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Look up FUBAR in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. |
FUBAR is an acronym that commonly means "fucked up beyond all repair," "fucked up beyond all recognition," or any of a number of similar constructions. It originated in the United States armed forces, but its usage has spread to colloquial use.
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Variations
The phrase is sometimes bowdlerized by replacing fucked with fouled and repair can be replaced with rehabilitation, redemption, recognition, etc., but the concept is the same regardless of the exact wording.
FUBAR was also used in the early '80s as a crash message on the Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) VAX 11/780 computer systems. It would produce the message FUBAR on the console and crash. The UNIBUS was a bus that contained cards with auxiliary processes, such as the KMC11-a/b.
A FuBar is a large hammer type tool used for demolition, it has a hammer head and a hook for bending 2×4's or 4×6's, the other end of it is a type of prybar with two nail removers. It is somewhat heavy to swing but extremely effective for construction uses.
FUBARBUNDY (Fucked Up Beyond All Recognition, But Unfortunately Not Dead Yet): An unofficial annotation, added to patient notes in UK emergency treatment centres, that indicates a slowly deteriorating patient with no chance of survival or recovery.
Etymology and history
Electronics engineers report that SNAFU and FUBAR were used before World War II by repairmen sent out to repair phone booths. They had to report the situation at arrival to the scene, often on a very bad line, so they developed these acronyms to make themselves understood.[1]
The Oxford English Dictionary currently lists Yank, the Army Weekly magazine (1944, 7 Jan. p. 8) as its earliest citation: "The FUBAR Squadron...FUBAR? It means 'Fouled Up Beyond All Recognition.'"
In the 1944 U.S. Army animated short The Three Brothers (directed by Friz Freleng),[2] a character named Fubar is a brother of Private Snafu (Situation Normal, All Fucked Up)[3] and Tarfu (Things Are Really Fucked Up, or Totally and Royally Fucked Up).
In 1980 FUBAR also appears in an apparent example of geek humor, as the acronym for the Failed UniBus Address Register in the Digital Equipment Corporation VAX-11/780 Unibus adapter (DW780).[4]
The 1989 movie Tango and Cash re-popularised the phrase FUBAR. It was used by one of the lead characters on several occasions. The phrase was also used in the 1998 Tom Hanks World War II movie Saving Private Ryan.
The computer game Armed Assault uses FUBAR in some cut-scenes. Similarly, in the 2008 video game Left 4 Dead, the character Bill (a Vietnam War veteran, will sometimes say "God dammit people, I am seriously FUBAR'd!" when he is low on health.
Related military acronyms
There are a number of slang military acronyms that are related to FUBAR. A somewhat standard group includes:
- BOHICA - Bend Over Here It Comes Again
- BOHIC - Bend Over Here It Comes
- DILLIGAS - Do I Look Like I Give A Shit
- DILLIGAF - Do I Look Like I Give A Fuck
- DILLIGAFF - Do I Look Like I Give A Flying Fuck
- FIDO - Fuck It-Drive On
- FISHDO - Fuck It, Shit Happens - Drive On
- FIFI - Fuck It-Fly It
- FNG - Fucking New Guy (used for all new people in a squad.)
- FUBAB - Fucked Up Beyond All Belief
- FUBB - Fucked Up Beyond Belief
- FUBISO - Fuck You Buddy, I'm Shipping Out
- FUMTU - Fucked Up More Than Usual
- JAFO-Just Another Fucking Observer (guy who sits in the back of the vehicle)
- JANFU - Joint Army-Navy Fuck Up
- KMACYOYO - Kiss My Ass Colonel, You're On Your Own
- LLMF - Lost Like a Mother Fucker
- SNAFU - Situation Normal: All Fucked Up
- SNAFUBAR - Situation Normal: All Fucked Up Beyond All Repair/Recognition/Reason
- SOL - Shit Out of Luck
- FUUSAB - Fucked Up Until Space And Beyond
- SRDH - Shit Rolls Down Hill
- SSDD - Same Shit, Different Day
- SUSFU - Situation Unchanged, Still Fucked Up
- TARFU - Things Are Really Fucked Up, or Totally and Royally Fucked Up
- TAUFU - Totally And Utterly Fucked Up
- Charlie Foxtrot - From the phonetic alphabet letters C and F, meaning Cluster Fuck
See also
References
- ^ "The Health Science Institute", [1]
- ^ "The Three Brothers Friz Freleng (motion picture)". Library of Congress. http://lcweb2.loc.gov/diglib/ihas/loc.natlib.ihas.200025794/default.html. Retrieved on 2008-05-05.
- ^ Pietro Shakarian. "Situation Normal All Fouled Up:A History of Private Snafu". goldenagecartoons.com. http://looney.goldenagecartoons.com/miscelooneyous/snafu/. Retrieved on 2008-05-05.
- ^ "VAX Hardware Handbook," page 373. Digital Equipment Corporation, 1980.
External links
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