm • Seems Legit • Shaming • Shout Out • Snark • Spam • Stale • Strategy Guide • Straw Man • Stream of Consciousness • Swearing • TL;DR • Too cool for the internet • Zing

Iambic Pentameter • Poetry • PFFA

Advertising • Censorship • Cliché • Context • Dan's Devil's Dictionary • DINDUNUFFIN • Free Speech • Gender-neutral language• Grammar Nazi • Internet linguistics • Leeching • L.U.L.Z. • Noam Chomsky • Personal Pronouns • THE POWER OF ONLINE VIDEO COMMUNICATION • Signaling • Statistics • Tay • Translation • Wordfilter

AIM • Backmasking • Bayeux Tapestry • Bcc • Blog • Cell phone • Chat Logs • Comments • E-mail • Everything2 • Forum • Hate Mail • ICQ • Internets • IRC • LiveJournal • Kindle • Mailing list • MLB.tv • MSN • Old Media • Personal Message • Powerpoint presentation • Ringtones • Sidekick • Skype • Social Networking Sites • SMS • Television • Trending • Web 2.0 • Web 3.0

♥ • <3 • A+ • ASCII • Big • Blink • BrokenSpacebar • Demotivators • Emotes • Emoji • Emoticons • Fifty Hitler Post • Gif War • Gooby • Graph • Icon • Image Macro • Heatenings • Le Pointy Nose Smiling Face • Otaku emoticons • Rainbow blinkies • Small • Smileys • Marquee • This is Bob • Venn Diagram

RTFM

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