Re: st: the meaning of 'foo'

["Michael S. Hanson" <mshanson@wesleyan.edu>]

On Aug 24, 2006, at 1:11 PM, Nick Winter wrote:

> I'll note as well that it is often used with its companion, "bar."   
> My guess is they derived at some point from the acronym FUBAR.
>
> At 12:57 PM 8/24/2006, Michael S. Hanson wrote:
[snip]

> >         <http://www.catb.org/jargon/html/F/foo.html>
Quoting this referenced source:

"When 'foo' is used in connection with 'bar' it has generally traced  
to the WWII-era Army slang acronym FUBAR [snip], later modified to  
foobar. Early versions of the Jargon File interpreted this change as  
a post-war bowdlerization, but it it now seems more likely that FUBAR  
was itself a derivative of 'foo' perhaps influenced by German  
furchtbar (terrible) -- 'foobar' may actually have been the original  
form."

(That final "original" is in italics in the, um, original source.)


On Aug 24, 2006, at 1:23 PM, b. water wrote:


> i did come across 'FUBAR' in 'Tango & Cash' but 'foo' on its own as  
> an acronym (or so i thought...) never.
From the same source:

"Several slang dictionaries aver that FOO probably came from Forward  
Observation Officer, but this (like the contemporaneous "FUBAR") was  
probably a backronym."


	Note:  I provide these only as reference;  I cannot vouch for their  
accuracy.

                                        -- Mike


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