Acronyms

24/7 = 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. In other words, all the time. 24/7 D/s is a goal of many people in long-term, committed relationships, but everyone knows it's virtually impossible to stay dominant or submissive all the time.

B & D = Bondage & Discipline. Bondage is the practice of tying up or otherwise immobilizing a willing participant for pleasure or punishment. Discipline is the practice of the dominant partner instructing, correcting, or punishing the submissive partner. Both bondage and discipline can be physical, psychological, or sexual, or a combination of all three.

BDSM = Bondage-Discipline-Sadism-Masochism. This is a catchall acronym that covers a huge range of practices and preferences. It often brings to mind stereotypes of the black leather "whips 'n chains" variety, but in reality, most BDSM activities are extremely individualized.

CBT = Cock & Balls Torture (or Training). This is exactly what it sounds like, and is used on male submissives to inflict pain or humiliation by striking the genitals (by hand or with a flogger, paddle, etc.); enclosing them in a wide variety of rings, cages, and other devices; or attaching weights, clamps, or other objects.

D/s = Dominance/submission. It can refer to either the lifestyle or the participants. The dominant partner may be known as the Dom, Master, or Sir (if male); or Domme, Mistress, or Ma'am (if female); and the submissive partner may be known as the sub, slave, or pet.

OTK = Over the Knees. This is pertains to those who enjoy consensual spanking. Age-play isn't necessarily involved -- a lot of people simply enjoy this! Rarely is there a connection to pedophilia, contrary to popular belief; that's yet another stereotype.

RACK = Risk-Aware Consensual Kink. BDSM activies contain an inherent amount of risk by definition. RACK refers to knowing what you are getting into, and who you are getting into it with, before you get into it.

RT = Real Time. Used to define face-to-face "real life" situations as opposed to online or phone. There are many who consider the "real world" as the only way D/s can be "real", but many who dominate or submit via modem or telephone will disagree strongly. Like anything else, it's all what you make of it.

S & M = Sadism & Masochism, or Sado-Masochism. Psychologically speaking, these are extreme mental conditions indicating severely unbalanced people, but in BDSM circles, S & M usually refers to the practices of consensual inflicting or receiving pain, and those who derive physical and/or sexual pleasure from doing so.

SAM = Smart-ass (or Smart-aleck) Masochist. Also known as "sammy" -- a submissive who rebels or misbehaves intentionally.

SSC = Safe, Sane, Consensual. These are the guidelines that responsible people participating in BDSM activities follow, as they can lead to very dangerous situations if not careful. Physical and psychological damage are very possible if people "play" without knowing what they're doing.

TPE = Total Power Exchange. This one's been the subject of many debates -- like many things in BDSM, it means different things to different people. Generally, it refers to one person turning over to another all choices, preferences, and rights. Total power exchange, like 24/7 D/s, is something many aspire to, but highly unlikely in reality. Temporary TPE is more practical and more common... maybe the "T" should be redefined.

TV, CD, TS = Transvestite, Crossdresser, Transsexual. A person who is a transvestite, crossdresser, or transsexual isn't necessarily into BDSM (anymore than those choices imply homosexuality -- that's just another stereotype) but many are, and the abbreviations show up a lot among dungeonites.

YMMV = Your Mileage May Vary. Self-explanatory: What works for you is what works for you.