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March 1, 2009
Vol. 66
No. 6

Educators' Guide to Internet Slang

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      UrbanDictionary.com is a continuously updated online dictionary of slang or new words, written and edited by site users. All entries and definitions are user-generated, and site visitors have the power to agree or disagree with each definition with a thumbs-up or thumbs-down vote. This site is not intended for children under the age of 13 or for minors without parental permission. Definitions here are adapted with permission fromUrbandictionary.com.
      404: From the World Wide Web error message "404 Not Found," meaning that the requested document could not be located. Used to refer to someone who is clueless.
      Example: "Don't bother asking him... he's 404, man."
      LOL: Originally Internet slang for "laughing out loud," lol is now overused to mean "I find that vaguely amusing." Also used as a filler word when there is a pause in the conversation.
      LOLSpeak: Similar to texting,lolspeak is writing words with different letters than their original spelling for brevity and humor. Frequently accompanies intentional poor grammar in reference to cute cat pictures.
      Example: "i can haz fud now?"
      Poke: Internet slang usually seen in message boards and chat rooms. It is often found at the end of a question and used to find out if anyone is reading what you write. The word refers to the method of poking something with a stick to see if it is still alive. On the social networking site Facebook, participants can send a generic "poke" message to prompt an interaction with friends.
      Example: "Hey, is anybody there? (poke poke)"
      Teh:Teh originally began as a typo forthe but has evolved to place additional emphasis on the word following it. Tehstill meansthe; however, it is mostly used in the same manner that Spanish-speaking people use the word el.
      Example: "I got two cookies with teh whipped cream!" makes sense, but "I got two cookies with the whipped cream!" doesn't.
      TL;DR or "Teal Deer": An abbreviation for "Too long; didn't read." A derogatory response on message boards when a user posts a long message.
      w00t/woot: An interjection similar to "Yay!" or "Woohoo!" used to express joy or excitement, usually about some kind of accomplishment. Condensed from phrases of gaming origin: "We Owned the Other Team" or "Wonderful Loot."

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