TA

Sometimes English people say "TA". I figured this colloquialism just is. I thought it was cute, but my friend Robin was immediately obsessed when our professor said it to us in passing as he handed out some papers. I told Robin that it is just something they say instead of "thanks". I thought it was like "cheers"; they say "cheers" for any reason: hello, thank you, I agree, let's drink, etc. It is similar to the Jewish "Shalom", which means "hello", "peace", "goodbye", etc.

Robin was not satisfied with this logic. She would not focus on the lecture because her mind was racing with possible meanings of this "TA". I was uninterested in her search for answers, but since I brought my laptop to class and could get a wireless signal, I had to look up possible answers. This is the site we explored while our professor wrote a copious amount of notes. KNOWLEDGE!!!

TA is actually an acronym for Thanks Awfully. I assume that is short for "Thanks an awful lot." Robin and I both felt relief and satisfaction with this new found knowledge. Needless to say, it is my automatic response to any kind gesture. ta!