<?xml version="1.0" encoding="ISO-8859-1" standalone="no"?> <html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><title>troll</title><link rel="stylesheet" href="../../jargon.css" type="text/css"/><meta name="generator" content="DocBook XSL Stylesheets V1.61.0"/><link rel="home" href="../index.html" title="The Jargon File"/><link rel="up" href="../T.html" title="T"/><link rel="previous" href="Trojan-horse.html" title="Trojan horse"/><link rel="next" href="Troll-O-Meter.html" title="Troll-O-Meter"/></head><body><div class="navheader"><table width="100%" summary="Navigation header"><tr><th colspan="3" align="center">troll</th></tr><tr><td width="20%" align="left"><a accesskey="p" href="Trojan-horse.html">Prev</a> </td><th width="60%" align="center">T</th><td width="20%" align="right"> <a accesskey="n" href="Troll-O-Meter.html">Next</a></td></tr></table><hr/></div><dt><a id="troll"/><dt xmlns="" id="troll"><b>troll</b></dt></dt><dd><p> 1. <span class="grammar">v.,n.</span> [From the Usenet group <tt class="systemitem">alt.folklore.urban</tt>] To utter a posting on <a href="../U/Usenet.html"><i class="glossterm">Usenet</i></a> designed to attract predictable responses or <a href="../F/flame.html"><i class="glossterm">flame</i></a>s; or, the post itself. Derives from the phrase “<span class="quote">trolling for <a href="../N/newbie.html"><i class="glossterm">newbie</i></a>s</span>” which in turn comes from mainstream “<span class="quote">trolling</span>”, 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 <a href="../Y/YHBT.html"><i class="glossterm">YHBT</i></a>.</p></dd><dd><p>2. <span class="grammar">n.</span> 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, “<span class="quote">Oh, ignore him, he's just a troll.</span>” Compare <a href="../K/kook.html"><i class="glossterm">kook</i></a>. </p></dd><dd><p> 3. <span class="grammar">n.</span> [Berkeley] Computer lab monitor. A popular campus job for CS students. Duties include helping newbies and ensuring that lab policies are followed. Probably so-called because it involves lurking in dark cavelike corners.</p></dd><dd><p>Some people claim that the troll (sense 1) is properly a narrower category than <a href="../F/flame-bait.html"><i class="glossterm">flame bait</i></a>, that a troll is categorized by containing some assertion that is wrong but not overtly controversial. See also <a href="Troll-O-Meter.html"><i class="glossterm">Troll-O-Meter</i></a>.</p><p>The use of ‘troll’ in any of these senses is a live metaphor that readily produces elaborations and combining forms. For example, one not infrequently sees the warning “<span class="quote">Do not feed the troll</span>” as part of a followup to troll postings.</p></dd><div class="navfooter"><hr/><table width="100%" summary="Navigation footer"><tr><td width="40%" align="left"><a accesskey="p" href="Trojan-horse.html">Prev</a> </td><td width="20%" align="center"><a accesskey="u" href="../T.html">Up</a></td><td width="40%" align="right"> <a accesskey="n" href="Troll-O-Meter.html">Next</a></td></tr><tr><td width="40%" align="left" valign="top">Trojan horse </td><td width="20%" align="center"><a accesskey="h" href="../index.html">Home</a></td><td width="40%" align="right" valign="top"> Troll-O-Meter</td></tr></table></div></body></html>