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Snafu

Snafu… what exactly does it mean?  And where did it come from?

There is some profanity in this lesson, so, not for the kids if that concerns you.

Here is a funny old movie with the word sanfu and booby trap (two words/phrases that I have done).

Thanks prospero811 for pointing it out :-)

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Comments

There Are 358 Comments for “Snafu”

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  1. craigs_70345 on June 14th, 2008 8:26 am

    The word in question is “FUBAR” F***ed up beyound all reason. or
    F***ed up beyond all repair. Whishever one you prefer.

  2. adamseye on June 9th, 2008 11:38 am

    FUBAR I have been there many nights!

  3. stupuff on May 19th, 2008 6:29 pm

    The Word you’re talking about is FUBAR. Fucked Up Beyond All Repair. and the Canadian Army Strikes again.

  4. captainjack on May 18th, 2008 8:22 pm

    Ok now the reply boxes are working now. Hummmm… strange…

  5. captainjack on May 18th, 2008 8:18 pm

    Ok this page is really messed up. Big time FUBAR!!!!!!

  6. captainjack on May 18th, 2008 7:51 pm

    Marina, The Reply is not working. I reloaded and still the server refuses to post replies on this blog page. :sad:

  7. captainjack on May 18th, 2008 7:50 pm

    Bobsully, Thats what I thought it was until I watched the video then I noticed it changed from what I remembered it to be. Its not the same video as before. The video was uploaded on May 10th. Notice our comments started on April 28th. So what was changed? Two things. Can you find them??? :?: :?: :?:

  8. capman911 on May 18th, 2008 7:48 am

    I miss the rating stars :sad: :cry:

  9. bobsully on May 18th, 2008 7:44 am

    reruns? Is it Summer already?

    captainjack replied on May 18th, 2008 7:42 pm:

    Thats what I thought! :shock: But when I watched it I notice something different. Its a new video. Check the upload date on YouTube. :???: Also the video has a few changes in it. Watch it again as see if you notice what she changed. :mrgreen: I noticed two of them.

    pagedoll replied on May 18th, 2008 7:55 pm:

    I only noticed two also…love the eye roll after, …”and your sister”

    captainjack replied on May 18th, 2008 7:50 pm:

    Thats what I thought it was until I watched the video then I noticed it changed from what I remembered it to be. Its not the same video as before. The video was uploaded on May 10th. Notice our comments started on April 28th. So what was changed? Two things. Can you find them??? :?: :?: :?:

    pagedoll replied on May 18th, 2008 8:08 pm:

    I can only come up with a cat and a dog in the intro and a beep for the curse words and maybe the word “censored” on the black box? Its all a big maybe for me!

    captainjack replied on May 18th, 2008 8:21 pm:

    Yea it used to say ‘fouled up’ and not ‘f**ed up’. The censor box. The bleeps. I didn’t notice the cat and dog was different. Must have missed that one.

    bobsully replied on May 19th, 2008 6:27 pm:

    A more censored version? I still don’t get the point.

  10. admles on May 18th, 2008 4:57 am

    Another great video, oh teacher of mine.

    I had a question for you - What is the proper usage of WHOM versus usage of WHO?

    When do you use which one, and why?

  11. lostinhere on May 18th, 2008 4:22 am

    I have two potential answers:

    WTF - What the fuck?!
    FUBAR - Fucked up beyond all recognition

  12. stokesjrj1 on May 17th, 2008 10:56 pm

    I’m going to go back to bed now

  13. stokesjrj1 on May 17th, 2008 10:51 pm

    scientists thieving bastards but only after he decides to let them have it.

  14. stokesjrj1 on May 17th, 2008 10:27 pm

    You woke me up again.

  15. pagedoll on May 17th, 2008 9:24 pm

    I love that one…now, “Shut the f*** off” JK!! :lol:

  16. bosscelt on May 17th, 2008 9:16 pm

    Hmm….also FIGMOH.

  17. bosscelt on May 17th, 2008 9:16 pm

    FUBAR…but how about Spiro Agnew. Not the Vice-President under Nixon, but the military term. Or Charlie Foxtrot….

  18. sniperskaya on May 17th, 2008 9:04 pm

    Marina, why do we never get to see your sister? Is she your evil, raven haired twin? Was she horribly disfigured in the plane crash? Did her air bags pop? Does she hold the secret to where the family jewels are laid? Are you Siamese, er, Russian twins who were seperated at birth? Will she ever be able to play the piano again? Or do you simply suffer from a split personality, like that nice young fellow Norman, who ran the Bates Motel just off the main highway??? So many questions, so little time…

    stokesjrj1 replied on May 17th, 2008 10:47 pm:

    All those questions you sound like a scientist.

    lividemerald replied on May 17th, 2008 10:56 pm:

    Not only is her absentminded evil twin sister as bright as a pilot light, she’s also a raven lunatic! (And I thought ravens could fly…)

  19. sniperskaya on May 17th, 2008 6:24 pm

    Marina, I think you should explain “booby trap”, lol. I always thought it was the hook and loop system that they put in the back of bras (and just when you got used to that they moved it to the front!). Great old cartoon, BTW. Mel Blanc doing Bugs Bunny’s voice as the soldier. Probably meant for the troops being shipped to North Africa at the time from the desert environment… The Great Patriotic War aka WW2.

  20. sniperskaya on May 17th, 2008 6:10 pm

    SNAFU - SITUATION NORMAL ALL F*UCKED UP
    like FUBAR and BOHICA

    runawayscott replied on May 17th, 2008 8:48 pm:

    what is BOHICA??

    sniperskaya replied on May 17th, 2008 8:56 pm:

    Another military acronym: Bend Over, Here It Comes Again!

  21. annuddermale on May 17th, 2008 6:00 pm

    yep, FUBAR it is…

    Marina, your sister is hawt… :mrgreen:

  22. colvin on May 17th, 2008 2:08 pm

    my girlfriend wants to know where’s the woman’s version of Hot for words?

  23. Warren on May 11th, 2008 5:13 am

    Wow!
    I think this is FUBAR.
    I’m getting confused.

  24. tlndofa on May 10th, 2008 9:03 am

    Fucked Up Beyond All Recognition ,
    Tango and Cash - movie…means what it says,nothing else ….thats its place

  25. bosscelt on May 2nd, 2008 9:20 pm

    FUBAR

  26. John on May 2nd, 2008 7:27 am

    We all figured out that the word is FUBAR. One of my all time favorites is used to describe someone who likes to toot his/her own horn: FIGJAM. That acronym means: Fuck I’m Great, Just Ask Me.

    Good day all!

  27. donfelipegonzales on May 1st, 2008 2:25 pm

    Dear teacher
    the new addenda was great. Thank you for the piece of old time american cartoon.
    Amicalement
    Don Felipe

  28. oldnslow on May 1st, 2008 12:33 pm

    FUBAR - F@@@ED UP BEYOND ALL REPAIR!

    lividemerald replied on May 17th, 2008 8:45 pm:

    I tried to repair those @ signs. Didn’t work.

  29. biagini2 on May 1st, 2008 7:33 am

    Snafu: Man that an old cartoon. Never seen it before. You probably had to see it in a movie theather during WWII because of the “sex stuff”. It’s Mel Blanc for sure! :wink:

  30. mrchex on May 1st, 2008 7:23 am

    correction: FUBAR fucked up beyond all recognition

  31. mrchex on May 1st, 2008 7:22 am

    FUBAR f*d up beyond all recognition. *bows*

  32. franze on May 1st, 2008 6:00 am

    Hi!!

    May be: FUCK = ‘Fornication Under Consent of the King’

  33. ags429 on May 1st, 2008 4:31 am

    Hello Marina,

    In the military we use the term “FUBR”, Fucked Up Beyond Recognition…I hope this the answer you’re looking for!

  34. gregory g mcbride on April 30th, 2008 4:37 pm

    - So messed up beyond repair -
    irreparable - irreversible - irretrievable - severe - lasting - irrevocable - irremediable - irredeameable - uncorrectable -unsalvageable
    - Botched up -
    substandard - poor - spoiled - ruined - bungled - slipshod - inferior

    Marina
    This is what I conjured up I hope that it will increase my grade if not please feel free to state a battle of words just is or isn’t the game for ye’
    Greg

  35. wordlover on April 30th, 2008 4:19 pm

    Another interesting thing is the “up” in “snafu” and “fuck up”. I’m guessing that the situation must be either standing up or riding on top…

  36. bobsully on April 30th, 2008 1:58 am

    I will use “SNAFU” much more often now! :grin:

  37. roachmeistercom on April 29th, 2008 6:49 pm

    I guess that’s Buggs Bunny’s voice prior to being associated with Buggs.

    How bee-zaaarree!

    prospero811 replied on April 30th, 2008 8:12 am:

    A lot of the guys associated with the SNAFU cartoons were also associated with Bugs Bunny and the rest. Mel Blanc - Fritz Frehling et al.

  38. jacread on April 29th, 2008 4:11 pm

    fuck’d up beyond all reason FUBAR
    fuck’d up more than usual FUMTU

  39. forrest on April 29th, 2008 11:39 am

    Hi, fubar is the word your looking for. Another great acronym the military gave us is BOHICA, Bend Over Here It Comes Again….lol.

    Thanks Forrest

  40. cwnerd12 on April 29th, 2008 10:56 am

    My granddad was a fighter pilot in the South Pacific in ww2, and his plane was called the “Miss Snafu” XD

  41. acethebathound on April 29th, 2008 10:00 am

    The acronym FUBAR stands for Fucked up Beyond All Repair…
    AceTheBathnound
    atbh

  42. mking3 on April 29th, 2008 8:55 am

    What is the meaning and the origin of the word “boondoggle”. In Canada at least, they use this word when talking about government. I almost don’t believe it’s a real word, it might just be something that stupid politicians and reporters started saying one day :P

    wordlover replied on April 29th, 2008 11:49 am:

    Looka hya, mking3.

    mking3 replied on April 29th, 2008 2:26 pm:

    boondoggle Look up boondoggle at Dictionary.com
    1935, Amer.Eng., of uncertain origin, popularized during the New Deal as a contemptuous word for make-work projects for the unemployed. Said to have been a pioneer word for “gadget.”

    Thanks for the definition. This doesn’t seem to be the context in which it is used in the media. On the news and in Parliament, it is used in a very negative way, usually when the government is being accused of having screwed something up, such as a gun registry program that was supposed to cost $1million but balloon to a cost of $1billion.

    Is the media using this word in the wrong way, has the meaning changed?

    wordlover replied on April 29th, 2008 7:39 pm:

    Who knows? :roll:

    The media is(/are) nuts! :razz:

  43. mking3 on April 29th, 2008 8:52 am

    FUBAR

    mdelisa replied on April 29th, 2008 9:06 am:

    WORD REQUEST

    I know it is a little difficult to track down etymologies of slang expressions, but I am hoping you can help in this case, as my research has come to a dead end. I write a lot about the sport of boxing and run a website http://www.cyberboxingzone.com and am constantly asked the origin of the following two words that are used in boxing:

    Palooka
    Tomato Can

    both mean essentially the same thing — a lousy fighter.

    Palooka was taken by Ham Fisher for his “Joe Palooka” comic strip, but it existed certainly as early as 1923. I have narrowed it down to two theories (both might be wrong) — Palooka was a dance during the Roaring 20s similar to the Charleston. Or, it was simply created by a sportswriter Frank G. Menke circa 1923.

    As far as Tomato Can — I don’t have much beyond theory — urban children used to play a game called kick the can (guess the rules!). I suspect Tomato Can was applied to a fighter who usually got “kicked around.”

    Help me teacher! And if you need me to send any sources for my prior research just let me know. I think you could deal with these in one knockout of a video! (Yes, lame pun intended).

    wordlover replied on April 29th, 2008 11:52 am:

    FWIW, you could check out “tomato can” here.

    mdelisa replied on April 29th, 2008 1:43 pm:

    Wordlover — the wiki is totally useless as to the history of the word– and the guess at the underlying meaning (One characteristic which may account for the use of the “tomato can” metaphor for a bad boxer is the tendency to leak red fluid (tomato juice/blood) when battered) is the first time I have heard that! But thanks for the post — it proves once again how lame the wiki stuff can be.

    Hopefully teacher can shed some light on the origin of these synonyms.

    wordlover replied on April 29th, 2008 7:45 pm:

    Wiki has some good shit, though; that is, if you can look past the NPOV¹ policy. I’ve done some work there and continue to. WP² gets a bad rap because it is frequently vandalised. For example, someone dissed John Siegenthaler in the wiki article and he must’ve got his revenge one way or another. In short, there are over a million articles, not all of them suck, y’know!

    ¹Neutral Point Of View.
    ²Wikipedia.

  44. illuminator on April 29th, 2008 8:50 am

    Word Request: Shoplift

  45. to_81fan on April 29th, 2008 8:40 am

    hello,
    i have a request for the phrase “to be frank.” wht do people say this when they aren’t frank? is there some famous frank guy that everyone wants to be?
    thank you

  46. spikyboy on April 29th, 2008 7:48 am

    @#%! ! oh!cool! :roll: @#%! hugh thats fine! :wink:

    situation normal,
    all @#%!ed up.

    cool!!!!!!!!

  47. cimska on April 29th, 2008 6:17 am

    I have a request for the word Dopamine

    cimska replied on April 29th, 2008 9:23 am:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9COI_ya8cQ&feature =related

    cimska replied on April 29th, 2008 9:28 am:

    it’ FUBAR

  48. hutchiee on April 29th, 2008 6:13 am

    FUBAR. For computer systems, most of the demo or learning material usually uses Fubar as the name of a program or object or sample.

  49. georgeadams on April 29th, 2008 6:11 am

    Marina,

    The other acronym is FUBAR (Fucked Up Beyond All Recognition)

    XOXOXOXOXO

    George

  50. bibul on April 29th, 2008 5:14 am

    I recognize that I did not know this word (Yes, i know, one more). I’m really happy to learn a lot of expression on your site.

    It’s funny because, here in France SNAFU was the name of an association of students “Super Neurones Associés pour la Finance Universelle. ” It means something like “Super Associated Neurons for Universal Finance”.

    Just for kidding, (but it’s true).

    Kisses from France…

    Bibul

  51. matalexwolf on April 29th, 2008 4:43 am

    Out on Sunday with some family and got thinking about the word, family.

    (F)ather (A)nd (M)other (I) (L)ove (Y)ou.

    :cool:

    pagedoll replied on May 17th, 2008 9:37 pm:

    Loves it!!

  52. joel on April 29th, 2008 4:09 am

    Hi,
    I don’t know what an infidel is. I asked soo many people, but they don’t know what it means. :cry: So I thought it would be a good wordrequest. :wink:

  53. linnut man on April 29th, 2008 3:50 am

    Word Request:

    I was at a large retail hardware/garden center recently and it to brought to mind something that has always troubled me.

    Why are “annuals” plants which only last one season and “perennials” listed as those who return year after year?

    I though “annual” meant every year, as in The 12th Annual Webby Awards. (for which this site should be a nominee :grin: )

    What’s up with that?

    Thank you,

    Scott

  54. captainjack on April 29th, 2008 2:36 am

    –Origin of SOS–

    Excerpt from
    The Telegraph Office Magazine
    Volume II, Issue 1
    “‘SOS,’ ‘CQD’ and the History of Maritime Distress Calls”
    by Neal McEwen, K5RW

    ] Mystery, intrigue as well as misinformation surrounds the origin and use of maritime distress calls. The general populace believes that “SOS” signifies “Save Our Ship.” Casual students of radio history are aware that “CQD” preceded the use of “SOS.” Why were these signals adopted? When were they used? Why did one replace the other? What is one likely to find by digging a little deeper? [

    ]The first recorded American use of “SOS” was in August of 1909. Wireless operator T. D. Haubner of the SS Arapahoe radioed for help when his ship lost its screw near Diamond Shoals, sometimes called the “Graveyard of the Atlantic.[

    ]It is well documented in personal accounts of Harold Bride, second Radio Officer, and in the logs of the SS Carpathia, that the Titanic first used “CQD” to call for help. When Captain Smith gave the order to radio for help, first radio officer Jack Phillips sent “CQD” six times followed by the Titanic call letters, “MGY.” Later, at Brides suggestion, Phillips interspersed his calls with “SOS.”
    [
    Not the Titanic as everyone believes.

    To save space on HFW blog please read the whole store at:
    http://www.telegraph-office.com/pages/arc2-2.html

    Yea its a long article but if you keep reading you will find out that ‘XXX’ was used as an urgent signal. I wonder if there is a link to the movie rating X,XX,XXX?
    May Day, Pan Pan, Sécurité are still used today. Morse code is no longer used.

    ~~__/)__~~

    captainjack replied on April 29th, 2008 4:12 am:

    Hello all stations (USCG says hello all stations when getting our attention on channel 16), Check out my friends blog posting some basic origins regarding MAYDAY, PAN PAN, SECURITE. Not very detailed but it gets the point across.

    http://captrichardrodriguez.blogspot.com/2008/04/h ello-all-stations.html
    Also Marinas video about the term 3 sheet to the wind is on his site.
    http://captrichardrodriguez.blogspot.com/2008/04/n autical-terms-three-sheets-to-wind.html

    Oh I almost forgot. Captain John Baird asked me to post his word request. He wants to know the origin of the word ‘NEWS’. He says it comes from the compass points North, East, West, South. Makes sense but is he correct? I know the answer to this request but I don’t want to spoil the video if you plan to make one.

    /)

  55. lostinhere on April 29th, 2008 2:08 am

    I am an Army Reservist currently seeing the world using the Uncle Sam travel agency. The other commonly used acronym is FUBAR, as stated above. There is another one: BOHICA, pronounced “bo-he-ka”. What it means is below.

    Can any guess, or tell, where the phrase “spring loaded in the dumb position” came from. A hint is: ask a rotorhead. :wink:

    Lostinhere

    PS: BOHICA - Bend Over, Here It Comes Again (we’re screwed!)

    Bob replied on April 29th, 2008 3:31 am:

    Some functions or systems in an aircraft that have a critical effect on the aircraft’s behaviour are protected by a spring-loaded switch which has to be held against the spring’s force to arm or enable their use.
    However, as a lifelong rotorhead, I can’t think why this should particularly apply to helicopters unless it has something to do with the sloppy link between the cyclic and the collective controls.
    (Don’t worry if you don’t understand the sloppy link joke; it’s a technical reference only the smartest rotorheads will understand)

    Bob replied on April 29th, 2008 3:34 am:

    For a very funny list of other terms for stupidity go to this site.

    captainjack replied on April 29th, 2008 3:50 am:

    I never heard of the term sloppy link before. But im still new in the field of that spiny thing over head. I fly RC helis and my models have sloppy links in the control rods to my fly bar.

    I still believe in the very old saying that helicopters can not fly, they just beat the air into submission. Oh and yet they can out glide an F-4 phantom any day of the week.

    /)

    Bob replied on April 29th, 2008 4:01 am:

    You’ve got it, Jack; a sloppy link is a mechanism used for translating a control input into a hydraulic output. There is no such link between the cyclic and collective in the helicopter’s hardware; the reference is to the pilot’s hands. :lol:

    BillyB replied on April 29th, 2008 8:34 am:

    Hey Bob, I’m mostly a happy guy, I work hard, am thankful my wife has put up with me 25yrs… thats love.
    “Love” The word is hard to define without context, so sorry if you got me or CS Lewis quote misunderstood but that happems alot I find in written communication, especially when space & time limit context.
    The 4 loves simply put, can be confused & redifined into many subcategories….ah it’s too complicated. Somebody more famious than me said “Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” Nice simple statement, explored, studied, rumminated upon, embraced… for centuries. i love reading the quotes that pop up on this site. Random or Marina picks? anybodies guess eh. cheers
    PS best advise I ever got “Be tender hearted and thick skinned”

  56. fonzie62 on April 29th, 2008 12:55 am

    Word request: LOLLAPALOOSA I think this is one fucked up word and i would like you to tell me where it came from lol

    lividemerald replied on May 17th, 2008 8:53 pm:

    :smile: If Marina does that one, fonzie62, then happy days are here again!

  57. marmanalade on April 29th, 2008 12:28 am

    Hey,
    Word request: fiasco

  58. stokesjrj1 on April 29th, 2008 12:28 am

    Marina, here is a good word to philologize on “inklings”. Oh i got too work tomorrow . Bye

  59. tonykata on April 29th, 2008 12:26 am

    WORD REQUEST: Luxury
    Hi Marina, Hi All. I wish to know the origin of word Luxury because it is strange: Luxury is the word used to describe the best style of life, super cars, yatch, armani, versace etc… but “Lux-” is a latin word that means light. Why is there this association between these words?
    In italian language Luxury is Lusso and Lust is Lussuria, they have same origin “Luss-”, is there another association between Lusso and Lussuria?

    captainjack replied on April 29th, 2008 3:52 am:

    Hey Marina, This sound like an interesting word. Any thoughts on this word?

  60. zabriel on April 28th, 2008 11:22 pm

    FUBAR

    Fucked up beyond all recognition (relief, repair)

  61. d-bo on April 28th, 2008 10:55 pm

    Hey Marina,
    My roomate and I were debating the origin of the phrase “rubber match”. this refers to having a third match between two people if they each won one of the first two matches. Or a best out of three concept. Please tell us where this phrase came from. thanks, I love your lessons.

    d-bo

  62. bloodyjackall on April 28th, 2008 10:48 pm

    Hello
    Word request: “malaise”

    lividemerald replied on May 17th, 2008 8:54 pm:

    I have an uneasy feeling about that request….

  63. nyagwaispiritbear on April 28th, 2008 10:40 pm

    That was tooooooooooo easy…………FUBAR Fucked up beyond repair!!!!!!!! LMAO

  64. humblefred49 on April 28th, 2008 10:34 pm

    Оно изумительный что большая смотря и говоря русская повелительница smogла быть настолько полезна к гуманности в этих день и время. Я салютую вам. Простите моему плохому русскому, но я пытаюсь улучшить на том больше. Вы воодушевляли меня выполнить более лучше и стать более лучшей персоной. Пожалуйста держите вверх по хорошему слову.

    Я также имею один запрос для слов.
    «lethologica», пожалуйста расшифровывает для меня начало и причиняет этому явления. Спасибо и объятия и поцелуи… Фред

    wordlover replied on April 30th, 2008 3:23 pm:

    «Lethologica»—да, доброе слово!

  65. dastheboss2 on April 28th, 2008 10:31 pm

    I actually know this one its FUBAR Fucked Up Beyond All Recognition :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock:   :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock:

    dastheboss2 replied on April 28th, 2008 10:36 pm:

    old cartoons are great

  66. koalabear on April 28th, 2008 10:28 pm

    Hi teach

    A “great tit” is a bird found in Africa.
    A female friend has a number of these birds in her avery.
    When I said that she had “great tits” she slapped me.
    Was she offended by my grammar???

    Maybe HFW should investigate?
    Why does the bird - “great tit” have nothing to do with “t.ts” or “titillate”.

    lots of love
    from australia.

  67. loveforu on April 28th, 2008 10:12 pm

    Hello Marina,
    How’s it going my favorite teacher!! :razz:
    Hey I’m a new student here, and I was wondering what do I need to do to become the “Teacher’s pat for the day”?
    Oh and my word request is “Love”
    What’s origin of the word “Love”

  68. heyjeremyc on April 28th, 2008 9:29 pm

    Please please tell me the origin of the word “nemesis”!

    Kthxbai.

  69. labbatt78 on April 28th, 2008 9:17 pm

    I’ll try this 1. what’s the origin of the word “May Day”. :?:

    BillyB replied on May 2nd, 2008 10:12 pm:

    today you got your wish, mayday.. Your Favorite cub Sammy Sosa eh? BTW you should ask Marina if she knows who is the Russian Rocket or better yet How he got called that (name origin). Do your Chicago Teams ‘ fans do the wave. I know where that wave thing started. Do you? Cheers

    labbatt78 replied on May 2nd, 2008 11:22 pm:

    Almost I did but I did not mention why.Not quite Sammy Sosa. My favorite now is Koske Fukudome. I have not a chance to her about the Russian Rocket yet. Yes I we Chicago fans do the wave but I have no idea where? Tell me when you get a chance. Hagn!

    BillyB replied on May 3rd, 2008 12:54 am:

    http://www.usedvictoria.com/classified-ad/5668656& category=hockey-cards “Soccer” Vancouver Whitecaps. I used to go over to Vancouver Empire stadium & yes the wave was started before 1980 to taunt the opposition as the whitecaps wave at least a year or two before the Oakland A’s claimed to have started it. with crazy George Henderson in April 1981.
    Is Kelly P. your regular singer in the 7th inning stretch http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=T0r9hAfGSnU&feature= related
    You think your man Koske is better than Seattles’ Ichiro Suzuki… its close? Went to seattle & saw Randy Johnson pitch a game. he mowed my team (Toronto) down all nine innings.power pitching wow. http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=MwYYSd7Sgbs

    labbatt78 replied on May 3rd, 2008 9:55 pm:

    ic, I would say Kosuke is just getting started. Ichiro is a excellent hitter. Yep, Kosuke is already a fan favorite. What is your you tube name?

  70. werephish on April 28th, 2008 9:09 pm

    Two suggestions for future words.

    Cookie, and “y’all”.

    Would really love to learn the history of the word y’all!

    nvisionmd replied on April 28th, 2008 9:18 pm:

    Ahoy Ahoy. I have 2 words to choose from. Boogeyman & Unbridled.

    Thanks, and keep ‘defining’ a new era in teaching.

  71. splinter808 on April 28th, 2008 9:05 pm

    Hi Marina, I am curious as to the work bologna. My Belgium Grandma pronounced it just as its spelled, while the rest of us call it bolonie. And why does it refer to a flat piece of meat that taste like a hotdog and can also be used in response to what someone has said to you and you respond back ” Oh Bolonie”
    Thanks for the learning experience on enriching my work power.
    Splinter808

    And for tdwnarrows, maybe you should learn how to use the parental controls that can be used for blocking sites for you children? Or you can screen the videos 1st and then let the see the ones you want :smile:

  72. augie on April 28th, 2008 8:52 pm

    :lol: another 10 ther that blue blouse and ur eyes really excited everyone in my household wow ur mmm sooo awsome lov tht cartoon lol :lol: lov and kisses

  73. harveycasual on April 28th, 2008 8:46 pm

    Hi Marina,

    Acronymph request… higurkejudusavogegadfahenimixajeki :arrow:

    :lol: k??

    wordlover replied on May 1st, 2008 2:02 pm:

    WTF? :eek:

  74. rowdy on April 28th, 2008 8:37 pm

    I’ve always wondered the Origin of the phrase
    “Dropped the Dime”
    like to snitch or to tell
    I mean what the heck does that have to do with dimes
    Forreal

    rythymace replied on April 28th, 2008 8:57 pm:

    The phrase “Dropped a dime” dates back to when it would cost a dime to make a phone call from a pay phone. So a snitch would “drop a dime” to call and inform to the cops on someone. The phrase didn’t change when payphones went to twenty five cents and then later to even more, the phrase just stuck.

    captainjack replied on April 29th, 2008 12:02 am:

    Very interesting. :cool:

  75. jesterzusmc on April 28th, 2008 8:31 pm

    What about the word “Snitch”?

  76. jesterzusmc on April 28th, 2008 8:26 pm

    Fubar=
    :::::::::::::::::
    F.ucked
    U.p
    B.eyond
    A.ll
    R.epair

  77. chaloner on April 28th, 2008 8:21 pm

    how about the word “corny” :arrow:

  78. maal1113 on April 28th, 2008 8:17 pm

    That answer is FUBAR Fucked up beyond all repair…..

  79. bluecrayolamarker on April 28th, 2008 7:50 pm

    Hi Marina. What’s the origin and meaning of the word “the”?
    Thanks :smile:

  80. cosaco on April 28th, 2008 7:48 pm

    Hello Marina!!!!
    Wich is the origin of the word “cameo”?
    Kisses from Argentina.

  81. jtspgs on April 28th, 2008 7:45 pm

    Hello,
    My sister used a word the today and I had no idea what it means. Can you help? The word is “Infatuated”. Thank you

    Justin

    lividemerald replied on May 17th, 2008 8:56 pm:

    What are you inslimuating?

  82. presumined on April 28th, 2008 7:37 pm

    Of course, unlike the Private Snafu movie, we aren’t fascinated by big, round boobs these days… :wink:

    captainjack replied on April 29th, 2008 12:06 am:

    Who are you kidding? My neanderthal instincts might argue that point.

    zug zug.

    BillyB replied on April 29th, 2008 12:26 am:

    Where are you captainjack?

    BillyB replied on April 29th, 2008 1:39 am:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ldrxR9X-a3o&feature =related :?:

    captainjack replied on April 29th, 2008 3:35 am:

    I is here. Where that might be? Across the 7 seas. In search of true love, a tall ship, and a magic compass to steer them all by.

    “May the Winds be at your Back and the Stars to Guide you by.”
    ~~ _/)_ ~~

    Oh, where am I? Exactly? Ok, you asked.
    47º38.10′N by 122º20.35′W
    You can visit my website for a map of my little sailing yacht.
    Just click on my name. Why do you ask? Are your the paparazzi or a G man?

    Bob replied on April 29th, 2008 4:08 am:

    Co-ordinates entered in fire-control system, Sir. :grin:

    Bob replied on April 29th, 2008 4:16 am:

    Some nice boats in that MARINA, Jack, but I was wondering how you were going to set a spinnaker on that motor cruiser. (Until I went to your web site)

    presumined replied on April 29th, 2008 3:41 pm:

    Aye aye, captain. Those fine twin bouys will mark your passage… now we just need a derivation for “zug zug”…
    *chortle* :lol:

    lividemerald replied on May 17th, 2008 8:57 pm:

    Did you start out as a buoy scout?

    captainjack replied on May 18th, 2008 8:39 pm:

    Bob, thats not my motor boat. Its an old photo from Google.
    You like the nice boats parked in that MARINA hu? I’m getting very good at parking my boat in the slip. I try to practice as much I can. One weekend I slip it in and out of the MARINA twice in one day. I tried to set the spinnaker but broke the spinner so I only have a naker. Its a bit naked without the spinner. :roll: :razz: :mrgreen:

    Lividemerald, No I never was in buoy scouts. I wish I could have joined, but my step mother was very abusive and supportive. She would not let me join. :cry:

    Presumined, Red buoys are called nuns and Green buoys are called cans. We have some of the best looking cans in the Pacific North West. One day when I was sailing my boat, I came to close and I touched a can. The boom on my boat slapped me on the side of my face. :shock: I learned my lesson on that one I think. :oops:

    :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

  83. pairadots on April 28th, 2008 7:29 pm

    The answer is F.U.B.A.R. Fucked Up Beyond All Repair. I still would like to know where Stool Pidgeon came from.

  84. ilovehotforwords4sure on April 28th, 2008 7:26 pm

    Your use of slang was really meaningless and detracted from this video. I do not understand why you introduced the other woman yelling to you. The animals were cute until you used them too much.
    I don’t think you were feeling good when you did this one.

  85. caktonias on April 28th, 2008 7:20 pm

    As I am sure many people have already said, I think the term you are looking for is FUBAR.

    However one of my personal favorites and another common term in the United States military is BOHICA (Bend Over, Here It Comes Again) which is usually used when your commanding officer is reaming you out (ream or reaming being my suggested word) or under similar situations.

  86. bsvondra on April 28th, 2008 7:10 pm

    Love your outtakes

  87. ledfloyd on April 28th, 2008 7:10 pm

    Word suggestion: how about “computer bug”? or “glitch”?
    Thanks!

    ample replied on April 28th, 2008 8:51 pm:

    “Computer bug” would probably make a good game because I’ve heard multiple origins about it.

    captainjack replied on April 29th, 2008 12:09 am:

    I too would like to know since I programmed computers for many years. I’m curious what the OED says.

  88. peasearian on April 28th, 2008 7:03 pm

    Marian you are such a naughty girl, but your teaching is very instructive. You never have a snafu. That little wink at the end makes me wonder if you are a coquette. Who is coquette and when was it first used to describe one? :wink:

  89. lcl4 on April 28th, 2008 7:02 pm

    FUBAR … Fucked Up Beyond All Reason. :mrgreen:

  90. billyinc1 on April 28th, 2008 7:01 pm

    Now that was funny Marina and I enjoyed it.

    Not to worry about the profanity in the earlier post it was appropriate my Dear not too mention HOT.

    An Admirer
    Billy
    TX :grin:

  91. chiller1822 on April 28th, 2008 6:58 pm

    i always wondered the origin of the word “whine”

  92. machetey on April 28th, 2008 6:56 pm

    what is the origin of the word “Taboo” and thanks for the video very enlightening.

  93. wordlover on April 28th, 2008 6:48 pm

    I have a theory on the origin of the word “fuck”. Let me know if you want to hear it.

    nlsmafia2008 replied on April 28th, 2008 7:54 pm:

    For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge????

    ample replied on April 28th, 2008 8:41 pm:

    That origin is actually false; I think she talked about that word on her first Maxim radio show appearance.

    nlsmafia2008 replied on April 28th, 2008 8:48 pm:

    Well, I though I would throw it out there since VanHalen/Hagar used
    ‘ For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge ‘ as a Title to one of their CD’s that included the song - Poundcake and some other great songs too..
    It was only a thought so oh well. Thank you for replying and showing me the error I made now I will have to try and find Marina’s Radio SHow library so I can learn what she taught at the time. Thannks again….

    wordlover replied on April 29th, 2008 11:17 am:

    No, although I would word it “Forced Unlawful Carnal Knowledge”.

    Rather, I think its origin suggests not “banging against” but rather “breeding”. In Dutch, there’s a strikingly-similar-sounding word for “to breed”: fokken. Note, however, that this term is not considered offensive in Dutch. So, a (well-known) sentence like “Ik fok parden.” doesn’t mean, “I fuck horses.” but “I breed horses.” Which, in turn, could perhaps suggest “I make horses fuck.”

  94. hotforhfw on April 28th, 2008 6:37 pm

    Oh, for some reason I thought that the R in FUBAR stood for “relief”. I suppose “recovery” would work too. Whatever.

  95. gpt29 on April 28th, 2008 6:22 pm

    FUBAR…Fucked Up Beyond All Recognition

  96. peterjr on April 28th, 2008 6:17 pm

    Hi Marina,

    We named our company Rhimba. We invented the word or so we thought. We’ve been told by some people that it has been around for a long time. I haven’t been able to find any record of this. What do you think? Can you guess which words we meshed together to create the name? You can see our company at http://www.rhimba.com

  97. opusrex on April 28th, 2008 6:11 pm

    FUBAR stands for Fucked Up Beyond All Recognition and was at least a weekly occurance during my time in the Army.

  98. positivechillout on April 28th, 2008 6:00 pm

    Hi there!! I was wondering where the word “but” came from. As in “I wanted to go the to the movies BUT I had to do some house cleaning.” Thanks a lot and havea great day!

  99. squid on April 28th, 2008 4:45 pm

    I’ve never heard you curse before it was shocking :shock: . Well, not really.

    Anyways, Marina–the other night some friends and I were drinking and trying to create a drinking game that related to your show (we couldn’t figure one out, maybe some suggestions?). So that brought up a word idea, could you do an episode describing the origin of the word Alcohol, or drunk, or booze? Or perhaps another word in the same category? Thanks! :smile:

  100. ryuchan16 on April 28th, 2008 4:41 pm

    Hahaha!
    That old cartoon was cheezely funny!
    Umm I have a request about the phase,the bottom line.
    That or the final straw.
    Both confuse me alot.
    Thanks teach!
    <3

  101. carmuzo on April 28th, 2008 4:36 pm

    you would be exhausted because you have many students!, but my note is about “Things are in a mess”… i consider that your introduce to this video is funiest that i remember, and consider too that you are very good teacher really… greetings from colombia my dear teacher!!!!

  102. basman1220 on April 28th, 2008 4:24 pm

    Most of us enjoy them, i want to know about the word ‘cocktail’.
    thanks and hope to hear about this soon.

  103. ef on April 28th, 2008 4:21 pm

    Situation Normal: All F*&@^d Up

  104. somebeauty on April 28th, 2008 4:07 pm

    Hello Marina,

    I am a leech. But which leech am I. I hope I am a Celt or a Slavic or an old English leech. And sometimes I feel very comfortable acting a bit like an aquatic worm. Maybe you can help me to fix this. Solve the mystery of
    leech.

    And there is another thing, but this is quite easy for you I think.
    Can you or someone else tell me and thereby others about the abbreviations: O.Dan , P.Gmc , cf. O.N. , O.H.G.
    Ir. , M.E. , Gk.

    Bye dear Marina

    aLx replied on April 28th, 2008 4:12 pm:

    o.dan. = old danish,
    p.gmc. = proto-germanic,
    cf. = confer,
    o.n. = old norse,
    o.h.g. = old high german,
    ir. = irish,
    m.e. = middle english,
    gk. = greek.

  105. flyboy_randy on April 28th, 2008 3:53 pm

    Thesaurus
    Is there another word for ‘Thesaurus’?
    Where did it come from?
    Большое спасибо.

  106. mosescali on April 28th, 2008 3:49 pm

    hi can you find the origin of the term ‘wet willy’? thnks

    pairadots replied on April 28th, 2008 7:39 pm:

    I’ve always wondered about “dirty sanchez” myself.

    wordlover replied on April 29th, 2008 12:10 pm:

    This is particularly bizarre; especially the part about Screech!