# . . Meaning

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaning/591825>\
**Category:** About This Message Board\
**Created:** [August 7, 2011, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaning/591825 "2011-08-07T14:34:11Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Quasimodem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Quasimodem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quasimodem)\
**Post date:** [August 7, 2011, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaning/591825/1 "2011-08-07T14:34:11Z")

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Sometimes I’ll see a thread with a post that has two side by side periods and nothing else. Why do y’all do that and what are you telling me?

Thanks

Q

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**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\
**Post date:** [August 7, 2011, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaning/591825/2 "2011-08-07T15:16:37Z")

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I wonder that myself! Good question!

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**Author:** ![Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e4f/32.png) [@Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Digital_is_the_new_Analog)\
**Post date:** [August 7, 2011, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaning/591825/3 "2011-08-07T15:27:07Z")

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On Weather Underground, it’s done as a way to “remove” a post when you are inside the edit window…you can’t delete it, but you can delete the content. Maybe it’s being used similarly here.

…  
-D/a

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**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\
**Post date:** [August 7, 2011, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaning/591825/4 "2011-08-07T15:55:41Z")

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> [@Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](#):
>
> On Weather Underground, it’s done as a way to “remove” a post when you are inside the edit window..you can’t delete it, but you can delete the content. Maybe it’s being used similarly here.

This.

Or their reply to a subject is a quote from another source. They use the quote box plus two dots to make up the 2 character minimum post (characters in quote boxes don’t count).

Or they want to follow a thread, they don’t know how to subscribe to a thread without adding a post, but they have nothing to say.

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**Author:** ![FXMastermind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fxmastermind/32/7289_2.png) [@FXMastermind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FXMastermind)\
**Post date:** [August 7, 2011, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaning/591825/5 "2011-08-07T15:56:57Z")

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I’ve seen walls of text from people with nothing to say.

The dots are far superior.

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**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\
**Post date:** [August 7, 2011, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaning/591825/6 "2011-08-07T18:24:26Z")

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Usually I see “nm”, which I assume is “never mind”.