My assumption, which dates back to the first time I encountered the word "troll"... | Hacker News

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waterlesscloud on Oct 6, 2012 | parent | context | favorite | on: Your tax dollars at work: local cops now paid with...

My assumption, which dates back to the first time I encountered the word "troll" in its usenet sense, was that it derived from exactly that metaphor.

Trolling for a reaction. Spreading out some chum, setting the line, seeing who bites.

mikeash on Oct 6, 2012 [–]

Yep indeed. From the Jargon File:

> Derives from the phrase “trolling for newbies” which in turn comes from mainstream “trolling”, a style of fishing in which one trails bait through a likely spot hoping for a bite.

http://catb.org/jargon/html/T/troll.html

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