troll

[Dakota]

Originally posted by Antonella
So thanks a lot for the explanation.
We have trolls on italian softball forum also.
I just didn't know how to call them...

Now the difficult job is to try to translate 'troll' in an appropriate italian word...

A.

Warning - OT reply.

The origin of this use of the word and how it has evolved are interesting (to me, anyway, being a continuous student of the language... which Mike uses to needle me with technically incorrect use of "their" and "they"...)anyway...

"Trolling" is a technique for fishing - typically trailing the baited hook in the water behind a moving boat.

That was the original sense of the word as used to describe such people - they were trolling for a response - baiting the other members of the board; trying to get them to take the bait and get hooked, so to speak, into a flame war.

Eventually, it took on the meaning of the mythical monster that hides under bridges to eat the unwary - a troll. That is the meaning of the word that leads to comments like "don't feed the troll."

So, I'm not sure this specific word use translates easily, since it is essentially an English pun.

OK, sorry for boring most of you... back to softball.