this post was submitted on 23 Dec 2025
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xkcd #3184: Funny Numbers

Title text:

In 1899, people were walking around shouting '23' at each other and laughing, and confused reporters were writing articles trying to figure out what it meant.

Transcript:

Transcript will show once it’s been added to explainxkcd.com

Source: https://xkcd.com/3184/

explainxkcd for #3184

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[–] Daft_ish@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 1 day ago
[–] redwattlebird@lemmings.world 26 points 2 days ago (3 children)

0118 999 881 999 119 725 3

[–] blujan@sopuli.xyz 9 points 2 days ago

I think it's more of a 0118 999 88199 9119 725 3

[–] nek0d3r@lemmy.dbzer0.com 10 points 2 days ago

Oh, that's easy to remember!

[–] el_abuelo@programming.dev 7 points 2 days ago

I've had a bit of a tumble

[–] psycotica0@lemmy.ca 9 points 1 day ago (3 children)

Maybe not a teen thing, but among children I think "because 789" could bring 789 into the discussion.

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[–] wieson@feddit.org 69 points 2 days ago (2 children)

I feel like (6, 7) should definitely be a tuple

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[–] stringere@sh.itjust.works 9 points 1 day ago

Further cementing that there is an xkcd for everything.

[–] anas@lemmy.world 17 points 2 days ago (1 children)
[–] Techranger@infosec.pub 10 points 2 days ago

You stoopid

[–] GraniteM@lemmy.world 41 points 2 days ago
[–] hOrni@lemmy.world 89 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (10 children)

For millennials, like me: 1337 means "LEET" which is short for "Elite".

[–] Ludicrous0251@piefed.zip 193 points 2 days ago (2 children)

Sorry, what? I'm a millennial, this is common knowledge for anyone who played a videogame in the last quarter century.

[–] hoppolito@mander.xyz 98 points 2 days ago

I was going to say, I think the perpetuation of leetspeak and most of its use falls squarely into the millennial generation's early 90s into the early 2000s.

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[–] grue@lemmy.world 73 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (2 children)

What the h311 is wrong with you? Us millennials invented 1337!

[–] davidagain@lemmy.world 32 points 2 days ago (5 children)
[–] ByteJunk@lemmy.world 37 points 2 days ago (6 children)

Yep I think pops here has this one, us Millennials grew up with leet speak, it already was a thing in the 80s.

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[–] AndyMFK@lemmy.dbzer0.com 66 points 2 days ago (3 children)

I'm confused as to where you fit in the Millennial demographic for you to have not known this already

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[–] tensorpudding@lemmy.world 27 points 2 days ago (4 children)

Millenials pwnd the n00bs with the best of the genX back in the day, but I think leetspeak was a lot more niche than say 67 is, it was very gamercoded/nerdcoded when that wasn't cool.

Source: am millenial who had a leetspeak AIM handle back then

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[–] affenlehrer@feddit.org 49 points 2 days ago (1 children)
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[–] ILikeBoobies@lemmy.ca 13 points 2 days ago

I know it just means you aren’t familiar with it but it’s funny you picked the millennial one as the one you had to explain to millennials.

[–] SaharaMaleikuhm@feddit.org 24 points 2 days ago (3 children)

Ragebait. Millenials are like 40 and have back pain.

[–] squirrel@piefed.kobel.fyi 74 points 2 days ago (1 children)
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[–] VerilyFemme@lemmy.blahaj.zone 16 points 2 days ago (2 children)
[–] Entertainmeonly@lemmy.blahaj.zone 9 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Get outa here ya lock ness

It was about that time that I noticed that sweet little verilyfemme was a three story tall crustacean from the Mesozoic era!

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[–] W3dd1e@lemmy.zip 20 points 2 days ago (1 children)
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[–] Vengefu1Tuna@lemmy.zip 33 points 2 days ago (1 children)

I was reading Wikipedia about the origins of 23 and came across this neat tidbit:

On the RMS Titanic there was a watertight door on E Deck numbered 23 which was informally called the "skidoo door" according to the testimony of the Chief Baker Charles John Joughin.

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[–] raspberriesareyummy@lemmy.world 29 points 2 days ago (4 children)

Missing "about three-fitty"

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[–] Trev625@sopuli.xyz 56 points 2 days ago (5 children)
[–] hOrni@lemmy.world 45 points 2 days ago (1 children)
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[–] kittenzrulz123@lemmy.dbzer0.com 13 points 2 days ago (1 children)

42 is undeniably the funniest number

Sorry for the inconvenience.

[–] Blackmist@feddit.uk 11 points 2 days ago (2 children)
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[–] DarkCloud@lemmy.world 11 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (2 children)

If you're gonna include 23 skidoo... You should include being at sixes and sevens:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/At_sixes_and_sevens

67... Is very very old British slang for wrecked/confused, at odds, or hysterical.

"I was all 6's and 7's"

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[–] Lightsong@lemmy.world 9 points 2 days ago (2 children)

Deaf people - 258 (very interesting) and 84 (there's no good direct translation for this)

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