FTW is another internet lingo which literally means “for the win”. This phrase is commonly used by people who are frequently online especially those that join chat rooms or make posts and comments on social networking sites. Instead of typing “for the win”, the shortened term “FTW” is used to express excitement and enthusiasm. The enthusiasm expressed in the FTW is said to have started as “genuine” but as the term got popular online, many people also use FTW as some form of sarcastic comment over something that is supposedly fun and/or exciting.
The term “for the win” was said to have originated from the US game show called “Hollywood Squares”. When a player’s answer is expected to be correct and could get him/her enough points to win over the other players, the host typically emphasizes that the answer is given “for the win”. Â With this inspiration, the online community use FTW as a means of expressing enthusiasm over a great news or idea. Having a new shirt that seemed unusual for a person can merit a comment from another friend like “You’re shirt is nice and unique. Unique shirts are FTW”. Â When another person explains enthusiastically about the features of his/her mobile phone for example, another person may comment that his/her brand of cellphone is FTW or “for the win”.
The FTW term are also often used as shout-outs or introductory statements about something good or something that one is very enthusiastic about. If a person has perfected his/her spaghetti recipe for example, he/she may exclaim online that “My Spaghetti Recipe, FTW”. This statement simply states that the fact one is enthusiastic about his/her own spaghetti recipe and that is why the FTW term is added to the phrase of comment. Instead of having to tell people that one’s recipe is so good, using the FTW term is now the in-thing among netizens and social networking addicts.
