Talk:anonymous

Definition as a noun

Yesterday I added this to the entry:

Noun

anonymous

1. (Internet slang) A person who posts anonymously.

And it was reverted. Why is that? We have entries for Internet slang terms like pwn, noob or leet. This usage of the word "anonymous" is just about as common as those words are, being used all the time on just about every website I know that allows anonymous posting (notably the many 4chan-style image boards). So why wouldn't it merit being mentioned? Fyrius 17:59, 5 January 2008 (UTC)

• It was removed because you put in it right in the middle of the verb section - destroying the links to the translations. Also you didn't provide any print references, or tell us what the plural was. SemperBlotto 10:07, 5 January 2008 (UTC)

I suppose you mean the adjective section. Well, mea culpa. But that doesn't affect its worthiness of being mentioned, nor does the incompleteness of the entry. (I don't blame you though - I know vandal hunters are often a bit overzealous, especially with anonymous contributions.)

So the only problematic issue is the lack of references. I'm afraid that finding those would be a bit difficult, particularly because the communities wherein the term is used are often too dynamic to refer to. I believe image board posts typically last somewhere between a few days and a few hours. But on the other hand, I see noob has been accepted without any references too, so...

The plural on the other hand is easy to supply. It's usually pluralized with a regular plural, making it anonymouses. I've also seen the quasi-Latin plural anonymii, but that's not so common. So with that added, and with some example phrases thrown in, the entry would become:

Noun

{{en-noun|anonymouses}}

1. {{lb|en|Internet slang}} A person who posts anonymously.
   • I was talking to the other anonymous.
   • Are there two anonymouses in the chat box now? I can't tell.

Fyrius 17:59, 5 January 2008 (UTC)

I've never seen anonymouses used to refer to more than one anonymous, only anons (and that too is rare). Should we go with the proper English plural form or the real one? 76.190.152.7 04:28, 24 August 2009 (UTC)

I still don't understand why "anonymous" doesnt have a noun entry--71.111.229.19 17:15, 8 June 2010 (UTC)

RFV discussion

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anonymous

"Without consideration of prestige, title, rank or background"; synonym "on the merits". This doesn't seem distinct from the usual sense (nameless), i.e. IF you consider something without a name, you MUST consider it on its merits. But that's not a sense of the word itself. Equinox ◑ 03:25, 26 June 2013 (UTC)

See Citations:anonymous for a citation (which just happens to be the only citation there is for the word "anonymous"). "On the merits" is a much more precise definition of "anonymous" than the vaster definitions already in the entry. I apologize but something about Wiktionary's templates is making it very slow for me. Kraŭs (talk) 03:40, 26 June 2013 (UTC)

The citation just uses Anonymous in Alcoholics Anonymous and then uses the word anonymity. It is somewhat useful for the concept, but not the word. DCDuring TALK 09:13, 26 June 2013 (UTC)

Unstriking. We should get three citations. DCDuring TALK 09:17, 26 June 2013 (UTC)

I'd say that isn't a citation of anonymous at all, Alcoholic Anonymous is the name of an organization, in the same way that a citation for the drinks brand Red Bull wouldn't be a suitable citation for either Red or Bull. Mglovesfun (talk) 20:35, 19 July 2013 (UTC)

Failed. — Ungoliant ^(Falai) 11:55, 4 October 2013 (UTC)

From RFV

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Please do not re-nominate for verification without comprehensive reasons for doing so.

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anonymous

Rfv-sense: (comparable, figuratively) Lacking individuality.

Tagged but not listed. — Ungoliant ^(Falai) 11:58, 4 October 2013 (UTC)

I think I have come across this meaning, such as in the expression "anonymous suits". Quite hard to distinguish this meaning from "unknown" in cites but try these:

• For Osborn the bombs appeared anonymous and indiscriminate, but the raking paths of cannon shells always seemed to be aimed directly at his slit trench.
• his style of dress projected the image of a clean-cut, white-collar company man: sober, mature, and anonymous.
• he explains that "a sentimental insistence on the importance of sympathy and individual suffering" worked to counter the Civil War's increasingly mechanized and anonymous slaughter.

SpinningSpark 23:02, 4 October 2013 (UTC)

I would actually want to pass this on widespread use ("anonymous buildings" is common, and they probably do have names and/or addresses), but I suppose the line is blurry. Equinox ◑ 22:19, 7 October 2013 (UTC)

RFV-passed per Equinox and the citations Spinningspark links to. - -sche (discuss) 00:53, 31 January 2014 (UTC)

Rhymes

Previously, it had IPA /əˈnɒnəməs/ and rhymes -nɪməs. Of course, this is inconsistent, so I went ahead and changed it to rhyming with -nɒnəməs. Just pointing it out. MGorrone (talk) 17:30, 13 May 2017 (UTC)

Fix it

This talk page shouldn't have the categories that it currently has. Should it? --NoToleranceForIntolerance (talk) 05:23, 28 January 2018 (UTC)

I've fixed this specific page like so, but others are also affected; I'll raise the issue at WT:GP shortly. - -sche (discuss) 05:37, 28 January 2018 (UTC)