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I see this from time to time, in questions where "bonus points" are offered by low-rep users and even newbies.

Are they talking out of their tuchis and just parroting something they have seen on another site, or is it really possible...?

The most recent is this one.

If you look at the examples, it is obvious that a bounty was never offered.

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    I think it is just a metaphorical expression just to attract users’ attention, the only way to do it would be to place a bounty later, after 2 days.
    – user 66974
    Jan 18, 2018 at 21:03
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    it's just a figure of speech, it's a typical expression used in quizzes or pub quizzes. No one can offer extra rep, but I suppose if an answer is exhaustive the OP will be more likely to accept it, ergo +15 (It's +15 isn't)
    – Mari-Lou A
    Jan 18, 2018 at 21:04
  • Note: The "bonus" question there is actually irrelevant to English, so I've removed it (while leaving it visible for the benefit of this question). It may be removed entirely except from the edit history, in due course.
    – Andrew Leach Mod
    Jan 18, 2018 at 23:13
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    To me these sound a lot like "brownie points". google.com/search?q=define+brownie+points
    – MetaEd
    Jan 18, 2018 at 23:27

1 Answer 1

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The bonus points here most likely is a figure of speech, like the comments suggest. Think of brownie points or kudos - they're merely a way of expressing appreciation.

It could also refer to bounty giveaways. A 50 rep bounty can be given by this user after waiting the minimum 2 days. They have a 100+ rep. But that extra question, being off-topic, is now removed.

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  • I think the user might have placed also a 100 rep point bounty despite the total low rep.
    – user 66974
    Jan 19, 2018 at 7:35
  • @user159691 I don't see any bounty on the post's timeline.
    – NVZ Mod
    Jan 19, 2018 at 7:39
  • Yes! but he might have offered more than 50 rep points bounty as you suggest had he been willing and in a position to do that.
    – user 66974
    Jan 19, 2018 at 8:44
  • @user159691 Not sure what you meant by that. Anyone would do anything had they been willing and in a position to do it.
    – NVZ Mod
    Jan 19, 2018 at 10:57
  • What I mean is that the information you give in your answer is not correct.
    – user 66974
    Jan 19, 2018 at 10:58
  • @user159691 Specifically, what is incorrect in it? Let me know so I can correct it.
    – NVZ Mod
    Jan 19, 2018 at 11:02
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    @NVZ I disagree with Josh. I think your answer is correct. The phrase “bonus points” is synonymous with “extra credit”, which phrase a lot of querents use to indicate a side-question tangentially related to their main question. It has nothing to do with rep. A lot of these are new users who may not even be aware of he rep system, and are almost certainly unfamiliar with its finer details, including the bounty mechanism.
    – Dan Bron
    Jan 19, 2018 at 13:46
  • @DanBron Ah, thanks. I think you are right, but just in this user's case, they've been around for 7 years on SO, so they're not all that new to rep system. I don't think they're familiar with bounties though.
    – NVZ Mod
    Jan 19, 2018 at 13:52
  • @NVZ I was more talking to Cascabel’s observation that the term is often used by “low rep users and newbies”, not this specific account.
    – Dan Bron
    Jan 19, 2018 at 13:54
  • @DanBron Ah, yes, correct.
    – NVZ Mod
    Jan 19, 2018 at 13:57

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