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What does the abbreviation TBF stand for and how to use it well?

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What does "TBF" mean?
Examples of using TBF
Other details to keep in mind

  • Have you received a message and you wonder what the abbreviation TBF means because you don't know how to interpret it?
  • It is one of the most important acronyms when it comes to SMS and short messages, so we will not only see what it means, but also when and how you should incorporate it into your communications.

If you usually receive text messages on your mobile or on different instant messaging platforms, it is likely that many times you will find several sets of letters that you find it difficult to associate with a specific word or phrase. Well, let's suppose a message has just arrived and you don't understand it because it has certain acronyms so far unpublished for you. So, we show you what TBF stands for in particular, and how to use it well ..

In the first instance, we have to bear in mind that this acronym is not as frequent as the acronym RN but, even so, you will see it quite regularly in SMS and the like, especially when you interact with young people, who want to save effort, or in circumstances where saving time is essential.

What does "TBF" mean?

TBF means " to be fair " or in some situations " to be honest ", and it is a catchphrase that is used in both English and Spanish, to clarify at the beginning of a sentence that we are trying to be consistent with our thinking and feeling, leaving aside other factors that could influence when expressing an opinion..

On the other hand, it is also often used when only one face of a certain person or thing is being seen, and an attempt is also made to introduce a second point of view, which balances that initial point of view.

It is precisely for these reasons that the abbreviation TBF is quite common when there are discussions in which ideas are exchanged, heated or not. For example, if a group of friends is discussing the possibility of adding pineapple to pizza, and most of them are against it, someone might intervene arguing that, beyond the bad combination, “ TBF, pineapple is a delicious fruit when eaten on its own «..

As can be seen, this intervention marks a virtue of the fruit, in this case the pineapple, in a context in which apparently only its defects are being highlighted, although these allude to its relationship with pizza.

Other details to keep in mind

It is very important to note that the acronym TBF should never be confused with the acronym TBTF , also widely used although especially in financial jargon, and which requires "Too Big to Fail" or "too big to fail". Basically, this is used to refer to large corporations that never completely fail.

For the rest, it is true that the phrase «To be fair» has existed in the English language for a long time before, in the chat rooms of the '90s and 2000s, it was replaced by the aforementioned acronym TBF, considering that there were costs depending on the number of letters used, and it made perfect sense to try to cut out sentences .

Examples of using TBF

In any case, there are some examples of the use of TBF that we believe could end up showing what is the usefulness of this acronym. Of course, there are thousands more, and we are only highlighting a couple of them:

  • "TBF, the quality of paper bags has improved a lot in recent years."
  • "TBF with him, he has a lot of great ideas, he just needs help to execute them."
  • “You should take the day off . TBF with you, you've hardly slept in the last week.


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