ha ha only serious

ha ha only serious  [from SF fandom, orig. as mutation of
   HHOK, `Ha Ha Only Kidding'] A phrase (often seen abbreviated as
   HHOS) that aptly captures the flavor of much hacker discourse.
   Applied especially to parodies, absurdities, and ironic jokes that
   are both intended and perceived to contain a possibly disquieting
   amount of truth, or truths that are constructed on in-joke and
   self-parody.  This lexicon contains many examples of
   ha-ha-only-serious in both form and content.  Indeed, the entirety
   of hacker culture is often perceived as ha-ha-only-serious by
   hackers themselves; to take it either too lightly or too seriously
   marks a person as an outsider, a {wannabee}, or in {larval
   stage}.  For further enlightenment on this subject, consult any Zen
   master.  See also {{Humor, Hacker}}, and {AI koans}.