# Reigning Jokes. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 2, 2003, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reigning-jokes/158607 "2003-03-02T18:11:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Lynne\_kilii](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d26b3c/32.png) [@Lynne\_kilii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynne_kilii)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2003, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reigning-jokes/158607/1 "2003-03-02T18:11:42Z")
Someone just kick me if this isn’t in the right forum… What is the reigning 42 joke? And the “Hi, Opal” one? And any other ones that seem to span across forums and stuff. They pop up every so often, and leave me w/ a confused glaze over my eyes for the next half hour or so (not that that’s hard). **Shuts eyes, cowers, and waits** be nice, this is my first thread! ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2003, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reigning-jokes/158607/2 "2003-03-02T18:16:03Z")
“42” is from Douglas Adams’s Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - it’s supposedly the answer to life, the universe, and everything given by a gigantic computer (the reason for the bizarre answer was that the programmers asked the wrong question). I recommend the books if you haven’t read them. As far as I know, one of the members, **OpalCat** , says that a list has to have more than two items for it to be a list. So people started putting “hi Opal” as a third item on any list of only two items. I don’t find it particularly funny. ---
**Author:** ![NothingMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b77776/32.png) [@NothingMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NothingMan)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2003, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reigning-jokes/158607/3 "2003-03-02T18:18:50Z")
I smell a simul-post. Um, “42” is a reference to author Douglas Adams who wrote in his series of “Hitchikers Guide to the Universe” books that the answer to “life the universe and everything” was 42. Its a joke. _Or was it??_ Many regular posters when making a list will always put #3 as “Hi Opal!”. Its a nod to **OpalCat** one of our most prolific posters. I believe it sort of got started as a joke and has now become a tradition. ---
**Author:** ![Lynne\_kilii](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d26b3c/32.png) [@Lynne\_kilii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynne_kilii)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2003, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reigning-jokes/158607/4 "2003-03-02T18:19:08Z")
**Slaps myself upside the head** God, I knew the Hitchhikers one, I just didn’t connect. Thank you. The **OpalCat** seems kinda funny now that I get it. Here’s hoping it doesn’t get too overused. ---
**Author:** ![NothingMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b77776/32.png) [@NothingMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NothingMan)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2003, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reigning-jokes/158607/5 "2003-03-02T18:20:23Z")
See ? Told ya. ---
**Author:** ![cuauhtemoc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecb155/32.png) [@cuauhtemoc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cuauhtemoc)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2003, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reigning-jokes/158607/6 "2003-03-02T19:12:10Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Lynne\_kilii \* > \*\*The **OpalCat** seems kinda funny now that I get it. Here’s hoping it doesn’t get too overused. \*\* Yeah, that sure would be a shame. If that joke got overused, I mean. Can anyone think of a way to prevent that from happening? I’d sure be disappointed if that joke ceased to be funny due to overuse. ---
**Author:** ![Bubba\_Ray](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e19adc/32.png) [@Bubba\_Ray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bubba_Ray)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2003, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reigning-jokes/158607/7 "2003-03-02T20:03:18Z")
1. It is around for a long time. 2. It jumped the shark about halfway from when it started (according to some posters at least). 3. Hi Opal. ---
**Author:** ![Cardinal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardinal/32/4000_2.png) [@Cardinal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardinal)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2003, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reigning-jokes/158607/8 "2003-03-02T22:32:40Z")
Is it jumping the shark to say that “Jumping the Shark” has jumped the shark? ---
**Author:** ![Crusoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/49beb7/32.png) [@Crusoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crusoe)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2003, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reigning-jokes/158607/9 "2003-03-02T22:35:55Z")
Please. That’s _so_ last season, as is saying “that’s _so_ last season”. Self-referential sarcasm is the new black, and whatever is the new black is _so_ last season.