Words I learn from my children

noob

In some ways it was inevitable. The kids would reach an age at which their slang would be inpenetrable to me. Most of it I ignore but when some is directed at me I tend to challenge them on it. Interestingly they didn't really know what a noob was, just that it was an insult used by online communities. So, I win this one by discovering via urban dictionary that noob is a slight abbreviation of newbie, someone who's new to something and doesn't understand the ropes.

Consequently it's a bigger insult online than off, as noobs are castigated for not observing the rules that all the online bores know too well. An elitist insult, yawn. Score one to the old boy.

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