newbie /n[y]oo'bee/ n.
[very common; orig. from
British public-school and military slang variant of `new boy'] A
Usenet neophyte. This term surfaced in the newsgroup
talk.bizarre but is now in wide use (the combination
"clueless newbie" is especially common). Criteria for being
considered a newbie vary wildly; a person can be called a newbie in
one newsgroup while remaining a respected regular in another. The
label `newbie' is sometimes applied as a serious insult to a
person who has been around Usenet for a long time but who carefully
hides all evidence of having a clue. See B1FF; see also
gnubie. Compare chainik, luser.
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