Editing Troll (slang) (section)

== Origin and etymology ==

There are competing theories of where and when "troll" was first used in Internet slang, with numerous unattested accounts of [[Bulletin board system|BBS]] and [[Usenet]] origins in the early 1980s or before.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Van|first=Thomas|title=Internet Slang: Where Did The Word Troll Come From?|url=https://www.thomasvan.com/random-philosophy/internet-slang-where-did-the-word-troll-come-from|access-date=2021-04-13|language=en-US}}</ref>

The English noun "troll" in the standard sense of ugly dwarf or giant dates to 1610 and originates from the [[Old Norse]] word "[[troll]]" meaning [[giant (mythology)|giant]] or [[demon]].<ref name="Online Etymology Dictionary">{{OEtymD|troll||accessdate=14 June 2013}}</ref> The word evokes the trolls of [[Scandinavian folklore]] and children's tales: antisocial, quarrelsome and slow-witted creatures which make life difficult for travelers.<ref>{{cite web|last1=ln|title=Trollmother|url=http://trollmother.com/index.php/trollhistory|access-date=22 October 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Trolls. Who are they?|url=http://csis.pace.edu/grendel/projs991a/troll.html|publisher=unknown|access-date=3 July 2013}}</ref> Trolls have existed in folklore and fantasy literature for centuries, and online trolling has been around for as long as the Internet has existed.<ref name="Vicente">{{Cite web|url=https://www.howtogeek.com/465416/what-is-an-internet-troll-and-how-to-handle-trolls/|title=What Is an Internet Troll? (and How to Handle Trolls)|last=Vicente|first=Vann|website=How-To Geek|date=21 January 2020 |language=en-US|access-date=2020-04-20}}</ref>

In modern English usage, "[[Trolling (fishing)|trolling]]" may describe the [[Fishing techniques|fishing technique]] of slowly dragging a lure or baited hook from a moving boat,<ref name="merriam-webster">{{cite web|url=http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/troll|title=troll|year=2010|work=Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary|access-date=7 January 2010}}</ref> whereas ''[[trawling]]'' describes the generally commercial act of dragging a fishing net. Early non-Internet slang use of "trolling" can be found in the military: by 1972 the term "trolling for [[Mikoyan|MiGs]]" was documented in use by [[US Navy]] pilots in [[Vietnam]]. It referred to use of "...decoys, with the mission of drawing...fire away..."<ref>{{cite magazine |magazine=Life |date=4 February 1972 |author=John Saar |title=Carrier War |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EkAEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA28}}</ref> The contemporary use of the term is said to have appeared on the Internet in the late 1980s,<ref name="nyt">{{cite news| url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/03/magazine/03trolls-t.html| title=The Trolls Among Us| last=Schwartz| first=Mattathias| date=3 August 2008| work=The New York Times| pages=MM24| access-date=24 March 2009}}</ref><ref name="GoogleUsenet">{{cite newsgroup| url=https://groups.google.com/group/alt.flame/msg/80135728c2dc034b?pli=1| title=FOADTAD| newsgroup=alt.flame|message-id=131460@sun.Eng.Sun.COM| date=8 February 1990| author=Miller, Mark S.| quote=Just go die in your sleep you mindless flatulent troll.| access-date=2 June 2009}}</ref> but the earliest known attestation according to the ''[[Oxford English Dictionary]]'' is in 1992.<ref name=oed>{{cite encyclopedia| entry='''troll''', ''n''.<sup>1</sup>| encyclopedia=Oxford English Dictionary| publisher=Oxford University Press| year=2006}}</ref><ref name="ChanAFU">{{cite newsgroup| url=https://groups.google.com/d/msg/alt.folklore.urban/iNal2CeYkSw/7Mwdly7upPkJ| title=Post the FAQ| newsgroup=alt.folklore.urban|message-id=26717@dog.ee.lbl.gov| date=8 October 1992| author=Chan, Terry| quote=Maybe after I post it, we could go trolling some more and see what happens.| access-date=21 July 2016}}</ref><ref name="EsanAFU">{{cite newsgroup| url=https://groups.google.com/d/msg/alt.folklore.urban/E26iaSme1t0/mnZfdqUeM9oJ| title=Mixed up translations| newsgroup=alt.folklore.urban|message-id=4322@moscom.com| date=2 October 1992| author=Esan, David| quote=It just amazes me that when someone goes newbie trolling how many people he catches.| access-date=21 July 2016}}</ref>

The context of the quote cited in the ''Oxford English Dictionary''<ref name="ChanAFU" /> sets the origin in [[Usenet]] in the early 1990s as in the phrase "trolling for newbies", as used in ''alt.folklore.urban'' (AFU).<ref name="Porter">{{cite book| last=Tepper| first=Michele| title=Internet culture| editor=Porter, David| publisher=Routledge Inc| location=New York, New York, United States| year=1997| chapter=Usenet Communities and the Cultural Politics of Information| page=48| quote=...&nbsp;the two most notorious trollers in AFU, Ted Frank and Snopes, are also two of the most consistent posters of serious research.| isbn=978-0415916837| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5d2stzIbkqMC| access-date=24 March 2009}}</ref><ref name="CromarAFU">{{cite newsgroup| url=https://groups.google.com/d/msg/alt.folklore.urban/9gXNdotYPVc/TaD3xbBv-IAJ| title=Trolling for Newbies| newsgroup=alt.folklore.urban|message-id=Oct.9.10.26.26.1992.22869@math.rutgers.edu| date=9 October 1992| author=Cromar, Scott| quote=Some people call this game trolling for newbies| access-date=16 July 2016}}</ref> Commonly, what is meant is a relatively gentle inside joke by veteran users, presenting questions or topics that had been so overdone that only a new user would respond to them earnestly. For example, a veteran of the group might make a post on the [[List of common misconceptions|common misconception]] that [[Glass#Reputed flow|glass flows over time]]. Long-time readers would both recognize the poster's name and know that the topic had been discussed repeatedly, but new subscribers to the group would not realize, and would thus respond. These types of trolls served as a practice to identify group insiders. This definition of trolling, considerably narrower than the modern understanding of the term, was considered a positive contribution.<ref name="Porter" /><ref name="SDope">{{cite web| url=http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/1764/what-is-a-troll| title=What is a troll?|last=Zotti|first=Ed| date=14 April 2000| publisher=The Straight Dope| access-date=24 March 2009| quote=To be fair, not all trolls are slimeballs. On some message boards, veteran posters with a mischievous bent occasionally go 'newbie trolling.'|display-authors=etal}}</ref> One of the most notorious AFU trollers, David Mikkelson,<ref name="Porter" /> went on to create the urban [[folklore]] website [[Snopes.com]].

By the late 1990s, ''alt.folklore.urban'' had such heavy traffic and participation that trolling of this sort was frowned upon. Others expanded the term to include the practice of playing a seriously misinformed user, even in [[newsgroup]]s where one was not a regular; these were often attempts at humor rather than provocation. The noun ''troll'' usually referred to an act of trolling – or to the resulting discussion – rather than to the author, though some posts punned on the dual meaning of ''troll.''<ref name="WilburAFU">{{cite newsgroup| url=https://groups.google.com/d/msg/alt.folklore.urban/DjYm8Usd4TQ/oEDd8GixmQAJ| title=AFU REALLY REALLY WAY SOUTH| newsgroup=alt.folklore.urban|message-id=1993Feb8.010006.1589@Csli.Stanford.EDU| date=8 February 1993| author=Wilbur, Tom| quote=Tom "nice troll, by the way" Wilbur| access-date=21 July 2016}}</ref>

The August 26, 1997 strip of [[webcomic]] ''[[Kevin and Kell]]'' used the word ''troll'' to describe those that deliberately harass or provoke other Internet users, similar to the modern sense of the word.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Tuesday Aug, 26 1997 |url=https://www.kevinandkell.com/1997/kk0826.html|access-date=2021-05-19|website=www.kevinandkell.com – Kevin & Kell }}</ref>

=== In other languages ===

{{More citations needed section|date=April 2016}}
In [[Chinese language|Chinese]], trolling is referred to as ''bái mù'' ({{lang-zh|c=[[:zh:白目|白目]]|l=white eye}}), which can be straightforwardly explained as "eyes without pupils", in the sense that while the [[pupil]] of the eye is used for vision, the white section of the eye cannot see, and trolling involves blindly talking nonsense over the Internet, having total disregard to sensitivities or being oblivious to the situation at hand, akin to having eyes without pupils. An alternative term is ''bái làn'' ({{lang-zh|c=白爛|l=white rot}}), which describes a post completely nonsensical and full of folly made to upset others, and derives from a Taiwanese slang term for the [[Human male genitalia|male genitalia]], where genitalia that is pale white in color represents that someone is young, and thus foolish. Both terms originate from [[Taiwan]], and are also used in [[Hong Kong]] and [[mainland China]]. Another term, ''xiǎo bái'' ({{lang-zh|c=小白|l=little white}}), is a derogatory term for both ''bái mù'' and ''bái làn'' that is used on anonymous posting Internet forums. Another common term for a troll used in mainland China is ''pēn zi'' ({{lang-zh|c=噴子|l=sprayer, spurter}}).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Language Log » The toll of the trolls |url=https://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=42191 |access-date=2022-04-14}}</ref>

In [[Hebrew]] the word {{lang|he|טרול}} refers both to internet trolls, who engage in disruptive behavior on social media and online platforms, or to the mythical creatures similar to trolls found in European mythology.<ref>{{Cite web |title=מה זה טרול – מילון עברי עברי – מילוג |url=https://milog.co.il/%D7%98%D7%A8%D7%95%D7%9C |access-date=2024-05-11 |website=milog.co.il}}</ref> The word is also inflected into a verb form, {{lang|he|להטריל}}, which means to engage in trolling behavior on the internet or social media.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2013-07-10 |title=כתב פוסטים מרושעים בפייסבוק ונשלח לכלא לשנתיים |url=https://www.mako.co.il/nexter-internet/social-networks-facebook/Article-196123906f8cf31006.htm |access-date=2024-05-11 |website=mako}}</ref>

In [[Icelandic language|Icelandic]], ''[[wikt:en:þurs#Icelandic|þurs]]'' (a [[Jötunn|thurs]]) or ''[[wikt:en:tröll#Icelandic|tröll]]'' (a [[troll]]) may refer to trolls, the verbs ''þursa'' (to troll) or ''þursast'' (to be trolling, to troll about) may be used.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-04-22 |title=Troll Politics |url=https://gjia.georgetown.edu/2020/04/22/troll-politics/ |access-date=2022-03-17 |website=Georgetown Journal of International Affairs |language=en-US}}</ref>{{Failed verification|date=August 2022}}

In [[Japanese language|Japanese]], {{nihongo|''[[wikt:en:tsuri#Japanese|tsuri]]''|[[wikt:en:釣り#Japanese|釣り]]}} means "fishing" and refers to intentionally misleading posts whose only purpose is to get the readers to react, i.e. get trolled. {{nihongo|''[[wikt:en:arashi#Japanese|Arashi]]''|[[wikt:en:荒らし#Japanese|荒らし]]}} means "laying waste" and can also be used to refer to simple [[spam (electronic)|spamming]].{{Citation needed|date=May 2024}}

In [[Korean language|Korean]], ''nak-si'' (낚시) means "fishing" and refers to Internet trolling attempts, as well as purposely misleading post titles. A person who recognizes the troll after having responded (or, in case of a post title, ''nak-si'', having read the actual post) would often refer to themselves as a caught fish.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ybmallinall.com/stylev2/index.asp?menumode=today_hot&param=3566|script-title=ko:관심을 바라는 사람, 영어로 뭐라고 해요?|access-date=January 15, 2021|language=ko}}</ref>

In [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]], more commonly in its [[Brazilian Portuguese|Brazilian]] variant, [[:pt:Troll|troll]] (pronounced {{IPA|pt|ˈtɾɔw|}} in most of Brazil as [[spelling pronunciation]]) is the usual term to denote Internet trolls (examples of common derivate terms are ''trollismo'' or ''trollagem'', "trolling", and the verb ''trollar'', "to troll", which entered popular use), but an older expression, used by those which want to avoid [[anglicism]]s or [[slang]]s, is ''[[:pt:Complexo do pombo enxadrista|complexo do pombo enxadrista]]'' to denote trolling behavior, and ''pombos enxadristas'' (literally, "chessplayer pigeons") or simply ''pombos'' are the terms used to name the trolls. The terms are explained by an [[adage]] or popular saying: "Arguing with ''[[List of placeholder names|fulano]]'' (i.e., [[John Doe]]) is the same as playing [[chess]] with a [[pigeon]]: it defecates on the table, drops the pieces and simply flies off, claiming victory."{{Citation needed|date=May 2024}}

In [[Thai language|Thai]], the term ''krian'' ([[:wikt:เกรียน|เกรียน]]) has been adopted to address Internet trolls. According to the [[Royal Institute of Thailand]], the term, which literally refers to a closely cropped hairstyle worn by schoolboys in Thailand, is from the behaviour of these schoolboys who usually gather to play online games and, during which, make annoying, disruptive, impolite, or unreasonable expressions.<ref>{{Cite book|title = Photchananukrom Kham Mai Lem Song Chabap Ratchabandittayasathan|last = Royal Institute of Thailand|publisher = Royal Institute of Thailand|year = 2009|isbn = 9786167073040|location = Bangkok|pages = 11|script-title = th:พจนานุกรมคำใหม่ เล่ม ๒ ฉบับราชบัณฑิตยสถาน|trans-title = Royal Institute Dictionary of New Words, Volume 2|language=th|author-link = Royal Society of Thailand}}</ref>