# texting question **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 23, 2017, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/texting-question/805169 "2017-12-23T22:13:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2017, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/texting-question/805169/21 "2017-12-25T05:52:51Z")
> [@don\_t\_ask](#): > > Let’s go back, as in radio days, to ending messages with “out” if the conversation is finished. > [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > “OK, gotta go now” > > What is so complicated? > mmm I also don’t understand the need for this question. If it’s been a text “conversation” with a lot of fairly quick back and forth messages, I announce my departure with “over and out” or “Gotta go” or something similar. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2017, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/texting-question/805169/22 "2017-12-25T15:38:03Z")
> [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](#): > > Going back even farther, to the cross-country telegraph days, telegraph operators would end a message with XXX. As this was a combination unlikely to occur in most conversations, you could assume it was only there to indicate the end of transmission. And if you didn’t get the XXX, you would assume more is coming. This is based on an old, unreferenced memory that I heard someplace; I could be misremembering some details. > > Modern day journalists have treated the XXX as Roman numerals for “30” and use 30 to indicate the end of an article or manuscript. … I’ve not seen the 30. I have seen ### used as the end marker for press releases. ---
**Author:** ![Misnomer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misnomer/32/14897_2.png) [@Misnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misnomer)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2017, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/texting-question/805169/23 "2017-12-26T16:24:25Z")
> [@jnglmassiv](#): > > Reading about the recent death of AOL’s AIM (Instant Messager) brought back to mind some similar codes like AFK (away from keyboard), BBL (be back later), BRB (be right back) and, of course, TTYL (talk to you later). We were so much more polite back then! I still use “BRB” quite often: I tend to have extended FB Messenger sessions with one particular friend, and it’s not unusual for me to need short breaks to take the dog out, tend to laundry, etc. It’s the only acronym from the old AIM days that I still use. > [@LSLGuy](#): > > I’ve not seen the 30. I have seen ### used as the end marker for press releases. I used to see 30 all of the time when I was in public affairs. More specifically: - 30 - ---
**Author:** ![GusNSpot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gusnspot/32/436_2.png) [@GusNSpot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GusNSpot)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2017, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/texting-question/805169/24 "2017-12-27T06:09:40Z")
A while back I was ending one of the first telephone conversations I had with my son while he was in Germany and he just answered a question and said, “Out” just like you are supposed to, not “Over & Out” like they do in movies & on TV. One of my pet peeves. ---
**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2017, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/texting-question/805169/25 "2017-12-27T14:50:10Z")
> [@GusNSpot](#): > > One of my pet peeves. Yes. “Over” = Over to you = I’m done talking for the moment, and am now listening for your response. “Out” = This is the end of my transmissions. “Over and out” = I’m embarrassingly unfamiliar with proper radio procedure. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2017, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/texting-question/805169/26 "2017-12-27T14:55:26Z")
Always precede “over and out” with “six, two, and even”. \*That’s \*how it’s done. Sheesh! Don’t you folks know anything? 😃 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/texting-question/805169.md?page=1)