QQ

While gamers now primarily use QQ to represent a pair of crying eyes, this chat term originated from a Warcraft II keyboard shortcut: Alt + Q + Q.

Alt + Q + Q is a shortcut Warcraft II players can use to leave a match and exit the game. Salty players often use Alt + Q + Q to ragequit games they are losing. Eventually, Warcraft II players began using the abbreviation QQ to taunt their opponents, telling them they may as well just quit a match. Essentially, QQ came to mean "Why don't you just quit and cry about it?"

Now, gamers use QQ to taunt and/or troll opponents in many online games, not just Warcraft II. As the abbreviation's use expanded beyond Warcraft II players, its original association with the Alt + Q + Q shortcut faded. Instead, players began to imagine that QQ represented their opponents' crying eyes.

When used at the start of a sentence, QQ usually signals a "quick question." You're most likely to encounter this acronym in online forums, where users often ask each other questions.

Your co-workers, friends, and family may also send you QQs, via email or chat messages. These questions should typically take little time to answer, though people often underestimate their questions' level of effort ...