# LGTM

LGTM, short for 'Looks Good To Me,' started as internal Google code review slang in the mid-2000s before Niall Kennedy documented it publicly in November 2006. The acronym migrated to GitHub comments after the site launched in 2008, where it became a common approval marker on pull requests. By 2013, developers were making rubber stamps and curating reaction GIF databases around it.

## Origin
Guido van Rossum showed off Mondrian, Google's internal code review tool, at a Python tech talk in November 2006, and blogger Niall Kennedy summarized the system that same evening[1]. Kennedy's post described how Google developers emailed each other diffs via the g4 mail tool, then waited for a reply of 'looks good to me,' shortened to lgtm, before checking in their changes[1]. The expression was already standard practice inside Google at that point, which means the acronym itself predates the first public write-up.

Urban Dictionary user akshay_s submitted the first public definition for the term on August 1, 2007, cementing its reading as 'Looks Good To Me'[4].

- **Platform:** Google internal email (origin) / GitHub (viral spread)
- **Creator:** Unknown
- **Date:** 2006

## Overview
LGTM works as a quick approval stamp during code review. A reviewer types the four letters in a comment or email reply and the author takes it as permission to merge. On GitHub, maintainers often post it on pull requests without any other text, which spawned the rahulsom/lgtmin project that replaces plain 'LGTM' with reaction images for busier review cycles[2].

Variants live in a few registers. Some developers read the acronym as 'Let's Get This Merged,' per an Urban Dictionary entry, keeping the merge-centric meaning[4]. Joke expansions like 'Literally Garbage To Me' invert the approval for comedic rejection, used when a reviewer wants to trash a change under the guise of the familiar four letters[4].

## How to Use
Reviewers typically type LGTM in a code review comment, email reply, or chat message after reading someone else's code change[1]. On GitHub, the common convention is to post it as a bare comment on a pull request, often alongside an approve action[2].

## Frequently Asked Questions
### What is LGTM?
LGTM stands for 'Looks Good To Me,' an acronym programmers type to approve code changes during peer review[1].

### Where did LGTM come from?
The acronym came out of Google's internal engineering culture, where developers emailed each other diffs and replied 'looks good to me' to greenlight checkins; Niall Kennedy documented the workflow in a November 2006 post about Google's Mondrian review tool[1].

### What does LGTM mean?
Literally 'Looks Good To Me,' signaling that the reviewer approves a code change[1]. Joke expansions include 'Let's Get This Merged' and 'Literally Garbage To Me'[4].

### How do you use LGTM?
Type the four letters in a pull request comment, review email, or chat message after reading a code change, as a quick approval marker[2].

### Is LGTM still popular?
LGTM became a standard approval marker on GitHub pull requests after the site launched in 2008 and inspired reaction-image tools like rahulsom/lgtmin[2].

## References
1. [https://www.niallkennedy.com/blog/2006/11/google-mondrian.html](<https://www.niallkennedy.com/blog/2006/11/google-mondrian.html>)
2. [https://github.com/rahulsom/lgtmin](<https://github.com/rahulsom/lgtmin>)
3. [https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/lgtm](<https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/lgtm>)
4. [https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Lgtm](<https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Lgtm>)

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Source: https://meme.com/memes/lgtm
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