# Can a thread be un-locked? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [September 21, 2001, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-thread-be-un-locked/83074 "2001-09-21T19:37:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![warmgun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecccb3/32.png) [@warmgun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/warmgun)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2001, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-thread-be-un-locked/83074/1 "2001-09-21T19:37:08Z")
has it ever happened? ---
**Author:** ![Ringo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/779978/32.png) [@Ringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ringo)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2001, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-thread-be-un-locked/83074/2 "2001-09-21T19:42:22Z")
Yes. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Corrado](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a88e4f/32.png) [@John\_Corrado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Corrado)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2001, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-thread-be-un-locked/83074/3 "2001-09-21T19:51:34Z")
It certainly can. You’ll notice that there’s a list of tools down to lower right; while the regular posters can’t actually access them, you can at least see what we Mods can do. One of them is “Open/Close Thread”- by clicking on that, we can close an open thread or open a closed thread. I’m pretty sure it’s happened before- probably at some point an OP (Original Poster, the person who starts a thread) requested via e-mail that a thread be closed. Since we tend to defer to the OP in terms of whether the thread should stay open or closed, probably one of us went to the thread and closed it by request, only to then get five or six e-mails from people who stated that they were engaged in a strong, lively debate and _please_ could the thread be re-opened to continue the debate, and thus was the thread unlocked. I can’t give any specific cites, but I’m pretty sure it’s happened once or twice before. ---
**Author:** ![warmgun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecccb3/32.png) [@warmgun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/warmgun)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2001, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-thread-be-un-locked/83074/4 "2001-09-21T20:28:09Z")
Thank you. ---
**Author:** ![Protesilaus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Protesilaus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Protesilaus)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2001, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-thread-be-un-locked/83074/5 "2001-09-22T00:56:03Z")
[Here’s](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=59965) a thread that’s been locked by **Arnold Winkelried** , unlocked, and then locked again by **manhattan**. ---
**Author:** ![Ringo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/779978/32.png) [@Ringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ringo)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2001, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-thread-be-un-locked/83074/6 "2001-09-22T03:40:44Z")
Sorry about the brevity earlier - I was at work and I rarely post from there. While I don’t recall the subject, I am sure in my recollection that **Qadgop the Mercotran** had a closed thread reopend (that’s a funny lookin’ word). And **JC** has confirmed that it is possible. ---
**Author:** ![coosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@coosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/coosa)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2001, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-thread-be-un-locked/83074/7 "2001-09-22T03:48:56Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by beatle \* > **thread reopend (that’s a funny lookin’ word).** Maybe because it’s misspelled? ROFLMAO I’m sorry, for some reason that just cracked me up! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2001, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-thread-be-un-locked/83074/8 "2001-09-22T04:04:17Z")
On 9/11, I closed a thread in GD that I thought was in very poor taste. I still think it was in very poor taste, but that’s not a exactly a disqualification in GD, so I opened it up again a few hours later. Chalk it up to my being new at this, or to my being upset that day, or both. The thread is still going strong. [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=86529](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=86529) ---
**Author:** ![Ringo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/779978/32.png) [@Ringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ringo)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2001, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-thread-be-un-locked/83074/9 "2001-09-22T04:32:52Z")
> [@](#): > > Maybe because it’s misspelled? That’s probably a big part of it. Let’s try re-opened. ---
**Author:** ![warmgun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecccb3/32.png) [@warmgun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/warmgun)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2001, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-thread-be-un-locked/83074/10 "2001-09-22T23:49:09Z")
Thanks to all. Mods, free to close this thread. ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2001, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-thread-be-un-locked/83074/11 "2001-09-24T18:31:54Z")
If they do, can I request that it be reopened? 😃