# What do the little pictures mean? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [April 24, 2000, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-the-little-pictures-mean/1504 "2000-04-24T18:11:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![panamajack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/47e85d/32.png) [@panamajack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panamajack)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2000, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-the-little-pictures-mean/1504/1 "2000-04-24T18:11:00Z")
Is there some place where all the symbols used on the board are explained? I’m talking about the little folders, reply icons, etc. The faq doesn’t seem to cover this. I realize that most of them are self-explanatory (i.e. the padlock on the folder means it’s a Houdini thread) but would like to know just in case I come across any new ones (like, would a little swastika or iron cross mean the posts had degenerated beyond rational discussion?) panama jack ---
**Author:** ![Weirddave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/919ad9/32.png) [@Weirddave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weirddave)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2000, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-the-little-pictures-mean/1504/2 "2000-04-24T18:29:00Z")
Jack, The symbols are explained at the bottom of each forum page. Just be glad they got rid of the flames they had briefly. * * * Cecil said it. I believe it. That settles it. * * * Relax, I’m not as Dave as I look!- A Wallified sig! ---
**Author:** ![TubaDiva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tubadiva/32/507_2.png) [@TubaDiva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TubaDiva)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2000, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-the-little-pictures-mean/1504/3 "2000-04-24T21:56:00Z")
Psst! Jack! All the little light bulbs? That means someone that wrote in to that forum finally got a clue. Glad I could clear that up for you. Let me know if there’s anything else that needs 'splaining. ## your humble TubaDiva “There is a very fine line between ‘hobby’ and ‘mental illness’.” – Dave Barry ---
**Author:** ![evilbeth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/evilbeth/32/2268_2.png) [@evilbeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/evilbeth)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2000, 6:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-the-little-pictures-mean/1504/4 "2000-04-25T06:47:00Z")
> [@](#): > > Originally posted by panamajack: > **iron cross mean the posts had degenerated beyond rational discussion** Hey, not a bad idea, really! * * * Those who are dancing look insane to those who cannot hear the music. * * * One-of-a-kind, custom-designed Wally sig available on request. ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2000, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-the-little-pictures-mean/1504/5 "2000-04-25T15:17:00Z")
ALL of them are self-explanatory, Jack. ## Does your mom know you’re using her computer? “Why, sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast!” - the White Queen ---
**Author:** ![panamajack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/47e85d/32.png) [@panamajack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panamajack)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2000, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-the-little-pictures-mean/1504/6 "2000-04-25T15:41:00Z")
> [@](#): > > Originally posted by Notthemama: > \*\*ALL of them are self-explanatory, Jack. > > Does your mom know you’re using her computer? > > \*\* Hey, I had no idea that a little page with an arrow next to it would do this. I never thought ‘self-explanatory’ meant you had to push the button to find out. (Honestly, I just pushed it see what would happen. Am I e-mailing or posting right now? I guess I’ll see in a moment) pj ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2000, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-the-little-pictures-mean/1504/7 "2000-04-25T16:33:00Z")
Good Lord, Notthemama. All these little dohickies are **not** self-explanatory. legitimate questions are not usually jumped on so quickly. Did panamajack do something somewhere else that I’m not aware of? ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2000, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-the-little-pictures-mean/1504/8 "2000-04-26T00:53:00Z")
He ran off with my wife. Tell her she’s got the keys to the mini-storage, Jack, and if she wants me to send her the boxes of junk she had from college, I NEED THE KEYS. * * * “Why, sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast!” - the White Queen ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2000, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-the-little-pictures-mean/1504/9 "2000-04-26T01:05:00Z")
None of HER icons were self-explanatory, either. * * * “Why, sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast!” - the White Queen ---
**Author:** ![DSYoungEsq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c6cbf5/32.png) [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2000, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-the-little-pictures-mean/1504/10 "2000-04-26T02:26:00Z")
> [@](#): > > This is a test quote [Test URL](http://www.m-w.com) _Test italics_ ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2000, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-the-little-pictures-mean/1504/11 "2000-04-26T02:40:00Z")
> [@](#): > > Originally posted by DSYoungEsq: > \*\* [Test URL](http://www.m-w.com) > > _Test italics_\*\* Sheesh, DS, you coulda picked something a little more exciting for your “Test URL”. Peace, mangeorge * * * Teach your kids to bungee jump. One them might have to cross a bridge someday. ---
**Author:** ![2sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/2/e47774/32.png) [@2sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/2sense)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2000, 7:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-the-little-pictures-mean/1504/12 "2000-04-26T07:28:00Z")
**DSYoungEsq** : I agree with **mangeorge**. But, it’s niece to sea we use the same online dicionary. 😉 peace ---
**Author:** ![panamajack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/47e85d/32.png) [@panamajack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panamajack)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2000, 9:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-the-little-pictures-mean/1504/13 "2000-04-26T09:17:00Z")
Hey, ~themama, all I can say is, I had a great time with your wife. We ran off and got married in a pipe. No, really : [pipe wedding with your wife](http://www.visi.com/~dheaton/bride/bottlebrush.html) I heard the bridal shower was fun, too : [shower picture](http://www.visi.com/~dheaton/bride/showercurtain.html) And she says she doesn’t want her junk collage anyways. She says you just want to get into the storage to let that blasted pet monkey out (yes, that’s where she hid it) She always hated him, didn’t she. I haven’t told her about my penguins yet. Um, thanks for the link, guys. I looked up ‘self-explanatory’ in the dictionary and all I got was : \*\* self-explanatory \*\* : duh, like we need an entry for that word. Not much help, really. thanks to others to pointing out the obvious I missed at the bottom of the page. panama jack (By the way, I’m still wondering what the little doc with the red arrow means exactly – is it ‘post direct response to this post’, ‘post and e-mail this person’, or ‘post to the board and steal their spouse’? Actually I’d just like to know if it’s documented somewhere acessible) * * * (The preceding references to !themama’s wife, and my mother, are not to be taken seriously by myself, nor by any member of /themama’s family, except possibly himself. I don’t know the man. I’m not as jacked as I look. I’m not very Panamanian either. Heck, I’m not even Australian.) /parentheticals ---
**Author:** ![hawthorne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@hawthorne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hawthorne)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2000, 9:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-the-little-pictures-mean/1504/14 "2000-04-26T09:35:00Z")
> [@](#): > > Originally posted by panamajack: > By the way, I’m still wondering what the little doc with the red arrow means exactly – is it ‘post direct response to this post’, ‘post and e-mail this person’, or ‘post to the board and steal their spouse’? Actually I’d just like to know if it’s documented somewhere acessible) It is “post with the text of this message quoted”. I figured out what the pictures meant by having my mouse pointed at them: after a second on both IE5 and Netscape a little beige text box appears and “reply w/quote” etc. picmr ---
**Author:** ![evilbeth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/evilbeth/32/2268_2.png) [@evilbeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/evilbeth)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2000, 9:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-the-little-pictures-mean/1504/15 "2000-04-26T09:40:00Z")
> [@](#): > > Originally posted by Notthemama: > \*\*He ran off with my wife. > > Tell her she’s got the keys to the mini-storage, Jack, and if she wants me to send her the boxes of junk she had from college, I NEED THE KEYS. > \*\* Guys, I think Notthemama has gone bye-bye. Also, welcome panamajack! You seem like you’re going to fit right in!! All posts I have seen by you have been entertaining! * * * Those who are dancing look insane to those who cannot hear the music. * * * One-of-a-kind, custom-designed Wally sig available on request. ---
**Author:** ![panamajack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/47e85d/32.png) [@panamajack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panamajack)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2000, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-the-little-pictures-mean/1504/16 "2000-04-26T16:10:00Z")
picmr, that doesn’t work for me. I’m using Netscape 4.5 on a PowerMac. I’m thinking beige boxes – may be Windows, since the help text boxes in Netscape (on the Mac, anyway) usually show up blue and i’ve seen beige in Windows. Does this mean the webmaster or whoever coded it thinks that people who use Macs figure things out quicker? Or is it just a browser-version-specific problem? Will anyone with a Mac verify this? panama jack apparently, a dumb person with a Mac. ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2000, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-the-little-pictures-mean/1504/17 "2000-04-26T23:34:00Z")
So, you married my wife, huh, **Jack?** So you’re a bigamist as well as a homewrecker? Nice going. And I bet she’s just dumb enough that she went through with it. Well, you deserve each other. (I wondered where the monkey was. I guess that explains the smell coming out from under the door…Guess I won’t try to give the guy 20 bucks to open it after all…) Welcome to the Straight Dope Message Board, **PJ**. You’ll do. (even if you are a bigamist). 😃 P.S. When she finds out about the penguins, can you please get it on tape? I’ll give you a hundred bucks for a copy. * * * “Why, sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast!” - the White Queen ---
**Author:** ![panamajack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/47e85d/32.png) [@panamajack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panamajack)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2000, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-the-little-pictures-mean/1504/18 "2000-04-27T03:03:00Z")
Hey, it was big of you to let her go. And bigamy to accept her. If I haven’t just made you all hate me, thanks for the welcomes, everybody. ---
**Author:** ![TubaDiva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tubadiva/32/507_2.png) [@TubaDiva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TubaDiva)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2000, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-the-little-pictures-mean/1504/19 "2000-04-27T03:59:00Z")
Okay, this is enough silliness. I’m leaving in a huff. Or a minute and a huff. ## your humble TubaDiva “There is a very fine line between ‘hobby’ and ‘mental illness’.” – Dave Barry ---
**Author:** ![ChiefScott](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/58f4c7/32.png) [@ChiefScott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChiefScott)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2000, 9:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-the-little-pictures-mean/1504/20 "2000-04-27T09:22:00Z")
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