# Emoticon \<3

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emoticon-3/423730>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [October 23, 2007, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emoticon-3/423730 "2007-10-23T17:57:58Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 20\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\
**Post date:** [October 23, 2007, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emoticon-3/423730/1 "2007-10-23T17:57:58Z")

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What is this symbol supposed to resemble: \<3

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**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\
**Post date:** [October 23, 2007, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emoticon-3/423730/2 "2007-10-23T17:58:16Z")

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A heart?

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**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\
**Post date:** [October 23, 2007, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emoticon-3/423730/3 "2007-10-23T17:59:54Z")

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Ok, that makes sense. Someone used it next to the name of a person he liked.

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**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\
**Post date:** [October 23, 2007, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emoticon-3/423730/4 "2007-10-23T18:18:03Z")

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Or a comatose Mouse  
Or a double-scoop ice cream cone on its side

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**Author:** ![GargoyleWB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gargoylewb/32/199_2.png) [@GargoyleWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GargoyleWB)\
**Post date:** [October 23, 2007, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emoticon-3/423730/5 "2007-10-23T18:30:43Z")

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For a long time, I thought they were testicles. Honestly. I couldn’t understand why people were saying “I teabag you”, but thought it was the new hip net slang.

My private whooshing shame ☹

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**Author:** ![Dunawake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/85f322/32.png) [@Dunawake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dunawake)\
**Post date:** [October 23, 2007, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emoticon-3/423730/6 "2007-10-23T18:32:55Z")

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There’s also the opposite of: \<3

\</3

😛

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**Author:** ![Kythereia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e8c25b/32.png) [@Kythereia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kythereia)\
**Post date:** [October 23, 2007, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emoticon-3/423730/7 "2007-10-23T18:40:26Z")

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And the classic “angry boob”:

\>3

(Or is it supposed to be a lion? I can’t tell.)

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**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\
**Post date:** [October 23, 2007, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emoticon-3/423730/8 "2007-10-23T18:55:19Z")

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[QUOTE=GargoyleWB]  
For a long time, I thought they were testicles. Honestly. I couldn’t understand why people were saying “I teabag you”, but thought it was the new hip net slang.

My private whooshing shame ☹  
[/QUOTE]

Today was the first time I’d seen it, and my first thought was “scrotum”. So, you’re not alone.

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**Author:** ![Lionne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Lionne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lionne)\
**Post date:** [October 23, 2007, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emoticon-3/423730/9 "2007-10-23T19:28:55Z")

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If I remember correctly from my AOL days, the scrotum one is:

\<====B

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**Author:** ![Litoris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9f8e36/32.png) [@Litoris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Litoris)\
**Post date:** [October 23, 2007, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emoticon-3/423730/10 "2007-10-23T19:32:58Z")

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[QUOTE=Kythereia]  
And the classic “angry boob”:

\>3

(Or is it supposed to be a lion? I can’t tell.)  
[/QUOTE]

Ok, I always got the heart…and love how in googletalk it is one of the (very few) animated ones. Your “angry boob” looks like a scrotum to me!

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**Author:** ![Flander](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8c91f0/32.png) [@Flander](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flander)\
**Post date:** [October 23, 2007, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emoticon-3/423730/11 "2007-10-23T19:51:09Z")

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I knew it to be a heart. Scrotum looks correct. I always like the joint \</////\>`` which looks a bit too close to the tampon \<////\> ~~~~

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**Author:** ![Geek\_Mecha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecae2f/32.png) [@Geek\_Mecha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Geek_Mecha)\
**Post date:** [October 23, 2007, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emoticon-3/423730/12 "2007-10-23T21:26:35Z")

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The only way those could be scrotums is if triangular penises are the norm in your world. :dubious:

\</3 = castration?

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**Author:** ![Autolycus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/22d042/32.png) [@Autolycus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Autolycus)\
**Post date:** [October 23, 2007, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emoticon-3/423730/13 "2007-10-23T21:27:46Z")

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It’s a heart ^^

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**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\
**Post date:** [October 23, 2007, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emoticon-3/423730/14 "2007-10-23T21:29:57Z")

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[QUOTE=Lionne]  
If I remember correctly from my AOL days, the scrotum one is:

\<====B  
[/QUOTE]  
No, it should be:

0  
#=====D - - -  
0

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**Author:** ![Blaster\_Master](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/cab0a1/32.png) [@Blaster\_Master](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blaster_Master)\
**Post date:** [October 23, 2007, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emoticon-3/423730/15 "2007-10-23T21:48:27Z")

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[QUOTE=jjimm]  
No, it should be:

0  
#=====D - - -  
0  
[/QUOTE]

Funny… I’d always seen it as a variant of this…

=====D  
(\_)

Anyway, I’d seen \<3 for a long time, but I never saw anything other than “less than three”… especially since most other emoticons are turned the other way. It wasn’t until I asked the person who kept using it that I got it… sigh.

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**Author:** ![brewha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@brewha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brewha)\
**Post date:** [October 23, 2007, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emoticon-3/423730/16 "2007-10-23T21:56:35Z")

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83-

Just thinking, that could be a scrotum from the back…

I don’t know why I’m still laughing at angry boobs!

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**Author:** ![Blaster\_Master](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/cab0a1/32.png) [@Blaster\_Master](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blaster_Master)\
**Post date:** [October 23, 2007, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emoticon-3/423730/17 "2007-10-23T23:02:52Z")

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[QUOTE=brewha]  
83-

Just thinking, that could be a scrotum from the back..

I don’t know why I’m still laughing at angry boobs!  
[/QUOTE]

wouldn’t a scrotum from the back look more like…

Ѿ

\*It’s upside-down…

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**Author:** ![myskepticsight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cc9497/32.png) [@myskepticsight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/myskepticsight)\
**Post date:** [October 23, 2007, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emoticon-3/423730/18 "2007-10-23T23:26:50Z")

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()))_crayola_)))\_]\> was always my favorite useless internet thing when I was 13 and used chatrooms. I do use the \<3 with my bf on text messages when I want to be cutesy and lame though.

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**Author:** ![Euryphaessa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Euryphaessa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euryphaessa)\
**Post date:** [October 23, 2007, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emoticon-3/423730/19 "2007-10-23T23:31:58Z")

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I quite like (:3=, which of course came from the Dope!

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**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\
**Post date:** [October 24, 2007, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emoticon-3/423730/20 "2007-10-24T00:48:34Z")

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The one I didn’t get until I looked it up was XD, whcih appears a lot on YouTube. It’s supposed to be a face with a big grin, presumably with its eyes closed.

And, of course, there’s the shitty emoticon (literally) from _Me and You and Everyone We Know_, depicting an endless cycle of cross-pooping: ))\<\>((

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