PICNIC

Technology & Computing abbreviation · Computer

PICNIC
Stands forProblem in chair, not in computer
CategoriesTechnology & Computing

PICNIC stands for Problem in chair, not in computer, a computer abbreviation.

Help-desk slang for an issue caused by the user rather than by hardware or software, a close cousin of PEBKAC.

Example: We spent an hour on the call before realizing it was a PICNIC: the printer had no paper.

Usage notes

Like PEBKAC, it is in-group humor among IT staff and is unprofessional to use with customers. The ordinary word "picnic" makes it easy to slip into a conversation without the user noticing, which is part of the joke.

More computer abbreviations

  • OS – Operating system
  • OS/2 – Operating System/2
  • PC – Personal computer
  • PEBKAC – Problem exists between keyboard and chair
  • PgDn – Page Down key
  • PgUp – Page Up key
  • PnP – Plug and Play
  • POSIX – Portable Operating System Interface
  • POST – Power-on self-test
  • PrtSc – Print Screen key
  • ReFS – Resilient File System
  • RTFM – Read the f***ing manual

See all 92 computer abbreviations →

Edited by the AbbreviationList.com team. Spotted an error or a missing meaning? Contact us.