# Anyone ever finger a fellow Doper by an SDMB in joke? Or try to? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 12, 2004, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-ever-finger-a-fellow-doper-by-an-sdmb-in-joke-or-try-to/233833 "2004-03-12T03:00:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2004, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-ever-finger-a-fellow-doper-by-an-sdmb-in-joke-or-try-to/233833/1 "2004-03-12T03:00:42Z")
They’re remodeling the lobby at my office, and the elevator intercom, which used to be used if someone got stuck in an elevator and pressed the emergency button, is now visible on top of the guard’s workstation. It’s all dark brown with rows of buttons, and my first thought was that it looked like WWII radar equipment. Then I said to myself that what it really looked like was a… 1920’s Style Death Ray. So I said exactly that, just offhand like, to someone in the elevator. No glimmer of recognition, which isn’t surprising. After all, there are only forty- or fifty-thousand of us, and there are six billion people on the planet. So the statistical chance of running into another Doper is, well, very small indeed. But still one can hope. Has anyone else managed to identify a Doper in just that manner? ---
**Author:** ![Ilsa\_Lund](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/a6a055/32.png) [@Ilsa\_Lund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ilsa_Lund)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2004, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-ever-finger-a-fellow-doper-by-an-sdmb-in-joke-or-try-to/233833/2 "2004-03-12T03:09:08Z")
Never found a doper, but I have said “Ah, they’re 1920’s style ‘Death Rays’” out loud several times. ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2004, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-ever-finger-a-fellow-doper-by-an-sdmb-in-joke-or-try-to/233833/3 "2004-03-12T03:14:03Z")
A Doper is graciously allowing me to live with him right now because I’m down on my luck but I would risk getting thrown out and being homeless by throwing various heavy objects at his head if he used a 1920’s Death Ray or Hi, Opal joke offline. ---
**Author:** ![Casey1505](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dc4da7/32.png) [@Casey1505](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Casey1505)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2004, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-ever-finger-a-fellow-doper-by-an-sdmb-in-joke-or-try-to/233833/4 "2004-03-12T04:07:39Z")
I have often wanted to _give_ a fellow Doper the finger, but we don’t have that smilie. Yet. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2004, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-ever-finger-a-fellow-doper-by-an-sdmb-in-joke-or-try-to/233833/5 "2004-03-12T15:12:59Z")
I went to a wedding last fall and was seated at one of two tables of friends of the bride/friends of the groom. Damn, what a nerdy bunch we were, for the most part! I was very tempted to see if I was the only Doper there, or not – I can’t believe I was. We should come up with a decent code question, similar to AA’s “are you a friend of Bill’s?” How about “are you a friend of Cecil’s?” ---
**Author:** ![scout1222](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/34f0e0/32.png) [@scout1222](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scout1222)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2004, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-ever-finger-a-fellow-doper-by-an-sdmb-in-joke-or-try-to/233833/6 "2004-03-12T16:29:59Z")
[sub]I can’t believe I’m about to type this…[/sub] I’m going to a Dopefest tomorrow. Is someone going to try and finger me there? (hopefully not with a 1920s style deathray! :eek: ) [sub]I’m gonna rot in hell…[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![SkipMagic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skipmagic/32/20706_2.png) [@SkipMagic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SkipMagic)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2004, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-ever-finger-a-fellow-doper-by-an-sdmb-in-joke-or-try-to/233833/7 "2004-03-12T17:28:49Z")
> [@scout1222](#): > > [sub]I can’t believe I’m about to type this…[/sub] > > I’m going to a Dopefest tomorrow. Is someone going to try and finger me there? (hopefully not with a 1920s style deathray! :eek: ) > > [sub]I’m gonna rot in hell…[/sub] Damn. Our Missouri Dopefests are **boring** by comparison. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2004, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-ever-finger-a-fellow-doper-by-an-sdmb-in-joke-or-try-to/233833/8 "2004-03-12T17:48:41Z")
> [@twickster](#): > > We should come up with a decent code question, similar to AA’s “are you a friend of Bill’s?” How about “are you a friend of Cecil’s?” I vote for “I came back, and I’ve brought pie”… ---
**Author:** ![HelenGawn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a88e4f/32.png) [@HelenGawn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HelenGawn)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2004, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-ever-finger-a-fellow-doper-by-an-sdmb-in-joke-or-try-to/233833/9 "2004-03-12T19:41:36Z")
Or just call out “Hi, Opal!” across the room and watch to see who cracks up. ---
**Author:** ![Phlosphr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Phlosphr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phlosphr)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2004, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-ever-finger-a-fellow-doper-by-an-sdmb-in-joke-or-try-to/233833/10 "2004-03-12T20:40:20Z")
Here are two really good inside doper joke encounters. For those who don’t know me I’m a teacher at a small lib arts college in new england. Most recent and still as of yet uncorroborated: I was at John Maher’s concert last year at the Orphium Theater outside Boston when I could swear to the universe he said just after a great set…while talking to the croud: **Hi Opal!** :eek: My eyes got large and I looked at my wife and said, did he just say Hi Opal? She looked at me funny and turned her gaze back towards JM. Second and more frightening encounter with a fellow doper on accident was when I brought my trusty SDMB coffee mug to work for a few weeks. I’d routinely put it on my lecturn or desk depending on where I was…Then I had a student want to enter my class late (it was near the end of add-drop period) so I allowed it. Then The second day he came in, he had a SDMB T-Shirt on.:eek: Not wanting to be detected I quickly hid my mug to avoid the coup de gras of feared questions from students…“Hey Mister P…your a doper too!!” :eek: Mr.P-\>Uh…no. A friend gave me this Mug…whats a doper? Student-\>How would you know what a doper is, I never said anything about your mug…??? Mr.P-\> 🙂 It’s just not a conversation I want to have with a student. 🙂 I like being anonymous…and may present a small conflict of interest. ---
**Author:** ![CandidGamera](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/candidgamera/32/2878_2.png) [@CandidGamera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CandidGamera)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2004, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-ever-finger-a-fellow-doper-by-an-sdmb-in-joke-or-try-to/233833/11 "2004-03-12T20:46:32Z")
I’m just mystified at some of these inside jokes, as a relative newcomer. What’s the story behind the Hi, Opal! bit? Though I have noticed a few references to ‘Batman, if he’s prepared’… Any other SDMB in-jokes that I should look for? ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2004, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-ever-finger-a-fellow-doper-by-an-sdmb-in-joke-or-try-to/233833/12 "2004-03-12T20:57:34Z")
> [@Phlosphr](#): > > coup de gras “Blow of fat”? It’s “coup de grace”, just pronounced unFrenchily. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Phlosphr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Phlosphr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phlosphr)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2004, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-ever-finger-a-fellow-doper-by-an-sdmb-in-joke-or-try-to/233833/13 "2004-03-12T21:09:05Z")
Ahem…Blow of Fat - Death-blow…what’s the difference…🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Draelin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ce73a5/32.png) [@Draelin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Draelin)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2004, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-ever-finger-a-fellow-doper-by-an-sdmb-in-joke-or-try-to/233833/14 "2004-03-12T21:20:12Z")
How 'bout _1920’s Style Fat Blow!!_ as a code? ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2004, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-ever-finger-a-fellow-doper-by-an-sdmb-in-joke-or-try-to/233833/15 "2004-03-12T21:41:57Z")
I was at a mall once and heard someone make a reference to something that had been a recent topic on the boards ( can’t remember what, but it wasn’t Death Rays or Pie, something smaller. Hot funny topic.) and I instantly thought I had come across another Doper in the Wild. I asked, " Are you a friend of Cecil Adams? You look familiar." It drew a blank, so I was able to gracefully exit and go about my merry way. What we need, however, is a sekrit handshake. ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2004, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-ever-finger-a-fellow-doper-by-an-sdmb-in-joke-or-try-to/233833/16 "2004-03-12T21:44:35Z")
I think that we should have those EU oval bumper stickers, only ours would say: **SDMB** that’s it. No explanation. If anyone asks, just say, " You wouldn’t understand." Make it all that much more mysterious. ---
**Author:** ![CandidGamera](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/candidgamera/32/2878_2.png) [@CandidGamera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CandidGamera)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2004, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-ever-finger-a-fellow-doper-by-an-sdmb-in-joke-or-try-to/233833/17 "2004-03-12T21:49:53Z")
> [@Shirley Ujest](#): > > I think that we should have those EU oval bumper stickers, only ours would say: > > **SDMB** that’s it. No explanation. If anyone asks, just say, " You wouldn’t understand." > > Make it all that much more mysterious. I dunno. I see ‘OBX’ stickers all the time, that supposedly refer to the Outer Banks, a popular motocross destination, or some such… and I swear to you, I believe half the people who have the sticker have no idea what it stands for, they just put it on their cars because they say a bunch of others doing it. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2004, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-ever-finger-a-fellow-doper-by-an-sdmb-in-joke-or-try-to/233833/18 "2004-03-12T22:04:49Z")
> [@Shirley Ujest](#): > > I think that we should have those EU oval bumper stickers, only ours would say: > > **SDMB** I’d be willing – but I’m not sure I want to have to deal with the dyslexic contingent of the BDSM community. ---
**Author:** ![sperfur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9adbd/32.png) [@sperfur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sperfur)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2004, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-ever-finger-a-fellow-doper-by-an-sdmb-in-joke-or-try-to/233833/19 "2004-03-12T22:16:08Z")
> [@SkipMagic](#): > > Damn. Our Missouri Dopefests are **boring** by comparison. You’re just jealous because you didn’t stay for the licking lessons… ---
**Author:** ![FatBaldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecd19e/32.png) [@FatBaldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FatBaldGuy)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2004, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-ever-finger-a-fellow-doper-by-an-sdmb-in-joke-or-try-to/233833/20 "2004-03-12T22:17:04Z")
> [@Phlosphr](#): > > Second and more frightening encounter with a fellow doper on accident was when I brought my trusty SDMB coffee mug to work for a few weeks. I’d routinely put it on my lecturn or desk depending on where I was…Then I had a student want to enter my class late (it was near the end of add-drop period) so I allowed it. Then The second day he came in, he had a SDMB T-Shirt on.:eek: Not wanting to be detected I quickly hid my mug to avoid the coup de gras of feared questions from students…“Hey Mister P…your a doper too!!” :eek: > > Mr.P-\>Uh…no. A friend gave me this Mug…whats a doper? > Student-\>How would you know what a doper is, I never said anything about your mug…??? > Mr.P-\> 🙂 > > It’s just not a conversation I want to have with a student. 🙂 I like being anonymous…and may present a small conflict of interest. Well, if that student is still a doper, you may have just done what you were trying to avoid. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-ever-finger-a-fellow-doper-by-an-sdmb-in-joke-or-try-to/233833.md?page=2)