# Hooray!  1337 is no longer /\<3V/L!!!

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hooray-1337-is-no-longer-3v-l/147740>\
**Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\
**Created:** [January 10, 2003, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hooray-1337-is-no-longer-3v-l/147740 "2003-01-10T14:40:30Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 8\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\
**Post date:** [January 13, 2003, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hooray-1337-is-no-longer-3v-l/147740/21 "2003-01-13T17:18:23Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by hyjyljyj \*  
> **No-Fair Dept.: I slogged my way through almost half the book as a grade schooler, decoding and translating the slang until I had it down, BEFORE realizing there was a complete glossary in the back. Arrrggghhh.**

Actually, you had the right idea in the first place. That glossary was added to the American edition of the book (which also dropped the final chapter, thus completely changing the ending of the story), and Burgess did not approve of it. He **wanted** readers to pick up the slang as they went along.

(Speakers of Malay, and/or Burgess experts, will note that I’m being obnoxiously clever with the post subject.)

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**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\
**Post date:** [January 14, 2003, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hooray-1337-is-no-longer-3v-l/147740/22 "2003-01-14T00:22:17Z")

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woot?

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**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\
**Post date:** [January 14, 2003, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hooray-1337-is-no-longer-3v-l/147740/23 "2003-01-14T02:51:52Z")

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From the webpage mentioned in the Straight Dope column, [http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leet](http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leet), «“w00t”, “w007”, or “^/007” is a common interjection, analogous to “Yeah!” or “Yippee!”»

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**Author:** ![Ranmaru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e19adc/32.png) [@Ranmaru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranmaru)\
**Post date:** [January 14, 2003, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hooray-1337-is-no-longer-3v-l/147740/24 "2003-01-14T12:30:26Z")

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|-|//|o|-|  
1337 |-|411 /\/3\/3|2 |)13 1+ |-|4 |33(0//\3 |o4|2+ 0|o|-| //\0|)3|2// 94//\1//9 4//|) (0//|o|_|+3|2 |2314+3|) (|-|4+$  
|33$1|03$  
1+ +4|\<3$ |o|-|4|2 +o0 10//9 +0 |)0 1// |o|-||_|11  
wh1ch 1z why m0zt p30p13 d0 1t h41f 4nd h41f ph0r 1337 wh3n 1n94m3

_Translation_

hmph  
L33T shall never die  
It has become part of modern gaming and computer related chats  
besides  
it takes far too long to do in full  
which is why most people usually do only half and half for L33T when ingame

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**Author:** ![Miqlo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e95f7d/32.png) [@Miqlo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miqlo)\
**Post date:** [January 15, 2003, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hooray-1337-is-no-longer-3v-l/147740/25 "2003-01-15T16:27:56Z")

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j00 n33d +0 ch3k +i5 0u+ 🙂  
[http://www.frashii.com/romjul.swf](http://www.frashii.com/romjul.swf)  
//Miqlo

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**Author:** ![Paddle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f19dbf/32.png) [@Paddle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paddle)\
**Post date:** [January 18, 2003, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hooray-1337-is-no-longer-3v-l/147740/26 "2003-01-18T16:37:52Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Basalt \*  
> \*\*Interesting that Cecil used one of the key reasons l33t was created without mentioning it.
> 
> To get “dirty” words past brain dead dirty-word filters. \*\*

Had he mentioned it, the CR editors would probably checked more carefully.

btw. I’m so proud. I’m 17, use the internet everyday for stuff, but had never heard of leet. I entirely agree with Cecil when he says “This is |-|0r535|-|17”.

\<Re-reads article\>

Oh no. Do you think Cecil will think I am a twerp now? 😃

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**Author:** ![BritPopTart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/45deac/32.png) [@BritPopTart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BritPopTart)\
**Post date:** [February 4, 2003, 11:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hooray-1337-is-no-longer-3v-l/147740/27 "2003-02-04T11:48:41Z")

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…Bu7 17 uR3 #3|\_|\*.

Pre-1996, we called l337$p34|\< “B1FF talk” or “B1FFspeak”. Maybe someone else is out there who was also online ages ago and can confirm.

B1FF (a fictional character based on annoying then-pre-teens fancying themselves uP0R#4X0r) “invented” L337, and it was mocked and derided. B1FF also had a bad habit of abusing punctuation!!!111

And yes, L337 was used even by “non-L337” people so we could say adult words in an otherwise overly-censored forum.

I’m sure it would horrify most L337 people to know that I’m closer to 40 than 20 and can still read their crap.

j00 ||0 |^|#47?  
1 C4|| 7y|\*3 1|| |_337 2.  
=/=|| 7#0 1 7#1|||\< 17 (V)4|\<3$ PP|_ $0u|||) |)u(V)|o.

|\<3^/|\_, #u#?

Bleah. That cost me at least three I.Q. points. Grrr.

Love,  
Milla

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**Author:** ![RM\_Mentock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e274bd/32.png) [@RM\_Mentock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RM_Mentock)\
**Post date:** [February 4, 2003, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hooray-1337-is-no-longer-3v-l/147740/28 "2003-02-04T15:45:10Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Paddle \*  
> \*\*Had he mentioned it, the CR editors would probably checked more carefully.
> 
> btw. I’m so proud. I’m 17, use the internet everyday for stuff, but had never heard of leet. I entirely agree with Cecil when he says “This is |-|0r535|-|17”.
> 
> \<Re-reads article\>
> 
> Oh no. Do you think Cecil will think I am a twerp now? 😃 \*\*

Well, maybe not a twerp, maybe an innocent. Here’s [the 03-May-1991 column](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a3_238.html) where he lists the phrases “‘go do [it] in the ass,’ i.e., bugger off, fuck off, fuck you” and “shot at and missed and shit at and hit,” and dozens more that could be considered twice as offensive. Somewhere there is a column where he discusses the appearance of the word fuck in Disney movies.

Editors? He don’t need no stinking editors. OK, Little Ed, sure, but what does he do?

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