# Either tell us the whole story, or keep your mouth shut! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [July 26, 2006, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/either-tell-us-the-whole-story-or-keep-your-mouth-shut/366099 "2006-07-26T15:59:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2006, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/either-tell-us-the-whole-story-or-keep-your-mouth-shut/366099/21 "2006-07-26T17:45:55Z")
Preach it, OP. I hate that shit too, and the morons who persist in doing it. ---
**Author:** ![Velma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/85e7bf/32.png) [@Velma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velma)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2006, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/either-tell-us-the-whole-story-or-keep-your-mouth-shut/366099/22 "2006-07-26T18:07:48Z")
Yes! My mother in law pulls this crap all the time and I know it’s because she wants us all to beg for more, fall over ourselves to pry more precious info out of her. So she can be the center of attention. I either ignore it entirely, or change the subject. She usually ends up telling the rest of the story anyway :rolleyes: Once in a while I will make a comment like “so are you going to tell the rest of the story or do you want us to play 20 questions with you?” but since she is my mother in law I have to turn down the sarcasm or she will cry. Argh. I just got back from a week vacation with her and my blood pressure is still returning to normal. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2006, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/either-tell-us-the-whole-story-or-keep-your-mouth-shut/366099/23 "2006-07-26T18:08:14Z")
“You were the one who put the ram in the ramalamadingdong, weren’t you?” ---
**Author:** ![Long\_Time\_First\_Time](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ad7895/32.png) [@Long\_Time\_First\_Time](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Long_Time_First_Time)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2006, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/either-tell-us-the-whole-story-or-keep-your-mouth-shut/366099/24 "2006-07-26T18:13:01Z")
IMHO, it comes from people who want to be seen as “insiders” I read college recruiting boards, and it’s rampant. It is extremely pit worthy. ---
**Author:** ![Cluricaun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/bb73d2/32.png) [@Cluricaun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cluricaun)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2006, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/either-tell-us-the-whole-story-or-keep-your-mouth-shut/366099/25 "2006-07-26T18:25:44Z")
“C’mon, the Chinese embassy, that was on purpose wasn’t it?” ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2006, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/either-tell-us-the-whole-story-or-keep-your-mouth-shut/366099/26 "2006-07-26T19:05:08Z")
I totally agree with the OP. That post annoyed me as well. It was an assholish thing to do. ---
**Author:** ![Merijeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f05b48/32.png) [@Merijeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merijeek)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2006, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/either-tell-us-the-whole-story-or-keep-your-mouth-shut/366099/27 "2006-07-26T19:25:47Z")
“Are there aliens in Area 51 and did you cop a feel?” -Joe ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2006, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/either-tell-us-the-whole-story-or-keep-your-mouth-shut/366099/28 "2006-07-26T19:53:15Z")
“Its 6 years later, and the Dirty Tricks machine is still emailing jokes about you like it matters. The other party really Is out of ideas, aren’t they…?” ---
**Author:** ![OneCentStamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/13edae/32.png) [@OneCentStamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneCentStamp)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2006, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/either-tell-us-the-whole-story-or-keep-your-mouth-shut/366099/29 "2006-07-26T20:04:00Z")
[QUOTE=Smeghead] “You were the one who put the ram in the ramalamadingdong, weren’t you?” [/QUOTE] Well, at the very least, he put the dingdong in it. Or in its mouth, anyway. :o ---
**Author:** ![Ponder\_Stibbons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponder_stibbons/32/343_2.png) [@Ponder\_Stibbons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponder_Stibbons)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2006, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/either-tell-us-the-whole-story-or-keep-your-mouth-shut/366099/30 "2006-07-26T20:15:08Z")
Could it have been … “Hey, I went to the same school as your daughter, Chelsea. Did you know I was the first one to …” Naah, too obvious. I know … “You know that Fermat’s Last Theorem states that _x[sup]n[/sup] + y[sup]n[/sup] = z[sup]n[/sup]_. I came up with a proof that states [deleted for brevity]. Do you think that’s correct?” ---
**Author:** ![saoirse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@saoirse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saoirse)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2006, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/either-tell-us-the-whole-story-or-keep-your-mouth-shut/366099/31 "2006-07-26T20:18:33Z")
“did you ever give Robert Rubin a wedgie?” ---
**Author:** ![11811](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/1/9d8465/32.png) [@11811](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/11811)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2006, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/either-tell-us-the-whole-story-or-keep-your-mouth-shut/366099/32 "2006-07-26T20:38:31Z")
How about: If I allude to this conversation on a message board without divulging its substance, will I look like a flaming asshole? ---
**Author:** ![Ponder\_Stibbons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponder_stibbons/32/343_2.png) [@Ponder\_Stibbons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponder_Stibbons)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2006, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/either-tell-us-the-whole-story-or-keep-your-mouth-shut/366099/33 "2006-07-26T20:40:31Z")
_cough_postnumberseven_cough_ ---
**Author:** ![Seven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Seven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seven)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2006, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/either-tell-us-the-whole-story-or-keep-your-mouth-shut/366099/34 "2006-07-26T22:53:37Z")
[QUOTE=Ponder Stibbons] _cough_postnumberseven_cough_ [/QUOTE] I’m posting. I’M POSTING! Geesz, don’t be so bossy. 😃 > [@Ludovic](#): > > I hate people who don’t tell the whole story. For instance, people who tell us about a person who broke an Internet pet peeve and then not telling us who it was Nice one. ---
**Author:** ![Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troy_mcclure_sf/32/4150_2.png) [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troy_McClure_SF)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2006, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/either-tell-us-the-whole-story-or-keep-your-mouth-shut/366099/35 "2006-07-26T22:56:17Z")
A-fucking-men, man. Why the hell would anyone do this? IRL, I usually ignore such obvious attention-whoring, but usually the stories oh-so-cleverly alluded to on the board actually sound like they could be interesting, so it’s doubly fucking annoying. You’re on a goddamn _message board_; tell the fucking story. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2006, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/either-tell-us-the-whole-story-or-keep-your-mouth-shut/366099/36 "2006-07-26T23:29:23Z")
[HERE](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=7611854&postcount=38) is the post in question. ---
**Author:** ![askeptic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/eb9ed0/32.png) [@askeptic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/askeptic)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2006, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/either-tell-us-the-whole-story-or-keep-your-mouth-shut/366099/37 "2006-07-26T23:39:27Z")
Thanks guin. I must say that given the title of the thread, I don’t think Kozmic’s post was all that egregious. The question was “Have you ever met the President”. He said yes, gave a little context but chose not to share the details. Maybe if he just dropped that little anecdote for no reason it would be a little annoying. Holy shit this is a lame pitting. If anything was worth pitting it was that last stupid sentence in his/her post. ---
**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:** [July 26, 2006, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/either-tell-us-the-whole-story-or-keep-your-mouth-shut/366099/38 "2006-07-26T23:42:47Z")
**Kozmic** obviously asked “Does my ass look big in this?” ---
**Author:** ![Antinor01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@Antinor01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antinor01)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2006, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/either-tell-us-the-whole-story-or-keep-your-mouth-shut/366099/39 "2006-07-26T23:44:01Z")
[QUOTE=askeptic] Thanks guin. I must say that given the title of the thread, I don’t think Kozmic’s post was all that egregious. The question was “Have you ever met the President”. He said yes, gave a little context but chose not to share the details. Maybe if he just dropped that little anecdote for no reason it would be a little annoying. Holy shit this is a lame pitting. If anything was worth pitting it was that last stupid sentence in his/her post. [/QUOTE] I just think it’s cute that he thinks he could ask a former president a question, in public, and NOT have the secret service or anyone else know what it is. ---
**Author:** ![Absolute](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b2d939/32.png) [@Absolute](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Absolute)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2006, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/either-tell-us-the-whole-story-or-keep-your-mouth-shut/366099/40 "2006-07-26T23:49:22Z")
[QUOTE=askeptic] Thanks guin. I must say that given the title of the thread, I don’t think Kozmic’s post was all that egregious. The question was “Have you ever met the President”. He said yes, gave a little context but chose not to share the details. Maybe if he just dropped that little anecdote for no reason it would be a little annoying. Holy shit this is a lame pitting. If anything was worth pitting it was that last stupid sentence in his/her post. [/QUOTE] Well, that’s what I’m pitting really, but I had to quote the entire post for context. Just telling us that he met Clinton, asked him a question, and got a “Yes” in response, fine. But hinting that this “Yes” response implied something interesting, vaguely ominous, or whatever, while smugly witholding what that actually was, was highly annoying. If he had left the last sentence off, there’d be nothing worth pitting, I agree. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/either-tell-us-the-whole-story-or-keep-your-mouth-shut/366099.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/either-tell-us-the-whole-story-or-keep-your-mouth-shut/366099.md?page=3)