# listing etiquette on the SDMB **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 24, 2001, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/listing-etiquette-on-the-sdmb/51522 "2001-01-24T05:44:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![They\_Call\_Me\_Sneeze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6a8cbe/32.png) [@They\_Call\_Me\_Sneeze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/They_Call_Me_Sneeze)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2001, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/listing-etiquette-on-the-sdmb/51522/1 "2001-01-24T05:44:28Z")
ok. i really hope i am not committing some sort of unpardonable faux pas by mentioning this phenomenon, but: 1. whenever people are listing something 2. they always have one number as 3. Hi Opal! 4. why? 5. just for fun? 6. or is there some sordidly delicious story 7. behind this listing habit? ---
**Author:** ![Crunchy\_Frog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ebca7d/32.png) [@Crunchy\_Frog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crunchy_Frog)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2001, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/listing-etiquette-on-the-sdmb/51522/2 "2001-01-24T05:50:54Z")
Actually, the “Hi Opal!” is only need if you have a list with only two items in it. The “Hi Opal!” is for filler to make the list 3 items long, which is what constitutes a list to Miss Opal. She doesn’t believe you should make a list of only 2 items long. It’s just a little friendly joke, is all. Nothing sordid. [sub]I hope Sneeze bought that! I’d hate to be the one to spill the story of the emu, the sloth, the KY Jelly, and the – D’OH![/sub] ---
**Author:** ![Caliban](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecccb3/32.png) [@Caliban](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caliban)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2001, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/listing-etiquette-on-the-sdmb/51522/3 "2001-01-24T06:00:13Z")
[ol] [li]So much to learn.[/li][li]Hi Opal![/li][li]I’ll never fit in to this damn board.[/li][/ol] ---
**Author:** ![They\_Call\_Me\_Sneeze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6a8cbe/32.png) [@They\_Call\_Me\_Sneeze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/They_Call_Me_Sneeze)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2001, 7:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/listing-etiquette-on-the-sdmb/51522/4 "2001-01-24T07:25:44Z")
1. i am the queen of all sloths, two toed and three. if there are any transpirings concerning two-toed sloths, three-toed sloths, or the more common, college-sloth, it is required by law that i am notified and allowed in on the action. 2. Hi Opal! 3. thanks Crunchy Frog! : ) ---
**Author:** ![Spritle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Spritle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spritle)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2001, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/listing-etiquette-on-the-sdmb/51522/5 "2001-01-24T13:16:01Z")
1. Hi, Opal! 2. Can somebody help me with counting? ---
**Author:** ![dantheman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dantheman/32/9421_2.png) [@dantheman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dantheman)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2001, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/listing-etiquette-on-the-sdmb/51522/6 "2001-01-24T13:24:08Z")
I thought the Hi Opal bit was always #3… 😕 Three Things I Like About SDMB: 1. You is are learned stuff. 2. Hot chicks. 3. Hi Opal! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![ultress](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/7c8e57/32.png) [@ultress](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultress)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2001, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/listing-etiquette-on-the-sdmb/51522/7 "2001-01-24T14:38:26Z")
Hi Opal is always number 3. ---
**Author:** ![BoBettie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4af34b/32.png) [@BoBettie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BoBettie)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2001, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/listing-etiquette-on-the-sdmb/51522/8 "2001-01-24T14:47:04Z")
I was making a list the other day at work (a numbered list) and it took everything in me NOT to put “Hi Opal!” as #3. I may still do it 🙂 Zette ---
**Author:** ![tshirts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@tshirts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tshirts)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2001, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/listing-etiquette-on-the-sdmb/51522/9 "2001-01-24T17:43:09Z")
If you don’t know why **OpalCat** is so special, she has her own forum, similar in concept to SDMB, and a lot of SDMBers post there. You should check it out \*\* [http://fff.fathom.org/cgi-bin/Ultimate.cgi?action=intro](http://fff.fathom.org/cgi-bin/Ultimate.cgi?action=intro) Fathom’ Forums\*\* ---
**Author:** ![Fletch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/919ad9/32.png) [@Fletch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fletch)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2001, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/listing-etiquette-on-the-sdmb/51522/10 "2001-01-24T17:54:14Z")
1. I wondered the same thing, why 2. Hi Opal! 3. Montfort kindly filled in the details. ---
**Author:** ![Rebo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rebo/32/13005_2.png) [@Rebo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rebo)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2001, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/listing-etiquette-on-the-sdmb/51522/11 "2001-01-24T18:40:54Z")
Thanks for asking that question. I was too embarrassed to ask! :o ---
**Author:** ![Celyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9dc877/32.png) [@Celyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Celyn)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2001, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/listing-etiquette-on-the-sdmb/51522/12 "2001-01-24T19:16:16Z")
Um, what about the sloth references? Is that also something that needs explained, or just random stuff in order to make a “Hi, Opal” list? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Mermaid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a183cd/32.png) [@The\_Mermaid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Mermaid)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2001, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/listing-etiquette-on-the-sdmb/51522/13 "2001-01-24T23:17:10Z")
What follows if a list of the rules. 1.Don’t talk about the emus, the sloths and the KY jelly. 2.Don’t talk about the emu’s, the sloths and the KY jelly. 1. Hi Opal. ---
**Author:** ![Crunchy\_Frog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ebca7d/32.png) [@Crunchy\_Frog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crunchy_Frog)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2001, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/listing-etiquette-on-the-sdmb/51522/14 "2001-01-25T00:04:23Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Celyn \* > \*\*Um, what about the sloth references? Is that also something that needs explained, or just random stuff in order to make a “Hi, Opal” list? \*\* I think they’re just having fun with my answer: “I hope Sneeze bought that! I’d hate to be the one to spill the story of the emu, the sloth, the KY Jelly, and the – D’OH!” I tend to make lots of sloth references just cuz I think they’re fun to work into convesation. I do the same thing with aardvarks and emus. As far as I know, there’s no official reason for sloth references. [sub]So did I cover that up well enough? I’d hate to be the reason the truth behind this whole sordid escapade was revealed![/sub]