do a little trolling

English

Alternative forms

• do a little bit of trolling

Etymology

Popularized by a 2020 speech by then-US president Donald Trump (see quotation below).

Verb

do a little trolling (third-person singular simple present does a little trolling, present participle doing a little trolling, simple past did a little trolling, past participle done a little trolling)

1. (Internet slang, humorous) To cause a significant amount of trouble or mischief.
   • 2020 March 2, Donald Trump, President Trump Rally in Charlotte, North Carolina‎^[1], via C-SPAN:

     We like to troll, we like to go the night before one of their primaries, we just, we do a little trolling, it's called we do a little trolling.

   • 2021 May 30, u/cosmicmangobear, “Fuck David Chipman”, in Reddit‎^[2], r/PoliticalCompassMemes, archived from the original on 7 April 2024:

     When the 86 civilians, including women and children, are sus so you do a little trolling by burning them alive and take a selfie smiling over their smoldering remains

   • 2021 November 16, @real_lord_miles, Twitter‎^[3], archived from the original on 7 April 2024:

     When I went to Pompeii I found a coin (might be a replica), when I go to South Sudan I'll drop it somewhere to confuse future Archaeologist. We do a little trolling

   • 2022 July 25, u/Omandaco, “Explain Canadians”, in Reddit‎^[4], r/HistoryMemes, archived from the original on 7 April 2024:

     Yeah, the Brits and french did the original gift tossing, then the Canadians saw what they were doing and would toss tin can grenades in socks thier^{[sic – meaning their]} way to do a little trolling.

   • 2023 May 20, @Wasting_Night, Twitter‎^[5], archived from the original on 7 April 2024:

     Epic doing a little trolling by making these two weekly quests mutually-exclusive.

   • 2024 March 13, u/mechwarrior719, “Guy I swear I didn't do it (maybe)”, in Reddit‎^[6], r/NonCredibleDefense, archived from the original on 6 April 2024:

     Alright. My NCD prediction is some madlads in a US Navy submarine sneak into the Black Sea to do a bit o' trolling.

Usage notes

• Humorous variations of the phrase, such as "an infinitesimal quantity of shenanigans", "minuscule amount of silliness", or "a tiny bit of tomfoolery", are common.