New(?) jargon using the verb, _root_

[Ben Zimmer]

On Sun, Nov 18, 2012 at 10:04 PM, ADSGarson O'Toole wrote:
>
> In the 1998 example below the spelling for "rooted" is "r00t3d". This
> is "leet" style parody spelling. This date can be pushed back I
> believe. But searching Google Groups is a Sisyphean task. The results
> are inconsistent and nonsensical. Also, maybe Phrack magazine has an
> early cite.
>
> Newsgroups: uk.telecom, uk.telecom.mobile
> From: Paul Gregg
> Date: 1998/12/26
> Subject: Re: Free Calls to 07050 numbers
> http://groups.google.com/group/uk.telecom/msg/dfb73f92cb2a605f
> [Begin excerpt]
> Absolute tripe. Unless you've r00t3d every news server in the world.
> Which isn't the case since you sent begging emails to all ISPs begging
> us to add your alt.fan.habankak crap.
> [End excerpt]

With the usual spelling, the hacker sense of "rooted" can be pushed
back to 1997:

---
http://groups.google.com/group/comp.security.unix/msg/a6d8255fafcf51e6
comp.security.unix, Sep. 27, 1997
So if it IS an evil program, they've already got you rooted.
---

This issue of "ThE HaX0R bRoThErS NeWzLetTeR" from Oct. 1997 has a
couple of alternate spellings:

---
http://web.textfiles.com/ezines/HAX0R/haxo7.txt
YeS w3 DiD iT@# ThE hAX0R bR0tHErZ roOTED mTv!
...
WaRPY iS bEinG r00TeD
---

An earlier issue of the newsletter (from June 1997) has "R00tErZ":

http://web.textfiles.com/ezines/HAX0R/haxo4.txt

--bgz

--
Ben Zimmer
http://benzimmer.com/

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