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Can I get a w00t?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Merriam-Webster dictionary folks have announced their Word of the Year for 2007. It’s W00t.
Depending on who you are, I’m guessing one of two reaction: “Huh?” or “Meh.”
“W00t,” spelled with two zeroes and rhyming with “boot,” is a popular online term, mainly among gamers and young people, that means “yay” or “hooray.”
There’s some disagreement on where it comes from. Some say it’s an acronym for “We owned the other team,” others say it’s from the old song “Whoot, There It Is,” by 95 South.
The thing is, it’s been bandied around in some corners of the Internet for more than 10 years. So it’s not exactly new. And if there’s any evidence that it broke through to the mainstream this year in some major way, I’m unaware of it.
“w00t” is part of a slang system used online (and also in text-messaging) that messes with alpha-numerics and is called l33t, which means “elite,” as in “used by the elite computer folks.” l33t, like w00t, has been around for awhile if you’ve been wasting time in the wrong places.
So for people who actually use “w00t,” Merriam-Webster’s choice seems terribly dated. It’s like they chose “jiggy” as the word of the year. Those are the people saying “meh” (which is l33t for “I don’t care”). Among those who don’t use w00t, 99 percent have probably never even heard of this whole subculture, so their reaction is “huh?”
What’s your reaction? Is anybody out there saying “w00t” over this Word of the Year?
Permalink | Comments (8) | Categories: News and Reviews
Comments
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By Jeff
December 18, 2007 9:31 AM | Link to this
I’m a computer geek and small-time gamer (don’t do the online stuff), so I’ve heard of w00t before.
That said, I think it being the ‘word of the year’ is an acknowledgement of - and maybe even a sellout to - the hard-core gaming crowd, which is growing at a pretty rapid clip.
Now, if only we had the list of finalists for the title, THEN maybe I could say differently…
By Facts vs spouting rubbish
December 18, 2007 9:55 AM | Link to this
w00t word of the year…All I can say to that is “w00t!
By Clint
December 18, 2007 10:29 AM | Link to this
It’s official… we are the dumbest mammals on the planet.
By woody
December 18, 2007 10:31 AM | Link to this
Does it matter? Seriuosly it some stupid made up word that isnt even a word. I think its all a bunch of p00t.
By Kraw
December 18, 2007 10:43 AM | Link to this
oddly enough, I remember during my days of TFC and CS gaming (1999-2001 or so) the word was very common. I’m surprised it just now became “official”
w00t
By I woot. Do you?
December 18, 2007 10:49 AM | Link to this
go to www.woot.com for the woot of the day!
By RamblinLonghorn
December 18, 2007 11:11 AM | Link to this
Let me summarize whatever posts appear here criticizing this particular word.
ahem…
“I’m old and threatened by things I don’t understand. Why can’t the word of the year be something that I understand and love!”
here’s another acronym for you: DIAF.
By erinanne
December 18, 2007 11:51 AM | Link to this
^headdesk^
IDK, IMHO netspeak is working its way into our language just like other words have over the years, be it a brand name (Kleenex, anyone?) or a medical term, or, most often in the last few years, a computer term.
Whether or not w00t deserves to be the word of the year, well, that’s not up to me, but I do think that it shows the way our language evolves. Merriam Webster recognizing it all proves that while they may be behind the times when it comes to netspeak, they recognize how much it is changing the face of our language.
All words are made up, you just usually don’t know by who.
TTYL!