troll

To utter a posting on Usenet designed to attract predictable responses or
flame s; or, the post itself. Derives from the phrase trolling for newbie s
which in turn comes from mainstream trolling , a style of fishing in which
one trails bait through a likely spot hoping for a bite. The
well-constructed troll is a post that induces lots of newbies and flamers to
make themselves look even more clueless than they already do, while subtly
conveying to the more savvy and experienced that it is in fact a deliberate
troll. If you don't fall for the joke, you get to be in on it. See also
YHBT. 2. n. An individual who chronically trolls in sense 1; regularly posts
specious arguments, flames or personal attacks to a newsgroup, discussion
list, or in email for no other purpose than to annoy someone or disrupt a
discussion. Trolls are recognizable by the fact that they have no real
interest in learning about the topic at hand - they simply want to utter
flame bait. Like the ugly creatures they are named after, they exhibit no
redeeming characteristics, and as such, they are recognized as a lower form
of life on the net, as in, Oh, ignore him, he's just a troll. Compare kook.
3. n.

