|
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 10,542
Carpal Tunnel
|
OP
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 10,542 |
Here's an article from 2001 by Jesse Shieldlower, now NA Editor of the OED. It's evident that he was destined to go places in (descriptivist) lexicography.. http://www.clovisnews.com/trails/words_mean.html
|
|
|
|
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803
Carpal Tunnel
|
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803 |
Then who is Jesse Sheidlower? http://www.jessesword.com/
|
|
|
|
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 2,661
Carpal Tunnel
|
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 2,661 |
From tsuwm's link:
...snafu" is an acronym often euphemized as "situation normal, all fouled up...
I'll bet *you a hundred fuckin' bucks you'll be hard-pressed to "often" find a military person use the word "fouled" *there.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 10,542
Carpal Tunnel
|
OP
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 10,542 |
>Then who is Jesse Sheidlower? and so I asks Jesse: What in the world is this (other than a rather bad spelling of your name)?? Jesse responds: Looks like an article I wrote a few years ago for the N.Y. Times, taken and altered without my permission. and here's a link to the unadulterated(?) version: http://www.ling.upenn.edu/courses/Spring_2001/ling001/nytimes_whatisword.html-joe ( mundus vult decipi) friday
|
|
|
|
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 4,757
Carpal Tunnel
|
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 4,757 |
> use the word "fouled"
um, yeah, dat's why dey said "often euphemized", innit?
(it doesn't claim the acronym aptually stands for the phrase 'fouled up')
|
|
|
|
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 11,613
Carpal Tunnel
|
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 11,613 |
Sounds like he was defenseless against this...shield lowered
|
|
|
|
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 10,542
Carpal Tunnel
|
OP
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 10,542 |
>Sounds like he was defenseless against this
:)
or perhaps he never knew of it until today; it wouldn't have shown up if he does period searches for inappropriate uses of his name.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 2,661
Carpal Tunnel
|
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 2,661 |
Indeed, Maverick, however, I'd thought the story behind the acronym wasn't arkfully true (as me ol' man claimed) but lookie here: http://www.snafu.com/Snafu/SnafuStory.htmlIt seems it had no *real base meaning to begin with...
|
|
|
|
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803
Carpal Tunnel
|
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803 |
I posted the site over at wordorigins. See if they can come up with an antedate to this tale.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 4,757
Carpal Tunnel
|
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 4,757 |
> it had no *real base meaning to begin with...
Well, to be really pedantic, assuming for now that this tale checks out, the word didn't exist as such until they had attributed the acronymic meaning to it but! :)
|
|
|
Forums16
Topics13,913
Posts229,426
Members9,182
|
Most Online3,341 Dec 9th, 2011
|
|
1 members (A C Bowden),
384
guests, and
10
robots. |
Key:
Admin,
Global Mod,
Mod
|
|
|
|