# I post about the use of the phrase "I pit" to lead pit thread titles **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 25, 2013, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-post-about-the-use-of-the-phrase-i-pit-to-lead-pit-thread-titles/669661 "2013-09-25T17:56:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Kyrie\_Eleison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kyrie_eleison/32/7682_2.png) [@Kyrie\_Eleison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyrie_Eleison)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2013, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-post-about-the-use-of-the-phrase-i-pit-to-lead-pit-thread-titles/669661/1 "2013-09-25T17:56:30Z")
Currently, 21 of the first 150 threads in the Pit begin with “I pit.” We get it. It’s in the Pit. Individual thread titles need not inform us so. Please cut it out. Thank you. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2013, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-post-about-the-use-of-the-phrase-i-pit-to-lead-pit-thread-titles/669661/2 "2013-09-25T18:00:41Z")
By the same token, you probably don’t need to inform us that you’re posting. ---
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2013, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-post-about-the-use-of-the-phrase-i-pit-to-lead-pit-thread-titles/669661/3 "2013-09-25T18:03:05Z")
Sometimes, threads get moved. Imagine if an “I pit Kyrie Eleison” thread were moved to MPSIMS, if you will. If the title remains as is, we still have information on the subject matter. But if the title were just “Kyrie Eleison,” what then? Have you died? Is it your birthday? Is there a sheep presentation being made in your honor? There would be no way to know without going into the thread, hoping for the best, but fearing the worst. A descriptive title allows us to make informed decisions about which threads to read, no matter where we stumble across them. ---
**Author:** ![Kyrie\_Eleison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kyrie_eleison/32/7682_2.png) [@Kyrie\_Eleison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyrie_Eleison)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2013, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-post-about-the-use-of-the-phrase-i-pit-to-lead-pit-thread-titles/669661/4 "2013-09-25T18:04:23Z")
> [@Inner\_Stickler](#): > > By the same token, you probably don’t need to inform us that you’re posting. This is the post in which I say “woosh?” ---
**Author:** ![Kyrie\_Eleison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kyrie_eleison/32/7682_2.png) [@Kyrie\_Eleison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyrie_Eleison)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2013, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-post-about-the-use-of-the-phrase-i-pit-to-lead-pit-thread-titles/669661/5 "2013-09-25T18:17:44Z")
> [@Asimovian](#): > > Sometimes, threads get moved. Imagine if an “I pit Kyrie Eleison” thread were moved to MPSIMS, if you will. If the title remains as is, we still have information on the subject matter. But if the title were just “Kyrie Eleison,” what then? Have you died? Is it your birthday? Is there a sheep presentation being made in your honor? There would be no way to know without going into the thread, hoping for the best, but fearing the worst. > > A descriptive title allows us to make informed decisions about which threads to read, no matter where we stumble across them. But wouldn’t “Kyrie Eleison’s peevish complaint about excellent pit practices” be a still more informative title? “I pit” tells me nothing except in the rare case you propose where a thread gets moved _out_ of the Pit. Am I the only one who is (minorly) annoyed by this custom? ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2013, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-post-about-the-use-of-the-phrase-i-pit-to-lead-pit-thread-titles/669661/6 "2013-09-25T18:23:08Z")
Probably not. I don’t think you’re even the only one to make a thread about it although I haven’t been able to find an older thread on the subject. I doubt anyone will change, though. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2013, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-post-about-the-use-of-the-phrase-i-pit-to-lead-pit-thread-titles/669661/7 "2013-09-25T18:27:43Z")
> [@Kyrie\_Eleison](#): > > Am I the only one who is (minorly) annoyed by this custom? I’m minorly annoyed by all sorts of things, but I ceased complaining about them when I noticed that the world continued to refuse to conform to my arbitrary standards. ---
**Author:** ![Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freddy_the_Pig)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2013, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-post-about-the-use-of-the-phrase-i-pit-to-lead-pit-thread-titles/669661/8 "2013-09-25T18:41:59Z")
> [@Inner\_Stickler](#): > > I don’t think you’re even the only one to make a thread about it although I haven’t been able to find an older thread on the subject. I’m not sure it’s possible to be the first person to do _anything_ on the SDMB, any more. Not one but two threads from 2005: [I pit “I pit”](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=340455) [A non-pit rant: There’s no Need to Begin Your Thread Title with the Words “I pit”](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=5692471) ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2013, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-post-about-the-use-of-the-phrase-i-pit-to-lead-pit-thread-titles/669661/9 "2013-09-25T18:50:33Z")
I think it’s a harmless introduction to define the purpose of a sentence. Certainly at a mere two syllables, and just four letters, it is clearer, directer and succincter than [ul][li] “Know all men by these presents that I, Kyrie Eleison, …”, or[/li][li] “Comes now Kyrie Eleison before this forum and files a motion …”, or[/li][li] “Two score years ago, our Uncle Cecil brought forth …”, or[/li][li] “When in the course of ignorant posting …”[/li][/ul] You wouldn’t be blamed for seeking something with a more dramatic flair: [ul][li] “While confined here in the Birmingham city jail, I came across a particularly obnoxious …”, or[/li][li] “Yesterday, September 24, 2013 - a date which will live in infamy - the Straight Dope Message Board was suddenly and deliberately …”[/li][/ul] **But the fact is there is a severe restriction on the length of thread titles.** In summary: _I Pit the Pitting Pitters who Pit “I Pit.”_ ---
**Author:** ![want2befree](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/3e96dc/32.png) [@want2befree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/want2befree)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2013, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-post-about-the-use-of-the-phrase-i-pit-to-lead-pit-thread-titles/669661/10 "2013-09-25T19:28:23Z")
I think this should be moved to the Pit. So, you know, people who go there and post will see it… ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2013, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-post-about-the-use-of-the-phrase-i-pit-to-lead-pit-thread-titles/669661/11 "2013-09-25T19:53:14Z")
How about starting a GD thread with “Resolved:”? ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2013, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-post-about-the-use-of-the-phrase-i-pit-to-lead-pit-thread-titles/669661/12 "2013-09-25T20:00:41Z")
Its better than “I MPSIMS Kyrie Eleison.” ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2013, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-post-about-the-use-of-the-phrase-i-pit-to-lead-pit-thread-titles/669661/13 "2013-09-25T20:20:27Z")
I often come in through “new posts” and find it helpful if a pit thread is obviously a pit thread. ---
**Author:** ![LawMonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@LawMonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LawMonkey)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2013, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-post-about-the-use-of-the-phrase-i-pit-to-lead-pit-thread-titles/669661/14 "2013-09-25T20:23:54Z")
> [@Smeghead](#): > > How about starting a GD thread with “Resolved:”? No, that’s actually quite useful, as it tells me that the indicated proposition has already been resolved and that therefore there is neither need nor use to debate it. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2013, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-post-about-the-use-of-the-phrase-i-pit-to-lead-pit-thread-titles/669661/15 "2013-09-25T20:24:40Z")
I like it. So much in fact that I use it in real life and on Facebook. Of course, then I have to explain to some people what I mean. ---
**Author:** ![AnthonyElite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b487fb/32.png) [@AnthonyElite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AnthonyElite)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2013, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-post-about-the-use-of-the-phrase-i-pit-to-lead-pit-thread-titles/669661/16 "2013-09-25T20:34:29Z")
> [@Kyrie\_Eleison](#): > > This is the post in which I say “woosh?” No, this is the post in which you put your foot into your mouth. You see, you are complaining about people putting “I pit” before an obvious Pit thread. In the same thread in which you complain about this you make a similar error: > [@](#): > > I post about the use of the phrase “I pit” to lead pit thread titles Yes, of course you post; aside from private message it is the only form of communication here. That is the beauty of it all being digital to me - it costs nothing to throw in the extras. I’m turning this question around: What is so tedious about reading “I pit” before a thread begins? Is the effort that great? ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2013, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-post-about-the-use-of-the-phrase-i-pit-to-lead-pit-thread-titles/669661/17 "2013-09-25T20:42:19Z")
Anthony, when I’ve already gone to the trouble of putting my foot in it, the least you could do is learn from my example. ---
**Author:** ![AnthonyElite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b487fb/32.png) [@AnthonyElite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AnthonyElite)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2013, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-post-about-the-use-of-the-phrase-i-pit-to-lead-pit-thread-titles/669661/18 "2013-09-25T20:51:54Z")
Am I missing something? I was just trying to articulate the idea that he was being hypocritical. Was he not? ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2013, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-post-about-the-use-of-the-phrase-i-pit-to-lead-pit-thread-titles/669661/19 "2013-09-25T20:55:30Z")
No, he was trying to underscore the pointlessness of starting a thread with “I pit” by starting his thread with a phrase he feels is as pointless but possibly more obviously so to his audience. ---
**Author:** ![Greg\_Charles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/839c29/32.png) [@Greg\_Charles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Greg_Charles)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2013, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-post-about-the-use-of-the-phrase-i-pit-to-lead-pit-thread-titles/669661/20 "2013-09-25T21:11:51Z")
I suffer from a certain lack of confidence with respect to societal norms, which makes me malleable. I will in the future conform to this admonition, as well as any of **silenus’s** “arbitrary standards” he cares to remind me of. I’m afraid that it won’t make much difference though, since I’m too afraid of accusations of “weak sauce” to actually post any of my admittedly petty problems in the Pit anyway. Question: what about thread titles that start with, “In which …”? Those tend to get on my nerves, but I’m too polite to say anything. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-post-about-the-use-of-the-phrase-i-pit-to-lead-pit-thread-titles/669661.md?page=2)