/R T F M/ Read The Fucking Manual (always abbreviated, sometimes bowdlerised to "Fine" or "Friendly") An (unhelpful) {guru}'s traditional response when someone asks a question in a {newsgroup} or {mailing list} which he could have easily answered for himself had he bothered to RTFM. The term may also be used to indicate that you couldn't find the answer in the manual.  E.g. "How do I interface Unix to my toaster?  And yes, I did RTFM but the {FM} didn't help and I can't {RTFS}." Other derived forms include {RTFAQ}, {RTFB}, {RTM}, and, more recently, {STFW}.  Compare: {UTSL}. [Earliest use?] [{Jargon File}] (2003-06-07)