# Inside Joke? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [January 15, 2003, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inside-joke/148848 "2003-01-15T23:12:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Casey1505](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dc4da7/32.png) [@Casey1505](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Casey1505)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2003, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inside-joke/148848/1 "2003-01-15T23:12:54Z")
I’m a relatively new poster, but I’ve noticed alot of "Hi Opal"s coming out of left field. Is this an inside joke? Is it some sort of conspiratory message? Is it code to release the rabid inbred baboons into Iraq, putting the element of suprise back in our favor, since we have basically been telling them everything we plan on doing to them and how we plan on doing it for the past six months? Thanks in advance for the clarification ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2003, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inside-joke/148848/2 "2003-01-15T23:34:21Z")
Oh shit! Everybody cheese it … Casey’s onto us! ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2003, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inside-joke/148848/3 "2003-01-15T23:36:35Z")
No really … I’ll give it a shot. It goes something like this: A long time ago, one of our posers **OpalCat** opined that a list is not a true list unless it is at least three items long. So somone wisecracked: 1. Here is one thing I’m talking about. 2. Here is another thing I’m talking about. 3. Hi Opal. Get it? It’s now three items long – Hey! It’s a list! Then it got thrown willy nilly. 1. A thing. 2. Another thing. 3. Hi Opal 4. Still another thing. 5. More and more things. Fun, no? ---
**Author:** ![I\_can\_t\_believe\_that\_s\_butter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/8edcca/32.png) [@I\_can\_t\_believe\_that\_s\_butter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_can_t_believe_that_s_butter)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2003, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inside-joke/148848/4 "2003-01-15T23:39:35Z")
**Opal** a _poser_? Never! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2003, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inside-joke/148848/5 "2003-01-15T23:44:09Z")
Um … oops. I am: 1. Not very observant… 2. In inaccurate with my typing. That’s it. ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2003, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inside-joke/148848/6 "2003-01-15T23:45:14Z")
“In inaccurate?” I’ll quit now. ---
**Author:** ![Casey1505](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dc4da7/32.png) [@Casey1505](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Casey1505)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2003, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inside-joke/148848/7 "2003-01-15T23:58:45Z")
Okay, I’m witcha! Ixnay on the Opalpay. ---
**Author:** ![Wikkit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c0e974/32.png) [@Wikkit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wikkit)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2003, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inside-joke/148848/8 "2003-01-16T16:56:16Z")
Please do ixnay. Not just an injoke, a dead tired injoke. ---
**Author:** ![kabbes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e99b99/32.png) [@kabbes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kabbes)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2003, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inside-joke/148848/9 "2003-01-16T17:30:57Z")
In fact, ironically, newbie posters generally reveal their _non_-"with-it"ness with this one. It’s those posters with a few hundred posts, been here a few months, maybe, on and off, trying to become a reg, who use this, not realising just how BLOODY ANNOYING it is to most of us that have seen it 7 billion times before. Or that could be just me. pan ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2003, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inside-joke/148848/10 "2003-01-16T19:15:13Z")
For the record, because I just _know_ somebody’s going to ask, the humor-consensus of the board is that next to **jdavis** ’s workstation is a small cage in which hamsters with superpowers run invessantly in little wheels which in turn are linked with a Rube Goldberg device to the server on which this board physically resides. The generator structure was, of course, designed by Team Sigma with design by **Gaudere** ; the hamsters are imported from Amsterdam after having been carefully selected by **Coldfire**. **David B.** questions each on their commitment to fighting ignorance and will not release them for active service until he is satisfied with their answers. **Alphagene** issues death certificates when one of the furry little critters kicks the bucket. **Tubadiva** and **Lynn** reward them with a share of their chocolate for meritorious service above and beyond the call of duty. ---
**Author:** ![Exgineer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a88e4f/32.png) [@Exgineer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exgineer)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2003, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inside-joke/148848/11 "2003-01-16T19:29:57Z")
Uh, **Poly**? I’m not sure that’s entirely correct. I don’t think you could chocolate away from **Tuba** or **Lynn** with dynamite. ---
**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 16, 2003, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inside-joke/148848/12 "2003-01-16T19:45:56Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Casey1505 \* > \*\*Okay, I’m witcha! Ixnay on the Opalpay. \*\* Point of order! That’d be “Ixnay on the OpalWAY”. ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2003, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inside-joke/148848/13 "2003-01-16T22:59:04Z")
Wouldn’t it be “Opal-Ay”? ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2003, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inside-joke/148848/14 "2003-01-17T00:34:25Z")
No, **Ethilrist** has it. Besides, “Opalpay” sounds like some bastardized version of an online remuneration system. ---
**Author:** ![erislover](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/71e660/32.png) [@erislover](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/erislover)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2003, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inside-joke/148848/15 "2003-01-17T04:59:12Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by kabbes \* > **Or that could be just me.** I’ve seen it used at least once where it really was funny, but I’ll be damned if I remember where. Best to let it drop. I do seem to recall that **OpalCat** doesn’t do vanity searches, though, and now I wonder if it was because of this or if she’s just not that kind of gal. My vote is on “not that kind of gal”. Moral of the story: **erl** likes to ramble. Now go to bed. ---
**Author:** ![mnemosyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@mnemosyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mnemosyne)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2003, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inside-joke/148848/16 "2003-01-18T01:06:33Z")
I like seeing it when it’s included in something witty, or at least something more subtle…which I’m not good at doing, but for example anyways: > [@](#): > > So the following things went wrong today: > > 1. I was late for class AGAIN because of traffic > 2. I spilled soda on me in a moment of stupidity (apparently I forgot how to drink!) > 3. I checked the SDMB and noone - not even Opal - talked about how great I was! > 4. My SO twisted his ankle, and we had a dance lesson to go to! Though it turned out ok in the end (pun semi-intended once I realised it was there). usually people are funnier than that, but you get the idea… ---
**Author:** ![singular1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ba9def/32.png) [@singular1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/singular1)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2003, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inside-joke/148848/17 "2003-01-21T18:39:49Z")
1. Pi, Popal! mmmmmmmmm, pi. (which woulda been a _lot_ funnier if I could’ve made the damn pi symbol work) ---
**Author:** ![UncleBeer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/977dab/32.png) [@UncleBeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBeer)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2003, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inside-joke/148848/18 "2003-01-21T19:58:34Z")
[symbol]p[/symbol] ---
**Author:** ![Wilson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/96bed5/32.png) [@Wilson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wilson)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2003, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inside-joke/148848/19 "2003-01-21T20:38:02Z")
OK, **UncleBeer** , now make it work in [Netscape](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=120922&highlight=symbol)… I was wondering what the heck he was talking about. Capital P? Search (in moderation) is your friend… ---
**Author:** ![Wilson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/96bed5/32.png) [@Wilson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wilson)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2003, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inside-joke/148848/20 "2003-01-21T20:42:12Z")
Of course, now I realize that it is not a capital. Looked like it at first. I’ll go away now. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inside-joke/148848.md?page=2)