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Topics: Jobs, Real Life, Social Media, Instagram
Jen Thomas
We've all been there - that heart stopping moment where you think you've done something wrong at work.
Whether it's hitting 'reply all,' getting someone's coffee order wrong or sending an email about someone to them instead, we've all made a mistake.
So, spare a thought then for one woman who has shared the error of her ways on social media.
Posting as @itspenelopearcher, she shared a video with the caption: "I miss when I was just the personality hire."
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Set to sad piano music, Penelope looks pensive as she thinks about her mistake with language.
The text over the video reads: "I've been messaging so many people at WORK 'ofc!!' because I thought it was short for 'of course.'"
She had heard that 'ofc' actually means "of f****** course", and is now stressed that she's been abusive to her colleagues all this time without knowing.
A problem shared is a problem halved though, as judging by the comment section, it seems many of us are now panicking that we've been making the same mistake this whole time.
Language is fluid, especially with slang phrases and abbreviations, so it's not unusual for the meaning of words to change over time.
However, it seems nearly everyone thinks 'ofc' DOES mean 'of course'. We hope.
"Wait what does it mean then?!" wrote one.
One person insisted it does mean what she thinks it does: "It is 'of course' because OC was already in use for 'Original Content."'
"What does it mean then? I need answers WHAT WAS I SAYING TO PEOPLE," panicked another, desperate for answers.
Others are confusing things further, saying there's a mystery third meaning: OnlyFans Content - and you definitely don't want to be saying that to your employers.
Other people confessed their mistakes with other slang, with one cringing: "It’s okay. I used to think 'Netflix and Chill' actually meant just watching Netflix and hanging out. I asked many people if they wanted to go Netflix and Chill with me. I told my boss I was going to Netflix and Chill with my roommate after work. I told my boyfriend I wanted to Netflix and Chill and got very annoyed that he was trying to get it on while we were in the middle of a good movie." Whoops!
Elsewhere, people were replying accusing Penelope of lying and that 'ofc' has never meaned anything else.
She replied to one commenter saying: "I wasn’t intending for it to be misinformation, I genuinely didn’t know idk why this specifically blew up LMAO even still tho everyone is saying both in the comments," a confused Penelope replied.
Others were commenting though saying they did think it meant the explicit version, but they were definitely outnumbered by those panicking.
According to Urban Dictionary, there are three entries saying 'ofc' means 'of course', with just a couple saying the more swear-y version.
There's another option for the adult version saying it's 'offc', with an extra f.
Maybe err on the side of caution for now and just spell it out for your colleagues in the meantime to be on the safe side.