# What is a "op"? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 18, 2002, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-op/143634 "2002-12-18T19:57:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Monstre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e274bd/32.png) [@Monstre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monstre)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2002, 8:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-op/143634/21 "2002-12-19T08:39:22Z")
> [@](#): > > SO is a way of saying `whoever you feel special things for' without assuming anything about the sexual orientation or marital status of the audience. It simply means `significant other’. Here in America, we also use the term “Ball and Chain”. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Popup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/94ad74/32.png) [@Popup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Popup)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2002, 9:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-op/143634/22 "2002-12-19T09:15:07Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Some Guy \*For instance, a “no-op” means an instruction that takes up at least one CPU cycle, but doesn’t actually do anything. \*\* [annoying nitpick] I have been using a CPU that can execute several NOPs in parallell! The newer PowerPCs can execute up to 3 NOPs per cycle! [/annoying nitpick] ---
**Author:** ![NotBob13](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/e19b73/32.png) [@NotBob13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NotBob13)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2002, 9:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-op/143634/23 "2002-12-20T09:25:59Z")
IIRC Signifigant Other (SO) was coined by the Gay community to mean “the person I would Marry if it were legal to do so” Then everyone started using it to mean “this person I share some romance/sex with” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-op/143634.md?page=1)