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The :-) notation is known as a smiley, and means thatthe statement it follows was intended as humor. When you tilt yourhead to the side, you see that : is the eyes,- the optional nose, and) is the mouth.
This notation is often used in email, text messages, and otherpostings to communicate emotional context that would otherwise be lostor unclear. A statement meant to be humorous might be found offensiveif taken seriously, and thus punctuation such as the smiley is used toavoid misinterpretation.
Many other similar symbols are used to convey emotion; seeWikipedia's List ofemoticons. Common ones include:
| Emoticon | Emotion | Interpretation |
|---|---|---|
| :) or :-) | Happy | This was a joke. |
| ;) or ;-) | Happily winking | I'm pulling your leg. |
| :P or :-P | Sticking out tongue | "Nyahh" or "Bleh". |
| :D or :-D | Open-mouthed grin | I'm delighted! |
| :( or :-( | Unhappy | I'm sad about this. |
| :~( | Crying | I'm VERY sad about this. |
| :-| | Unemotional | I'm less than thrilled. |
| >:-( | Very unhappy | I'm upset! |
| 8-) | Wide-eyed happiness | This surprised me. |
| :-O | Shouting | I'm yelling, and likely upset! |
| 8-O | Wide-eyed shouting | I'm even more upset! |
| >8-O | Mad wide-eyed shouting | Now I'm really angry! |
| |-| | Asleep | Zzzzzz... |
| ==|:-) | Silly | I'm Abraham Lincoln (top hat). |
