Dear Internet,

[rm]

Please to be learning the difference between "troll" and "trawl".

Comments

[blackbird-song.livejournal.com]

Amen!

[algor.livejournal.com]

Which you would suspect is easier than the distinction between "lose" and "loose," but alas...

[trifles.livejournal.com]

THIS.

[misch.livejournal.com]

Actually, I think that "trolling on the internet" and "trawling (as in fishing)" are pretty similar.

But I agree, troll and trawl are two different things.

[stardragonca.livejournal.com]

The difference in function, or the difference in spelling?

[jkpolk.livejournal.com]

Oh to teach them the differences in a lot of things.. :)

[billijean.livejournal.com]

But there is overlap in definition, yeah?

[rm.livejournal.com]

You can both trawl and troll for a reaction. One doesn't troll Craigslist for an apartment though. That word is trawl.

[sykii.livejournal.com]

One trolls Craigslist for other reasons entirely.

[filkerdave.livejournal.com]

Trawling for trolls!

[argentla.livejournal.com]

This is the Internet. Trolls are practically a protected class...

Not all who...

[keith418.livejournal.com]

... trawl are trolls.

[copperbadge.livejournal.com]

To be fair, in Polari Troll basically means trawl. :D "Trolling the bars" was an expression from the sixties/seventies but as "trolling the internet" has caught on I've stopped using it. :D

[00goddess.livejournal.com]

It's been in use in English since around the 15th century c.e.

[copperbadge.livejournal.com]

Awesome! Makes sense, as Polari makes use of quite a few antique English/French words.

[00goddess.livejournal.com]

Well, I remember it from a Garfield cartoon when I was a kid, so I don't really think of it as ancient :D

[sykii.livejournal.com]

Beat me to it! This is why I should read before I post ;)

[dipping_sauce]

YES THIS.

[sykii.livejournal.com]

I've been seeing a lot of flaunt/flout confusion lately.

[ophymirage.livejournal.com]

ooh, or taut/taunt (one of the ones that drives me nuts, along with lose/loose, as mentioned above..)

[kel-reiley.livejournal.com]

ooh, or taut/taunt

that one makes me cringe

[darthhellokitty.livejournal.com]

This is a troll.

[00goddess.livejournal.com]

Actually, according to Merriam, "trolling" and "trawling" are the same thing. It even appears that "trawl" came later.

[mneme]

Agreed. Having been there for most of it, I believe that the Internet term "troll" is a combination of the two common uses of the term -- but owes more to the term that shares meaning with the secondary use of "trawl" than to the Scandinavian monster.

[00goddess.livejournal.com]

I think so too.

[00goddess.livejournal.com]

Having read the thread, I am now saddened that people apparently don't read. Because seriously, I saw "trolling" in books when I was just a wee lass.