Geocaching Acronyms



So you've just started caching? FTF, DNF, BYOP, GZ... what is this strange language that Geocachers are using to communicate with each other!? Often the words used are acronyms. We have listed some of the more commonly used ones, and a few of the obscure, to assist your understanding.


A.P.E. - Alternative Primate Evolution (Refers to the Project A.P.E. series of caches of which at 15.10.14 there is only one surviving example)

BOT - Bowl Of Tree or Base Of Tree

BYOP - Bring Your Own Pen

CITO - Cache In Trash Out

CND - Cache 'n' Dash

CO - Cache Owner

DNA – Did Not Attempt

DNF - Did Not Find

DNL – Did Not Look

D/T - Difficulty / Terrain

FF – First Finder (A term more used on TerraCaching.com)

FP – Favourite Point

FTF - First To Find

GZ - Ground Zero (Refers to the vicinity of the cache's hiding spot)

GPS - Global Positioning System

GPSr - Global Positioning System Receiver

GPX - GPS eXchange Format (A file type used by GPSr's)

ICP – Ivy Covered Post

ICT – Ivy Covered Tree

LN - Left Nothing

LOC – LOCations file format (Is a simple XML file (Extensible Markup Language) for representing a set of geographic locations with view directions)

LPC - Light Pole Cache (Not common in the UK)

MKH – Magnetic Key Holder

MTT – Multi Trunked Tree

PAF - Phone A Friend

PI – Poison Ivy (Not common in the UK)

P&G - Park & Grab

PQ - Pocket Query

QEF - Quick Easy Find

ROT13 – ROTate by 13 places (A particular variant of the Ceasar Cipher used for the Geocaching.com hint system)

SL - Signed Log

SLTN - Signed Log Took Nothing

SOOP - Something Out Of Place

STF – Second To Find

SWAG - Stuff We All Get

TB - Travel Bug

TBD - Travel Bug Drop

TFTC - Thanks For The Cache

TFTE - Thanks For The Event

TFTH - Thanks For The Hide

TFTFTF - Thanks For The First To Find (Sometimes shortened to TF3)

TTF – Third To Find

TN - Took Nothing

TNLN - Took Nothing, Left Nothing

TNLNSL - Took Nothing, Left Nothing, Signed Log

TOTT - Tool Of The Trade

UPR – Unnatural Pile of Rocks

UPS - Unusual Pile of Sticks

WDYLUTTSS – Why Did You Lead Us To This Stinking Swamp

XNSL – Exchanged Nothing, Signed Log

YAFF – Yet Another Find and Forget

YAPIDKA – Yet Another Park I Didn’t Know About


Know of commonly used others that you feel should be on the list. Do let us know through our forum.