1. Or, more accurately, expect them to w00t.‘‘ W00t,‘‘ a hybrid of letters and numbers used by gamers as an exclamation of happiness or triumph, topped all other terms in the Springfield–based dictionary publisher‘s online poll for the word that best sums up 2007.

2. Merriam–Webster‘s president, John Morse, said w00t‘‘ was an ideal choice because it blends whimsy and new technology. It shows a really interesting thing that‘s going on in language.

3. Purists of l33t speak‘‘ often substitute a 7‘‘ for the final t,‘‘ expressing a w007‘‘ of victory – an in your face‘‘ of sorts – when they defeat an online gaming opponent. W00t‘‘ was among 20 nominees in a list of the most–searched words in Merriam–Webster‘s online dictionary and most frequently submitted terms from users of its open dictionary.‘‘ The choice did not make Allan Metcalf, executive secretary of the American Dialect Society, say w00t.‘‘ It‘s amusing, but it‘s limited to a small community and unlikely to spread and unlikely to last,‘‘ said Metcalf, an English professor at MacMurray College in Jacksonville, Ill.