alt.adjective.noun.verb.verb.verb

(idea) by /dev/joe Sat May 06 2000 at 18:37:21
For those who are wondering what all this jabber is, here's a plain description.

In order to understand this, you should first read about Usenet, and know that it was divided into many separate newsgroups, and that there was a formal process for adding groups in most hierarchies, but anybody with the knowhow could create an alt group.

Long ago, there was a newsgroup named alt.swedish.chef.bork.bork.bork, in imitation of the Swedish Chef character from The Muppet Show. (Though, like so many alt groups, it was only vaguely focused on The Muppet Show, and was mostly a general chatter group.)

Shortly after an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation aired in which Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the Enterprise was captured by the Borg and turned into a Borg, somebody created a newsgroup alt.french.captains.borg.borg.borg.

This opened the floodgates for other imitating groups, to the point that it became a well-known Usenet joke. (Well-known at one time, anyway.)

(idea) by m_turner Mon Sep 18 2000 at 1:14:50
A number of usenet newsgroups have the name format of alt.adjective.noun.verb.verb.verb such as the classics of 'alt.swedish.chef.bork.bork.bork' and 'alt.barney.dinosaur.die.die.die'. Thus, the newsgroup to imortalize this form of naming was created. The constraints in the newsgroup are such that all text must be of the form alt.adjective.noun.verb.verb.verb (or AANVVV for short).

One the most impressive works that heve been done in this style is the Jabberwocky.

alt.brillig.afternoon.note.observe.report
alt.slithy.toves.gyred.gyred.gimbled
alt.mimsy.borogoves.seemed.appeared.were
alt.mome.raths.outgrabe.outgrabe.outgrabe

alt.monstrous.jabberwock.beware.fear.watch-for
alt.strong.jaws.bite.snap.crunch
alt.sharp.claws.grab.scratch.catch
alt.terrible.jubjub-bird.beware.fear.look-out
alt.frumious.bandersnatch.shun.avoid.run-away

alt.vorpal.sword.take.carry.wield
alt.manxsome.foe.seek.search.hunt
alt.shady.tumtum-tree.approach.stand.shelter

alt.uffish.thoughts.wonder.cogitate.ruminate
alt.jabberwock's.eyes.flame.flame.flame
alt.tulgey.wood.shelter.conceal.hide
alt.terrible.jabberwock.whiffle.burbled.burble

alt.vorpal.blade.snick.snack.hack
alt.dead.jabberwock.leave.discard.throw-away
alt.severed.head.gather.take.remove
alt.our.hero.return.galumph.galumph

alt.nasty.jabberwock.slay?.kill?.bump-off?
alt.my.arms.approach.enter.embrace
alt.frabjous.day.becomes.is.remains
alt.overjoyed.father.chuckle.snort.chortle

alt.brillig.afternoon.note.observe.report
alt.slithy.toves.gyred.gyred.gimbled
alt.mimsy.borogoves.seemed.appeared.were
alt.mome.raths.outgrabe.outgrabe.outgrabe

(place) by mkb Fri Oct 25 2002 at 23:34:20

alt.adjective.noun.verb.verb.verb actually is a newsgroup, based around a very peculiar form of conversation, specifically that mentioned in the group's name.

Much as I'd love to stop here, I must continue to explain to those of you in the crowd who haven't quite caught on yet. Anything uttered in alt.adjective.noun.verb.verb.verb must be of that form.

    For example
  • User 1: alt.silly.computer.crash.crash.crash
  • User 2: alt.red-hat.linux.install.install.install

Understandably, the group is rather low-traffic. It collects the standard cross-posted USENET spam. A recent check of the Google Groups archives shows a lively conversation during the time of this writing, including some dedicated group members with the aanvvv format in their signatures!

http://www.faqs.org/faqs/verb-verb-verb/ is their FAQ. You should catch on fairly quickly.

Y'know, if you log in, you can write something here, or contact authors directly on the site. Create a New User if you don't already have an account.