Can we declare a moratorium on teh?

February 14, 2005 11:35 AM

Can we declare a moratorium on teh? In the words of a recent double post, I'm concerned that we may need a refresher course in irony.
posted by Zurishaddai to etiquette/policy at 11:35 AM (60 comments total)

I'd rather declare a moratorium on declaring moratoria.
posted by naxosaxur at 11:41 AM on February 14, 2005

omgwtfbbq!!!!111
posted by riffola at 11:42 AM on February 14, 2005

This is teh suck.

(Actually, I find it pretty annoying, too, but it's not worth a call-out any more than the various other colloquialisms witnessed hereabouts.)
posted by me3dia at 11:50 AM on February 14, 2005

Unclench teh buttcheeks, zuri.
posted by five fresh fish at 11:51 AM on February 14, 2005

Jeebus, if people are gonna start calling out things of this nature, MeTa is going to be a busy, busy place.
posted by Specklet at 11:52 AM on February 14, 2005

This is just asking for teh pileon.
posted by Plutor at 11:53 AM on February 14, 2005

Using "teh" demonstrates a cultural competency specific to online communication. In order to "get" the joke, you have to be familiar with a large number of assumptions, past online experiences etc. etc. It acts as a shorthand for "I belong here, I get this place, please accept me."

I don't see the problem with it. When people write "teh" they are not trying to be funny. It signals "light heartedness" more than anything.

(/talking out of my ass)
posted by Quartermass at 11:53 AM on February 14, 2005

Oh noes!!
posted by octobersurprise at 11:54 AM on February 14, 2005

What teh fuck?
posted by c13 at 11:55 AM on February 14, 2005

!!!!1111one!!one111
posted by knave at 11:55 AM on February 14, 2005

MetaFilter: I belong here, I get this place, please accept me.
posted by rooftop secrets at 11:56 AM on February 14, 2005

meh.
posted by eddydamascene at 12:02 PM on February 14, 2005

Can we declare a moratorium on leaving the toilet seat up?

Who ate the half turkey sub I left in the fridge, I wrote my name on it in sharpie and everything, it said Jen, Jen does not mean eat me, it means this sub belongs to Jen. I was going to eat that at 3pm after the meeting and now I have low-blood sugar and my legs are trembling.

I have a candy dish on my desk because people like candy and it helps make everyones day a little brighter, but if you take more than one piece at a time that means that others don't get as much as you did, also please do not sift through the dish to find the cherry jolly ranchers, please take one piece without touching the other pieces and thank you.
posted by Divine_Wino at 12:04 PM on February 14, 2005

We need our shibboleths!
posted by cortex at 12:06 PM on February 14, 2005

the annoying thing about "teh" is that I just can't stop spelling it that way. argh!
posted by dabitch at 12:06 PM on February 14, 2005

I'd rather a moratorium on one-link NYT posts for sheer lack of creativity.

I couldn't find anything in the search, but: wasn't there already a MeTa thread about this same topic/same user?


On-topic: guilty.
posted by dhoyt at 12:15 PM on February 14, 2005

.
posted by mischief at 12:15 PM on February 14, 2005

" Jen does not mean eat me "

She may, but it's all contextually-dependent.
posted by mr_crash_davis at 12:18 PM on February 14, 2005

Somebody please hope me understand what teh means.
posted by strangeleftydoublethink at 12:20 PM on February 14, 2005

" Jen does not mean eat me "

She may, but it's all contextually-dependent.

When she placed that note on the fridge, that was one of the comments, as well as:

Well maybe it would mean eat me if you asked nicely and stood up straighter.

It was a little pen graffiti Metatalk thread.
posted by Divine_Wino at 12:22 PM on February 14, 2005

I honestly thought people were doing typos all this time. I don't belong here, please reject me, I don't get this place.
posted by stupidsexyFlanders at 12:25 PM on February 14, 2005

No.
posted by delmoi at 12:34 PM on February 14, 2005

strangeleftydoublethink: it's a typo for "the" that people use to be ironic!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!111
posted by grouse at 12:37 PM on February 14, 2005

Seriously. Who cares?
posted by tr33hggr at 12:38 PM on February 14, 2005

I'm way more offended by this than I am by teh.
posted by grateful at 12:43 PM on February 14, 2005

Teh mob has spoken.
posted by AlexReynolds at 12:44 PM on February 14, 2005

Yeah, what the hell does it mean? I always thought it was a typo until I noticed 'teh gay' was often repeated. So, what does it mean then?

Preview: Oh, well, there you go.
posted by Lord Chancellor at 12:45 PM on February 14, 2005

Results 1 - 10 of about 3,630,000 for teh.

Apparently common in Leet. Huh. These kids these days, with their funny gibberish languages! And their clothes! And their music!
posted by casu marzu at 12:46 PM on February 14, 2005

One hundred and eleven's all around. Long days and pleasant nights as well.
posted by haqspan at 12:47 PM on February 14, 2005

Interesting: "TEH" is actually an acronym for "Toroid Equidimensional H-Transform", and was first used in a paper from Caltech in 1974.

It appeared in Topology Letters B, #1337.
posted by gramschmidt at 12:47 PM on February 14, 2005

I have a friend who uses "teh" endlessly in e-mails and instant messages. It annoys the hell out of me, so now that I know shes totally uncool, I can consider her PWNED!!!!!!
posted by Robot Johnny at 12:47 PM on February 14, 2005

What a stupid callout, "teh"kind of annoys me, but so what. Let's not micro-manage this place to death. People should have some room to be goofballs.
posted by marxchivist at 12:56 PM on February 14, 2005

gramschmidt: You joke about the 1337, yes?
posted by xmutex at 12:56 PM on February 14, 2005

Paper number 5p34k. Authors: John Woot, Arthur Haxxor and Miriam Roxxors. I think Arthur and Miriam were Czech immigrants.
posted by gramschmidt at 1:04 PM on February 14, 2005

What a bunch of morans...
posted by Doohickie at 1:07 PM on February 14, 2005

Irony helps us play.
posted by gigawhat? at 1:12 PM on February 14, 2005

who you callin a moran?
posted by Quartermass at 1:22 PM on February 14, 2005

From casu marzu's 'Answers' link: "Leetspeak is used by hackers, script kiddies, gamers and (mainly) lamers. "

I can't believe I read the article that far down, but it was worth it to see it in print that leetspeak is reserved for (mainly) lamers.
posted by cosmonik at 1:45 PM on February 14, 2005

Metafilter: reserved for (mainly) lamers
posted by graventy at 2:18 PM on February 14, 2005

Why declare a moratorium when you can declare something passe:

"Teh." Ha. That's so last week.
posted by Scooter at 2:26 PM on February 14, 2005

Er, cosmonik, sorry, but something on a web page isn't "in print." It's on teh screen.
posted by soyjoy at 2:28 PM on February 14, 2005

AYBABTU!
posted by m0nm0n at 3:07 PM on February 14, 2005

HIE THEE HITHER, THAT I MAY POUR MY SPIRITS IN THINE EAR AND CHASTISE WITH THE VALOUR OF MY TONGUE ALL THAT IMPEEDES THEE FROM THE GOLDEN ROUND, WHICH FATE AND METAPHYSICAL AID DOTH SEEM TO HAVE THEE CROWN'D WITHAL...
posted by Smart Dalek at 3:25 PM on February 14, 2005

ROFLCAUST
posted by cmonkey at 3:59 PM on February 14, 2005

This thread is teh lame.
posted by neckro23 at 4:29 PM on February 14, 2005

Well, I knew I was asking for it. Without any illusions that anything was going to get "managed" here, I did reckon the gang needed some worthy object for its wit.
posted by Zurishaddai at 4:31 PM on February 14, 2005

Interesting: "TEH" is actually an acronym for "Toroid Equidimensional H-Transform", and was first used in a paper from Caltech in 1974.

But I thought that's what everyone meant when they wrote "teh"! Why didn't anyone tell me, I've been making an idiot out of myself all this time!
posted by Krrrlson at 4:33 PM on February 14, 2005

And telling you would have changed that how?

[drum sting]
posted by five fresh fish at 4:48 PM on February 14, 2005

" Can we declare a moratorium on teh [sic]? "

Serious answer: using "teh" to indicate one is adopting the stance of an AOLidiot is a rhetorical device some on Metafilter find useful.

If you don't find it useful, don't use it.

And feel free to take less seriously those who do use what you consider an overworked cliche.

But why ask that everyone conform their writing to the style you> prefer? Not everyone writes like Zurishaddai, and however compelling your prose is, Metafilter is more interesting when it consists of a diversity of voices.
posted by orthogonality at 5:10 PM on February 14, 2005

Damn. Nothing like a serious answer to kill perfectly harmless zaniness.
posted by Doohickie at 8:18 PM on February 14, 2005

soyjoy: "Er, cosmonik, sorry, but something on a web page isn't "in print." It's on teh screen."

No need to apologise.

It's in print if I printed it.

Your electromagnetic fetish flat-out gives me teh creeps.
posted by cosmonik at 8:23 PM on February 14, 2005

Hey, guys, come on. TV is on!
posted by mds35 at 8:29 PM on February 14, 2005

I can't believe I read the article that far down, but it was worth it to see it in print that leetspeak is reserved for (mainly) lamers.

It's in print if I printed it.

Okayyyyyy... so why not just open Word, type "leetspeak is reserved for (mainly) lamers," print it out, and there the opinion will be, "in print"? You get teh gratification, without coming here to get

pwned.
posted by soyjoy at 10:52 PM on February 14, 2005

soyjoy: I think you mean qwnt.
posted by delmoi at 12:02 AM on February 15, 2005

This thread is worse than when Hitler killed teh Jews.
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 1:53 AM on February 15, 2005

delmoi: I think someone needs a refresher course in sodomy.
posted by soyjoy at 6:48 AM on February 15, 2005

soyjoy, that's exactly what I was implying I did. Or rather, printed the article. Are you saying you don't have an at-hand reference of leetspeak?

Your claim of pwnership is teh confushun.

free refresher sodomy courses daily at 8:00 and 8:05
posted by cosmonik at 2:20 PM on February 15, 2005

Sorry, I can't come 'til 8:15.
posted by soyjoy at 9:52 PM on February 15, 2005

Seamonkey:

I am absolutely using "Roflcaust" from now on. all the time.
posted by dougunderscorenelso at 8:47 AM on February 17, 2005

if we avoid teh, how could we link to tehsux? [warning: uncouth language in a large font]
posted by MiltonRandKalman at 2:46 PM on February 17, 2005