What is the deal with "DW"?

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qwertyjazz
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Re: What is the deal with "DW"?

Post by qwertyjazz »

bloom2708 wrote: Wed Feb 24, 2021 2:13 pm I am amazed what can offend people. :D Virtually everything. Which is part of the problem today. So many are perpetually offended.

I wouldn't think twice about "Dear Wife" or "Dear Husband". Even if I wouldn't say it. :?

One friend will not use his spouse's name or "wife" or "spouse". He says "her" or "she" when referring to his wife. Which "her"?

Maybe "schmoopie" would be better? I'm sure Joe Schmoop would be offended.
It can be really embarrassing to use the wrong name for his spouse. Or if he is with his second family, it might let them figure out about his first. You should try to be more considerate if he really is a friend. :annoyed :wink:
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MishkaWorries
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Re: What is the deal with "DW"?

Post by MishkaWorries »

AlwaysaQ wrote: Wed Feb 24, 2021 1:37 pm Is 'my boo' the one who scares you?
Sometimes :shock:
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zincTwo
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Re: What is the deal with "DW"?

Post by zincTwo »

jarjarM wrote: Wed Feb 24, 2021 12:52 pm
surfstar wrote: Wed Feb 24, 2021 12:46 pm I had to adjust to seeing the D_ used on BH.

I much prefer it to "hubby" though - I cringe when I read that

Boat forum had SWMBO - I had to look that one up
Have to google that one too and so true :P
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telemark
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Re: What is the deal with "DW"?

Post by telemark »

Starfish wrote: Wed Feb 24, 2021 12:49 pm
greg24 wrote: Wed Feb 24, 2021 12:37 pm Dear Wife
Dear Husband
Dear Son
Dear Daughter

I agree it is a little odd how prevalent this usage is on a forum that doesn't use much slang.
Why are all dear? Why do I have to know that they are dear to the poster? When the dear part becomes default doesn't lose all the value? So many questions!
I always assume there is some other spouse/offspring/relative/whatever for whom the adjective does not apply :wink:
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gwe67
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Re: What is the deal with "DW"?

Post by gwe67 »

Beware, I got put on "warning level 1" for making a snarky post about a poster who used too many/unknown acronyms.
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rich126
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Re: What is the deal with "DW"?

Post by rich126 »

tim1999 wrote: Wed Feb 24, 2021 12:41 pm I hate the terms "DW" "DH" etc. and have literally never heard someone in real life outside of internet forums frequented by the age 40+ crowd refer to someone as "Dear Wife" etc. in my entire existence on this planet.
I have to admit I cringe everytime I see it as well. Not sure why but I just find it annoying.
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jello_nailer
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Re: What is the deal with "DW"?

Post by jello_nailer »

ResearchMed wrote: Wed Feb 24, 2021 1:11 pm
jarjarM wrote: Wed Feb 24, 2021 1:04 pm
sailaway wrote: Wed Feb 24, 2021 1:01 pm
MishkaWorries wrote: Wed Feb 24, 2021 12:56 pm I don't like DH or DW. I'm trying to get "my boo" to trend on Bogleheads but no luck yet.
I could get on board with this one.
Why can't we just use "hon" :twisted:
OMG... "don't get me started!"
Grrrrr.

Anything other than "hon". Anything...

(At least you put the little "evil" emoji in there. Thanks! :wink: )

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HueyLD
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Re: What is the deal with "DW"?

Post by HueyLD »

When I first saw the acronym DW, I thought it was a Dish Washer.

And my first impression of DH was a Designated Hitter.

There you have it.
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Re: What is the deal with "DW"?

Post by 6bquick »

I've always used DW, but only because I thought "The Warden" might offend some of the more delicate sensibilities on the board. :twisted:
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roth evangelist
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Re: What is the deal with "DW"?

Post by roth evangelist »

I have also thought this is weird. Must confuse a lot of new people. I know it took me some time to figure out what it meant.
henry
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Re: What is the deal with "DW"?

Post by henry »

Always wondered about this too! Someone else mentioned it's from the "boomer" generation. Could be, I'm in my 40s and had never heard of it (DW, DH, etc) outside of this forum either.
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peetsperk
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Re: What is the deal with "DW"?

Post by peetsperk »

Stinky wrote: Wed Feb 24, 2021 12:42 pm All such secrets are revealed in the super-private “Boglehead Initiation Ceremony”. :D
Stinky - thanks for making my day!
phinanciallyfit
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Re: What is the deal with "DW"?

Post by phinanciallyfit »

I don't particularly like it and I try to avoid using it, but that and the related (DH, DS, and DD) have been used in every internet forum I have participated in over the last 7 years (which is when I first came across it).
TallBoy29er
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Re: What is the deal with "DW"?

Post by TallBoy29er »

Clearly these are not terms associated with Bogleheads, unless we have a secret agent amongst us creating Wikipedia posts.

I think Stinky may have nailed it, intentionally or not, in implying that you can tell a legit forum member who has gone through the initiation ceremony. :D From the Wikipedia article:

"On one breast cancer forum, where the majority of users are women aged 40–60, a statistical analysis of posts shows that typing out "husband" is associated with short-time members, while "my DD" (rather than "daughter") is associated with long-time members."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dear_husb ... a%20Online.
bi0hazard
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Re: What is the deal with "DW"?

Post by bi0hazard »

I think we a consensus to ban the use of all the D(x) variants. Clearly nobody likes it. :oops:
Disclaimer: I'm not very smart, and this is just my hypothesis.
bugleheadd
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Re: What is the deal with "DW"?

Post by bugleheadd »

all this time i thought it was my dumb wife or dumb husband
tim1999
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Re: What is the deal with "DW"?

Post by tim1999 »

When I read someone refer to their spouse as "Dear Wife" in a post on here, I imagine the poster looks like this. Just sounds like an old-timey phrase.

Image
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Miriam2
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Re: What is the deal with "DW"?

Post by Miriam2 »

Well, the "D" in DH could mean many things :wink: Not so for DW of course :happy
prh2s
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Re: What is the deal with "DW"?

Post by prh2s »

DesertDiva wrote: Wed Feb 24, 2021 2:07 pm
TomatoTomahto wrote: Wed Feb 24, 2021 1:49 pm My personal pet peeve, which I’ve seen here, is “the wife.” I have theories about why it bothers me, but better not to go there.
Same here... and I never hear women referring to “the husband”! :?
Oh, yes, "the wife" is much worse.

Agree with everyone else who has tagged DH, DW, etc. as jargon from another era. It sounds like something from the days of AOL and dial-up internet (which, yes, I'm old enough to remember).
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obafgkm
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Re: What is the deal with "DW"?

Post by obafgkm »

IANAL seems to be one that nobody would miss if it went away.
SundayMorning wrote: Wed Feb 24, 2021 1:23 pm Usually goes away when you get married... :twisted:
:shock: :mrgreen:

Can't believe you went there.
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SrGrumpy
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Re: What is the deal with "DW"?

Post by SrGrumpy »

littlebird wrote: Wed Feb 24, 2021 2:04 pm I usually say “spouse”.
Just don't say "partner."
Triple digit golfer
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Re: What is the deal with "DW"?

Post by Triple digit golfer »

stoptothink wrote: Wed Feb 24, 2021 1:22 pm
tim1999 wrote: Wed Feb 24, 2021 12:41 pm I hate the terms "DW" "DH" etc. and have literally never heard someone in real life outside of internet forums frequented by the age 40+ crowd refer to someone as "Dear Wife" etc. in my entire existence on this planet.
Ditto. I have though found myself almost using it on this forum, just because I am so used to seeing it here.
Agreed. Can't stand it.
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Miriam2
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Re: What is the deal with "DW"?

Post by Miriam2 »

Stinky wrote: Wed Feb 24, 2021 12:42 pm All such secrets are revealed in the super-private “Boglehead Initiation Ceremony”. :D
TallBoy29er wrote:I think Stinky may have nailed it, intentionally or not, in implying that you can tell a legit forum member who has gone through the initiation ceremony. :D
Well, we DO have a secret Bogleheads handshake - how many know that? 8-)
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obafgkm
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Re: What is the deal with "DW"?

Post by obafgkm »

MishkaWorries wrote: Wed Feb 24, 2021 12:56 pm I don't like DH or DW. I'm trying to get "my boo" to trend on Bogleheads but no luck yet.
"Boo" is so fetch...

https://youtu.be/Pubd-spHN-0
"I'm investing in stocks... chicken, beef, and vegetable. It's risky, but I know one day it'll pay off & I'll be a bouillonaire. Who knows, I might even open up a Broth IRA."
Triple digit golfer
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Re: What is the deal with "DW"?

Post by Triple digit golfer »

SundayMorning wrote: Wed Feb 24, 2021 1:23 pm
IANAL seems to be one that nobody would miss if it went away.


Usually goes away when you get married... :twisted:
:mrgreen:
mall0c
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Re: What is the deal with "DW"?

Post by mall0c »

Oh haha all this time I though the D was for Diehard bc I've only ever seen it here
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Teague
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Re: What is the deal with "DW"?

Post by Teague »

gwe67 wrote: Wed Feb 24, 2021 2:31 pm Beware, I got put on "warning level 1" for making a snarky post about a poster who used too many/unknown acronyms.
TMI

But seriously folks, specialized shorthand can be a real timesaver in many situations, not just here. For example...

A young first timer was confused by what he saw at the annual stand-up comics' convention. As each performer took the stage in turn, no jokes were delivered, rather, sequences of numbers were being spoken. A particularly famous comedian commenced his routine:

"Thirty four." The crowd chuckled.
"Seventeen, twenty-nine." Solid laughs from most of the crowd.
'Sixty five, eleven, eight!" The crowd went wild, hearty belly laughs, tears streaming and a standing ovation.

"You see," said an older comedian noticing the youngster's bewilderment, "When you get to this level of the profession, everybody knows all the jokes, so every joke has a number assigned to it, to save time."

"Ahh," thought the budding entertainer. Realizing this would make his turn on stage much easier, he quickly learned the numbers for a few classic sure-fire jokes just in time before his turn in the spotlight.

"Fourteen!" the lad exclaimed with his best delivery, but there was only silence.
"Twelve, ninety-eight!" Crickets...
Giving it everything he had, he screamed "thirteen, twenty seven, forty three!!" Impatient murmurs were followed by a slow-clap as he exited, stage left. He sought out his mentor for an explanation. "What happened out there?" he asked, on the verge of tears.

Explained the older, wiser comic, "Well kid, some guys can tell 'em, and some can't."
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H-Town
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Re: What is the deal with "DW"?

Post by H-Town »

dumbmoney wrote: Wed Feb 24, 2021 12:37 pm Help me scratch this itch..."DW" is used all over the forum despite
(1) being very obscure - Wikipedia has never heard of it. You have to go to the Urban Dictionary to find out what it means.
(2) being used nowhere else - bogleheads is the only place I've ever seen it

This is not a forum where people use a lot of obscure slang, so what can explain it?
Don’t you think those terms were used on purpose? Sometime it’s “dear ____”, other times it could be “dummy ____”, or “deadly ____”, or “douchy____”. It’s open for interpretations.

All joking aside, I don’t use the terms. I don’t like the terms. But I don’t really care if you use the terms. Thanks for coming to my Ted talk.
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HomeStretch
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Re: What is the deal with "DW"?

Post by HomeStretch »

Never saw DH/DW before this forum. Every forum has its own vernacular. Posters can use whatever they want IMO as long as their posts are clear especially when asking portfolio questions. Don’t use “our” when listing a portfolio’s IRA account!
Starfish
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Re: What is the deal with "DW"?

Post by Starfish »

Miriam2 wrote: Wed Feb 24, 2021 3:06 pm Well, the "D" in DH could mean many things :wink: Not so for DW of course :happy

Devil's?
tim1999
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Re: What is the deal with "DW"?

Post by tim1999 »

The other forums I've seen it on are City Data, a forum for a type of car I used to own, and some "DC Urban Moms and Dads" forum that came up when I googled a question I had about some Roth IRA issue.
Leesbro63
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Re: What is the deal with "DW"?

Post by Leesbro63 »

I've been on here a long time and also don't like the D_ stuff. And I also don't like referring to investments by their ticker symbol if not accompanied, at least during the first reference in a post, by it's name. But the good of Bogleheads a million times outweighs this pet-peeve.
therub
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Re: What is the deal with "DW"?

Post by therub »

Not a boomer, but I find it endearing. Certainly not worth getting outraged over...
Fees are the rub.
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celia
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Re: What is the deal with "DW"?

Post by celia »

I’d rather see DW, etc than ticker symbols any day! That’s the one that gets me. :oops:

But I think it is useful when referring to family members repeatedly in the same post.
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JPH
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Re: What is the deal with "DW"?

Post by JPH »

celia wrote: Wed Feb 24, 2021 3:51 pm I’d rather see DW, etc than ticker symbols any day! That’s the one that gets me. :oops:
+1 100% I usually ignore posts with ticker symbols.

I tried doing a site search for the earliest instance of DW, but the search was rejected because the term is too common. Maybe someone can find a more clever way to do it.
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celia
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Re: What is the deal with "DW"?

Post by celia »

jarjarM wrote: Wed Feb 24, 2021 1:04 pm
sailaway wrote: Wed Feb 24, 2021 1:01 pm
MishkaWorries wrote: Wed Feb 24, 2021 12:56 pm I don't like DH or DW. I'm trying to get "my boo" to trend on Bogleheads but no luck yet.
I could get on board with this one.
Why can't we just use "hon" :twisted:
Nawww.... Maybe we have some, but I’ve never noticed any judges on here...

or maybe the lawyers here are avoiding them...
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Kenkat
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Re: What is the deal with "DW"?

Post by Kenkat »

bloom2708 wrote: Wed Feb 24, 2021 2:13 pm I am amazed what can offend people. :D Virtually everything. Which is part of the problem today. So many are perpetually offended.

I wouldn't think twice about "Dear Wife" or "Dear Husband". Even if I wouldn't say it. :?

One friend will not use his spouse's name or "wife" or "spouse". He says "her" or "she" when referring to his wife. Which "her"?

Maybe "schmoopie" would be better? I'm sure Joe Schmoop would be offended.
No, you’re schmoopie!

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jarjarM
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Re: What is the deal with "DW"?

Post by jarjarM »

celia wrote: Wed Feb 24, 2021 3:59 pm
jarjarM wrote: Wed Feb 24, 2021 1:04 pm
sailaway wrote: Wed Feb 24, 2021 1:01 pm
MishkaWorries wrote: Wed Feb 24, 2021 12:56 pm I don't like DH or DW. I'm trying to get "my boo" to trend on Bogleheads but no luck yet.
I could get on board with this one.
Why can't we just use "hon" :twisted:
Nawww.... Maybe we have some, but I’ve never noticed any judges on here...

or maybe the lawyers here are avoiding them...
I never even thought of it :beer
dukeblue219
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Re: What is the deal with "DW"?

Post by dukeblue219 »

It's pretty common on parenting blogs/instagrams/etc to refer to the spouse as DH or DW and the kids as LO (little one), DS, or DD. Definitely not just a boomer thing or a Bogle thing.
bikechuck
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Re: What is the deal with "DW"?

Post by bikechuck »

I have been reading it wrong all this time; I figured it stood for "Divorced Wife".
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MJS
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Re: What is the deal with "DW"?

Post by MJS »

JPH wrote: Wed Feb 24, 2021 3:57 pm I tried doing a site search for the earliest instance of DW, but the search was rejected because the term is too common. Maybe someone can find a more clever way to do it.
Via Google, custom date:
https://www.google.com/search?q=%22dw%2 ... F2008&tbm=

Looks like the 1st use of DW was on 10 Jun 2007 11:14 in "Directed Beneficiary Plan no longer for joint accounts?" viewtopic.php?t=3245

So it is classic -- a tradition!
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tooluser
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Re: What is the deal with "DW"?

Post by tooluser »

As far as I know, the D* (Dearest *Whatever) acronyms started in the Usenet news and discussion groups on the Internet (Unix-based text-only conversations) that existed before the World Wide Web (web browser with graphics). That goes as far back as 1991 for me, but I'm pretty sure they existed even before then.

I am not qualified to plonk or hat you all, but I would if I could.
mushripu
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Re: What is the deal with "DW"?

Post by mushripu »

It is a unique cultural phenomenon that should be kept here. :sharebeer
2pedals
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Re: What is the deal with "DW"?

Post by 2pedals »

I first used DW several years ago when noticing several other posts used DW, DH, DD and DS. Almost always I don't have a problem with the use of the acronym. I have seen many posters use the acronym in such a way that it was clear that the poster was very concerned about planning and helping their family.
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gobel
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Re: What is the deal with "DW"?

Post by gobel »

MJS wrote: Wed Feb 24, 2021 4:51 pm Looks like the 1st use of DW was on 10 Jun 2007 11:14 in "Directed Beneficiary Plan no longer for joint accounts?" viewtopic.php?t=3245

So it is classic -- a tradition!
And the first thread dedicated to complaining about it. viewtopic.php?f=3&t=76019 I think 10 years is long enough for people to get used to an abbrev.
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Re: What is the deal with "DW"?

Post by Pinotage »

Mlm wrote: Wed Feb 24, 2021 1:28 pm
SundayMorning wrote: Wed Feb 24, 2021 1:23 pm
IANAL seems to be one that nobody would miss if it went away.


Usually goes away when you get married... :twisted:
WTF
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Starfish
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Re: What is the deal with "DW"?

Post by Starfish »

It's not the abbreviation. It's the annoyance and ridiculousness of it.
Besides abbreviating dear negates the idea completely.
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Re: What is the deal with "DW"?

Post by KingsBench »

celia wrote:
jarjarM wrote: Why can't we just use "hon" :twisted:
Nawww.... Maybe we have some, but I’ve never noticed any judges on here...
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calmaniac
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Re: What is the deal with "DW"?

Post by calmaniac »

I'm not a fan of DW.....but I'm pretty sure I have used it in a post at least once.

All-in-all, if 'DW' is your biggest gripe, BH is doing fabulously. :sharebeer

Sign me,

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Re: What is the deal with "DW"?

Post by lurkman »

A profound thread. It’s deeply stirring to see DBs come together as an acronym resolution team (aka ART).

P.S. DB = Dear Boglehead
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