Talk:List of military slang terms

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Redirect to wiktionary:Appendix:Glossary of military slang
This page was created in response to Articles for deletion/FUBAR and Talk:FUBAR. While I believe that decision was made in good faith, I also believe that it was made in ignorance of the prior history of the Military slang page and of the extensive discussions that led to the transfer of that page to a Wiktionary Appendix. This page, while having slightly different content than the version that was moved, has exactly the same scope and will grow into exactly the same unmanagable list that the last version did.

Wikipedia does not have the resources, tools or specialized expertise to maintain these kinds of lists of words. Wiktionary editors, on the other hand, are very good at this kind of thing. While I respect the recent decisions, I see nothing that justifies overturning the prior consensus to move it all to Wiktionary. This page should also be redirected to the Wiktionary list. Rossami (talk) 13:55, 2 May 2012 (UTC)


 * I created this page by merging content from SNAFU, FUBAR, and BOHICA, per (what I perceived to be) consensus at Talk:FUBAR. Most editors recommended merging those pages to some new page. I suggested a page called "Acronym slang", going so far as to create a userspace draft, but that suggestion was rejected. Although personally I thought a page called "List of military slang terms" that was genuinely a list of terms would be too dictionary-like to satisfy Wikipedia inclusion guidelines, I did give the page that name, per suggestions from other editors.


 * I agree with Rossami's concern that the current name and list criteria may invite an over-large dictionary-style list like that removed from Military slang. I am also worried that such lists often feature original research, dictionary definitions, or otherwise inappropriate content.


 * That said, I do think there should be a place on Wikipedia for the acronym-related content on this page. After merging SNAFU, FUBAR, and BOHICA, I redirected those pages here and fixed several double redirects that resulted (that is, pages that originally redirected to one of those three). As a result, I know that a number of pages (some 30 or 40 in article space) refer to SNAFU, FUBAR, or other slang acronyms. This suggests that many Wikipedia users find the content useful. The currently cited sources also suggest that it is possible to build an appropriate encyclopedic article on the topic. I would, however, be very happy to see that issue discussed as a concept, as opposed to listed as a set of lexical items. Cnilep (talk) 01:13, 3 May 2012 (UTC)


 * I think it's a little more involved, especially given some of the detail here, than a wikitionary entry. This list seems fine to me, although Military slang doesn't have much either, so we could merge it into that too. Shadowjams (talk) 19:59, 4 May 2012 (UTC)


 * The military slang article content itself was moved into Wiktionary. No need to moved a list format content into a stub article/disambig. - M0rphzone (talk) 03:22, 2 June 2012 (UTC)


 * I don't believe it's useful to merge the content to the appendix as many acronyms, slang terms are linked to this article. "This will grow into exactly the same unmanagable list that the last version did." - What makes you certain that this will happen? What makes you think that this can't be prevented? Just prohibit users from adding any more terms and direct them to/tell them to add it in the glossary at Wiktionary instead. - M0rphzone (talk) 03:22, 2 June 2012 (UTC)


 * This article shouldn't be merged into the "List of U.S. government and military acronyms": They're humorous, but not official. It's doubtful that one would find them in the glossary section of any official government publication.  This article also shouldn't be redirected to the Wiktionary article until the terms in this article are fully integrated there, since the changes to Wiktionary may be challenged and the entries deleted, leaving neither project with the information. &mdash; QuicksilverT @ 20:33, 26 October 2012 (UTC)


 * On reflection I would have to agree that this article is fine the way it is and does serve an apparent purpose as a page on 'pedia. If the article gets out of control obviously that will have to be dealt with, but it hasn't in nearly a year since this discussion started. &lt; Karlww ( contribs &#124; talk ) 03:40, 21 March 2013 (UTC)


 * Guess I'll remove the template. --(B)～（ー．ー）～(Z) (talk) 17:01, 1 May 2013 (UTC)

SAPFU
Consider adding SAPFU to the list — surpassing all previous fuck-ups or surpasses all previous fuck-ups. &mdash; QuicksilverT @ 20:33, 26 October 2012 (UTC)

FUMTU
An anonymous user at IP 173.13.97.145 added "FUMTU", glossed as "fucked up more than usual". I found a couple of sources (Breverton's Nautical Curiousities and The Pirate Dictionary) suggesting this as an acronym for "fouled up more than usual", owing to fouled anchors. It's possible that fouled up was actually a euphemism for fucked up; it's possible that the acronym started in or spread to Navies, but that is not what the sources I consulted say. I removed the section, which other editors had noted as needing citation. Please cite a reliable source calling this military slang if adding this or any other new terms. Cnilep (talk) 03:12, 22 December 2012 (UTC)

JANFU
If you're going to reference "SNAFU" and the relatively obscure "SUSFU" and "TARFU", might as well include JANFU -- Joint Army/Navy Fuck Up; FIGMO -- Fuck It, Got My Orders; and FUMTU -- Fucked Up More Than Usual. All in venerable usage in the Navy and the Army. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 74.95.43.253 (talk) 00:59, 6 January 2021 (UTC)

Just a passerby
But I don't think the title of this article is appropriate. "List of military slang terms" Would encompass many more terms, such as the "List of U.S. government and military acronyms" article. Why is there an entire page dedicated to these contrived terms, only one of which I have heard used in the military? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 98.245.122.254 (talk) 14:19, 3 January 2013 (UTC)

Not real words outside of america
None of these words are even known or have any meaning outside of a small section of america so it should be list of military slang in america not military slang in general since no one from any other English speaking country uses gibberish like snafu. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Littledoggy26 (talk • contribs) 07:33, 4 May 2013 (UTC)
 * Nah. FUBAR and SNAFU are pretty common parts of mon-military American slang now, and have been for decades.  Heard 'em used in Canada, too.  — Preceding unsigned comment added by 74.95.43.253 (talk) 00:59, 6 January 2021 (UTC)

Requested move

 * The following discussion is an archived discussion of a requested move. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section on the talk page. Editors desiring to contest the closing decision should consider a move review. No further edits should be made to this section. 

The result of the move request was: Merge. Consensus was that the list should be merged into Military slang. Please review to ensure the merge is satisfactory. Labattblueboy (talk) 23:41, 14 July 2013 (UTC)

List of military slang terms → Military acronym slang – All sections are acronyms. Various discussions at Talk:Military slang/Archive 1 and on this talk page suggest that there is little support for a more extensive list of military slang. Cnilep (talk) 02:49, 2 July 2013 (UTC)
 * For additional background see Articles for deletion/FUBAR and Talk:FUBAR, as well as above. Cnilep (talk) 02:55, 2 July 2013 (UTC)
 * I oppose the move because it solves the wrong problem. As stated before, this content belongs (and already exists at) Wiktionary.  Past history shows that these "list of words" articles are inherently unmaintainable and do not amount to more than mere collections of dictionary entries (most, though not all, very poorly sourced).  Replacing this page with a soft-redirect to the Wiktionary appendix remains my first choice.  That said, I have no objection if someone wants to create a real encyclopedia article about the general concept of military acronym slang - something that discusses the phenomenon in general terms, talks about trends over time, maybe even hypothesizes why military slang has such a bias in favor of acronyms.  That general concept article could include these words as examples.  Such an article would be an addition to the encyclopedia and not an unnecessary duplication of the dictionary.  Rossami (talk) 15:41, 2 July 2013 (UTC)
 * Merge to Military slang and then sort out what needs to be sorted out. -- 65.94.79.6 (talk) 02:01, 3 July 2013 (UTC)
 * Please note that the intent of this discussion is to ascertain whether there is consensus to move this article to another name. An earlier discussion aimed at redirecting or merging the article found no consensus among editors. Cnilep (talk) 01:55, 5 July 2013 (UTC)
 * Merge I'm willing to do this myself. Most of the discussion above didn't refer to an actual merge with Military slang, and it would be logical to have a short list of such slang terms there. --BDD (talk) 17:08, 9 July 2013 (UTC)
 * Merge. Other than these, most of military slang appears to be "French". Apteva (talk) 19:43, 9 July 2013 (UTC)
 * Merge to Military slang. The more general article should be developed first, with awkward spinouts, such as "Lists of" and "Acronym slang" only spun out as required, once there is already good coverage of the generic subject.  --SmokeyJoe (talk) 03:34, 11 July 2013 (UTC)
 * I would remind all participants that the history of Military slang was truly awful. It was the original unmanaged and unmanagable list which caused the problem in the first place.  The final resolution of that page was to transwiki the entire list over to the Wiktionary appendix (actually, several appendices now) and rewrite the page as the intentionally-thin disambiguation page you see today.  The hard-won consensus at "Military slang" was to remove the very content that a merger from here would put back.  Rossami (talk) 20:23, 11 July 2013 (UTC)
 * Be that as it may, the present state of the article isn't so great either. It doesn't go a great deal beyond "Military slang is slang used by the military." A merge would improve it by use of examples; it need not ever be comprehensive, which is more within Wiktionary's purview. --BDD (talk) 20:29, 11 July 2013 (UTC)
 * The above discussion is preserved as an archive of a requested move. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section on this talk page or in a move review. No further edits should be made to this section.

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concerning "FUBAR" :: does it refer to german word "furchtbar" (dreadful, terrible)?
concering "FUBAR" :: As german native speaker and on behalf of historical views "FUBAR" reminds me to german word "furchtbar" (dreadful, terrible). Because of what the soldiers have seen in WWII? (Sorry, without wiki-account...) — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2A02:8108:EC0:1A8C:2F98:FE59:230B:2936 (talk) 22:06, 15 August 2019 (UTC)

Removed the completely unsubstantiated conspiracy theory about Laos
The following paragraph was included without any substantiation. A citation needed notice was added more than a year ago, and nothing has happened since then. Until someone finds a citation to reliable source, this should not be included in the article.

""BOHICA" was to be used as the code word on covert communications with the NSA/CIA and ISA HQ. During the mission, it was uncovered that prisoners of war were still being held captive in Laos. Two were ordered assassinated and to date have never been rescued, as it was determined they may have been off-the-book CIA operatives smuggling drugs." Inter lingua 20:46, 2 October 2021 (UTC)

Here is some background on why I think we should remove these two paragraphs, which read like promotional material for Barnes's book.

"Among the hucksters, mercenaries and information peddlers who people the shadowy world of Vietnam POW investigations, Scott Barnes may be the biggest tale spinner of them all. Discharged from the U.S. Army in 1974, the Arizona dress-shop owner and conspiracy theorist has spent the last 18 years peddling espionage stories and derring-do accounts of rescue missions to forgotten corners of Indochina. Many government officials and reporters have dismissed him as a crank, but Barnes has his following." November 8, 1992, Newsweek. https://www.newsweek.com/strange-tales-mr-barnes-196798 Inter lingua  12:47, 4 October 2021 (UTC)

to un[EXPLETIVE DELETED]
I have never been a US Marine, but I have read about them. Can someone with knowledge of Marines and secondary sources of them please as they may or may not say in the Marines, ahem, "RAPID RESPONSE, HYPERSONIC, LONG-ENDURANCE UN[EXPLETIVE DELETED] THIS [EXPLETIVE DELETED]ING article OR ELSE I'll drop and fifty you!!!" - please? This involves the possible verb "to un[EXPLETIVE DELETED]". I've read it is a transitive verb and somatic / sensorimotor metaphor meaning to correct a deficiency of the object, so "to un[EXPLETIVE DELETED] yourself" could mean "to correct your own deficiency".205.154.244.243 (talk) 18:21, 9 August 2022 (UTC)


 * I believe so. Also, you're perfectly fine to swear as much as you please when quoting. Censoring makes it harder to de-mangle. - MountainKemono (talk) 09:59, 23 May 2023 (UTC)

Ridiculous "Status Nominal" Claim
Where does this completely unfounded claim that "snafu" originally meant "status nominal all fucked up" come from ?

Harry F. Butcher
See his ‘My Three Years with Eisenhower’, and his diary entry for May 7 1945, p. 836, in which he uses snafu tarfu and fumtu. He is referring to the attempt by the allied forces to keep the German surrender ceremony out of the newspapers until it can be ascertained that the Germans will observe its terms. Butcher’s book was published in 1946. 61.69.237.49 (talk) 07:05, 26 March 2024 (UTC)