# Opal
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opal/391560
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
**Created:** [February 9, 2007, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opal/391560 "2007-02-09T23:04:15Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@ThomasHanks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThomasHanks)
#### Post date: [February 9, 2007, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opal/391560/1 "2007-02-09T23:04:15Z")
Why do people write “Hi Opal” all the time?
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### Author:  [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)
#### Post date: [February 9, 2007, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opal/391560/2 "2007-02-09T23:07:05Z")
1. We don’t write it “all the time.”
2. We write it only as the third item in a list.
3. Hi, Opal!
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### Author:  [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)
#### Post date: [February 9, 2007, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opal/391560/3 "2007-02-09T23:07:35Z")
[QUOTE=ThomasHanks]
Why do people write “Hi Opal” all the time?
[/QUOTE]
Take a look [here](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=320298) and all your questions will be answered.
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### Author:  [@DiggitCamara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DiggitCamara)
#### Post date: [February 9, 2007, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opal/391560/4 "2007-02-09T23:07:46Z")
From [this](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=320298) thread:
> [@](#):
>
> (…)
> Hi, Opal – Back when SDMB was a feature of AOL rather than a separate website, OpalCat complained that a list truly ought to have at least three items in it, and people were using the list function for things which only have one or two items. Someone posted a list of only two items shortly thereafter and added “3. Hi, Opal!” to it – the gimmick caught on, and has become a SDMB cliché ever since. (It should be noted that “cliché” means this expression has out-worn its humor by now, and is viewed as trite and not often used currently.)
> (…)
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### Author:  [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)
#### Post date: [February 9, 2007, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opal/391560/5 "2007-02-09T23:08:01Z")
[Here’s the FAQ](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=320298) explaining a lot of SDMB terminology, including the dread “Hi, Opal!”
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### Author:  [@ThomasHanks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThomasHanks)
#### Post date: [February 9, 2007, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opal/391560/6 "2007-02-09T23:11:09Z")
Wow. Thanks guys!
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### Author:  [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)
#### Post date: [February 9, 2007, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opal/391560/7 "2007-02-09T23:11:24Z")
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.
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### Author:  [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)
#### Post date: [February 9, 2007, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opal/391560/8 "2007-02-09T23:39:32Z")
[QUOTE=panache45]
2. We write it only as the third item in a list.
[/QUOTE]
What’s this “we” stuff, Mister? Besides, as **Colibri** points out, it’s misused most of the time, anyway.
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### Author:  [@Captain\_Carrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Carrot)
#### Post date: [February 9, 2007, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opal/391560/9 "2007-02-09T23:46:54Z")
[QUOTE=Q.E.D.]
What’s this “we” stuff, Mister? Besides, as **Colibri** points out, it’s misused most of the time, anyway.
[/QUOTE]
I’ve heard this a lot, but how exactly do you misuse ‘hi opal’? 😕
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### Author:  [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)
#### Post date: [February 9, 2007, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opal/391560/10 "2007-02-09T23:53:33Z")
[QUOTE=Captain Carrot]
I’ve heard this a lot, but how exactly do you misuse ‘hi opal’? 😕
[/QUOTE]
By using it in a list which would otherwise have more than two items already:
1. First item
2. Second item
3. Hi, Opal!
4. Another item
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### Author:  [@According\_to\_Pliny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/According_to_Pliny)
#### Post date: [February 10, 2007, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opal/391560/11 "2007-02-10T00:28:57Z")
Here’s Opal’s forum page. [http://fff.fathom.org/forums/](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.
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### Author:  [@Lissa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissa)
#### Post date: [February 10, 2007, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opal/391560/12 "2007-02-10T00:40:58Z")
[QUOTE=According to Pliny]
Here’s Opal’s forum page. [http://fff.fathom.org/forums/](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.
[/QUOTE]
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.
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### Author:  [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)
#### Post date: [February 10, 2007, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opal/391560/13 "2007-02-10T01:28:42Z")
Since the OP was answered, let’s move this discussion to MPSIMS.
**samclem**
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### Author:  [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)
#### Post date: [February 10, 2007, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opal/391560/14 "2007-02-10T01:47:33Z")
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!
😉
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### Author:  [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)
#### Post date: [February 10, 2007, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opal/391560/15 "2007-02-10T03:08:53Z")
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 😉
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### Author:  [@Suburban\_Plankton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suburban_Plankton)
#### Post date: [February 10, 2007, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opal/391560/16 "2007-02-10T03:59:56Z")
[QUOTE=Polycarp]
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!
😉
[/QUOTE]
Sheep-lover
😛
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### Author:  [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)
#### Post date: [February 10, 2007, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opal/391560/17 "2007-02-10T04:17:59Z")
[QUOTE=AHunter3]
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. _[Discussion and examples snipped in the interest of preventing their Zombification -PC]_
[/QUOTE]
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!! 😛
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### Author:  [@Autolycus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Autolycus)
#### Post date: [February 10, 2007, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opal/391560/18 "2007-02-10T04:18:08Z")
For the love of Og, I hope this thread isn’t graped by the grapist.
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### Author:  [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)
#### Post date: [February 10, 2007, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opal/391560/19 "2007-02-10T04:28:20Z")
[QUOTE=AHunter3]
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_
[/QUOTE]
Great Og! Compared to most of those gems, “Hi, Opal!” is downright highbrow. Sheesh!
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### Author:  [@Ruby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruby)
#### Post date: [February 10, 2007, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opal/391560/20 "2007-02-10T05:14:36Z")
heh heh… I still smile at “manny people”.
And don’t forget all of the Wally-isms.
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