Can't tell who said what February 23, 2008 6:34 AM   Subscribe

What happened to put quotes in italics?
posted by nax to Etiquette/Policy at 6:34 AM (127 comments total) 1 user marked this as a favorite

Do you have examples?
posted by veronitron at 6:37 AM on February 23, 2008


I always put quotes in italics, and it seems just about all other Mefiers do so as well. Have we been reading different MetaFilters?
posted by flapjax at midnite at 6:41 AM on February 23, 2008


I don't know?
posted by goodnewsfortheinsane at 6:42 AM on February 23, 2008 [1 favorite]


What happened to useful MetaTalk threads?
posted by danb at 6:46 AM on February 23, 2008


No such thing.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 6:48 AM on February 23, 2008


What happened to put quotes in italics?

i think it's prettier if you only put every other letter in italics
posted by pyramid termite at 6:49 AM on February 23, 2008


I put quotes in italics and I think most people here do; I'm not sure what you're referring to nax.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 6:50 AM on February 23, 2008


I am reminded of a story that my friend once told me:
I was talking to Marvin on Saturday night. He was wasted. He looked at my car and asked, "How much for a convertible?" I told him I paid $3,500 for mine. He said, "NO. How much for a CONVERTIBLE." I said, "What?" and he said, "HOW MUCH FOR A CONVERTIBLE." I never could figure out what the hell he was talking about.
posted by The Loch Ness Monster at 7:01 AM on February 23, 2008 [2 favorites]


danb, If it's not useful to you, don't open it, let alone waste your time and mine commenting on it. Jeez.

Examples: here (from a frequent poster)

here

Not finding more (though I know there are some), but it has gotten frequent enough that I wondered if the protocol had changed. I tend to just stay behind the curve on this kind of stuff no matter how hard I try, so I thought I'd ask.
posted by nax at 7:05 AM on February 23, 2008


Oh, wait forgot to incorporate suggestions above. There.
posted by nax at 7:06 AM on February 23, 2008


Smedleyman and klangklangston habitually put quotes in quotes, which is (as you are aware) less useful because less visually distinctive. I have mentioned this repeatedly to klang, and he once humored me by using itals for quoted material; it was one of the highlights of my MetaFilter experience. I would never dream of mentioning it to Smedleyman, because he could rip my arm off and beat me to death with it without even breaking a sweat.

That said, this does not seem to be a massive problem.
posted by languagehat at 7:19 AM on February 23, 2008 [3 favorites]


But "that said" abuse still is.
posted by Eideteker at 7:28 AM on February 23, 2008


I put quotes in q or blockquote tags. Then I put italics inside the q tags because the MetaFilter style sheet doesn't make them italic and stupid Internet Explorer doesn't add quotation marks.
posted by kirkaracha at 7:31 AM on February 23, 2008 [1 favorite]


Che cosa è sembrato mettere le citazioni nel corsivo?

Due to a bug on my system, whenever I click the "I" button in the comment form, it converts the text to both italics and Italian.
posted by burnmp3s at 8:03 AM on February 23, 2008 [12 favorites]


At the end of the day, "that said" is not the most annoying cliched phrase.
posted by grouse at 8:04 AM on February 23, 2008 [5 favorites]


Italics are easily the most common convention around here, and I like 'em, but there's no rule and no enforcement. As with lhat, I've been taken aback by klang's quote-not-italicize thing mostly because he's so prolific and like to do multiple inline quotes with responses sometimes; he's kind of the exception to that rule.

Your second example, where jfuller prepends a quote with an angle bracket, is I think how I first quoted when I joined mefi—it's pretty much the canonical style for email and usenet going back forever. Which is neither here nor there, but it kind of underscores the fact that this place didn't start with a stylebook and doesn't exist in a vacuum.

One of my many unstarted projects: actually track down and cite and categorize quoting styles on mefi, and their commonality over time.
posted by cortex (staff) at 8:06 AM on February 23, 2008 [1 favorite]


"can we have summary execution for anyone who uses @username notation?"

You've got my blessing.
posted by mr_crash_davis at 8:20 AM on February 23, 2008


But "that said" abuse still is.

Retarded April Fools jokes are, as well.
posted by Afroblanco at 8:20 AM on February 23, 2008


@b1tr0t
guilty (but it was before I learned some manners). Summarily execute please.
posted by francesca too at 8:33 AM on February 23, 2008


"can we have summary execution for anyone who uses @username notation?"

@b1tr0t - luckily that trend never did become as widespread as it could have
posted by davey_darling at 8:33 AM on February 23, 2008


"Not finding more (though I know there are some), but it has gotten frequent enough that I wondered if the protocol had changed."

Protocol?

"Smedleyman and klangklangston habitually put quotes in quotes, which is (as you are aware) less useful because less visually distinctive. I have mentioned this repeatedly to klang, and he once humored me by using itals for quoted material; it was one of the highlights of my MetaFilter experience. I would never dream of mentioning it to Smedleyman, because he could rip my arm off and beat me to death with it without even breaking a sweat."

I've been trying to remember to do it more often, especially when I'm quoting multiple sources or lines. However, it still feels unnatural to me—you put a quote in quotation marks. I'm only one step from adding "wrote Languagehat" after 'em, but Christ, that'd be pretentious.
posted by klangklangston at 8:36 AM on February 23, 2008


Split Peas, Black Eyed Peas, Lentils, and Mung!
Azuki, Fava, Broad, Butterbean.
Windsor, English, Madagascar, and Wax!
Lima, Pink, Pinto.
Navy, Anasazi.
Black Turtle, Canellini, Fazolia, White Kid-ney!
Great Northerns, Kidney, Whole Peas, Red.
Black, Garbanzos,
Brown, Pequeno,
Canary, and don't forget, SOY!
posted by Dave Faris at 8:37 AM on February 23, 2008


I am reminded of a story that my friend once told me:
I was talking to Marvin on Saturday night. He was wasted. He looked at my car and asked, "How much for a convertible?" I told him I paid $3,500 for mine. He said, "NO. How much for a CONVERTIBLE." I said, "What?" and he said, "HOW MUCH FOR A CONVERTIBLE." I never could figure out what the hell he was talking about.


That's a great story.
posted by The Deej at 8:43 AM on February 23, 2008


I get a little lazy about doing it myself, but I like the standard of boldfacing someone's name at the start, so they know you're replying. It looks like this:

klangklangston: I've been trying to remember to do it more often, especially when I'm quoting multiple sources or lines. However, it still feels unnatural to me—you put a quote in quotation marks. I'm only one step from adding "wrote Languagehat" after 'em, but Christ, that'd be pretentious.

If you get really ritzy, you can turn the name into a hyperlink back to the comment. There's a Greasemonkey script that does this automatically. I don't usually use it, because I tend to quote selectively, but it's handy for short passages. It looks like this:

klangklangston: "I've been trying to remember to do it more often, especially when I'm quoting multiple sources or lines. However, it still feels unnatural to me—you put a quote in quotation marks. I'm only one step from adding "wrote Languagehat" after 'em, but Christ, that'd be pretentious."

(that's after a lot of snippage; the script gets the whole comment, which had a lot of other quoting in it.)

Does it actually matter? Naw, not really. But it does make parsing out quotes easy and quick for your readers. And with the Greasemonkey script, it's pretty low-hassle.
posted by Malor at 8:46 AM on February 23, 2008


klangklangston writes in comment 515059:
However, it still feels unnatural to me—you put a quote in quotation marks.
In print, the convention is usually to use indented block quotes, thusly. I think it is rare to find quotations set off in a separate paragraph adorned only with quotation marks and no attribution in the quoting author's voice.
I'm only one step from adding "wrote Languagehat" after 'em, but Christ, that'd be pretentious.
Well, that would at least make more sense. But responding directly to someone else's text is unusual in that it breaks up your own—I think it is best to call this out with a striking typographical change such as indentation or italics (as is customarily done on MetaFilter).
posted by grouse at 8:47 AM on February 23, 2008


What ever happened to making EVERYTHING italicized to generate a sense of excitement and momentum, as though the sentence itself was so forward-thinking it just had to lean toward the future?

WHAT HAPPENED TO THAT?

posted by Astro Zombie at 8:49 AM on February 23, 2008 [4 favorites]


Retarded thread. - Mister_A
posted by Mister_A at 8:52 AM on February 23, 2008


Oh and if you don't "get" what Dave Faris is going on about there, then you should really
"cut your fucking hand off."
posted by Mister_A at 8:54 AM on February 23, 2008


"In print, the convention is usually to use indented block quotes, thusly. I think it is rare to find quotations set off in a separate paragraph adorned only with quotation marks and no attribution in the quoting author's voice."

Pish tosh. In print, that's only a convention for lengthy excerpts (the length of which depends upon your style book). Besides, aren't I supposed to be responding to the words and ideas, not the author?

All y'all is C3POs.
posted by klangklangston at 8:59 AM on February 23, 2008


Besides, aren't I supposed to be responding to the words and ideas, not the author?

That's what italics do, with the bonus of being a lot easier to see the border between quoted material and reply text when you're quoting multiple times or quoting multiple paragraphs at a shot.

All y'all is C3POs.

Q: Why couldn't the robot sit down?
A: Protocol 'roids.
posted by cortex (staff) at 9:04 AM on February 23, 2008 [2 favorites]


Nerd.
posted by robocop is bleeding at 9:04 AM on February 23, 2008


Pish tosh. In print, that's only a convention for lengthy excerpts

Yes, but it's the only convention I'm aware of where one skips the attribution routinely.
posted by grouse at 9:09 AM on February 23, 2008


Q: What did Robocaesar whisper to his assassin?
A: "R tu, D2?"
posted by cortex (staff) at 9:09 AM on February 23, 2008 [5 favorites]


Cortex, that was terrible and you know it.
posted by Phire at 9:21 AM on February 23, 2008


I understand all of your human emotions—except the one you call 'lol'.
posted by cortex (staff) at 9:28 AM on February 23, 2008 [6 favorites]


Astro Zombie: It was discredited after WWII.
posted by atrazine at 10:05 AM on February 23, 2008


I would never dream of mentioning it to Smedleyman, because he could rip my arm off and beat me to death with it without even breaking a sweat.

My thought exactly (and a nice Beowulf/Grendel allusion to boot!); plus, all Smedleyman's uses of the conventions of written English must subserve the weird visual jazz effects which are only one of the unique signatures of his posts, and it would be a great pity to interfere with that in any way.
posted by jamjam at 10:05 AM on February 23, 2008


What happened to not submitting retarted MeTa posts?
posted by five fresh fish at 10:20 AM on February 23, 2008


A block quotes button might be nice.
posted by washburn at 10:21 AM on February 23, 2008 [3 favorites]


This one time, I saw a guy make a typo on MeFi. But I emailed the mods about it to avoid a MeTa thread.
posted by ORthey at 10:31 AM on February 23, 2008


All this would be fixed with threaded conversations. Just sayin'
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 10:54 AM on February 23, 2008


At the end of the day, "that said" is not the most annoying cliched phrase.

That said, can we please put the phrase "just sayin'..." to bed? At the end of the day, it's overused and condescending, and it also resolves the poster of responsibility by implying that he doesn't care that much about the subject anyway.

Of course, the phrase "put to bed" is pretty irritating too.

Just fucking sayin'...
posted by Evangeline at 11:02 AM on February 23, 2008


I didn't see Blazecock Pileon's post until after I posted. It wasn't mean as a direct attack on him.
posted by Evangeline at 11:04 AM on February 23, 2008


you don't understand - "just sayin'" is a convenient shorthand for "when hell freezes over and the devil goes ice skatin'" - you don't expect us to type all that, do you?
posted by pyramid termite at 11:06 AM on February 23, 2008


But "when hell freezes over and the devil goes ice skatin" is just so much more fun.
posted by Evangeline at 11:13 AM on February 23, 2008


Due to a bug on my system, whenever I click the "I" button in the comment form, it converts the text to both italics and Italian.

The Babelfish Bug, I presume?
posted by romakimmy at 11:18 AM on February 23, 2008


What happened to put quotes in italics?

How do I shot web?
posted by kindall at 11:27 AM on February 23, 2008

What happened to put quotes in italics?
Well I say your 2-cent titanium tax doesn't go far enough!
posted by Krrrlson at 11:30 AM on February 23, 2008 [1 favorite]


What happened to put quotes in italics?

It seems put quotes in italics left when quonsar came back. Likely a sock puppet.
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 11:55 AM on February 23, 2008


Falafel.
posted by oddman at 12:02 PM on February 23, 2008


quotes in quotes, which [are] less useful because less visually distinctive
posted by languagehat at 7:19 AM on February 23


The above is my preferred formatting style so if everyone could adopt it permanently starting now, that would be a big help for me, because I am lazy and don't like to parse by searching for quotes, especially the straight (i.e., non-typographer's) quotes.

thanks
in
advance
posted by Optimus Chyme at 12:16 PM on February 23, 2008


I've been trying to remember to do it more often, especially when I'm quoting multiple sources or lines. However, it still feels unnatural to me—you put a quote in quotation marks. I'm only one step from adding "wrote Languagehat" after 'em, but Christ, that'd be pretentious.

Au contraire, mon ami, I find it a most fetching idea, wrote Languagehat.
posted by languagehat at 12:34 PM on February 23, 2008


What do you do when you're quoting someone who quoted someone? E.g.:

At the end of the day, "that said" is not the most annoying cliched phrase.

That said, can we please put the phrase "just sayin'..." to bed? At the end of the day, it's overused and condescending, and it also resolves the poster of responsibility by implying that he doesn't care that much about the subject anyway.

Of course, the phrase "put to bed" is pretty irritating too.

Just fucking sayin'...


Quoted for truth! (Which is also annoying.)
posted by rtha at 12:35 PM on February 23, 2008


What do you do when you're quoting someone who quoted someone? E.g.:
At the end of the day, "that said" is not the most annoying cliched phrase.
That said, can we please put the phrase "just sayin'..." to bed? At the end of the day, it's overused and condescending, and it also resolves the poster of responsibility by implying that he doesn't care that much about the subject anyway.
Of course, the phrase "put to bed" is pretty irritating too.
Just fucking sayin'...
Quoted for truth! (Which is also annoying.)


Fixed that for you.
posted by grouse at 12:44 PM on February 23, 2008 [3 favorites]


Au contraire, mon ami, I find it a most fetching idea, wrote Languagehat.
posted by languagehat at 2:34 PM on February 23 [+] [!]


Wrote Languagehat. I thought about this a while, lazily spitting tobacco juice into my spent Abita bottle. Why not, it had been along time since I had gone from hunting and pecking to a 15 words a minute expert of the board of keys. 'I could do this' I muttered, brown spittle running down my beared chin, 'I could make a difference'. It was not long after that I fell down the stairs and hurt my groin on a pile of dusty books that I began to understand, life was never going to be the same. From now on I'd have to get used to being a strong woman, even if people kept calling me "dude" and "man" but I'd get by, it could work.


The end.
posted by nola at 12:45 PM on February 23, 2008 [2 favorites]


Fucking wax beans.
posted by wafaa at 12:55 PM on February 23, 2008


What happened to not submitting retarted MeTa posts?

Oh the irony
posted by George_Spiggott at 1:08 PM on February 23, 2008


Metafilter has adopted the Cormac McCarthy stylesheet.
posted by Pastabagel at 1:12 PM on February 23, 2008 [2 favorites]


What happened to not submitting retarted MeTa posts?

[laughs at own self]
posted by five fresh fish at 1:19 PM on February 23, 2008


it also resolves the poster of responsibility

Quoted because, well, it's funny.
posted by FelliniBlank at 1:19 PM on February 23, 2008


At the end of the day, "that said" is not the most annoying cliched phrase.

Look grouse, it is what it is.
posted by kosem at 1:25 PM on February 23, 2008


Nevermore.
posted by not_on_display at 1:28 PM on February 23, 2008


At the end of the day, "that said" is not the most annoying cliched phrase.
That said, can we please put the phrase "just sayin'..." to bed? At the end of the day, it's overused and condescending, and it also resolves the poster of responsibility by implying that he doesn't care that much about the subject anyway.
Of course, the phrase "put to bed" is pretty irritating too.
Just fucking sayin'...
Quoted for truth! (Which is also annoying.)
Fixed that for you.


I see what you did there.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 2:04 PM on February 23, 2008 [2 favorites]


At the end of the day, it's overused and condescending, and it also resolves the poster of responsibility by implying that he doesn't care that much about the subject anyway.

I meant the "just sayin'" partially in jest, but I don't see much use or it, nor is it really condescending.

What "just sayin'" does, really, is underscore that we're not really solving world hunger, either way. So perhaps all this blather doesn't mean much in the grand scheme of things.

Just sayin'

ya know what I'm sayin'
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 2:09 PM on February 23, 2008 [1 favorite]


I'm not sayin', I'm just sayin'.
posted by The Light Fantastic at 2:26 PM on February 23, 2008


How is "just sayin'" possibly condescending?

I took it out once, liked the feel of it, might to it again.

I have also on occasion forgotten to <em> the odd quote. Didn't do it on purpose, and would feel embarrassed asking a mod to rectify.

It may be thin consolation, but I do lie awake at night dreading MeTa callouts.
posted by mattoxic at 2:36 PM on February 23, 2008


Ass-hattery, douch-baggery, fixed that for you, NOT BLAHBLAHIST, your favorite whatever sucks, and there's much...[more inside].

So what?
posted by wafaa at 2:40 PM on February 23, 2008


At the end of the day, I am just not saying "that said". *does not dare add, "as languagehat said"*.
posted by Cranberry at 2:47 PM on February 23, 2008


it also resolves the poster of responsibility

I know, I know - I meant "absolves". I'm so retarted.
posted by Evangeline at 2:48 PM on February 23, 2008


This reminds me of a great story.
posted by loquacious at 3:46 PM on February 23, 2008


grouse: At the end of the day, "that said" is not the most annoying cliched phrase.

"That said" is not the most annoying clichéd phrase: film at 11.
posted by loiseau at 3:59 PM on February 23, 2008


You know who else got tired of Internet plug-in jokes, yet was unable to stop making them occasionally?

me
posted by Bookhouse at 4:24 PM on February 23, 2008


Internet plug-in jokes
posted by flabdablet at 4:42 PM on February 23, 2008


Can we suture this up yet?
posted by flabdablet at 4:43 PM on February 23, 2008


You're such a stitch!
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 5:20 PM on February 23, 2008


Can we please stop using the alphabet? It's so played out.

Just saying'.
posted by The Deej at 5:24 PM on February 23, 2008


Boy, the way Glenn Miller played. Songs that made the Hit Parade.
Guys like us, we had it made. Those were the days.

Didn't need no welfare state. Everybody pulled his weight.
Gee, our old LaSalle ran great. Those were the days.

And you know who you were then. Girls were girls and men were men.
Mister, we could use a man like Herbert Hoover again.

People seemed to be content. Fifty dollars paid the rent.
Freaks were in a circus tent. Those were the days.

Take a little Sunday spin, go to watch the Dodgers win.
Have yourself a dandy day that cost you under a fin.

Hair was short and skirts were long. Kate Smith really sold a song.
I don't know just what went wrong. Those Were The Days.
posted by R. Mutt at 5:41 PM on February 23, 2008


* "Those Were The Days" by Lee Adams and Charles Strouse
posted by R. Mutt at 5:44 PM on February 23, 2008


I put quotes in <cite>s. That's usually italics but it depends on if you have a custom stylesheet; in any case I don't use <em> for that because I don't want to shout it at people using screenreaders.
posted by johnofjack at 7:14 PM on February 23, 2008


However, it still feels unnatural to me—you put a quote in quotation marks.

The reason I favor italics is that on MeFi there is this small problem: we often want to quote stuff said inthread, to advance the conversation about the link topic; but sometimes, we also want to quote stuff that was said offsite somewhere. Because we are part of a web community, it's useful to quickly denote what content comes from within the thread, contributed by members, and what content was pulled from another source. So the norm that has evolved is that when we quote one another, usually from within the thread, we use italics. That's our signal that we're playing inside baseball.

Then, if we want to pull some non-MeFite POV into it, say FDR's, we quote him or her using the external print standard: "Let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself. "

If we want to quote that non-MeFite at length, we quote the person using blockquotes. My personal point of determination for the use of blockquotes is four lines, although sometimes I'll blockquote a shorter passage if it occurs in a comment where I've already blockquoted some longer stuff, just to make it appear consistent:
This great Nation will endure as it has endured, will revive and will prosper. So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself—nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance. In every dark hour of our national life a leadership of frankness and vigor has met with that understanding and support of the people themselves which is essential to victory. I am convinced that you will again give that support to leadership in these critical days.
So I see real utility in using italics to make the distinction between MeFite quotations - which we have some expectation will be understood and answered within the thread - and outside quotations, which are generally given to add texture or supporting evidence, but whose authors won't become part of the conversation.
posted by Miko at 7:55 PM on February 23, 2008 [3 favorites]


@klangklangston:

It's "pish posh," I'm pretty sure, not "pish tosh."
posted by ibmcginty at 8:17 PM on February 23, 2008


Did anybody else notice HVAC Guerilla around recently? Smedleyman was gone for a while—a month maybe?—when this new user started commenting, and, as jamjam said, Smedleyman's uses of the conventions of written English must subserve the weird visual jazz effects which are only one of the unique signatures of his posts, but this HVAC Guerilla fella has those unique tics down. I thought perhaps Smedleyman had signed up under a new name for some reason, but then he returned and posted to the front page. Now I just think there's a lot of room for interpretation in our styles of quotation. (I also picked out Ethereal Bligh right at the top of his return comment, almost entirely because of the "smart quotes" he uses. (And here's a nested parenthetical reference to MetaTalk thread about web-encoded punctuation for good measure.))

And meta-MeTa, since I quote jamjam's words with a hyperlink, I decided not to italicize or put in quotation marks. The hyperlink style looked distinctive enough to me in this one case. Were I following a style guide, I probably would have had to do some editorial schmuh-schmuh on that bit.
posted by cgc373 at 8:53 PM on February 23, 2008


Pish tosh is correct.
posted by flabdablet at 9:07 PM on February 23, 2008


Your second example, where jfuller prepends a quote with an angle bracket, is I think how I first quoted when I joined mefi—it's pretty much the canonical style for email and usenet going back forever. Which is neither here nor there, but it kind of underscores the fact that this place didn't start with a stylebook and doesn't exist in a vacuum.

I never use one angle bracket only, but will use one on a first line then two on the second, when I'm quoting something someone said and something else someone said in response. And I'll italicize both. 'Cause that's how I roll.
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 9:47 PM on February 23, 2008


QFT lol
posted by spiderwire at 9:58 PM on February 23, 2008


I almost never read klang's comments because he can't be bothered to italicize what he's quoting and it's annoying. I'm sure he cares deeply, but there you go.
posted by mediareport at 10:00 PM on February 23, 2008


So, is "pish tosh" just a complete nonsense phrase, or does it come from "piss toss" as I have always secretly hoped?
posted by LobsterMitten at 10:39 PM on February 23, 2008


that'sh a myshtery, lobshtermitten.
posted by not_on_display at 10:43 PM on February 23, 2008 [1 favorite]


It's "pish posh," I'm pretty sure, not "pish tosh."

Bosh! Flimshaw!

(...(And here's a nested parenthetical reference to MetaTalk thread about web-encoded punctuation for good measure.))

How the hell did I miss that thread?

I never use one angle bracket only, but will use one on a first line then two on the second, when I'm quoting something someone said and something else someone said in response. And I'll italicize both. 'Cause that's how I roll.

Right. Fucking. On.
posted by cortex (staff) at 10:54 PM on February 23, 2008


Man, that em dash and smartquotes thread is pure gold.

I make a list of everyone who doesn't quote in my preferred way, username: italicized text, so that I may consult that list at a later juncture, when I am in charge of whose ass will be up against the wall now that that the revolution has arrived.

Oh, and when quoting two different people I roll like this:

somebody: blah blah blah blah and your mother is a cow.

another: How can you say that when my mother was killed by a falling cow?!
posted by Kattullus at 12:57 AM on February 24, 2008


MeFites have love-hate relationship with catchphrases, film at 11.
posted by Pope Guilty at 1:11 AM on February 24, 2008


Well, shit fire, Pope Guilty, you done opened up the worm can now. Can't nobody resist them catchphrases.

Not after they momma's been killed by a falling cow, nowise. Trauma like that'll bring out the catchphrasin' in a body.
posted by cgc373 at 1:17 AM on February 24, 2008


film at 11

I'll wait for the torrent.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 1:22 AM on February 24, 2008


you have too much caffeine in your bloodstream, and a lack of real spice in your life
posted by UbuRoivas at 2:03 AM on February 24, 2008


To recap: Woman killed by torrent of falling cows. Quoth Languagehat, "Peter Tosh."
posted by FelliniBlank at 4:28 AM on February 24, 2008


I take it back-- I think they're both correct. This slang dictionary says that "pish tosh" is a verb, while "pish posh" is an exclamation meaning "nonsense!"
posted by ibmcginty at 5:21 AM on February 24, 2008


Blink is clearly the answer.
posted by danOstuporStar at 5:40 AM on February 24, 2008


It's "pish posh," I'm pretty sure, not "pish tosh."

I thought it was Peter Tosh.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 6:31 AM on February 24, 2008


re The Loch Ness Monster , I had a friend once and we, being in want of protein, went to a steakhouse. As we were standing in line he kept going on about how hungry he was, he declared he wanted a 'pound of steak' several times. Eventfully I suggested the 16oz sirloin. 'No' he declared, 'I want a whole fuckin' pound.'
'But, but man', I sputtered.
I had to explain what he was saying about 3 times before he got it.
Just sayin'.
posted by dawson at 6:51 AM on February 24, 2008


Mister_A meet danb

Ah, I love posting or responding in MetaTalk, just to keep me humble (not an easy task).
posted by nax at 6:52 AM on February 24, 2008


fivefreshfish What happened to not submitting retarted MeTa
posts?


"What happened to not submitting retarted MeTa posts?"

>What happened to not submitting retarted MeTa posts? posted by fivefreshfish

I missed the one with the indent, because I'm hopelessly behind the curve and can't figure out how to indent. Which is one of the reasons I sometimes post retarded MeTa questions and answers. Can't figure stuff out, can't sort the "making it up on their own" from "this is how we do things here." I could go straight to the mods (and sometimes do) with questions like these, but it seems like a waste of their time, and I somehow figure that if people find a question pointless, useless or stupid they'll just ignore it. For those of you who took the time to educate me thanks. I know it's a slow and painful process to deal with those more ignorant than you, but we're grateful and always light a candle in our corner shrine by way of thanks.
posted by nax at 6:59 AM on February 24, 2008


I actually don't always like to start the quote with the username - it's a fuzzy area, but if it's the general idea I want to take up and not a specific user, I just want to quote a well-said chunk of the point I'm talking about. If it's more that I need to directly address a specific user, I'll use the username.
posted by Miko at 7:03 AM on February 24, 2008

I missed the one with the indent, because I'm hopelessly behind the curve and can't figure out how to indent.
nax, to do a block quote, use the HTML blockquote element. For example, for the above text I wrote:
<blockquote>I missed the one with the indent, because I'm hopelessly behind the curve and can't figure out how to indent.</blockquote>
The MeFi text parser adds extra line breaks everywhere you have a newline in the text, so you have to start typing the rest of the text immediately after </blockquote> without any extra newlines. If you add two newlines for a new paragraph as you normally would, you get too much extra vertical space, as I demonstrated after the last block quote above.
posted by grouse at 7:21 AM on February 24, 2008

Thanks, grouse.
That was really helpful.
posted by nax at 7:49 AM on February 24, 2008


Miko is wise, as usual; I agree with every word.

It's "pish posh," I'm pretty sure, not "pish tosh."

Why on earth do people have this belief that there has to be One Right Form for everything? Some people say "pish posh," others "pish tosh." Get used to it. Variety is good!
posted by languagehat at 8:44 AM on February 24, 2008


Man, that em dash and smartquotes thread is pure gold.

Since EB is on sabbatical, I hereby claim the title of Heavyweight Pedant of the Universe by default.
posted by spiderwire at 9:43 AM on February 24, 2008


Did he leave again? What is this, the third time?
posted by grouse at 9:50 AM on February 24, 2008


Did he leave again? What is this, the third time?

Maybe he came back. I wasn't paying attention. I still want my title, though.
posted by spiderwire at 9:59 AM on February 24, 2008


Sometimes they come back.
posted by cgc373 at 10:09 AM on February 24, 2008 [1 favorite]

nax: What happened to put quotes in italics?
fish: What happened to not submitting retarted MeTa posts?"
nax: Can't figure stuff out, can't sort the "making it up on their own" from "this is how we do things here."

One or two people fail to use italics when quoting, and you can't sort out what to do?

[rolls eyes]

I note that the "Post Comment" button has "Everyone needs a hug" written above it. Here, nax, have a ]hug[, and good luck with that whole figuring-out-MeFi thing.
posted by five fresh fish at 10:33 AM on February 24, 2008


As someone said upthread, I believe the answer is to simply not quote.

PS— What the fuck is up with Metafilter lately? It's slow, and this has replaced my "post" button:
function getEl(x){return document.getElementById(x)}; getEl("prevRow").style.display='none';getEl("prevRow2").style.display=''; getEl("postButton").disabled=true; if(document.all){var isIE=1}else{var isIE=0}; function prev(){ if(getEl("comment").value!=""){ getEl("prevDiv2").innerHTML="posted by klangklangston at 10:35 AM on February 24" getEl("postButton").disabled=false; if(isIE){ getEl("prevDiv").innerHTML="
"+getEl("comment").value.replace(/(\n|\r)/g,'
').replace(/()/g,'
')+"
" } else{ getEl("prevDiv").innerHTML="
"+getEl("comment").value.replace(/(\n|\r)/g,'
')+"
posted by klangklangston at 10:47 AM on February 24, 2008


You were right, five fresh fish, everyone does need a hug :)
posted by Kattullus at 10:50 AM on February 24, 2008


]hug[

Heh.
posted by cortex (staff) at 10:51 AM on February 24, 2008


Did he leave again? What is this, the third time?

As far as I am aware, he's left once and not returned. Are you thinking of quonsar?

this has replaced my "post" button:

function getEl(x){return document.getElementById(x)}; getEl("prevRow").style.display='none';getEl("prevRow2").style.display=''; getEl("postButton").disabled=true; if(document.all){var isIE=1}else{var isIE=0}; function prev(){ if(getEl("comment").value!=""){ getEl("prevDiv2").innerHTML="posted by klangklangston at 10:35 AM on February 24" getEl("postButton").disabled=false; if(isIE){ getEl("prevDiv").innerHTML="
"+getEl("comment").value.replace(/(\n|\r)/g,'
').replace(/()/g,'
')+"
" } else{ getEl("prevDiv").innerHTML="
"+getEl("comment").value.replace(/(\n|\r)/g,'
')+"


That's the new look. It's said to be more professional.
posted by languagehat at 1:40 PM on February 24, 2008


Well, there was Ethereal Bligh. Then there was K M Ellis. And now there's Dances with Werewolves. But it looks like he hasn't left yet this time.
posted by grouse at 1:49 PM on February 24, 2008


And now there's Dances with Werewolves.

Damn, I stand corrected, and I'm pleased as punch about it. Welcome (back), DwW!
posted by languagehat at 1:59 PM on February 24, 2008


Seeing as it's his third go-around at this, I'd have expected Dances with Assholes to be his moniker. Assuming he keeps leaving because he feels we're a bunch of assholes, that is. Substitute Annoying People, Pedants, People Who Piss Me Off, or otherwise as appropriate.
posted by five fresh fish at 2:34 PM on February 24, 2008


Seeing as it's his third go-around at this, I'd have expected Dances with Assholes to be his moniker. Assuming he keeps leaving because he feels we're a bunch of assholes, that is.

What do you have against lycanthropes?
posted by spiderwire at 2:39 PM on February 24, 2008


Kattullus: LOL. Clearly I've forgotten more than I remember these days.
posted by five fresh fish at 2:39 PM on February 24, 2008


What do you have against lycanthropes?

Can't speak for fff, but I always find them a bit too Jekyll-and-Hyde-ish for my liking.
posted by UbuRoivas at 2:54 PM on February 24, 2008


Hopefully Weretable And The Undead Chairs will keep his posts short to facilitate telling the two apart.
posted by jtron at 3:02 PM on February 24, 2008


"Dances With Werewolves" anagrams out to "A Twelve-Chew Wordiness."

is there a symbol accepted for use as a substitute for "is an anagram of?"

cripes I'm bored
posted by jtron at 3:06 PM on February 24, 2008


"We Chewed Raw Novelists," too
posted by jtron at 3:08 PM on February 24, 2008


Seeing as it's his third go-around at this, I'd have expected Dances with Assholes to be his moniker. Assuming he keeps leaving because he feels we're a bunch of assholes, that is. Substitute Annoying People, Pedants, People Who Piss Me Off, or otherwise as appropriate.

Brand new day, brand new day.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 10:24 PM on February 24, 2008


Yeah, but different day, same shit, huh?
posted by dg at 11:29 PM on February 24, 2008


MetaTalk: different day, same shit.
posted by UbuRoivas at 4:55 AM on February 25, 2008


I prefer the convention of including the username, a space, a colon : another space, and the quoted text in italics. I will forgo the username if the quoted material is within a page up or so of the comment box.

I have no idea why I do it this way. People around me tell me I have the brain worms, but I don't think that would have any bearing.

Though, the brain worms really are sticklers for protocol, so...
posted by quin at 8:11 AM on February 25, 2008


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