We use cookies to understand how the site is used and to improve it. You can accept them, or carry on with them switched off.
Also known as: flaming
A hostile, insulting, or deliberately abusive post, aimed at another participant rather than at the argument. Flaming was common enough that groups distinguished ordinary sharp disagreement from it, and some groups existed purely for the practice. Killfiles and a public plonk were the standard defences, since no moderator could intervene in an unmoderated group. The word spread from Usenet into general internet usage.
Browse all terms in Culture & History, or see the full Usenet glossary.