I'm not sure how "lose" got replaced with "fail", but hackers have been using "win" in the same sense since long before 4chan came along. Also, using a designa

I'm not sure how "lose" got replaced with "fail", but hackers have been using "win" in the same sense since long before 4chan came along. Also, using a designated but unusual superlative -- "epic fail" -- is a common hacker speech pattern, as with "die horribly" or "grok in fullness".