< HTML> WRITING ECHO GLOSSARY 

      To:  All                        Message #:  542
    From:  Jason Travis               Submitted:  22 Mar 94  23:38:22
 Subject:  Glossary for Newbies          Status:  Public
Received:  ** New Message Read! **        Group:  WRITING (18)

Hello!

I just had some time, and thought I'd try to perhaps compile a list for
newbies to clear up some confusion they may have.  Any additions are
welcome!

WRITING ECHO GLOSSARY

BARDROOM
Echo Moderated by Pauline Schwen that allows some of what is off-topic in WRITING, such as poetry and theater anecdotes.

BANG
Angie Dupree

BARR, JOE
One of the longest-lasting twits of recent, who claimed poetry was anything labeled as such. Responsible for line: "Your bitterness makes you ugly."

BLORF
Sudden explosion of messages, usually resulting from board problems in the net that causes messages to be withheld, often for days, and then released with sudden force. The BLORF OF '94 caused shocks across the US and Canada that sent a 700 message packet crashing over the phone lines. In some areas, the number soared as high as 950.

CANUCK
Canadian

CERISE
Hossie's mistress.

DGH
Dave Hembroff's initials, sometimes used to refer to him.

DIMBULB
(orig. Shalanna Collins) Stupid person who believes he or she knows more than you do, usually applied to members of a writing group. Dimbulbs are usually averse to semicolon usage.

EAVES-DROPPING
(and other catastrophic roof accidents) (also "the scrapbook") Collection of echo-participants' work assembled by Dave Hembroff.

ELLIPSIS
Three or four periods indicating omission or break "..."

EM-DASH
Double dash signifying a break in thought "--"

EMOTICON
Word for smileys or symbols used to work facial or body-language into messages that would remain otherwise unseen: :)

FANG
Michael Nellis

FAQ
Frequently-Asked Question. Examples are: "How do I keep people from stealing my work?" and "I have an idea; how do I get started?"

FAULKNER, VERN
Twit famous for mail-bombing those who posted what he believed was "off topic chatter" i.e. nearly everyone. Complained bitterly that only 20% of the messages were about writing, and he didn't wan't to pay to transport discourse on people's cats.

FIDO
Common short name to refer to FidoNet and its workings and behavior. Often personified as a dog that fetches messages for participants, receiving treats or punishment as deemed necessary to get him to behave.

FROOFY
(orig. Jason Travis) Ornate, as in overdone decoration on a wedding-cake. Artwork not done in the style of men's-adventure novels. Originally said of book cover of Pamela Dean's TAM LIN, sparking huge debate.

<G>(also <grin> <g> <EG> <VBG> <SEG> etc.)
Emoticons used when something may be interpreted the wrong way; alternatives include <evil grin> <very big grin> <shit-eating grin>...

GD&R
Grinning, Ducking and Running -- Usually used to escape after you have poked fun at or royally insulted someone; maintains good relations while still allowing amusing barbs.

GONNABE
More serious version of "wannabe," evolved by people who don't want to be lumped in the same category.

GUIDO
Hossie's right-hand man who deals with misbehavior on the echo. Has been strangely absent of late.

HEMP
No, wrong...yet another of Dave Hembroff's nom-de-plumes.

HOSS
(also HOSSIE) Nickname for George Willard.

ICOCBW
I Could Of Course Be Wrong

IMHO
In My Humble/Honest Opinion (good qualifier when disagreeing.)

MAXWELL, WIL
Twit dumped for physical threats on echo, and instigator of quote-header debacle.

MS. Pl.: MSS
Manuscript.

MUSE STUDIO
New poetry echo moderated by Claire Brunetti

NEWBIE
New person on echo or to BBSing.

OOBLECK
Restraining material found in cauldrons. Ingredients unknown.

OOTC
Obligatory On-topic Comment -- Thrown in to validate off-topic chatter, as in asking "So, what are you working on?" after a four-page message about cat behaviour.

PENGUIN
(also PENGE, PENGY) Angie DuPree, who usually manifests in aquatic-bird form.

PHIDEAUX
Froofy spelling of FIDO. (Included because it took seeing it twice for me to figure this out!)

PIXEL
Equine Spouse of George Willard.

PROWRITE
Echo that deals with the business of writing only, discouraging most chatter.

QUOTE HEADER
(also HEADER) Line added to beginning of a message that explains who originally wrote the message quoted, and to whom. Generally takes form of: JOE SCHMOE had this to say in a message to JANE SCHMOE on the subject of PARAKEETS:

RAH
Random Access Humor, Electronic Publication by Dave Bealer.

ROTFL(MAO)(ASTC)
Rolling On The Floor Laughing (My Ass Off)(And Scaring The Cat)

SCHREINER, GREGORY
(sometimes GS) Notorious Twit, best known for non- sequitur reasoning and accusing Laurie Campbell of having a penis.

SHALANNA SYNDROME
(also SS) An odd law of physics that causes a person correcting another's grammar to make the same or worse mistakes in doing so.

SMILEY
Emoticon; endless variations of :) to clue readers in on actual intent or note of sarcasm in messages. :) ;) :o >:) :( :P :D

SNRRK
(sometimes ) Sound laughter makes when held in and allowed to escape unchecked through the nose.

STEPHANE
Common French name for males, equivalent to Stephen. NOT "Stephanie," as many have mistakenly assumed.

TAGLINE
Witty (usually) saying added at the end of messages by most offline readers. Sometimes they are controlled to reflect the content of the message; most are random. Political ones are usually frowned upon.

TAVERN
WRITING is sometimes thought of as a virtual Tavern that all of the participants are present in, allowing people to be "sitting by" someone else or "at someone's table."

THE TABLE NEAR THE BACK
Domain of Dave Hembroff.

TOLL-HOUSE COOKIES
Commonly successful bribery chit used to throw Guido off the scent of off-topic message traffic, and to apologize to the Moderator.

TWIT
n. Person who misbehaves on the echo, usually subject to removal. v. To add someone's name into a twit-filter.

TWIT-FILTER
(also FILTER) Option in some offline readers that allows user to make a list of names of people whose messages will not show up, effectively silencing them.

WANNABE
Contraction of "want to be," -- person who desires to write, often applied in a derogatory manner to people who cheerfully announce at cocktail parties that they've "always wanted to write."

WILLBARD, THE
Shakespeare.

WIP
Work In-Progress.

YMMV
Your Mileage May Vary, qualifier used to certify that what you have said is, in fact, your experience and not to be taken as gospel.

ZOOPHILE
One who has conjugual relations with animals in the same regular fashion as one would with a spouse.

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