XKCD, the web comic has produced another masterstroke this morning by introducing an expertly witty new word: Shibboleet.
The new word has been introduced to make fun of the technical support systems which are present in all companies to help their customers through telephone. According to XKCD, Shibboleet is a sort of secret code to be used to avoid ineffective and unhelpful technical support. Sometimes the caller knows more than the professionals attending the call who are there to “help” the customers. Then this word can be used so that the call is transferred to a real engineer who can provide real help to the caller. Thus, in the near future when someone is talking to tech support, if he says the code ‘Shibboleet’, the call will immediately be transferred automatically to an expert who has the knowledge of at least two programming languages.
The word Shibboleet is a combination of two words “Leet” and “Shibboleth”.
The word “Leet” (often known as “1337”) is a sort of a hacking code for a skilled programmer or gamer.
The word “Shibboleth” is a Hebrew word for an ear of corn but it demands a native accent while pronouncing it. Because of the difficulty of foreigners to pronounce, it began to be used as a code word for Israelites and its pronunciation would reveal an interloper. In later times, the word was generally used to differentiate between the beliefs or customs of two sets of people.
Thus, with the introduction of this word XKCD is sure to prove its credentials as a web comic producing the very best of jokes in the tech world.
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