*sigh*
thanks wiki! Leet (written as 31337, 1337, and l33t), or Leetspeak, is a written form of slang (technically an argot) used primarily on the Internet, but becoming increasingly common in many online video games,[1] which uses various combinations of alphanumerics to replace proper letters. The term itself is a degenerative form of the word "elite", and the language it describes resembles a highly specialized form of electronic shorthand. Initially, the word leet was used as an adjective, to primarily describe the behavior or accomplishments of others in the community. In that usage, Leet generally carries the same meaning when referring to either the game prowess or, in original usage, hacking expertise of another person. From adjective form its use then expanded to include use as an expletive in reaction to a demonstration of the former qualities. With the mass proliferation of Internet use in the 1990s into the 21st century, Leet has since become a part of Internet culture and slang.[2] Leet may also be considered a substitution cipher, albeit with much variation from user to user.
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Many words originally derived from Leet slang have now become part of the modern Internet slang, such as "pwned".[2] The primary driving force of new vocabulary in Leet is the need to describe new phenomena. Another force is common misspelling and mistyping such as "teh", and intentional misspellings,[13] especially the "z" at the end of words ("skillz").[2] Another prominent example of a surviving Leet expression is w00t, an exclamation of joy.[3]
New words (or corruptions thereof) may arise from a need to make one's username unique. As any given Internet service reaches more people, the number of names available to a given user is drastically reduced. While many users may wish to have the username "CatLover," for example, in many cases it is only possible for one user to have the moniker. As such, degradations of the name may evolve, such as "C@L0vr." As the Leet cipher is highly dynamic, there is a wider possibility for multiple users to share the "same" name, through combinations of spelling and transliterations.
Additionally, leetâ??the word itselfâ??can be found in the screennames and gamertags of many Internet and video games. Use of the term in such a manner announces a high level of skill, though such an announcement is often untruthful
