SBD

What Does SBD Mean in a Text?

The Quick Answer

SBD means "Silent But Deadly (Breaking Wind)".

More Observations...

The abbreviation SBD refers to a fart (i.e., passed wind) that has been released very quietly, but is insufferably smelly. Some people specialise in the "art" of releasing SBDs in the company of unsuspecting friends, or even in crowded places. Others discover to their horror that the fart that they hoped to sneak out discreetly to relieve stomach distress turns out to be an SBD. Unless the perpetrator of an SBD is amongst friends and is proud of their foul deed, it is usually impossible to determine who was responsible. In a public place or amongst strangers, most people will just bear the smell and refrain from comment. However, in circumstances in which the foul odour can be acknowledged (or is so foul that it cannot be ignored), everyone will typically make a big show of holding their noses and waving their hands around to dispel the stench, hoping to make it clear that they were not responsible.

Image for SBD

When I write SBD, I mean this:

SBDs are the ninjas of flatulence.

Summary of Key Points

We have summarized the key points in the table below:

SBD
Definition:	Silent But Deadly (Breaking Wind)
Type:	Abbreviation
Guessability:	2: Quite easy to guess
Typical Users:	Adults and Teenagers

Examples of SBD in Sentences

Here are examples of SBD in conversations:

• Lee: Ugh what is that smell?
• Simon: Get some! I love the smell of an SBD in the morning!

• Keith: How come you girls never fart?
• Gail: Ha ha! Who do you think is responsible for all of those SBDs in class?!

An Academic Look at SBD

As it is pronounced using its individual letters (i.e., "Ess Bee Dee"), SBD is classified as an initialism abbreviation. Initialisms are different to acronyms, which are spoken like words. "Silent But Deadly" is an adjectival phrase. An adjectival phrase is a group of words headed by an adjective that modifies or describes a noun. For example:

• She had extremely menacing eyes.

(In this example, the adjectival phrase is in highlighted and the head adjective is in bold. This adjective phrase modifies or describes the noun eyes). Of note, even though it starts with a consonant, the abbreviation SBD attracts "an" when spoken as an initialism because the first sound (Ess) is a vowel sound.

What Did We Say before Texting and Social Media?

The use of the abbreviation SBD to describe a "Silent But Deadly" fart long pre-dates the digital era.

Example of SBD Used in a Text

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