SNAFU is an

acronym An acronym is a type of abbreviation consisting of a phrase whose only pronounced elements are the initial letters or initial sounds of words inside that phrase. Acronyms are often spelled with the initial Letter (alphabet), letter of each wor ...

that is widely used to stand for the sarcastic expression "Situation normal: all fucked up". It is a well-known example of military acronym slang. It is sometimes censored to "all fouled up" or similar. It means that the situation is bad, but that this is a normal state of affairs. The acronym is believed to have originated in the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionar ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. In modern usage, ''SNAFU'' is used to describe running into an error or problem that is large and unexpected. For example, in 2005, ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' published an article titled "Hospital Staff Cutback Blamed for Test Result Snafu". ''SNAFU'' also sometimes refers to a bad situation, mistake, or cause of trouble, and it is sometimes used as an

interjection An interjection is a word or expression that occurs as an utterance on its own and expresses a spontaneous feeling, situation or reaction. It is a diverse category, with many different types, such as exclamations ''(ouch!'', ''wow!''), curses (''da ...

Origin

Most reference works, including the '' Random House Unabridged Dictionary'', supply an origin date of 1940–1944, generally attributing it to the U.S. Army. Rick Atkinson ascribes the origin of ''SNAFU'', ''

FUBAR Military slang is a colloquial language used by and associated with members of various military forces. This page lists slang words or phrases that originate with military forces, are used exclusively by military personnel or are strongly associa ...

'', and many other terms to cynical GIs ridiculing the army's penchant for acronyms. The first known publication of the term was by ''

The Kansas City Star ''The Kansas City Star'' is a newspaper based in Kansas City, Missouri. Published since 1880, the paper is the recipient of eight Pulitzer Prizes. ''The Star'' is most notable for its influence on the career of President Harry S. Truman and a ...

'', on July 27, 1941. It was subsequently recorded in '' American Notes and Queries'' in the September 1941 issue (which the ''

Oxford English Dictionary The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' (''OED'') is the principal historical dictionary of the English language, published by Oxford University Press (OUP), a University of Oxford publishing house. The dictionary, which published its first editio ...

'' in 1986 credited as the term's first appearance).''A Supplement to the

'', R. W. Burchfield, ed., Volume IV Se-Z, 1986. ''

Time Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...

'' magazine used the term in its June 16, 1942, issue: "Last week U.S. citizens knew that gasoline rationing and rubber requisitioning were snafu." The attribution of ''SNAFU'' to the American military is not universally accepted: it has also been attributed to the British, although the ''Oxford English Dictionary'' gives its origin and first recorded use as U.S. military slang. In a wider study of military slang, Elkin noted in 1946 that there "are a few acceptable substitutes such as 'screw up' or 'mess up,' but these do not have the emphasis value of the obscene equivalent." He considered the expression to be "a caricature of Army direction. The soldier resignedly accepts his own less responsible position and expresses his cynicism at the inefficiency of Army authority." He also noted that "the expression ��is coming into general civilian use."

Similar acronyms

SUSFU

SUSFU is an acronym for Situation unchanged: still fucked up, but can also be

bowdlerized An expurgation of a work, also known as a bowdlerization, is a form of censorship that involves purging anything deemed noxious or offensive from an artistic work or other type of writing or media. The term ''bowdlerization'' is often used in th ...

—just like ''SNAFU''—to Situation unchanged: still fouled up. It is used in a

military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. Militaries are typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with their members identifiable by a d ...

context and was first recorded in the '' ANQ'' in their September 1941 issue.

References

Sources

External links

Acronym Finder's SNAFU entryInternet Archive: Private SNAFU – The Home Front (1943)
– This is one of 26 Private SNAFU cartoons made by the US Army Signal Corps to educate and boost the morale of the troops.
The SNAFU Special – Official website of the C-47 #43-15073
*Episode 101
MP3 6M
o
Command Performance
from 15 Jan 1944 includes a song about SNAFU by the

Spike Jones Lindley Armstrong "Spike" Jones (December 14, 1911 – May 1, 1965) was an American musician, bandleader and conductor specializing in spoof arrangements and satire of popular songs and classical music. Ballads receiving the Jones treatment wer ...

band. {{DEFAULTSORT:Snafu Acronyms Military slang and jargon