# Dumb Question **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 22, 2005, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dumb-question/332206 "2005-11-22T04:30:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ms.deanna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b3f665/32.png) [@ms.deanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ms.deanna)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2005, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dumb-question/332206/1 "2005-11-22T04:30:32Z")
What does "lol’’ mean? :o ---
**Author:** ![roshia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6bbea6/32.png) [@roshia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/roshia)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2005, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dumb-question/332206/2 "2005-11-22T04:37:39Z")
Laugh out loud. ---
**Author:** ![Nic2004](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/4491bb/32.png) [@Nic2004](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nic2004)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2005, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dumb-question/332206/3 "2005-11-22T04:37:52Z")
Laugh Out Loud ---
**Author:** ![ms.deanna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b3f665/32.png) [@ms.deanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ms.deanna)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2005, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dumb-question/332206/4 "2005-11-22T04:55:55Z")
Thanks, you guys. Have a Happy Thanksgiving! ---
**Author:** ![anyrose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/54ee81/32.png) [@anyrose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anyrose)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2005, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dumb-question/332206/5 "2005-11-22T04:56:50Z")
there’s also ROFL ROFLMAO ROFLMAOSCOK ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2005, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dumb-question/332206/6 "2005-11-22T04:59:48Z")
> [@anyrose](#): > > ROFLMAOSCOK Ok, I’ll bite… I’ve never seen that particular one before. ---
**Author:** ![anyrose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/54ee81/32.png) [@anyrose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anyrose)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2005, 5:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dumb-question/332206/7 "2005-11-22T05:25:13Z")
> [@Q.E.D.](#): > > Ok, I’ll bite… I’ve never seen that particular one before. …Spitting Coffee On Keyboard ---
**Author:** ![ccwaterback](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@ccwaterback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ccwaterback)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2005, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dumb-question/332206/8 "2005-11-22T05:34:25Z")
Internet slang: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet\_slang](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_slang) ---
**Author:** ![RandMcnally](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b782af/32.png) [@RandMcnally](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RandMcnally)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2005, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dumb-question/332206/9 "2005-11-22T05:48:40Z")
> [@anyrose](#): > > …Spitting Coffee On Keyboard But if you’re rolling on the floor laughing your ass off, how can you be spitting coffee on the keyboard? ---
**Author:** ![gouda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c77e96/32.png) [@gouda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gouda)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2005, 6:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dumb-question/332206/10 "2005-11-22T06:38:51Z")
With practice ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2005, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dumb-question/332206/11 "2005-11-22T16:11:31Z")
> [@RandMcnally](#): > > But if you’re rolling on the floor laughing your ass off, how can you be spitting coffee on the keyboard? You’re part whale and part South African Spitting Toad. ---
**Author:** ![spingears](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ebca7d/32.png) [@spingears](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spingears)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2005, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dumb-question/332206/12 "2005-11-22T18:59:42Z")
> [@ms.deanna](#): > > What does "lol’’ mean? :o [Look here for an answer](http://www.acronymfinder.com/) ---
**Author:** ![Stealth\_Potato](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Stealth\_Potato](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stealth_Potato)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2005, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dumb-question/332206/13 "2005-11-22T19:38:59Z")
I’ve always said that the continued bastardization of language on the Internet would one day reach a point where people would no longer remember what acronyms like “lol” meant, treating them as atomic units of speech, and perhaps eventually seeking even to abbreviate them further, to save wear and tear on precious, precious keyboards, which due to unforeseen cataclysm would be rare and highly-coveted commodities. It looks like that day may come sooner than I thought. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Philster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2005, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dumb-question/332206/14 "2005-11-22T20:02:29Z")
l! ---
**Author:** ![octothorpe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/b77776/32.png) [@octothorpe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/octothorpe)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2005, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dumb-question/332206/15 "2005-11-23T22:42:11Z")
Honestly, i originally thought it was a ‘smily’ representation of Edvard Munch’s _ **The Scream** _! Actually, if the powers that be ever deign to add any more smilies, this one could be quite useful… # ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2005, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dumb-question/332206/16 "2005-11-24T01:27:11Z")
> [@octothorpe](#): > > Honestly, i originally thought it was a ‘smily’ representation of Edvard Munch’s _ **The Scream** _! > > Actually, if the powers that be ever deign to add any more smilies, this one could be quite useful… > > # Well, you can always fake it: \*_/:eek:\*_ ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2005, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dumb-question/332206/17 "2005-11-24T05:08:12Z")
There are no dumb questions (the first time you ask.) ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2005, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dumb-question/332206/18 "2005-11-24T05:37:05Z")
Closed without comment. **samclem** GQ moderator