# What is a troll?

**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-troll/43866
**Category:** About This Message Board
**Created:** [December 3, 2000, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-troll/43866 "2000-12-03T23:00:12Z")
**Posts on this page:** 5
**Page:** 1

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### Author: ![dave99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/45deac/32.png) [@dave99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dave99)
#### Post date: [December 3, 2000, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-troll/43866/1 "2000-12-03T23:00:12Z")

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Someone help me out here please. I’m very new and utterly ignorant. If someone could explain any other terms I should know I would appreciate their help.

Thanks

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### Author: ![mblackwell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5fc32e/32.png) [@mblackwell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mblackwell)
#### Post date: [December 3, 2000, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-troll/43866/2 "2000-12-03T23:12:53Z")

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The master addressed that here: [http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mtroll.html](http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mtroll.html)

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### Author: ![The\_Fear\_of\_Id](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c6cbf5/32.png) [@The\_Fear\_of\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Fear_of_Id)
#### Post date: [December 4, 2000, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-troll/43866/3 "2000-12-04T01:35:22Z")

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That wasn’t written by the master. If it were, it would have also shown local usage, which is here.  
[http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=2528&pagenumber=2](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=2528&pagenumber=2)

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### Author: ![Jello](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f05b48/32.png) [@Jello](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jello)
#### Post date: [December 4, 2000, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-troll/43866/4 "2000-12-04T01:41:06Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by mblackwell \*  
> \*\*The master addressed that here: [http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mtroll.html](http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mtroll.html) \*\*

Have SDSTAFF David and SDSTAFF Ed been given promotions?

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### Author: ![mblackwell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5fc32e/32.png) [@mblackwell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mblackwell)
#### Post date: [December 4, 2000, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-troll/43866/5 "2000-12-04T02:45:31Z")

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D’oh.