explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

Megan

2020-02-03T19:53:33Z

141.101.104.137: /* Characteristics */

{{Infobox character
| image = Megan.png‎
| caption = Megan, seen in [[973: MTV Generation]]
| first_appearance = [[159: Boombox]]
}}
'''Megan''' is a [[stick figure]] character in [[xkcd]]. She is the second-most frequently appearing character, after [[Cueball]], and the most frequently appearing female character. She does not necessarily always represent the same character from comic to comic. She is essentially the female equivalent of Cueball, representing the every-woman to his {{w|everyman}}. This is less clear than for Cueball as there are several comics, where there are [[:Category:Multiple Cueballs|multiple Cueball-like figures]], any of whom could be called Cueball.

There are very few comics where this happens with Megan-like characters, with the few including [[139: I Have Owned Two Electric Skateboards]], [[173: Movie Seating]], [[1409: Query]], [[1496: Art Project]], [[430: Every Damn Morning]],[[2040: Sibling-in-Law]], and in [[1951: Super Bowl Watch Party]].

Of course she also appears several times in some of the comics with [[:Category:Large drawings|large drawings]], like [[1110: Click and Drag]]. Often this should be seen as different small comics, where there is just one Megan in each story. In [[1608: Hoverboard]], however, there are two identical Megans at the bottom rear end of the Destroyer, where one is talking to the other. As opposed to with Cueball, an example where this is a serious problem for Megan has yet to be found.

Megan does sometimes appear to have slightly specific personality traits; she has quite odd habits, and is sometimes shown to be very focused and intent on a goal. However, as explained above this is not a general rule for a given Megan character.

==Name==
''Explain xkcd'' originally referred to this character as "Cutie" (complementing "Cueball" with a matching first syllable). But then a "Cutie" was given a specific name, Megan, in [[159: Boombox]] and later in for instance [[215: Letting Go]], [[420: Jealousy]], [[478: The Staple Madness]], and [[654: Nachos]]. The name was also used without displaying a drawing of Megan in [[596: Latitude]]. The name Cutie was then changed to Megan. If this rule should be followed generally, then Cueball should be re-named Rob after [[276: Fixed Width]] (and the [[:Category:Comics featuring Rob|other 8 times]] a Cueball has been named Rob in total). But as mentioned above this was not to be.

She can also be drawn under a different name as in [[672: Suggestions]], where a sexy image of her, hair hanging loose over her face, is called Susie. And in [[1221: Nomenclature]] Megan is called Mrs. Whatsit in the transcript provided in the comic source. In [[734: Outbreak]] Cueball and Megan are named Ryan and Laura, but that is a movie, so they could be actors called Cueball and Megan in real life...

A character that looked a lot like Megan, but with somewhat longer hair and a much meaner attitude, was distinguished from her as [[Black Hat]]'s girlfriend [[Danish]]. A similar long-haired version of Megan also appeared in [[1730: Starshade]], although without the attitude.

==History==
Early comics often feature Megan-style characters who may or may not be identified as Megan. [[Randall]] appears not to have standardized his character lineup early in the comic's run, and as a result, certain early female characters sometimes have similar hair to Megan, but some different features.

The name (or even pseudonym) "Megan" may be reference to a lost love of Randall's, given that he wrote a passive-aggressive toast for Megan's wedding in [[420: Jealousy]] about how he was madly still in love with her, put across in a way that would generally ruin the day for everyone involved. We also see this earlier in [[215: Letting Go]].

==Characteristics==
Megan is distinguished by her black shoulder-length hair which generally appears to be parted in the middle in front, and is draped behind what are presumably her (undrawn) ears.

In [[1409: Query]], we learn that she is 30 or younger, implying that she was born in 1984 or later (this comic appeared in 2014); that her annual income is less than or equal to $100,000; and that she is afraid of flying. In [[630: Time Travel]], we learn she was born in 1983. In [[2178: Expiration Date High Score]], we can calculate that she is 37, and since this comic appeared in 2019, it implies she was born in 1982 or earlier. Randall is probably not concerned about chronological consistency for his characters, although another explanation is that since the figure is not explicitly named "Megan" in either of these comics, these are three different characters.

Although she is a stick figure this does not mean she cannot be drawn topless: [[864: Flying Cars]].

She is implied to, if not be bisexual, then at least experience same-sex attraction: while she has often been shown to be in a relationship with Cueball, [[267: Choices: Part 4]] mentions that, though she doesn't remember it, she's made out with an alternate version of herself (who is obviously female), and in [[305: Rule 34]], she reacts quite enthusiastically to her idea for porn centered around women playing electric guitar in the shower.

==See also==
*[[:Category:Comics featuring Megan|Comics featuring Megan]].
*It was at some point suggested that Megan and Cutie should be un-merged? In relation to a similar suggestion that Cueball and Rob should be merged. But nothing came of the [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/explain_xkcd:Community_portal/Proposals#Merge_Cueball_.26_Rob discussion.]

{{navbox-characters}}

[[Category:Characters]]

Megan

2020-02-03T19:50:48Z

141.101.104.137: /* Characteristics */ or 1983

{{Infobox character
| image = Megan.png‎
| caption = Megan, seen in [[973: MTV Generation]]
| first_appearance = [[159: Boombox]]
}}
'''Megan''' is a [[stick figure]] character in [[xkcd]]. She is the second-most frequently appearing character, after [[Cueball]], and the most frequently appearing female character. She does not necessarily always represent the same character from comic to comic. She is essentially the female equivalent of Cueball, representing the every-woman to his {{w|everyman}}. This is less clear than for Cueball as there are several comics, where there are [[:Category:Multiple Cueballs|multiple Cueball-like figures]], any of whom could be called Cueball.

There are very few comics where this happens with Megan-like characters, with the few including [[139: I Have Owned Two Electric Skateboards]], [[173: Movie Seating]], [[1409: Query]], [[1496: Art Project]], [[430: Every Damn Morning]],[[2040: Sibling-in-Law]], and in [[1951: Super Bowl Watch Party]].

Of course she also appears several times in some of the comics with [[:Category:Large drawings|large drawings]], like [[1110: Click and Drag]]. Often this should be seen as different small comics, where there is just one Megan in each story. In [[1608: Hoverboard]], however, there are two identical Megans at the bottom rear end of the Destroyer, where one is talking to the other. As opposed to with Cueball, an example where this is a serious problem for Megan has yet to be found.

Megan does sometimes appear to have slightly specific personality traits; she has quite odd habits, and is sometimes shown to be very focused and intent on a goal. However, as explained above this is not a general rule for a given Megan character.

==Name==
''Explain xkcd'' originally referred to this character as "Cutie" (complementing "Cueball" with a matching first syllable). But then a "Cutie" was given a specific name, Megan, in [[159: Boombox]] and later in for instance [[215: Letting Go]], [[420: Jealousy]], [[478: The Staple Madness]], and [[654: Nachos]]. The name was also used without displaying a drawing of Megan in [[596: Latitude]]. The name Cutie was then changed to Megan. If this rule should be followed generally, then Cueball should be re-named Rob after [[276: Fixed Width]] (and the [[:Category:Comics featuring Rob|other 8 times]] a Cueball has been named Rob in total). But as mentioned above this was not to be.

She can also be drawn under a different name as in [[672: Suggestions]], where a sexy image of her, hair hanging loose over her face, is called Susie. And in [[1221: Nomenclature]] Megan is called Mrs. Whatsit in the transcript provided in the comic source. In [[734: Outbreak]] Cueball and Megan are named Ryan and Laura, but that is a movie, so they could be actors called Cueball and Megan in real life...

A character that looked a lot like Megan, but with somewhat longer hair and a much meaner attitude, was distinguished from her as [[Black Hat]]'s girlfriend [[Danish]]. A similar long-haired version of Megan also appeared in [[1730: Starshade]], although without the attitude.

==History==
Early comics often feature Megan-style characters who may or may not be identified as Megan. [[Randall]] appears not to have standardized his character lineup early in the comic's run, and as a result, certain early female characters sometimes have similar hair to Megan, but some different features.

The name (or even pseudonym) "Megan" may be reference to a lost love of Randall's, given that he wrote a passive-aggressive toast for Megan's wedding in [[420: Jealousy]] about how he was madly still in love with her, put across in a way that would generally ruin the day for everyone involved. We also see this earlier in [[215: Letting Go]].

==Characteristics==
Megan is distinguished by her black shoulder-length hair which generally appears to be parted in the middle in front, and is draped behind what are presumably her (undrawn) ears.

In [[1409: Query]], we learn that she is 30 or younger, implying that she was born in 1984 or later (this comic appeared in 2014); that her annual income is less than or equal to $100,000; and that she is afraid of flying. In [[630: Time Travel]], we learn she was born in 1983. In [[2178: Expiration Date High Score]], we can calculate that she is 37, and since this comic appeared in 2019, it implies she was born in 1982 or earlier. Randall is probably not concerned about chronological consistency for his characters, although another explanation is that since the figure is not explicitly named "Megan" in either of these comics, these are two different characters.

Although she is a stick figure this does not mean she cannot be drawn topless: [[864: Flying Cars]].

She is implied to, if not be bisexual, then at least experience same-sex attraction: while she has often been shown to be in a relationship with Cueball, [[267: Choices: Part 4]] mentions that, though she doesn't remember it, she's made out with an alternate version of herself (who is obviously female), and in [[305: Rule 34]], she reacts quite enthusiastically to her idea for porn centered around women playing electric guitar in the shower.

==See also==
*[[:Category:Comics featuring Megan|Comics featuring Megan]].
*It was at some point suggested that Megan and Cutie should be un-merged? In relation to a similar suggestion that Cueball and Rob should be merged. But nothing came of the [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/explain_xkcd:Community_portal/Proposals#Merge_Cueball_.26_Rob discussion.]

{{navbox-characters}}

[[Category:Characters]]

1798: Box Plot

2017-02-14T09:08:19Z

141.101.104.137: Added explanation about dynamite plots, for which box pl;ots are the recommended alternative --- Yuri Robbers <yuri.robbers@gmail.com>

{{comic
| number = 1798
| date = February 13, 2017
| title = Box Plot
| image = box_plot.png
| titletext = You have to be careful doing this. Sometimes, when you push the whisker down, dynamite explodes.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Are dynamite detonators like this still in use? Better explanation of box plot etc? Inflation of data, is that a real concept, which Randall mocks? Ref to other comics with data manipulation.}}

This comic shows a {{w|Box plot|box plots}} in the first panel, hence the title.

In {{w|descriptive statistics}}, a box plot is a convenient way of graphically depicting groups of numerical data through their {{w|quartiles}}. The second quartile is the median and it is not indicated in this comic, as it should be a line through the box, see the {{w|Quartile#Definitions|definitions of quartiles}}. But the top and bottom of the box is the first and third quartile, which splits the lowest/highest 25% off data of from the highest/lowest 75%, respectively.

Box plots may also have lines extending vertically from the boxes (whiskers) indicating variability outside the upper and lower quartiles, hence the terms box-and-whisker plot. These can be used to indicate the {{w|interquartile range}}, a measure of {{w|statistical dispersion}}. These have been included on the three boxes in the plot.

The joke in the comic arises, because it turns out that the box plot is actually three real world objects and [[Cueball]] walks into the plot in the second panel, climbs up on the lower first box and on to the highest middle box. When the boxes are depicted in the orientation shown, the boxes can look like they are pumps, where the middle part, the box, can be pumped up. And Cueball does just that in the fourth panel, by pushing the top whisker down and when he leaves in the fifth and last panel, this box stays inflated, with the whisker visibly lower than in the first three panels, although higher than when he pushed it down in the fourth panel. (Inflating things, that cannot be inflated, was also the joke in [[1395: Power Cord]]. But as opposed to inflating the meaning of data, which many researchers sadly do in the real world, what [[Beret Guy]] does in that comic, is strictly [[:Category:Strange powers of Beret Guy|supernatural]].)

It could be said that the "data" in this comic was "inflated" and thus Cueball has been trying to show a smaller interquartile range than there actually is, thus inflating the possible conclusions that could be drawn from the data.

It is also possible that Randal is showing [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Entasis Entasis] with [[Cueball]] repairing the aesthetic appearance of the middle column by making it more convex in shape, making the columns appear parallel by correcting the optical illusion of bowed columns.

The title text refers to how {{w|dynamite}}, an explosive, often used to have detonator boxes (aka. {{w|blasting machine}}s) which also looked similar to the top part of the box (without the lower whisker). These detonators were most commonly used for mining, with long wires leading to the explosives. Modern blasting machines are operated by push buttons and key switches, but the old push-handle design still resonates in the public consciousness today, due to its exposure in classic slapstick cartoon shorts like {{w|Looney Tunes}}, especially often used by {{w|Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner|Wile E. Coyote}} against the Road Runner. See [https://youtu.be/0R66Fvhx0vQ?t=1m2s this compilation] for examples.

The title text also refers to so-called [http://biostat.mc.vanderbilt.edu/wiki/pub/Main/TatsukiRcode/Poster3.pdf dynamite plots]. This type of plot used to be very common in scientific publications, but since it hides most details about one's actual data, it is now frowned upon. The recommended alternative is the box plot.

The title text thus warns against this kind of data inflation, since sometimes it can go awry and lead to explosions. [[Randall]] has often made comics about presenting data as more important that they are, in one way or another, and this comics clearly falls into that category. See for example [[882: Significant]], [[1132: Frequentists vs. Bayesians]], [[1478: P-Values]] and [[1574: Trouble for Science]], and this one for manipulating the way data is presented: [[558: 1000 Times]].

A box plot was also used in [[539: Boyfriend]], maybe the only other time in xkcd. There are many other types of [[:Category:Charts|data carts]] that have their own subcategories, but not this type.

==Transcript==
:[A box plot with three data points are shown. Each point consist of a standing rectangular box shaded gray and from each end of the box there extend a whisker which ends in a short line orthogonal to the whiskers line. The middle box is the longest and extends both above and below the other two, as does its whiskers. The first box is larger than the last, but those two are at the same level at their bottoms. But the bottom whisker of the first is longer than the last. If the middle box is about 1.9 cm high it will have a 1 cm whiskers below and an 0.8 cm whisker at the top for a total length of 3.7 cm. Then the first box would be 1.7 cm high with the bottom whisker 0.8 cm, and the top whisker 0.5 cm for a total length of 3 cm. The last box is then 1.4 cm high with the top whisker being 0.6 cm and the bottom 0.5 cm, for a total length of 2.5 cm. The boxes are 0.7 cm wide and the end lines for the whiskers are 0.5 cm wide. The data points stay in the same place and have the same dimensions through all five panels, except the middle point which changes as explained below in the last two panels.]

:[Cueball walks into the panel from the left looking up at the top of the first box.]

:[Cueball climbs on to the first box, by holding on to the top and stem of the first whisker, while putting a bend leg on the top of the box, while the other legs hangs down the side of the box.]

:[Cueball now stands on top of the plot, with one foot on the first box and a second foot on the middle box. He is bend over the whisker on the middle box, holding on to it with both hands, one on either side of the middle stem. He is pushing it up and down, as indicated with two light gray version of Cueball's arms and the stem, with the stem in the top gray version being about 0.1 cm above the original height and with Cueball thus with more bend arms than in the normal black version. He has thus pulled the "lever" a bit further up. The second gray version is in between these two, about 0.2 cm below the upper gray, and thus 0.1 cm below the original position and thus with a bit less bend arms that the top gray. In the final black version where the arms are almost stretched, the top is now only 0.5 cm over the box, 0.3 cm below the original position, further 0.2 cm below the second gray. On top of all this the middle box also increases its width bulging out in the top part with a maximum bulge around 0.6 cm below the top, to a width of 1.1 cm. That the movement of Cueball goes both ways are indicated both with 6 small double lines around Cueball's shoulders, arms and hands, but also by the sound his actions make:]
:''Pump''
:''Pump''
:''Pump''

:[Finally Cueball has climbed down and walks away to the right, the panel panning a bit after him so the inflated box plot moves to the left in the panel. The middle box is now inflated evenly so the maximum bulge is at the middle and it is almost touching the other two boxes with a width of 1.4 cm, double the original thickness. There have all the time been 1.5 cm between the edges of the two other boxes, so the inflated box does not interfere with the other two, but is very close to their edges. The whisker at the bottom of the middle box is unchanged but the top whisker ended up being only 0.6 cm high, 0.2 cm lower than original position, but a 0.1 cm higher than when Cueball pushed down on it in the previous panel.]

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Chart]]
[[Category:Science]]

1795: All You Can Eat

2017-02-07T09:44:01Z

141.101.104.137: fixed a typo (seem -> seems)

{{comic
| number = 1795
| date = February 6, 2017
| title = All You Can Eat
| image = all_you_can_eat.png
| titletext = After my absent-mindedness resulted in a bad posterboard-related stomachache, I learned to do the sign-making place last.
}}

==Explanation==
An all-you-can-eat {{w|buffet}} is when a restaurant will charge you once for entry and then continuously serve you more food at no additional cost until you have eaten all-you-can-eat. Part of the "[[:Category:My Hobby|My Hobby]]" series, this comic shows [[Randall]] wishes to prepend "all-you-can-eat" to random stores. These stores do not sell food, so the very idea of eating their product would be ridiculous<sup>[[[285|''citation needed'']]]</sup>. However, this is what Randall's stunt makes the stores he defaces seem to advertise. Most people would not seriously consider eating the products these stores sell even with the signs suggesting they should, as it is just a monumentally stupid idea<sup>[[[285|''citation needed'']]]</sup>.

In the title text, Randall seems to have fallen for his own prank. After he puts the "all-you-can-eat" sign onto the signmakers' place, he proceeds to heed his own sign literally and eat the posterboards that he is supposed to make signs from. To remind himself not to make the same mistake again, he tells himself to "do the sign-making place last."

Note that some pets are considered food in some cultures; rabbits are commonly kept as pets as well as served as food, dogs are consumed in some areas in eastern Asia, guinea pigs in South America and Africa, and [http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/alf/images/9/92/Cat_sandwich.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20110128060130 some fictional characters are known for eating cats]. Even more normally, a cat owner that wants to buy an "all you can eat" bird feast for their cat would be happy with this last store. Also, in one episode of his television show, Soupy Sales is informed that his dog has stolen a tire and eaten part of it.

It is not really possible to read the obscured part of the first two signs, although it is pretty clear that the first and last letters in the first sign are A and k. And also since the A is taller than the white sign, this first letter must be larger than the others which do not show above the white sign. There could be room for anything from 8 to many more letters hidden as it can be seen in the second line below that the I's take up much less space than the other letters. But from the letters below it would be likely there were 9 (maybe including a space) if no I's were used resulting in a word or two like this "A _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ k".

The last sign is though clearly readable and it says "Kevin's Pet Store". There actually exists a [http://kevinspetshopcom.weebly.com/ web page with the name "Kevin's Pet Shop"], supposedly located in Texas, but there is very limited information on the page. See more about the use of Kevin in xkcd in the [[#Kevin|trivia]] below.

==Transcript==
:[The comic shows the facades of four stores next to each other on a street, with the sidewalk shown in front of them. To the top of each store's name there has been appended white signs. Three of the white signs partially cover the name part of the sign above three of the stores, but the fourth sign is placed entirely above the text of the third store. Thus that white sign's top is higher up than the building's.]

:[First store from the left has one small rectangular section next to the door and then a larger window. The first section may be a poster with information about the store. It could also be a small window. Through the large window (or on it) two rectangular signs can be seen with unreadable text. There are also three half circles at the bottom of the large window, possibly chairs or tires on display. On the normal sized door there hangs an open/closed sign, but no text is visible. On the stores sign the top line of text, likely with the name of the store, is obscured by the white sign so most of the letters are completely covered. Less than half of the first capital letter and ditto for the last letter is visible. It looks like the first letter is an "A", and the last a "k".]
:White sign: All-you-can-eat
:Store sign: Discount Tires

:[Second store from the left has two posters over each other, the top one with unreadable text, the bottom a picture of a person with messy black hair, seen from the torso and up. Next to this is a double door with large windows from below the middle and up near the top. Next to the door there is a small window. On the stores sign the top line of text, likely with the name of the store, is completely obscured by the white sign. This line is shorter than the white sign, but the letters are taller, so top and bottom of the letters can be seen. But it is not easy to guess any letters.]
:White sign: All-you-can-eat
:Store sign: Hair Salon

:[Third store from the left has two posters over each other, but the lower poster is smaller and more to the right. Both has unreadable text, and the top one also some kind of image with two tilted rectangles. Similarly there are three signs above each other with different size and text on the right side of the store. Between them is a large open door. Wider than the double doors of store two, but there is no sign of the doors. Inside the store there are two signs, one hanging down from two rods from the ceiling, both with unreadable text. The one from the ceiling is in the center the other is partly obscured by the door frame to the left. Left and right there are two rectangular structures, which both goes behind the frame. The left is taller. In the middle there is one broad but low rectangular structure with another higher rectangle on top, which does not go to either side of the one below. The white sign on this store is slightly tilted, and most of it is above the top of the store, and thus also almost completely above the store sign. Only the top of the first and last letter in the last word in the top line is touched by the sign.]
:White sign: All-you-can-eat
:Store sign: Lumber and
:Store sign: Flooring Depot

:[Fourth store from the left has a window to the left. Behind the window is a flat surface on which two rectangular structures are standing on their long sides. Over the lowest to the left there is sign with unreadable text. Below the window there is a thins sign with more text. The normal sized door has a window from below the middle and up. There are three several signs up the left sign, and possible another three small signs at the bottom of the window. The top right corner has a curved line around the corner. No text is visible on the door. Next to the door is another square. It could be a window of a place to post things. There are one large posters to the left with unreadable text and to the top right another smaller white rectangle. Below along the bottom of the square there are three small rectangles shown in full, and two more is only partly shown, which could indicate that it is a window and that they are inside the store. On the stores sign the top line of text, with the name of the store, is obscured by the white sign. The name is just a bit longer than the white sign, and as the letters are a bit higher than in store two it can be deduced that it says "Kevin's".]
:White sign: All-you-can-eat
:Store sign: Pet Store

:[Caption below the frame:]
:My hobby: Going out at night and adding "all-you-can-eat" to every store's sign

==Trivia==
===Kevin===
*The name Kevin has been used twice before this comic and quite recently.
**That makes this comic the third with a Kevin in only 77 comics:
***In [[1719: Superzoom]], Kevin he worked in a shop that sold superzoom cameras.
***In [[1729: Migrating Geese]], Kevin was the different goose
***In [[1795: All You Can Eat]] (this one), Kevin has a pet shop, with his name in the shops name.
**In the previous 1718 comics there seems to have been no use of Kevin except when referring to real persons like:
***Actors [[1412: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles|Kevin]] [[599: Apocalypse|Bacon]] or [[1555: Exoplanet Names 2|Costner]]
***[[1392: Dominant Players|Chess players]] Gariett and Durant.
**So maybe Kevin is Randall's new go to name when he just needs one!
***This has also been discussed in the Geese comic, see the last entry in the [[1729:_Migrating_Geese#Table of labels|table]].

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:My Hobby]]
[[Category:Animals]]
[[Category:Food]]

Talk:1460: SMFW

2014-12-15T19:22:31Z

141.101.104.137:

Reading this is like listening to the video of that lady who imitates the sound patterns of different languages, but without actually saying any real words! --[[User:Elipongo|Elipongo]] ([[User talk:Elipongo|talk]]) 05:34, 15 December 2014 (UTC)
:link? -- [[User:Brettpeirce|Brettpeirce]] ([[User talk:Brettpeirce|talk]]) 15:41, 15 December 2014 (UTC)
It would sound more natural if it were "''SMFW '''as''' an acronym almost makes sense''". Is the fact that "as" was omitted from that sentence supposed to give us a hint as to what "SMFW" might mean? [[User:Nicksh|Nicksh]] ([[User talk:Nicksh|talk]]) 07:16, 15 December 2014 (UTC)

: As "the Internet is for porn", in many contexts SFW, lit. Safe for Work, can be taken to mean sex-free content, while NSFW, Not Safe for Work, would mean sex-positive content, then SMFW might be interpreted to me SM For Work, where SM would be humorously interpreted as some graphically explicit sex-positive content, perhaps SadoMachoism, which outside of paperwork is generally classified NSFW. [[Special:Contributions/199.27.133.29|199.27.133.29]] 10:31, 15 December 2014 (UTC)

:: And "wtfw it's like smho tbfh, imdb." might be a defensive reaction to those what would not find humour of SM For Work. "what the fooking wut? It's like stick my humble opinion, to be fooking honest, in my dead body. (or database)." [[Special:Contributions/199.27.133.29|199.27.133.29]] 10:38, 15 December 2014 (UTC)

:: Additional evidence of SM For Work, would be the posture in the task chair with respect to the desk and laptop (hunched over, feet not resting on ground, etc) seems the opposite of ergonomic advice which might lead to muscle strain, pain and fatigue -- the type of unsexy, self-inflicted torments that workers do to themselves "for work" {{unsigned ip|199.27.133.29}}

I thought it was simply 'Save Me From Work' - being unhappy at work is common, and using the internet as a distraction from work is common as well. - So sending a quick message to a friend "SMFW" is a request for them to send you a link or other internet distraction, or otherwise help you come up with an excuse to not be productive.

I thought of So Much For Work as a possible meaning. {{unsigned ip|173.245.50.178}}

I think "SMFW" is a mixture of SMF and MFW: "So Much Fun When". It fits the sentence. The only thing is that Cueball doesn't look like he's having fun.

Smoke more fucking weed could be a replacement for something like "Bloody hell" or "Shit the bed".
[[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.252|141.101.98.252]] 09:05, 15 December 2014 (UTC)

So why doesn't "xkcd" appear on the acronyms list? --[[User:Koveras|Koveras]] ([[User talk:Koveras|talk]]) 09:47, 15 December 2014 (UTC)
: Because xkcd isnt an acronym. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.61|108.162.216.61]] 09:56, 15 December 2014 (UTC)

I would like to add STFW ("Search the fucking web", [http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/STFW]) as an acronym that SMFW is close to (same except for the second letter)...but there might be enough examples? [[User:Aquaplanet|Aquaplanet]] ([[User talk:Aquaplanet|talk]]) 11:07, 15 December 2014 (UTC)

SMFW makes perfect sense. Shaking my face when (SMH+MFW) an acronym almost makes sense. {{unsigned|Sederts}}

See My Face When an acronym almost makes sense... makes perfect sense. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.4|141.101.99.4]] 13:26, 15 December 2014 (UTC)

"So Much Frustration When an acronym ''almost'' makes sense."
: +1 -- [[User:Brettpeirce|Brettpeirce]] ([[User talk:Brettpeirce|talk]]) 15:44, 15 December 2014 (UTC)
"What to feel when it's like some message has only to be f...ing hashtags, is mostly deep bafflement." [[User:Ackegard|Ackegard]] ([[User talk:Ackegard|talk]]) 14:35, 15 December 2014 (UTC)

None of these are acronyms. [[Special:Contributions/199.27.128.115|199.27.128.115]] 14:55, 15 December 2014 (UTC)

So Much F*cking Want. So, uh. Yeah. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.237.124|108.162.237.124]] 15:10, 15 December 2014 (UTC)

Small Men Fear Women [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.39|108.162.216.39]] 15:27, 15 December 2014 (UTC)

So Many Fucking Ways? {{unsigned ip|108.162.230.209}}

Staring, Mildly Frustrated When...? [[User:Kirdneh|Kirdneh]] ([[User talk:Kirdneh|talk]]) 17:50, 15 December 2014 (UTC)

"SMHO" could also be related to "LMHO," or "Laughing My Head Off." So, "Shaking My Head Off"? Something that makes you shake your head so hard it might fall off? [[User:Shanek|Shanek]] ([[User talk:Shanek|talk]]) 16:12, 15 December 2014 (UTC)

SMFW is an initialism. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.230.131|108.162.230.131]] 16:45, 15 December 2014 (UTC)

<pedantic>Initialisms are only acronyms when they can be pronounced </pendantic> [[User:Sideshowtanley|Sideshowtanley]] ([[User talk:Sideshowtanley|talk]]) 17:16, 15 December 2014 (UTC)

I was thinking "So M*therf*cking what?" as the meaning for the acronym, but Randall is more arcane than that :) [[Special:Contributions/173.245.49.148|173.245.49.148]] 17:49, 15 December 2014 (UTC)

"Social Media Forum Warrior" is what came to my mind. I may have been on the internets for too long. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.137|141.101.104.137]] 19:22, 15 December 2014 (UTC)