Why do people write “Hi Opal” all the time?
- We don’t write it “all the time.”
- We write it only as the third item in a list.
- Hi, Opal!
Take a look here and all your questions will be answered.
From this thread:
Here’s the FAQ explaining a lot of SDMB terminology, including the dread “Hi, Opal!”
Wow. Thanks guys!
It’s a very old board in-joke. A poster named Opalcat long ago complained that a list must have more than two items to be considered a list. So if there were only two items, posters would make the third one “Hi, Opal!” Eventually people would just write that for any third item on a list.
What’s this “we” stuff, Mister? Besides, as Colibri points out, it’s misused most of the time, anyway.
I’ve heard this a lot, but how exactly do you misuse ‘hi opal’? 
By using it in a list which would otherwise have more than two items already:
- First item
- Second item
- Hi, Opal!
- Another item
Here’s Opal’s forum page. http://fff.fathom.org/forums/
She is currently upgrading to a new and wonderful system, so check now and then again in a week or so.
Her site has a lot of very special features, like pictures in the posts, and she is adding a separate new picture area.
If you talk to her, ask her if she’s ever gonna get the Page o’ Flames and the Page o’ Funnies running again. I really miss those.
Since the OP was answered, let’s move this discussion to MPSIMS.
samclem
It should also probably be pointed out, in due deference to Doper tastes, that it is perhaps the most severely overdone of the many SDMB in-joke cliches. In other words, it was funny once. For 20 minutes. In 1960. And mentioned in “Rio” by Duran Duran. And if you overuse it, someone will be burning your dog. With a 1920s style “death ray.”
My post is my cite!
There are also in-joke clichés of the board that were concurrent with or predated “Hi Opal” but which didn’t survive unto the present day. So for the benefit of those who keep saying “Gee I wish this stupid thing would just die!”, well, some of them do. But since they’re dead no one is posting about now nice it is that no one is posting ____ any more, so you don’t notice their absence.
Insluted.
Ass ass ass, as much as I want.
Manny people have asked me and so I wonder.
Warm fuzzy brigade.
Can anyone tell me about your experiences and opinions of the tow truck industry.
Kiss kiss
…and so many others
Sheep-lover
Manny Peoples survived onto the present board but died out about the time of the Left Behind invasion. I’ve occasionally thought of citing his questions (ironically) in my snarkier moments. 
Oh, and AGEIST!!
For the love of Og, I hope this thread isn’t graped by the grapist.
Great Og! Compared to most of those gems, “Hi, Opal!” is downright highbrow. Sheesh!
heh heh… I still smile at “manny people”.
And don’t forget all of the Wally-isms.