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today I got a meesage on facebook by a known guy to me, from US, and the message was like that

Hi animals, what is the address to the place?

So the question is, the Hi animals is it a kind of expression ? and if so, how is interpeted ?

Is it posible to be auto corrector error ?

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    I suppose that if he badly mistyped 'Merianos' (especially without a capital) then yes, a presumptuous auto-correct system could have come up with 'animals'. It's not a common expression to my knowledge. (edit to add - might he have used voice 'recognition'?)
    – JHCL
    Commented Oct 3, 2015 at 9:02
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    Actually, with auto-correct on, he might have been trying to say "Hi, animists," or "Hi, criminals."
    – Sven Yargs
    Commented Oct 3, 2015 at 9:03
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    Animists are people who believe in nature spirits; animism is what used to be called a primitive religion. But joking aside, I think that the U.S. guy may very well have intended to say "Hi, animals," for obscure reasons of his own. Why not ask him what he meant by the phrase?
    – Sven Yargs
    Commented Oct 3, 2015 at 9:08
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    People call people using a lot of names, especially dog-related names as mostly curses. Curses become friendler if spoken among close friends or people in the same race. If you are close enough to him, I don't see any reason why he cannot call you animals. Little chance I see that he mistyped animals. I don't think it is common expression, though.
    – user140086
    Commented Oct 3, 2015 at 9:24
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    You could adopt it as your new nickname or handle from now on :) Go for the plural noun though, it's less derogative to my ear.
    – Mari-Lou A
    Commented Oct 3, 2015 at 11:02

1 Answer 1

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An example of similar usage appears in this excerpt from Richard Rupp, Death & Taxes (2015):

It was a little after seven-thirty in the evening when Dick's flight landed at Lackland Air Force Base, just west of San Antonio. The Gulfstream pulled up to a hangar, where a sister FBI Gulfstream was parked. The aircraft's stairs were lowered, and Dick was directed into the adjacent hangar. Waiting for him in an office was the rest of his team, who had arrived an hour ahead of him.

Hello, Animals! Good to see you.”

Daniel asked, “Why are we at this air force base?”

“Because this is where we catch our flight to Mexico City.”

Here the character Dick uses Animals as an affectionate, highly informal name for his colleagues just before they embark on a secret mission. The usage resembles the habit that some people (in the United States) have of calling their friends "dawgs." The term is not intended as an insult; it's spoken in a tone of comfortable familiarity. Be that as it may, "Hi, animals" is by no means a common way to address friends or colleagues in the United Sates.

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