Posted by Ben on January 19, 01 at 11:06:28:
With the advent of electronic mail (email) and it's cold hard black and white words, a method has evolved to show your true meaning behind the words (inflection). Gets the point across with a wink of the eye...and that is where it all started.
Smiley's have been around since the mid-late '70s. A by product of the good old main frame days (where Unix was the main language).
The Unofficial Smiley Dictionary
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:-) Your basic smiley. This smilie is used to inflect a sarcastic or joking statement since we can't hear voice inflection over Unix.
;-) Winky smiley. User just made a flirtatious and/or sarcastic remark. More of a "don't hit me for what I just said" smiley.
:-( Frowning smiley. User did not like that last statement or is upset or depressed about something.
:-I Indifferent smiley. Better than a Frowning smilie but not quite as good as a happy smiley
:-> User just made a really biting sarcastic remark. Worse than a :-).
>:-> User just made a really devilish remark.
>;-> Winky and devil combined. A very lewd remark was just made.
Those are the basic ones...Here are some somewhat less common ones:
;-) Winky smiley. User just made a flirtatious and/or sarcastic remark. More of a "don't hit me for what I just said" smiley.
:-( Frowning smiley. User did not like that last statement or is upset or depressed about something.
:-I Indifferent smiley. Better than a Frowning smilie but not quite as good as a happy smiley
:-> User just made a really biting sarcastic remark. Worse than a :-).
>:-> User just made a really devilish remark.
>;-> Winky and devil combined. A very lewd remark was just made.
Those are the basic ones...Here are some somewhat less common ones:
(-: User is left handed
%-) User has been staring at a green screen for 15 hours straight
:*) User is drunk
[:] User is a robot
8-) User is wearing sunglasses
B:-) Sunglasses on head
::-) User wears normal glasses
B-) User wears horn-rimmed glasses
8:-) User is a little girl
:-)-8 User is a Big girl
:-{) User has a mustache
;-) Winky smiley. User just made a flirtatious and/or sarcastic remark. More of a "don't hit me for what I just said" smiley.
:-( Frowning smiley. User did not like that last statement or is upset or depressed about something.
:-I Indifferent smiley. Better than a Frowning smilie but not quite as good as a happy smiley
:-> User just made a really biting sarcastic remark. Worse than a :-).
>:-> User just made a really devilish remark.
>;-> Winky and devil combined. A very lewd remark was just made.
Note: A lot of these can be typed without noses to make midget smileys.
:] - Gleep...a friendly midget smiley who will gladly be your friend
:) - Happy
:> - hmm, let me think...
:D - Laughter
:I - Hmmm, not funny!
:( - Sad
:[ - Real Downer
:-