Does anyone know what the word troll means when it's used to describe someone on a message board? I looked up the meaning, but evidently it was too mild to describe the person that it was geered at.
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07-21-04, 05:16 PM
coldfuse
Generally, a troll is someone who makes outrageous comments to generate inflammatory responses. Usually an unwelcome and divisive member of a community, such an individual is figuratively using their comment as bait (as in trolling for fish), hoping someone will bite.

The troll may also be seen in the context of the "Three Billy Goats Gruff" story. Of someone taking the bait, community members might respond with "Bad goat" or "Don't take the bait."

07-21-04, 05:28 PM
clarebear
I never heard of a troll on a message board before. It sounds like you go from a troll to a flamer. Is that right?

The only troll I know of is those pencil toppers Big Grin:



07-21-04, 05:53 PM
honilov
Thanks Clare and Fuse.

Fuse, that's the meaning that I was looking for, but it's not in the dictionary like that. Where did you find it, or how did you know it? I thought it was something to that effect, but I wanted to make sure. Thanks a million.

07-21-04, 06:45 PM
notinmyname
I believe it refers to trolling as in fishing with a mulithooked line. Casting nets for suckers.a fishing troller for sale
I am told that it should be spelled trawler, so I guess it it should be trawling, not trolling.

07-21-04, 08:29 PM
AMoore
It's a somewhat archaic word I believe. The verb is trolling, but the boat is a trawler. It refers to fishing by drawing a line with multiple hooks through the water.

I think this type of fishing is what's referred to in the message boards reference, as the intent of the troll is to "catch" as many unsuspecting posters as possible. Critics of trolls on usenet newsgroups also refer to "hooks" and to "bait" - the style and subject of a posting respectively.

Alan Moore

07-21-04, 08:36 PM
Tree
The only troll that I know of was the really mean and ugly one who lived under the bridge. Roll Eyes

07-21-04, 08:51 PM
bedstor

quote:Originally posted by AMoore:
It's a somewhat archaic word I believe. The verb is trolling, but the boat is a trawler. It refers to fishing by drawing a line with multiple hooks through the water


Alan
Thats the version I Know too Smile
I have also heard it being used as a reference to Dawdling delibrately Smile (rare!) M/W Thesaurus has Trail as a synonym trailing = trolling?(See what I mean?)

07-21-04, 11:34 PM
jusork

quote:Originally posted by honilov:
Fuse, that's the meaning that I was looking for, but it's not in the dictionary like that.

Ha! They're not going to have internet slang in the dictionary. The best place to look for internet slang and pretty much any other culture terminology is urbandictionary.com. Here are the definitions for troll.

Fuse got it head on.

07-22-04, 02:24 AM
honilov
Thanks Jusork, you guys are great. I didn't realize it was slang because it doesn't sound like an internet slang. It seems like just an ordinary word, but when I looked it up, I knew something was amiss.

Now, I feel kinda dumb, like I should've known what it meant. Frown

07-22-04, 10:22 AM
jusork
Hey, don't feel bad, Honi. Remember, we all have to learn sometime and we can't know it all automatically.

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