I've started reading a few yahoo-groups...

[conuly]

And on one of them there's an interesting discussion going on about smileys and how people interpret them. What's really interesting is that all the ones people are listing are the "sideways smilies" like :( :) and the ever-popular :P with their variations (=P, :-P). Nobody has mentioned what I tend to think of as "anime smilies" (since so many of the friends who use them are so such fans of the genre) such as (^_^) and the like. I'm so used to seeing those instead of the "sideways" version that it's starting to honestly look strange, a conversation about smilies that DOESN'T MENTION THESE. However, there are a number of people speaking up for things like (grin) which I don't see often most places. I'm more likely to see *grins* instead.

Anyway, this got me thinking, anybody want to list the smilies/similar things they use, and what THEY mean when they use it? And, maybe, since I'm all curious now, where they first started using it (if they can remember)? Pretty please?

Comments

[velvetchamber.livejournal.com]

: þ This is my equivalent of : p, only it looks better (I hope you see the Icelandic letter, and not just a string of symbols) and it is a sign of slight mischief. Otherwise I usually use things like *chuckles* and *grin* with perchance a : ) fellow thrown in. But here on LJ, I usually let my usericon do the trick, since the majority of them displays some emotion or a mindset.

[conuly]

I see it. What sound does the letter make?

[moggymania.livejournal.com]

I've been aware of the "Anime" smilies (same name I've had for them) for quite a while, too. I just don't use them because they're too cutesy for my tastes. (I don't get on with Anime -- or cute things -- in general.)

[velvetchamber.livejournal.com]

They always feel Australian to me... as it seems that a greater percentage of the Australians I know use them than of the populace of the internet in general.

[codeman38.livejournal.com]

Heh, I know which Yahoo group you're referring to... personally, I rather liked how the discussion somehow ended up at Schrödinger's smiling cat and the sound of one cat smiling. ::grin::

Anyway, these are the main five emoticons you'll usually see me using:
:-) - a typical smile or grin, just for when I'm saying something in a generally facetious tone
;-) - winky, for something I think is especially witty in a dry sort of way
:-p - sticking tongue out; basically used for slightly more acerbic wit than a regular wink or smile
:-D - big grin, sometimes accompanied by laughter, for something I thought was especially funny
:-\ - an "eehhhhh..." sort of feeling, a bit saddened or depressed but not really a frown. (In fact, I rarely use the actual frowning emoticon...)

Oh, and these are all supported by AIM. Shows you where I spend most of my time. :-)

Sometimes I'll use smileys, and sometimes I'll use emotes in double colons, like the ::grin:: above. Really depends on the mood I'm in, as well as whether I think the expression is enough to be summed up in a simple smiley or not...

[mhari.livejournal.com]

It's funny, 'cos they convey a lot of subtlety, to me at least, that a lot of people don't seem to notice.

:P is for disgust or sarcasm, not simple teasing, and people who use it that way confuse hell out of me. And usually make me feel stupid.

:) is just a general purpose smile.

;) is a "teasing" flag, i.e. "the foregoing should not be taken literally or seriously".

:> is a tight-lipped smile, when I'm a) not amused or b) feeling evil.

XD ---> big goofy grin.
:D ---> slightly smaller goofy grin.

:} ---> wobbly smile for when :) is overly cheery, such as after an incident that requires a lot of :~~~~~(s.

=) ---> big, fake grin, such as you give to the batty lady in the checkout line, when you know she's not trying to be difficult but you're annoyed all the same. Or just when social niceties are less effort than being perfectly frank. This is probably just me being weird, though.

:/ ---> disappointment or sympathy.
:( ---> seriously concerned.


>:/ ---> angry face. For some reason Mr. Shouty ( >:O ) doesn't adequately express anger to me and is more suitable for mock-angry or mildly vexed.

*g* --> grins
*s* --> smiles
Anything else in asterisks I'm likely to not get unless it's spelled out. I'm smart dumb smart that way.

Anime smilies-- I use @_@ because there isn't a good sideways smiley for rolling one's eyes, and -_- for narrow-eyed/displeased/cold disdain/general malaise -- more actively unhappy than :/ -- and >_< because it's a good cranky face.

/end ramble.

[codeman38.livejournal.com]

Oh, yes. I don't frequently use anime-style smileys, but I do use them on occasion because there's an expression that just can't be expressed through ordinary sideways smileys. One of those is O_o -- sort of a bug-eyed "Huhhhh?!", for lack of a better way of expressing it...

[strangelette.livejournal.com]

Hmm... I use :) A LOT, probably more than I should. I think I use it so much because it's much easier to just put it at the end of a thought that could be misread. I think it makes a lot of internet communication easier because it smooths over places where, in any other setting, it should be obvious that there's sarcasm/joking/whatever.

I also adore >.< because it's such a perfect "Damn/nrf/not!awake!" face :)

[joeymew.livejournal.com]

I used to be really big on anime smilies, but then grew out of them. I still use ^-^ on a regular basis, and it basically means the same expression as on my icon *points to icon.* I like it better then ^_^, because the former seems more chibi to me.

I also use =D ocassionally for a big smile, =3 or :3 for a weird kitty like grin, and oO for a raised eyebrow/freaked out look. It's usually followed by Oo if someone doesn't reply fast enough. But most of the time I'm an action-y type of person. *runs around doing silly things*

[joeymew.livejournal.com]

Oh, and I use XD a lot, if I find something funny, and XP if I find something funny but need to stick my tongue out at someone for the funny thing they did.

[erinpuff]

^_^ - happy, hee!, lol, w00t

^_~ - just kidding, lol, heehee

>_< - rarr, angry!, blah, grr, this sucks

O_o - wtf?, uhmmm, confused, squicked, disturbed

(with above smileys, additional _s act as intensifiers. Thus, ^____________^ means, like, YAYYYYY!!)

^^ - Smiley equivalent of "heh." At least, that's how I use it. When whatever I'm saying doesn't quite merit ^_^, I use ^^.

:p - bleah, urgh, meh, blah

I mostly use the anime smileys because they look better in parentheses, which I overuse. I'm actually not an anime fangirl.

[maladaptive.livejournal.com]

I use the anime smilies myself.

O.O conveys shock
@.@ is a display of "what the shit is this?"
^^ yay!
=^^= most pleased, effusively grateful (I use this in ffxi often)
o.o kind of flat, puzzled
^~ cheerful, teasing
:P joking, as if you say "you silly goose!"
e.e eye rolling
o.O uh, yeah, okay...

Those're the ones I use. It amuses me how people interpret them differently.

I think the reason I use the anime smilies more is because I play Final Fantasy XI-- and the "anime" ones are recognized by both American and Japanese players. You can make those basic faces with the Kanji keyboard, but you really can't make the American ones.

[the-lady-aurora.livejournal.com]

I mostly use :0) for happy/smiling/pleased and :0( for unhappy/distressed. Can't think of any others I use regularly. I started using it on freeserve chat when someone I know used it and I thought it looked cute with it's little nose.

[feathered.livejournal.com]

I despise the anime faces. The only one I EVER use on occasion is: o_O or O_o

And that's usually in the context of when I'm telling someone about an event that disturbed or shocked/amused me (usually when I'm talking about my evenings with tess) and I say, "The closest internet face to my expression at the time was O_o" because I LIKE to say that, and I sometimes do make a face similar to that, though not in a really literal way... squiching one eye and widening the other. It tends to mean, "What the FUCK are you talking about?? I am confused and shocked."

The only other face that I use outside of NC is my equivilant to my *makes faces*, my beloved ;P face. It is the internet version of squinching one eye and sticking out the tongue, again an expression I use in real life. It's used in amusing situations that are also mildly squicky, or when a friend is being particularly silly, or when I am, or to express the fact that I am most likely sitting at my computer squinching my eyes and sticking out my tongue at your last comment.

Besides that, I mostly use the *actions*. Every once in a while I use the winky face when I am talking with Kathleen and we're being mischievous. It's the "I'm joking" alert, really, and that's what we use it for if the text is ambiguous.

[rachelkachel]

I don't use very many... I also seem to interpret a lot of the ones I don't use slightly differently than what people have said, but I'm not going to get into that.

:) is just a smile.
;) is a slightly joking smile, I guess.
:P is when I'm annoyed or sometimes slightly amused but not enough to use :)
:D is a grin - I don't use it often.
o.O is one raised eyebrow, basically saying "What the heck are you thinking, you freak?"

I've also used ^_^ a few times but I don't like it much.

[rachelkachel]

Forgot to mention - sometimes I add in the noses if I think it looks bad without them, which seems to happen in certain fonts...
:-)
;-)
:-P
:-D

[malantha.livejournal.com]

since i've been chatting with my boyfriend, who is a gamer and chats with a lot of euros (i'm not sure which one is more relevant. that they're gamers, or that they're european), i've been introduced to a ton of new smilies.

\o/ .. "YAY!" a little guy with both of his arms up in the air

.o/ or o/ .. "hi!" he's waving.

\:D/ .. i just think is bizarre.. it's \o/ but extra happy

:X or :x or :S .. sort of a "i'm not sayin' a word" or "my lips are sealed" kind of thing.

:o or :O .. shocked/surprised look. :( ) gets used for an extra shocked look.

¬.¬ .. suspicious or wary

the "robot" faces, which are pretty much like normal smilies 'cept they look like robots: :] :[ 8] 8[

then there are the more anime looking ones.

T_T .. tears running down face like this (http://www.nichibeianime.com/cel-imgs/yawara-imgs/yw007.gif)
xD .. super happy. like eyes squinting/closed big grin deal

the ones i usually use are :D ;D and :P (happy, teasing, sarcasm). once in a while i'll use a -.- (uninterested. usually followed by *yawn* or "/me yawns" on irc) or ¦o (tired/yawning)

[squittycat.livejournal.com]

Smiley: :). :)

Meaning: null. :)

[fjorab-teke.livejournal.com]

I use a wide variety of the sideways-smilies, mostly :-) :-( :-/ :-p X-( :-D

Occasionally I "make up" one that ends up looking close to what I intend. I've used them more since the advancements of IM automatically interpreting the smilies.

Before I ever used the sideways smilies, I used the abbreviation-emotes that were used in the chats I used to frequent. I still use most of the main ones. I usually enclose them within stars. Some are *LOL*/*LMAO*/*ROTFLMAO*, *EWG* (evil, wicked/wild grin), *hugs*, *S*/*smiles*, etc.

Very rarely, and only recently, have I used the "anime emoticons".

[velvetchamber.livejournal.com]

: þ This is my equivalent of : p, only it looks better (I hope you see the Icelandic letter, and not just a string of symbols) and it is a sign of slight mischief. Otherwise I usually use things like *chuckles* and *grin* with perchance a : ) fellow thrown in. But here on LJ, I usually let my usericon do the trick, since the majority of them displays some emotion or a mindset.

[conuly]

I see it. What sound does the letter make?

[darlarnex.livejournal.com]

just thaught i'd throw mine in here...not entirely sure why...

i use >.> as a kind of a sigh i guess...
n.n as the equivalent of ^_^
u.u is sad...much the same as v_v
o.0 has been explained...
O.O is shock...
i once used ;.; as crying...but i don't think i've ever used it since...

why did i post this? who knows! who cares!

[moggymania.livejournal.com]

I've been aware of the "Anime" smilies (same name I've had for them) for quite a while, too. I just don't use them because they're too cutesy for my tastes. (I don't get on with Anime -- or cute things -- in general.)

[velvetchamber.livejournal.com]

They always feel Australian to me... as it seems that a greater percentage of the Australians I know use them than of the populace of the internet in general.

[codeman38.livejournal.com]

Heh, I know which Yahoo group you're referring to... personally, I rather liked how the discussion somehow ended up at Schrödinger's smiling cat and the sound of one cat smiling. ::grin::

Anyway, these are the main five emoticons you'll usually see me using:
:-) - a typical smile or grin, just for when I'm saying something in a generally facetious tone
;-) - winky, for something I think is especially witty in a dry sort of way
:-p - sticking tongue out; basically used for slightly more acerbic wit than a regular wink or smile
:-D - big grin, sometimes accompanied by laughter, for something I thought was especially funny
:-\ - an "eehhhhh..." sort of feeling, a bit saddened or depressed but not really a frown. (In fact, I rarely use the actual frowning emoticon...)

Oh, and these are all supported by AIM. Shows you where I spend most of my time. :-)

Sometimes I'll use smileys, and sometimes I'll use emotes in double colons, like the ::grin:: above. Really depends on the mood I'm in, as well as whether I think the expression is enough to be summed up in a simple smiley or not...

[mhari.livejournal.com]

It's funny, 'cos they convey a lot of subtlety, to me at least, that a lot of people don't seem to notice.

:P is for disgust or sarcasm, not simple teasing, and people who use it that way confuse hell out of me. And usually make me feel stupid.

:) is just a general purpose smile.

;) is a "teasing" flag, i.e. "the foregoing should not be taken literally or seriously".

:> is a tight-lipped smile, when I'm a) not amused or b) feeling evil.

XD ---> big goofy grin.
:D ---> slightly smaller goofy grin.

:} ---> wobbly smile for when :) is overly cheery, such as after an incident that requires a lot of :~~~~~(s.

=) ---> big, fake grin, such as you give to the batty lady in the checkout line, when you know she's not trying to be difficult but you're annoyed all the same. Or just when social niceties are less effort than being perfectly frank. This is probably just me being weird, though.

:/ ---> disappointment or sympathy.
:( ---> seriously concerned.


>:/ ---> angry face. For some reason Mr. Shouty ( >:O ) doesn't adequately express anger to me and is more suitable for mock-angry or mildly vexed.

*g* --> grins
*s* --> smiles
Anything else in asterisks I'm likely to not get unless it's spelled out. I'm smart dumb smart that way.

Anime smilies-- I use @_@ because there isn't a good sideways smiley for rolling one's eyes, and -_- for narrow-eyed/displeased/cold disdain/general malaise -- more actively unhappy than :/ -- and >_< because it's a good cranky face.

/end ramble.

[codeman38.livejournal.com]

Oh, yes. I don't frequently use anime-style smileys, but I do use them on occasion because there's an expression that just can't be expressed through ordinary sideways smileys. One of those is O_o -- sort of a bug-eyed "Huhhhh?!", for lack of a better way of expressing it...

[strangelette.livejournal.com]

Hmm... I use :) A LOT, probably more than I should. I think I use it so much because it's much easier to just put it at the end of a thought that could be misread. I think it makes a lot of internet communication easier because it smooths over places where, in any other setting, it should be obvious that there's sarcasm/joking/whatever.

I also adore >.< because it's such a perfect "Damn/nrf/not!awake!" face :)

[joeymew.livejournal.com]

I used to be really big on anime smilies, but then grew out of them. I still use ^-^ on a regular basis, and it basically means the same expression as on my icon *points to icon.* I like it better then ^_^, because the former seems more chibi to me.

I also use =D ocassionally for a big smile, =3 or :3 for a weird kitty like grin, and oO for a raised eyebrow/freaked out look. It's usually followed by Oo if someone doesn't reply fast enough. But most of the time I'm an action-y type of person. *runs around doing silly things*

[joeymew.livejournal.com]

Oh, and I use XD a lot, if I find something funny, and XP if I find something funny but need to stick my tongue out at someone for the funny thing they did.

[erinpuff]

^_^ - happy, hee!, lol, w00t

^_~ - just kidding, lol, heehee

>_< - rarr, angry!, blah, grr, this sucks

O_o - wtf?, uhmmm, confused, squicked, disturbed

(with above smileys, additional _s act as intensifiers. Thus, ^____________^ means, like, YAYYYYY!!)

^^ - Smiley equivalent of "heh." At least, that's how I use it. When whatever I'm saying doesn't quite merit ^_^, I use ^^.

:p - bleah, urgh, meh, blah

I mostly use the anime smileys because they look better in parentheses, which I overuse. I'm actually not an anime fangirl.

[maladaptive.livejournal.com]

I use the anime smilies myself.

O.O conveys shock
@.@ is a display of "what the shit is this?"
^^ yay!
=^^= most pleased, effusively grateful (I use this in ffxi often)
o.o kind of flat, puzzled
^~ cheerful, teasing
:P joking, as if you say "you silly goose!"
e.e eye rolling
o.O uh, yeah, okay...

Those're the ones I use. It amuses me how people interpret them differently.

I think the reason I use the anime smilies more is because I play Final Fantasy XI-- and the "anime" ones are recognized by both American and Japanese players. You can make those basic faces with the Kanji keyboard, but you really can't make the American ones.

[the-lady-aurora.livejournal.com]

I mostly use :0) for happy/smiling/pleased and :0( for unhappy/distressed. Can't think of any others I use regularly. I started using it on freeserve chat when someone I know used it and I thought it looked cute with it's little nose.

[feathered.livejournal.com]

I despise the anime faces. The only one I EVER use on occasion is: o_O or O_o

And that's usually in the context of when I'm telling someone about an event that disturbed or shocked/amused me (usually when I'm talking about my evenings with tess) and I say, "The closest internet face to my expression at the time was O_o" because I LIKE to say that, and I sometimes do make a face similar to that, though not in a really literal way... squiching one eye and widening the other. It tends to mean, "What the FUCK are you talking about?? I am confused and shocked."

The only other face that I use outside of NC is my equivilant to my *makes faces*, my beloved ;P face. It is the internet version of squinching one eye and sticking out the tongue, again an expression I use in real life. It's used in amusing situations that are also mildly squicky, or when a friend is being particularly silly, or when I am, or to express the fact that I am most likely sitting at my computer squinching my eyes and sticking out my tongue at your last comment.

Besides that, I mostly use the *actions*. Every once in a while I use the winky face when I am talking with Kathleen and we're being mischievous. It's the "I'm joking" alert, really, and that's what we use it for if the text is ambiguous.