Sl*ghtly OT...

In article <[email hidden]>, [email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

Just curious, but where/when did the h*b*t of using ast*r*sks for certain w*rds begin? Is it a urc
thing, or has it been borne here from afar? And what criteria are used to decide whether a word is
a suitable c*nd*d*te?

It's not a urc thing. It can be used to hide f**king obscenities, useful with email if the person
at the other end's company has nanny filters. It sometimes used when you don't want the words to
come up in a search, for instance Sh*ld*n Br*wn would be alerted if his name was used. There is
one use that is urc and that's P**l Sm*th which is either an obscenity or a joke depending on what
day it is.

Colin

"Sky Fly" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Just curious, but where/when did the h*b*t of using ast*r*sks for certain w*rds begin? Is it a urc
thing, or has it been borne here from afar? And what criteria are used to decide whether a word is
a suitable c*nd*d*te?

It's a long usenet tradition. Many kooks used to trawl usenet looking for posts in groups concerning
their pet obseesion - gun control, abortion, politics, unix whatever. Disguising the offending words
in this manner prevented this occurring.

Note also usenet references also to Pron, or p0rn. It's also a way of referring to an intimated
unspeakable subject, p*nct*r*s, or P**l Sm*th. Ofthen, just the vowels are replaced, but I'm unaware
of any hard and fast rules.

Tim

--
Sent from Birmingham, UK... Check out www.nervouscyclist.org 'I find sometimes it’s easy to be
myself, but sometimes I find it’s better to be somebody else.' - Dave Matthews 'So Much To Say' My
'reply to' address is valid, mail to the posting address is dumped

In "]news:[email hidden], Sky Fly <[email hidden]> typed:

Quoted message said:

Just curious, but where/when did the h*b*t of using ast*r*sks for certain w*rds begin? Is it a urc
thing, or has it been borne here from afar? And what criteria are used to decide whether a word is
a suitable c*nd*d*te?

It predates the internet by many years. My first encounter was in the tabloid press that used it to
print words considered obscene without actually printing them. It started as I recall with all the
letters being replaced by *'s and other non-alphabetic characters, e.g. *!@*, but I guess some
people couldn't work out the word from the number of letters and the context so they started to put
in hint letters such as f*** and losing the other characters in favour of just *'s. If and when the
internet picked it up I don't know.

Tony

"If you tell the truth you don't have to remember anything." Mark Twain

"Colin Blackburn" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:MPG.19ad94299d32b076989baf@localhost...

Quoted message said:

It's not a urc thing. It can be used to hide f**king obscenities, useful with email if the person
at the other end's company has nanny filters. It sometimes used when you don't want the words to
come up in a search, for instance Sh*ld*n Br*wn would be alerted if his name was used. There is
one use that is urc and that's P**l Sm*th which is either an obscenity or a joke depending on what
day it is.

You forgot h*lm*ts & the P*nct*re & P*v*ng Sl*b F**r**s

Tim Dunne <[email hidden]> wrote:

: Note also usenet references also to Pron, or p0rn. It's also a way of

c.f. pr0n

Also h*lm*ts (to avoid yet another flame war...)

"Arthur Clune" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Also h*lm*ts (to avoid yet another flame war...)

/Kenneth Williams

Ooh, matron!

Tim
--
Sent from Birmingham, UK... Check out www.nervouscyclist.org 'I find sometimes it’s easy to be
myself, but sometimes I find it’s better to be somebody else.' - Dave Matthews 'So Much To Say' My
'reply to' address is valid, mail to the posting address is dumped

"Tony Raven" <[email hidden]> wrote in message

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Just curious, but where/when did the h*b*t of using ast*r*sks for certain w*rds begin? Is it a
urc thing, or has it been borne here from afar? And what criteria are used to decide whether a
word is a suitable c*nd*d*te?

It must be the sunny weather ... nobody seems to have mentioned m*dg**rds yet! All the best
D*n Gr*g*ry

Sky Fly said:

Just curious, but where/when did the h*b*t of using ast*r*sks for certain w*rds begin? Is it a urc
thing, or has it been borne here from afar? And what criteria are used to decide whether a word is
a suitable c*nd*d*te?

1) to obscure profanities ( [censored] )
2) to avoid tempting fate ( p*nct*re )
3) to avoid flame wars ( h*lm*ts are bad )

--
Dnc

Quoted message said:

My first encounter was in the tabloid press that used it to print words considered obscene without
actually printing them.

An author owned an asterisk And kept it in his den Where he wrote tales (which had large sales) Of
erring maids and men. And always, when he reached the point Where carping censors lurk, He called
upon the asterisk To do his dirty work!

By the prolific Anon, from at least forty years ago.