locked passwds

[Paula J. Lindsay]

I have a machine running fc6.  In the past, the locked passwds in the 
local /etc/passwds have looked like this:

abc:*LK*:7200:720:Annabelle Brady-Cole:/home/abc:/bin/bash
this shows that the user's local passwd is locked, right?
Now, the passwds look like this after the local accounts are made with the
argument to lock the passwds:

def:!!2s8dGHjaVeupo:007:10:David Evan Focker:/home/def:/bin/csh

according to "man passwds" the exclamation marks ensure that the passwd
is locked.  All the other new accounts look exactly the same, even the 
encryption
is using the same letters/numbers.   I just wanted to make sure that 
these passwds
are truly locked, the scientist who owns the machine
would like to hear it from the list.  Please post back if
you think I'm correct or wrong.
Many thanks in advance,
Paula

-- 
--*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
  o The			Paula J. Lindsay, IT Analyst III
 /        	 	Research Computing, TPC21
o   Scripps		phone:  858.784.9378
 \			fax:    858.784.9301
  o Research 		email: paula at scripps.edu
 /                    
o   Institute						
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~