What does tmi mean?

"Tmi" is an acronym that probably first appeared in email, but is now popular in text messages as well. In fact, it has become so popular, that it is used in everyday speech in place of the words it represents. Somebody might say in response to something they don't want to hear: "Stop talking. Tmi. Tmi!"

The acronym "tmi" stands for "too much information" and is used specifically to indicate to a person when they have said more than needs to be said about a particular subject or when they have provided more detail about something than is necessary. Usually, "tmi" is used when the type of information being added is of a personal nature, is revealing in an unflattering way, or is simply a bit disturbing or gross. In most cases, the information is superfluous to the actual subject matter of the conversation.

Below are some examples of "tmi" and how the same information might otherwise be conveyed:

• "Taking a dump right now, but it's all good...."- There cannot be any acceptable answer for why you would insert the fact that you are on the toilet into any conversation, email or text message. Rest assured, the fact that you can talk on the phone or text message while doing your business on the toilet is not interesting to anyone or worthy of mention. This is a classic case of tmi. This is usually added as an aside to an otherwise inoccuous conversation like so: "Doing well. Would like to get together soon. Maybe lunch? Let's talk. Call me. Taking a dump right now." Why did you add that last part? Why? Tmi.
• "...it was like that time I saw my parents having sex."Again, it's all about context here. If you're having a specific conversation about your parents and their sexual exploits or times when you saw your parents in compromising situations, that's one thing, but to add this phrase onto an otherwise normal conversation to highlight the weirdness of some particular thing is just too much information. Example: "Yeah, we were driving and this squirell just runs right out and under my back wheel and I hear this thump so I get out to look and there it is with its guts and brains everywhere. It was almost as gross as that time I saw my parents having sex." See what I mean. Nobody wants to know that's how your brain works. And nobody wants to know you saw your parents having intercourse. And nobody wants to know that when something strange happens in the world, your brain goes to that memory.
• "Oh boy, the last time that happened I peed myself." - Your incontinence is not a good way to tack on information for the purposes of humor to any conversation. Sure, maybe you're joking, but more than likely you're not and now somebody has to worry about you sitting in their car while they crack and joke and wondering whether or not they're going to have their seats steam cleaned. Besides, most people who think they can be funny pulling off the "peed myself" line aren't funny and can't pull it off.
  
• Add personal information about somebody else when it is not relevant to the conversation - People love gossip. They also love to be the initiators of gossip, so if they have a juicy nugget about somebody, it's likely they'll try to drop it even though the conversation has nothing to do with the gossip. Example: "So we were out with Debbie and John last night having dinner and it was wonderful. The food was great. The service was great. I thought Debbie maybe had a few too many because she started acting a little tipsy and the last time I saw her like that she slept with the busboy." Passing on gossip about somebody else puts a tremendous burden on the party hearing it, particularly if they know who you're talking about. This is classic tmi. You've just given somebody information that they feel compelled to act on, like know they have to tell Debbie's husband that she was unfaithful. Get it?
• Children's bowel movements or other bodily excretions - Anybody who has ever spoken to a parent knows that parents generally can't stop talking about their kids because the kids basically occupy 99% of their life and that's the only thing they know. So if you're a non-kid person, it takes a certain amount of patience to listen to stories of somebody's kids or read about what a three-year-old did all day. When the conversation devolves into bodily fluids though, the tmi moment has occurred. Parents, be warned.