<jargon> /hak'speek/ A shorthand method of spelling found on many British academic bulletin boards and chat systems. Syllables and whole words in a sentence are replaced by single ASCII characters the names of which are phonetically similar or equivalent, while multiple letters are usually dropped. Hence, "for" becomes "4"; "two", "too", and "to" become "2"; "ck" becomes "k". "Before I see you tomorrow" becomes "b4 i c u 2moro". First appeared in London about 1986, and was probably caused by the slowness of available talk systems, which operated on archaic machines with outdated {operating systems} and no standard methods of communication. Has become rarer since. See also chat, B1FF, ASCIIbonics. [Jargon File] (1998-01-25)