Ah, the wonders of the acronym! How dull or inconvenient our world would be if we had to forsake our fondness for (and the sheer practicality of) those little shortcuts of meaning. From those gracing all office conversation (FYI, ASAP, CYA) to those of the Internet (LOL, ROFL), acronyms both old and new grease the wheels of communication in our daily lives.

While perusing the message trees on a vendor-help Web site, I stumbled across one that may prove particularly useful to insurance folks. After one query, evidently thought to be a bit too basic by the responding staffer, appeared the short and sweet reply: "RTFM!" Not being familiar with that particular acronym, I plugged it into the Google search engine and was directed to an online dictionary for computer jargon. Thereupon I was apprised of the true meaning of the term, parts of which are unsuitable for use in print by anyone other than the Vice President. For our purposes, I will render it thusly: "Read The Freaking Manual!"

Why did this particular Internet acronym strike a chord within my soul? Because I immediately sensed the need for an insurance equivalent-RTFF! As in, "Read the Freaking Form!" Recently, in a CGL class I was teaching, there arose a heated discussion of liability coverage for autos versus mobile equipment. Although the resolution of such disputes invariably turns on whether a specific vehicle is considered to be an "auto" or "mobile equipment," the students got stuck on such side issues as "tags" and "usage on public roads."