+1, funny -- but for the sake of non-native English speakers, FTR, it's pronounced the same as "psych" and is colloquial for a sarcastic "ha-ha, just kidding"

For additional cultural context, I think this usage was popularized by Eddie Murphy in Delirious (NSFW language: https://youtu.be/Ft4kEk5CHrE, you'll want to listen to at least 2:15)

Given that Eddie is telling a story from his youth it's probably fair to say it was in common use 10+ years earlier - which is consistent with my vernacular at the time.

Further, "sike" has become a common spelling when used to indicate "not really." At least, according to urban dictionary and other online dictionaries.

> it's pronounced the same as "psych"

It’s actually spelled “psych.” It’s a derivative of “to psych out.”

We're agreed in how and why to spell it that way. But the bastardized phonetic spelling "sike" is fairly common too.

I often don't think to explain these things, so thank you for taking the time to explain to others the context.

If you're going to address non-native English speakers, using acronyms like FTR (I suppose that refers to for-the-record, but one can never be sure on the Internet... could easily be something like for-the-retarded in some circles) may not be the best idea, BTW (by the way :D).

Thanks. Native speaker, no idea it was used like this.