snert

Definition

A participant in online discussions who is generally obnoxious and insulting.

Etymology

This is generally believed to be an acronym, variously considered to stand for "Snot-Nosed, Egotistical, Rude Teenager", "Snot-Nosed Eros-Ridden Teenager", "Sexually Nerdish Egotistically Rude Troll", or similar.

Example Sentences

• "A small army of AOL technicians vigilantly patrols for snerts (read the "The Control Room" sidebar in this chapter), but the battle is often an impasse."
• "While members like Stinkybolthole frequently posted flames, the online community studied had one very noticeable snert, who went by the name of JH, whom from a sample of ten of his posts, posted six flames, meaning 60% of his posts were flames."
• "Campbell et al. (2002) also point out that the posts of these snerts, which they call sorcerers and trolls, which they call tricksters, could possibly look similar."