# Who has the most cryptic (apparently random, but meainingful) screen name? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [January 3, 2004, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-has-the-most-cryptic-apparently-random-but-meainingful-screen-name/222769 "2004-01-03T21:02:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2004, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-has-the-most-cryptic-apparently-random-but-meainingful-screen-name/222769/1 "2004-01-05T05:11:50Z")
Eh? One of my ancestral relatives, Giambattista Bodoni, devised a font, and it’s called Bodoni after him. I’m not sure if I’m a direct or collateral descendant of his, though. If you come across a Bodoni in the United States, I’m probably related to him or her. ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2004, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-has-the-most-cryptic-apparently-random-but-meainingful-screen-name/222769/2 "2004-01-04T13:37:57Z")
I think there’s an absence of punctuation: “I’m the cow god. Mooo.” ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2004, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-has-the-most-cryptic-apparently-random-but-meainingful-screen-name/222769/3 "2004-01-04T21:31:27Z")
I can’t believe how many folks say they didn’t get **Andy’s** name right off. **Sue Dunhym** , on the other hand, didn’t make sense to me until one day I had one of those :smack: moments. ---
**Author:** ![Kristen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c4cdca/32.png) [@Kristen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kristen)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2004, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-has-the-most-cryptic-apparently-random-but-meainingful-screen-name/222769/4 "2004-01-04T16:15:48Z")
Here’s a cryptic one: [pseudotriton ruber ruber](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/member.php?action=getinfo&username=pseudotriton%20ruber%20ruber) Sounds like rubber but isn’t. And why two and why pseudo and what’s triton, the god, the sea animal, or the nucleus of tritium ? Compare the far less cryptic: [rubber baby buggy bumpers](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/member.php?action=getinfo&username=rubber%20baby%20buggy%20bumpers) ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2004, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-has-the-most-cryptic-apparently-random-but-meainingful-screen-name/222769/5 "2004-01-05T01:40:20Z")
I hope this isn’t out of place. I just hooked up a new computer. Not fun. My daughter decided to write a poem, so she needed to go to the word processor/whatever. It is Microsoft Word. Our printer needed tweaking to make it print so I came over to see if I could help. My daughter had been experimenting with word fonts. I saw the selection for _Blackadder_ and laughed. Then I saw that I could choose **Bodoni**. WTF? I am so clueless. Replys? ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2004, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-has-the-most-cryptic-apparently-random-but-meainingful-screen-name/222769/6 "2004-01-05T05:42:09Z")
> [@](#): > > The son of a master printer, Bodoni held to four principles from which a good typeface derives its beauty: uniformity of design, smartness and neatness, good taste, and charm. From [http://www.octavo.com/collections/projects/bodtip/](http://www.octavo.com/collections/projects/bodtip/) Yep. Beauty–_check_. Smartness–_check_. Good taste–_check_. Charm–_check_. “_Cancel the DNA test, guys. We got a match_” 😃 ---
**Author:** ![MEBuckner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mebuckner/32/2896_2.png) [@MEBuckner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MEBuckner)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2004, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-has-the-most-cryptic-apparently-random-but-meainingful-screen-name/222769/7 "2004-01-04T19:42:23Z")
[Pseudotriton ruber ruber](http://www.uta.edu/biology/students/baldwin/ruber.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Ice\_Wolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/dfb087/32.png) [@Ice\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice_Wolf)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2004, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-has-the-most-cryptic-apparently-random-but-meainingful-screen-name/222769/8 "2004-01-04T01:52:53Z")
What other name would you give a cow god on the SDMB other than “Moo”? ---
**Author:** ![Ice\_Wolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/dfb087/32.png) [@Ice\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice_Wolf)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2004, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-has-the-most-cryptic-apparently-random-but-meainingful-screen-name/222769/9 "2004-01-04T02:58:14Z")
I don’t **Trilby** was so much looking for as was puzzled by the name, **Flami**. ---
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2004, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-has-the-most-cryptic-apparently-random-but-meainingful-screen-name/222769/10 "2004-01-04T14:24:04Z")
I think it’s a moment of Larsonian tragic realisation: “I’m the cow. God! Moo.” ---
**Author:** ![Berkut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a88e57/32.png) [@Berkut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Berkut)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2004, 6:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-has-the-most-cryptic-apparently-random-but-meainingful-screen-name/222769/11 "2004-01-05T06:53:19Z")
Just fixing the front page. ---
**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:** [January 4, 2004, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-has-the-most-cryptic-apparently-random-but-meainingful-screen-name/222769/12 "2004-01-04T02:16:21Z")
[**Imthecowgodmoo**](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/member.php?s=&action=getinfo&userid=655) is perhaps what **Trilby** was looking for. ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2004, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-has-the-most-cryptic-apparently-random-but-meainingful-screen-name/222769/13 "2004-01-03T21:02:15Z")
For some reason I just wondered this. What is the most cryptic name you’ve seen. I am sure if you are a mod or admin you are in a much better position to answer this. I’ve put this here as opposed to MPSIMS or IMHO because I didn’t want it to become a long post-count party type thread. I am just curious. ---
**Author:** ![Horrifying\_Howler\_Monkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/df788c/32.png) [@Horrifying\_Howler\_Monkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horrifying_Howler_Monkey)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2004, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-has-the-most-cryptic-apparently-random-but-meainingful-screen-name/222769/14 "2004-01-04T16:29:49Z")
It took me way to long to figure out **Satisfying Andy Licious** ’s name (I thinkit’s great now that I get it). ---
**Author:** ![Shrinking\_Violet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@Shrinking\_Violet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shrinking_Violet)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2004, 8:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-has-the-most-cryptic-apparently-random-but-meainingful-screen-name/222769/15 "2004-01-05T08:16:52Z")
I’ve often wondered what **Exapno Mapcase** is all about … some time back he mentioned he had explained his name in another thread, but I couldn’t find it. Hopefully he’ll drop by and put me out of my misery? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2004, 11:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-has-the-most-cryptic-apparently-random-but-meainingful-screen-name/222769/16 "2004-01-05T11:42:26Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Shrinking Violet \* > \*\*I’ve often wondered what **Exapno Mapcase** is all about … some time back he mentioned he had explained his name in another thread, but I couldn’t find it. Hopefully he’ll drop by and put me out of my misery? 🙂 \*\* I believe it is from Harpo Marks’ statement about how his name looks when written in a Cyrillic font. ---
**Author:** ![the\_first\_supraliminal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f475e1/32.png) [@the\_first\_supraliminal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_first_supraliminal)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2004, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-has-the-most-cryptic-apparently-random-but-meainingful-screen-name/222769/17 "2004-01-05T19:30:38Z")
[the Mapcase story](http://www.hottub.org/~exapno/story.html) ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2004, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-has-the-most-cryptic-apparently-random-but-meainingful-screen-name/222769/18 "2004-01-05T22:06:13Z")
Well, when my great-grandparents came over from the Old Country the gentleman at Ellis Island changed it from Mapcasiezwiczskiovich… That link isn’t me, BTW. A number of Marxians have glommed onto the name as online aliases. The tale is first told in _Harpo Speaks_. Even though I’m much more of a Groucho fan than a Harpo fan, the name and story have stuck in my head for decades. When I decided to stop lurking here it just seemed automatic to use it. Since it’s a print Marx reference rather than a film one, I’ve been surprised at how many others on the board have recognized it. ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2004, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-has-the-most-cryptic-apparently-random-but-meainingful-screen-name/222769/19 "2004-01-05T23:40:27Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Berkut \* > \*\*Just fixing the front page. \*\* I’ve seen this before. What does it mean? ---
**Author:** ![Shrinking\_Violet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@Shrinking\_Violet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shrinking_Violet)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2004, 11:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-has-the-most-cryptic-apparently-random-but-meainingful-screen-name/222769/20 "2004-01-06T11:12:35Z")
Thank you **Mangetout** , **Beeruser** , and of course **Exapno Mapcase**!! 🙂 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-has-the-most-cryptic-apparently-random-but-meainingful-screen-name/222769.md?page=2)