Meaning of DAR in Texting Jargon

DAR is a pop culture expression with multiple meanings. The most common use of DAR is 'daily afternoon randomness', a phrase made popular by TheChive.com. It describes collections of interesting random photos and reader-submitted images.

DAR has largely grown in popularity thanks to The Chive website, a very popular photo-sharing site for young people. Each week, photoblog threads are added to The Chive, assembling random motivating and spectacular photos of people doing funny and inspirational things.

DAR is sometimes used to mean 'Dry Anal Rape', a cruel expression that is popular with gamers. In this crude usage, DAR describes being pwned or controlled against your will in an online game, like Call of Duty or Halo or SWTOR. This version of the DAR acronym is unpleasant and can be a source of awkward dissonance when one person says 'DAR' with its random photo meaning, while a gamer hears DAR with its pwnage meaning.

• Envelope: I found some good DAR today.
• Tha-tch: You got pwned by some Imperials in world pvp?
• Envelope: No, idiot. I found some good photos on Chive this afternoon. /facepalm

Capitalization is a non-concern when using text message abbreviations and chat jargon. You are welcome to use all uppercase (e.g. ROFL) or all lowercase (e.g. rofl), and the meaning is identical. Avoid typing entire sentences in uppercase, though, as that means shouting in online speak.

Proper punctuation is similarly a non-concern with most text message abbreviations. For example, the abbreviation for 'Too Long, Didn't Read' can be abbreviated as TL;DR or as TLDR. Both are an acceptable format, with or without punctuation.

Never use periods (dots) between your jargon letters. It would defeat the purpose of speeding up thumb typing. For example, ROFL would never be spelled R.O.F.L., and TTYL would never be spelled T.T.Y.L. 

Knowing when to use jargon in your messaging is about knowing who your audience is, knowing if the context is informal or professional, and then using good judgment. If you know the people well, and it is a personal and informal communication, then absolutely use abbreviation jargon. On the flip side, if you are just starting a friendship or professional relationship with the other person, then it is a good idea to avoid abbreviations until you have developed a relationship rapport.

If the messaging is in a professional context with someone at work, or with a customer or vendor outside your company, then avoid abbreviations altogether. Using full word spellings shows professionalism and courtesy. It is much easier to err on the side of being too professional and then relax your communications over time than doing the inverse.