# Dirty Letters \[A Poll\] **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 31, 2003, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dirty-letters-a-poll/151894 "2003-01-31T16:49:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac8455/32.png) [@Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bippy_the_Beardless)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2003, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dirty-letters-a-poll/151894/1 "2003-01-31T16:49:50Z")
OK there is some point to this, honnest. What is the dirtiest key on your keyboard? Mine is J ---
**Author:** ![Amp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Amp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amp)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2003, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dirty-letters-a-poll/151894/2 "2003-01-31T16:53:00Z")
Mine is the colon, semi-colon key. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Carnage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/max_carnage/32/12775_2.png) [@Max\_Carnage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Carnage)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2003, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dirty-letters-a-poll/151894/3 "2003-01-31T17:00:16Z")
6 and 9 are the dirtiest ones I can think of Oh, physically? The whole row of function keys at the top are dirtier than the rest since I never use them and they are covered in a fine layer of dust. ---
**Author:** ![roadrunner70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e19b73/32.png) [@roadrunner70](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/roadrunner70)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2003, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dirty-letters-a-poll/151894/4 "2003-01-31T17:04:49Z")
Mine looks like a tie between F9 and Insert. I’ll go with Insert, since I like it better. ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2003, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dirty-letters-a-poll/151894/5 "2003-01-31T17:07:52Z")
~ ---
**Author:** ![Tark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e495f1/32.png) [@Tark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tark)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2003, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dirty-letters-a-poll/151894/6 "2003-01-31T17:10:01Z")
The “windows” key. ---
**Author:** ![Legomancer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/779978/32.png) [@Legomancer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Legomancer)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2003, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dirty-letters-a-poll/151894/7 "2003-01-31T17:10:32Z")
1. I’m not sure why. Maybe because it has the @ on top of it. At home right now it’s W since that’s how you move forward in Morrowind. ---
**Author:** ![Venoma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/c4cdca/32.png) [@Venoma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Venoma)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2003, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dirty-letters-a-poll/151894/8 "2003-01-31T17:24:16Z")
The 9 key - there’s some food on it. Not sure what kind of food. ---
**Author:** ![Coldsweat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f07891/32.png) [@Coldsweat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coldsweat)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2003, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dirty-letters-a-poll/151894/9 "2003-01-31T17:38:09Z")
All my keys are black… So it’s a massive tie ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2003, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dirty-letters-a-poll/151894/10 "2003-01-31T17:39:12Z")
| \ Must not be using those DOS command lines so much any more… ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2003, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dirty-letters-a-poll/151894/11 "2003-01-31T17:47:26Z")
The 8 at the top - I use the number pad keys at the right so the row at the top is kinda raggedy looking. Obviously I don’t use the \* much either. ---
**Author:** ![Mullinator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c2a13f/32.png) [@Mullinator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mullinator)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2003, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dirty-letters-a-poll/151894/12 "2003-01-31T17:47:48Z")
F6 looks like it has a little dried scrambled egg on it. ---
**Author:** ![Mullinator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c2a13f/32.png) [@Mullinator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mullinator)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2003, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dirty-letters-a-poll/151894/13 "2003-01-31T17:49:36Z")
Upon further inspection, I have learned a few things. The texture of a keyboard key is slightly rougher on a tongue than I would have expected. If that is what old, dried scrambled egg tastes like, I can understand why fresher is better. If tasting that does to me what I expect it might do, I’d just like to say that I truly enjoyed posting on this board. ---
**Author:** ![cornflakes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@cornflakes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cornflakes)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2003, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dirty-letters-a-poll/151894/14 "2003-01-31T17:53:41Z")
v What did I win? ---
**Author:** ![Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac8455/32.png) [@Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bippy_the_Beardless)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2003, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dirty-letters-a-poll/151894/15 "2003-01-31T18:02:10Z")
Thanks, and carry on… It has worried me for some time what is making the keys dirty? ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2003, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dirty-letters-a-poll/151894/16 "2003-01-31T18:34:53Z")
“F” Seems the little bumpy placeholder thing is quite the schmegma magnet. ---
**Author:** ![Coldsweat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f07891/32.png) [@Coldsweat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coldsweat)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2003, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dirty-letters-a-poll/151894/17 "2003-01-31T18:35:46Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Bippy the Beardless \* > \*\*Thanks, and carry on… > > It has worried me for some time what is making the keys dirty? \*\* And the answer is… DIRT. :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![LindyHopper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ebca7d/32.png) [@LindyHopper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LindyHopper)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2003, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dirty-letters-a-poll/151894/18 "2003-01-31T18:48:19Z")
Mine’s the same as **Ethilrist** ’s. And I’m on a Mac, so I have virtually _no_ reason to ever use that key. That’s probably why it’s such a different color from the rest. ---
**Author:** ![Indygrrl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@Indygrrl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indygrrl)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2003, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dirty-letters-a-poll/151894/19 "2003-01-31T18:50:06Z")
R and E are equally filthy. ---
**Author:** ![Dante](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dante/32/9673_2.png) [@Dante](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dante)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2003, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dirty-letters-a-poll/151894/20 "2003-01-31T19:05:43Z")
**w** , **a** , **s** and **d**. Gamer’s keys… [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dirty-letters-a-poll/151894.md?page=2)