# The Idle Threat Tread **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 22, 2002, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-idle-threat-tread/129183 "2002-09-22T22:55:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![DAVEW0071](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e19b73/32.png) [@DAVEW0071](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DAVEW0071)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2002, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-idle-threat-tread/129183/1 "2002-09-22T22:55:32Z")
Look, I’m telling you. Knock it off. Don’t make me come over there. You don’t want me to come over there. I’m telling you. ---
**Author:** ![Flamsterette\_X](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/41988e/32.png) [@Flamsterette\_X](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flamsterette_X)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2002, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-idle-threat-tread/129183/2 "2002-09-22T22:58:32Z")
Shouldn’t it be “t **h** read,” not “tread”? 😛 Just bugging ya. 🙂 Somehow, “the idle threat tread” makes me think of exactly how one would walk while issuing idle threats… you know, the placement of your feet on the ground, the exact pounds per square inch your feet would exert upon the ground, etc. F\_X ---
**Author:** ![DAVEW0071](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e19b73/32.png) [@DAVEW0071](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DAVEW0071)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2002, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-idle-threat-tread/129183/3 "2002-09-22T23:03:11Z")
That does it! I warned you! That’s going too far! There’s gonna be a letter about this in the _Times_ tomorrow! ---
**Author:** ![iampunha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/74df32/32.png) [@iampunha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iampunha)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2002, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-idle-threat-tread/129183/4 "2002-09-22T23:03:20Z")
Are we there yet?🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Eutychus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Eutychus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eutychus)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2002, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-idle-threat-tread/129183/5 "2002-09-22T23:05:10Z")
That’s it, Dave. One more misspelling in a thread title and I’m gonna … I’m gonna … YEAH! And don’t think I won’t either! ---
**Author:** ![Horseflesh](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horseflesh/32/7502_2.png) [@Horseflesh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horseflesh)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2002, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-idle-threat-tread/129183/6 "2002-09-22T23:11:02Z")
Thats it! I’m pulling this t(h)read over! You’re walking from here buddy! This is for you :smack: :eek: :smack: :eek: :smack: :eek: :smack: :eek: And don’t let me catch you by yourself at recess. Whoo-boy! ---
**Author:** ![DAVEW0071](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e19b73/32.png) [@DAVEW0071](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DAVEW0071)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2002, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-idle-threat-tread/129183/7 "2002-09-22T23:12:42Z")
Oh yeah? Well, I’m gonna tell my big brother, and he’ll make sure you get yours. You better watch it, boy, I mean it. ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2002, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-idle-threat-tread/129183/8 "2002-09-22T23:39:09Z")
Oh, excuse me . . . I thought this was the Idle Treat Thread. :: Scarlett tiptoes out, sheepishly :: ---
**Author:** ![Horseflesh](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horseflesh/32/7502_2.png) [@Horseflesh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horseflesh)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2002, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-idle-threat-tread/129183/9 "2002-09-22T23:39:09Z")
Ha! My Mom’ll take care of your stupid “big” brother. How come we never see this alleged “big brother”? I’ll bet you’re talking about your pet goldfish. You talk pretty big for a guy that eats bugs for a living. Here, you dropped this: :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Soup\_du\_jour](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@Soup\_du\_jour](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Soup_du_jour)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2002, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-idle-threat-tread/129183/10 "2002-09-22T23:45:53Z")
I promise you, one more outburst like that and…uh…you’ll be sorry! ---
**Author:** ![Spudo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbce88/32.png) [@Spudo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spudo)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2002, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-idle-threat-tread/129183/11 "2002-09-23T00:06:03Z")
For the love of God stop doing that! If you don’t stop I’m going to do something, and I don’t know what that is, because everyone has always done what I say! ---
**Author:** ![SparrowHawk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ac8455/32.png) [@SparrowHawk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SparrowHawk)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2002, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-idle-threat-tread/129183/12 "2002-09-23T00:25:00Z")
You people simply don’t know how to begin doing this right! Those threats aren’t idle! They’re merely vague! When The Offspring gets mouthy I have been known to threaten to pack her in a carton and mail her to a random post office box number in Kankakee. Or to the Arizona Home for the Terminally Rude. Now _that’s_ an idle threat. So just shape up, or there’s going to be smoke on the water. I swear I will come over and clip you one. Especially you, **Horseflesh**. (Hey, **Dave** , are you sending over the little big brother or the big little brother?) ---
**Author:** ![Treviathan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/838e76/32.png) [@Treviathan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treviathan)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2002, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-idle-threat-tread/129183/13 "2002-09-23T00:27:05Z")
Listen, all of you. If you don’t cut the racket this second, and I do mean _this second_, I’m coming down there. Don’t think I won’t. ---
**Author:** ![Horseflesh](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horseflesh/32/7502_2.png) [@Horseflesh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horseflesh)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2002, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-idle-threat-tread/129183/14 "2002-09-23T00:43:42Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by SparrowHawk_ > **(Hey, Dave, are you sending over the little big brother or the big little brother?)** Pffft. Send 'em _both_ over. No matter how many times they sing “I’m A Little Teapot” I will _not_ be intimidated. _Favorite overheard Idle Threat_: “If you do that ONE MORE TIME, I will make myself the **center of your Universe!** ” (Intone the bolded part like you were Darth Vader.) You know, it would’ve been a funnier thread title if it was “The Idle Treat Thread”. ::Pelts everyone within range with Hershey’s Kisses:: ---
**Author:** ![lel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8797f3/32.png) [@lel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lel)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2002, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-idle-threat-tread/129183/15 "2002-09-23T00:48:02Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by SparrowHawk \* > \*\*You people simply don’t know how to begin doing this right! Those threats aren’t idle! They’re merely vague! When The Offspring gets mouthy I have been known to threaten to pack her in a carton and mail her to a random post office box number in Kankakee. Or to the Arizona Home for the Terminally Rude. Now _that’s_ an idle threat. > \*\* Those weren’t idle threats in my adolescence, with slight modifications (not via mail, not random shipment), they actually happened! :eek: Hey, Offspring of **SparrowHawk** , it wasn’t bad, you’ll survive. 😃 Now you want idle threats, you had better watch it, or I’ll call you by your first, middle _and_ last names, and you know what _that_ means. ---
**Author:** ![SparrowHawk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ac8455/32.png) [@SparrowHawk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SparrowHawk)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2002, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-idle-threat-tread/129183/16 "2002-09-23T00:59:58Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Horseflesh \* > **Pffft. Send 'em _both_ over. No matter how many times they sing “I’m A Little Teapot” I will _not_ be intimidated.** You watch your mouth, Mr. or Ms. Smartypants, or I will come over there my_self_, and then you’ll know I mean business! I’ll give you something to cry about! > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by lel \* > \*\*Those weren’t idle threats in my adolescence, with slight modifications (not via mail, not random shipment), they actually happened! \*\* They FedExed you to a _specific_ post office box number? :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Lady\_Ice](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f1d935/32.png) [@Lady\_Ice](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lady_Ice)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2002, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-idle-threat-tread/129183/17 "2002-09-23T01:11:23Z")
_ **If you guys don’t cut it out, I’m going to turn this car around right Now! And don’t think I won’t!** _ And anybody who gets caught singing “I’m a Little Teapot” gets left at the next reststop. ---
**Author:** ![partly\_warmer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bc8723/32.png) [@partly\_warmer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/partly_warmer)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2002, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-idle-threat-tread/129183/18 "2002-09-23T01:19:21Z")
_ **If you don’t stop that, you’ll be WALKING home** _ So one day we left my sister at a gas station in the middle of the desert (thinking she was hiding under sleeping bags). She was scared witless when we came back 10 minutes later. Years later, sigh, my father actually did this. Took me a couple hours… * * * And if you louts don’t knock off this nonsense, you’ll find yourselves on a slow boat to China! I’m SERIOUS! (But my bank account is weak.) ---
**Author:** ![lel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8797f3/32.png) [@lel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lel)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2002, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-idle-threat-tread/129183/19 "2002-09-23T01:33:18Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by SparrowHawk \* > \*\*They FedExed you to a _specific_ post office box number? :eek: \*\* Train, to a specific person. I didn’t get a return ticket home until 5 days before school started, though! 😛 _If you don’t be quiet right now, you’re going to bed early!_ Ha, as if we’d really sleep anyway! ---
**Author:** ![DAVEW0071](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e19b73/32.png) [@DAVEW0071](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DAVEW0071)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2002, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-idle-threat-tread/129183/20 "2002-09-23T01:47:23Z")
That’s enough. _That’s **EEE-NUFFF!!!** _ All of you, knock it off, or I’m gonna crack your heads together so hard, you’ll be cross-eyed for a week! I swear, I’ll pound you so hard, you’re mother will feel the vibration! \*\*\*KNOCK! IT!! OFF!!! NOW!!! \*\*\* [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-idle-threat-tread/129183.md?page=2)