The Culture and Language of 1337 Quiz

Answer: elite

In the "language of 1337," numbers and symbols are often substituted for letters. In this fashion, the pronunciation of the word "elite" was termed "3l337" and then popularly shortened to "1337," "l33t," or even back "in English" to "leet." There is much subjectivity in the spelling of 1337 words, but as a language originated from shorthand, it is more of a personal cipher with which each user can take his own special liberties.

Answer: Bulletin Board System

The Bulletin Board System (BBS) was the most successful precursor to the World Wide Web version of the internet most of us use today. Much like today, some BBS users were trying to download and share software (termed "warez"), ofttimes illegally. To help prevent such activity, some BBS servers implemented keyword searches in conversations in an effort to catch culprits. Thus, the well-versed and notable members of the community, the "Elite," began to form a language similar to 1337speak to circumvent these filters.

Answer: B1ff

"B1ff" is the first "language" to arise from the need to circumvent keyword searches and filters.

"B1FF" was the username of humorist James "Kibo" Parry on Usenet, an early BBS-esque system. He was known for very asinine behavior, posts in all capital letters, a plethora of misspellings, and a very long and annoying signature.

Although "b1ff" is not often used, it is sometimes synonymous with "n00b," one displaying ignorant or asinine behavior.

Answer: w00t

Initially a general word for excitement, "w00t" or "WOOT" has been retroactively defined to stand for "We Own[ed] the Other Team."

n00b is a derogatory term derived from "newbie," denoting one who is new to or inexperienced with something.

FAQ can be seen in even more formal situations outside the "leet" culture to mean "Frequently Asked Question."

"pr0n" is an intentional misspelling of "porn" or "pornography" in an original effort to bypass censors.

Answer: Owl

As you may have guessed, the conversation is meant to be interpreted as "Oh, really?", "Yeah, really.", and "No way!". Sometimes, although not too often, a forth or fifth element termed "SRSLY?" (for "Seriously?") or "TTLY!" ("Totally!") is added.

In forums, this meme is often applied as a sarcastic remark to obvious points.

If you want to see the famous pictures, just type "O RLY" into an image search.

Answer: wax

Usually, not all letters can be symbolized with numbers.
Common number substitutions are as follows:

A=4
B=8, 6
D=0
E=3
G=6, 9
I=1
L=1
O=0
P=9
S=5
T=7
Z=2

Thus, "3457" is "east," "9047" is "goat," and "910841123" is "globalize."

Answer: Pure Pwnage

Pure Pwnage (from ROFLMAO Productions) is filmed from the perspective of Kyle (Geoff Lapaire). Lapaire creates revenue through the "noobstore," which sells Pure Pwnage-related merchandise.
There are at least fourteen episodes to date, each depicting a different part of Jeremy's life. The series has helped to perpetuate some phenomena such as the "BOOM HEADSHOT" slogan, thanks to FPS_Doug.

Answer: "-pyr" on an adjective

Some popular expressions featuring these suffixes are as follows:

5ux0rz (sucks)
h4x0r (hacker)
pwnage (noun of "own")

They can even be used in other cases for rhythmic purposes:

r0x0r my b0x0r5 ("Roxor my boxors" or "Rock my boxers")

Answer: pwn

Thought to have arisen from a typo, "pwn" rose as a variation of "own," meaning to completely destroy another, especially in gaming.

Also, the word "pwn" has been featured in the 2006 "List of Words and Phrases Banished from the Queen's English for Misuse, Overuse and General Uselessness," by Lake Superior State University.

Answer: That sucked. I just got owned by a noob.

CONGRATULATIONS! You're now surely an expert at leet. Feel free to go play some online game and totally pwn some n00bs. Thanks for playing my quiz, and I hoped you enjoyed it!