etymology - Researching the real origin of SNAFU - English …
I know the wiki origin puts SNAFU as appearing during WWII as the first in a long line of military slang, BUT, years ago I recollect reading in an electronics magazine, likely 'Wireless World' …
When did the word "snafu" enter the colloquial vernacular?
Roughly when did the word "snafu" enter the colloquial vernacular? It was a military term, but at some point it came into fairly common use among the general population.
Is using the word "snafu" instead of the word "problem" correct?
Feb 29, 2016 · 6 According to vocabulary.com snafu, the old possibly offensive military term, is nowadays used to refer to any kind of problem: Snafu was originally a World War II-era military …
etymology - What is origin of the phrase "tits up" - English …
Nov 4, 2024 · 2 Personally, I like the acronym explanation as provided by acronymfinder: Total Inability To Support Usual Performance. It aligns nicely with one of the other classic …
What is the term for words that have changed meaning over time?
Nov 26, 2012 · 11 Snafu has not so much changed its meaning over time as come to be used by a larger linguistic community. Nevertheless, words do change their meaning over time. Where …
Word for abbreviations that have become standard words
Feb 24, 2014 · The word snafu, for example, was originally an obscene U.S. Army reference (situation normal -- all f'ed up"), and fad is purportedly originally an acronym for "for a day". …
Why does this abbreviation "tl;dr" have a punctuation mark in it?
To me it kind of defeats the purpose of typing an abbreviation quickly, if I have to type the ; key too. Why is tl;dr more common than TLDR, and usually used with ";"? I have read the wiki …
Is "Goldbrick" commonly used in American English?
Sep 6, 2014 · I came across the slang term "Goldbrick" in the American WWII cartoon Private Snafu The Goldbrick (Warning: possibly sexist at the start, and possibly racist near the end).
verbs - English Language & Usage Stack Exchange
What is the correct way to pluralize an acronym? asked about pluralising acronyms, abbreviations and initialisms, but is there a standard way to add verb endings e.g. -ing and -ed (what are …
Who were the 'pros from Dover'? - English Language & Usage …
I was reading Rainbow Six by Tom Clancy this morning, and he compares his characters to the 'pros from Dover'. This was a phrase that I also remember hearing in the movie M*A*S*H - so …