Looking for an easy lay? Look no further than the Craigslist Casual Encounters section. But what exactly does t4mw mean? Here’s your handy guide to every abbreviation available.

w4m — woman seeking man. A pretty straightforward description of a woman looking for a man in your area. Be careful, because many of these personal ads can be phishing and spamming scams. Never sign up for dating sites or authenticate your age, even if the bot assures you it’s free, because you’ll be charged for memberships or receive countless emails from obscure dating sites.

m4m — man seeking man. Matching male with male for a bi-curious or strictly homosexual encounter. Make sure you know exactly how your meeting will go down (if at all) before you arrange a time and place.

m4w — man seeking woman. This is the most frequent personal ad anyone will encounter while searching Casual Encounters for a one night stand or “friends with benefits” situations. Be sure you read exactly what the guy is looking for when meeting, and don’t send your picture unless you’re sure that you’re on the same page.

w4w — woman seeking woman. Another easy one to understand. Post or respond to this personal if you’re attracted to women or at least curious about being with another woman. If you’re posting, you’re bound to get some responses, some of which will be spam, some of which will be legit people looking for a lesbian encounter on discreet terms.

t4m — transgendered person seeking man. Generally speaking, when a transgendered person is seeking a guy for a sexual encounter, the person is biologically a man who is passable (or at least interested in passing) as a female, so be sure you’re clear when posting or responding to avoid confusion.

m4t — man seeking transgendered person. Gay, straight or bisexual, perhaps you have a fetish about hooking up with a transgendered individual. You can definitely pick and choose from responses to your m4t personal ad on Craigslist.

mw4mw — man and woman seeking man and woman. Better known as swinging. Couples will heat things up in a relationship by swapping partners or participating in an intimate, exclusive orgy of sorts, which can be fun and exciting as long as you are comfortable with everyone involved.

mw4w — man and woman couple seeking woman. Couples often seek to spice up their sexual experience by adding a new partner to the mix. As a woman, make sure you’re comfortable with their requested level of participation (are you bi-curious?) and that they know your boundaries.

mw4m — man and woman couple seeking man. Though rarer than seeking a woman for a threesome, sometimes a couple will look for another guy to add to the bedroom. Like mw4w, you always have to understand the terms and limitations of the sexual connection so that you don’t cross any lines.

w4mw — woman seeking man and woman. A woman may be interested in safe, clean sexual experiences that involve couples, especially if she’s interested in both men and women. There are plenty of couples looking to add another female to their duet. Just make sure you’re comfortable with their appearance, lifestyle and ages before moving forward with a meeting.

m4mw — man seeking man and woman. Of course, many guys are interested in participating in a threesome, especially if they have a slight streak of bisexuality in their makeup. Post your ad with specifics including looks, age range, and discretion (if warranted).

w4ww — woman seeking women. Oftentimes, a lesbian or bisexual woman will find herself interested in hooking up with a same-sex couple for a steamy, hot experience. Make sure you see pictures of the couple and meet before entering the bedroom.

m4mm — man seeking men. Like w4ww, a gay or bisexual male may sometimes have the urge to experience more than one partner at once. This can be safely arranged with some clean strangers or a monogamous couple that piques your sexual interest.

mm4m — men seeking man. Two gay friends or maybe a sexually active couple may post a personal ad for another guy to come over and have some steamy, clean fun. As usual, make sure you post exactly the type of guy you’re looking for.

ww4w — women seeking woman. A bisexual or lesbian couple — or even two female friends with an interest in exploring their sexual appetites — may post a personal ad looking for a third woman who is also looking for a threesome experience, perhaps to figure out what kind of woman she’s attracted to.

ww4m — women seeking man. A mythical (although possible in some off chance) personal ad in which two women (maybe two close female friends or a bisexual women couple) want a man to join their exclusive sexual club, perhaps for a night or maybe an ongoing discreet relationship once trust has been established. Just be sure you understand the boundaries and be wary of phishing scams, guys.

mm4w — men seeking woman. Multiple guys in pursuit of a female can mean a number of things — friends looking to organize a threesome, a bisexual couple looking to experiment, or perhaps a discreet (hopefully safe) orgy somewhere neutral — so make sure you know what each party expects beforehand.

m4ww — man seeking women. Yeah right — which is not to say this doesn’t happen. There’s no harm in posting your personal ad, but guys, honestly, without some pretty impressive figures and some amazing luck, you’re not likely to find a couple of women interested in your proposed threesome.

w4mm — woman seeking men. You’d be surprised how often this personal ad pops up. Simply put, some women are interested in a threesome that fulfills their male-dominated fantasy, which can be composed of a bisexual gay couple or perhaps two individual sexually open guys who respond.

t4mw — transgendered person seeking man and woman. Whether a crossdresser, transvestite, transsexual or shemale, these unique individuals will also seek to explore their sexual boundaries or perhaps just satisfy some growing urges to be with both sexes at the same time.

mw4t — man and woman seeking transgendered person. Though rare, couples are free to seek transgendered individuals for sexual encounters like everyone else, but make sure you’re clear in your personal ad about exactly what type of transgendered person you’re looking for, and state your boundaries.

More on “T”

Looking further at these ads, it’s clear that “transgendered” covers many categories. Technically, a transgendered person is someone whose biological sex differs from their gender identity. But let’s look at everyone who fits in this elusive category:

CD — crossdresser, xdresser. A male or female who enjoys or even feels more natural wearing clothing of the opposite sex, whether in the privacy of their own home or freely walking around in public.

TV — transvestite. See “crossdresser.” A transvestite or CD can be of any sexual orientation. Don’t make the assumption that they’re homosexual.

TS — transsexual. An individual who, though strictly identified as a male or female in a biological sense, identifies with and embodies the opposite gender more naturally. He or she may or may not have undergone any surgery or taken hormones to undergo a transition.

Transgurl, transgirl — a male-to-female transgendered person.

Shemale — a biological male who has partially undergone transition to female (has breasts and still has a penis).

Other Acronyms

DD-free – drug & disease free. Obviously important when meeting strangers or hooking up with others in your area. You should always make sure your potential partner doesn’t abuse drugs and doesn’t spread sexually transmitted diseases.

N/S – non-smoker. Smoking can be a dealbreaker when the person looking for a potential love interest or sexual hookup hates the taste of cigarettes on your breath.

NSA — No Strings Attached. Busy with a career, other relationships, college, or anything else that consumes a large amount of time, you may want to pursue a casual sexual relationship or a discreet “friends with benefits” arrangement with a new person who finds themselves wedged in a similarly busy schedule — one who simply doesn’t have time for tedious dates and the emotional baggage that accompanies an emotionally-based relationship.

Related posts:

• Casual Encounters: Strangers Connecting on Craigslist

• Craigslist Missed Connections: That one time, you know, at that place…

Comment below: Are there any other abbreviations you’ve encountered on Craigslist?

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