Geocaching lingo is, like geocaching itself, filled with little secrets. Some are convenient abbreviations (such as SL: "signed log") while other terms seem like code words for members of a secret society. The following abbreviations and terms are used frequently in cache logs and on geocaching.com:
TNLN: "Took nothing, left nothing." If you don't have a trinket to place with a cache, you really have no business taking someone else's, do you?
NHF: "Not having fun." This is not something a cache hider wants to read. You can almost feel the exasperation in those words, which geocachers — generally a fun-loving group — only write when they find a cache that was particularly well-placed (or poorly placed, depending on whom you ask). "You hate being foiled by a 35-millimeter film canister," one geocacher put succinctly.
TFTC: "Thanks for the cache." If geocaching is about the thrill of the hunt, thank-yous are probably in order. A related abbreviation, TFTH ("thanks for the hide") is also popular among cachers.
DNF: "Did not find." The deathblow to any geocacher's pride. Some geocachers actually have a tough time logging DNF's on the geocaching.com website, as it reveals their limitations as amateur treasure hunters. DNF's, however, serve a very important purpose for those who hide caches: if it's too tough for one geocacher to find, it'll probably be too big a challenge for others as well. On the other hand, a DNF might be an indication that the cache has disappeared entirely.
Cache Machine: This is a process in which geocachers get together and seek out a number of easy-to-find caches in a small area. It's a fast way for treasure hunters to up their count, though more than a few geocaching enthusiasts equate it to cheating — what fun is geocaching, they ask, if your only goal is to have more "finds" than the next guy?
FTF: "First to Find." This is kind of the opposite of DNF ("did not find"), as it recognizes a geocacher's ability to get the goods first. This is such a noteworthy distinction that even a STF ("second to find"), often noted in logbooks, is worthy of some celebration.
CITO: "Cache in, trash out." If you're tramping through parks and public places anyway, why not pick up some refuse? Much of geocaching's charm has to do with being in the great outdoors, so help fellow nature lovers by putting trash in its proper place.
Muggle: A term for a non-geocacher, borrowed from the Harry Potter book series. This, ladies and gentlemen, is testimony to geocaching's inherent nerdiness; the epitome of dorkdom.
YAPIDKA: "Yet another park I didn't know about." Many, if not most caches are found in public areas. Since there are a finite number of these in any given town, cache hiders often use parks that are off the beaten path. Cachers rejoice at the opportunity to find an item in a park they didn't know about previously, which is why YAPIDKA has become an oft-used term. The related YACIDKA ("yet another cemetery I didn't know about") is also logged on occasion.
A final note: Geocachers will sometimes combine abbreviated terms. It's possible to read a log that says "TNLNTFTCSL!" Which, to us, is just a bunch of letters. To geocachers, though, it says a lot.
FYI.
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