origin of foo

[Asa B. Simmons]

*** REPLACE THIS LINE WITH YOUR MESSAGE ***

gentlepersons:
let's clear this up, once and for all! take it from one who was
there 'foo' comes from 'fubar'- that is correct. 'fubar' is a member of
a set of three terms: 'snafu', 'tarfu', and 'fubar'. 'snafu' means
'situation normal, all fucked up' (in the best military tradition of
how to fuck up everything). 'tarfu' means 'things are *really* fucked up'
(this is worse than the normal military goof). 'fubar' means 'fucked up
beyond all repair' (they've *really* done it this time). now you have the
real 'skinny'. ca va?

[Travis Lee Winfrey]

In article <20...@rayssd.UUCP> a...@rayssd.UUCP (Asa B. Simmons) writes:
>'fubar' is a member of
>a set of three terms: 'snafu', 'tarfu', and 'fubar'.

I've also heard of "janfu", meaning "Joint Army-Navy Fuck Up."
Perhaps that was just for bureaucratic specialists. :)

t--
Smile.
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[Chris Olds]

[ I just saw a line eater in THIS newsgroup ]

One reference that no one has mentioned is DEC. Although it is certainly not
the origin of fubar, my Vax hardware handbook ('82-'83) lists a register
called the "Failed UNIBUS Address Registers" [sic] which is abbreviated, you
guessed it, FUBAR. From my reading of the handbook, if anything lands in
that register, things really are fubar.

Reference: Vax Hardware Handbook, 1982-83 , Digital Equipment Corp.,1982
Vax, UNIBUS, and DEC are trademarks of Digital Equipment Corp.
--

Chris "I call 'em as I see 'em" Olds
hplabs!oliveb!3comvax!chriso