Military slang Military slang is an array of colloquial terminology used commonly by military personnel , including slang which is unique to or originates with the armed forces . It often takes the form of abbreviations / acronyms or derivations of the NATO Phonetic Alphabet , or otherwise incorporates aspects of formal military concepts and terms . Military slang is often used to reinforce or reflect ( usually friendly and humorous ) interservice rivalries . Acronym slang . A number of military slang terms are acronyms . Rick Atkinson ascribes the origin of SNAFU , FUBAR , and a bevy of other terms to cynical GIs ridiculing the Army ' s penchant for acronyms . SNAFU . " SNAFU " stands for the sarcastic expression " situation normal : all fucked up " . It is a well - known example of military acronym slang . It is sometimes bowdlerized to " all fouled up " or similar . It means that the situation is bad , but that this is a normal state of affairs . It is typically used in a joking manner to describe something that ' s working as intended . The acronym is believed to have originated in the United States Marine Corps during World War II . Attribution to the American military is not universally accepted : it has also been attributed to the British . Most reference works , including the Random House Unabridged Dictionary and Oxford English Dictionary , supply an origin date of 1940 - 1944 , generally attributing it to the US military . " Time magazine " magazine used the term in their June 16 , 1942 issue : " Last week U . S . citizens knew that gasoline rationing and rubber requisitioning were snafu . " Frederick Elkin noted in 1946 that there " are a few acceptable substitutes such as ' screw up ' or ' mess up , ' but these do not have the emphasis value of the obscene equivalent . " He considered the expression " SNAFU " to be " a caricature of Army direction . The soldier resignedly accepts his own less responsible position and expresses his cynicism at the inefficiency of Army authority . " He also noted that " the expression . . . is coming into general civilian use . " In modern usage , " snafu " is sometimes used as an interjection , though it is mostly now used as a noun . " Snafu " also sometimes refers to a bad situation , mistake , or cause of trouble . It is more commonly used in modern vernacular to describe running into an error or problem that is large and unexpected . For example , in 2005 , " The New York Times " published an article titled " Hospital Staff Cutback Blamed for Test Result Snafu " . " SUSFU " ( " situation unchanged : still fucked up " ) is a variant of " SNAFU " . " SNAFU " and " SUSFU " were first recorded in " American Notes and Queries " in their September 1941 issue . FUBAR . " FUBAR " stands for " fucked up beyond all recognition / repair / reason " , like SNAFU and SUSFU , dates from World War II . The Oxford English Dictionary lists " Yank , the Army Weekly magazine " ( 1944 , 7 Jan . p . 8 ) as its earliest citation : " The FUBAR squadron . ‥ FUBAR ? It means ' Fucked Up Beyond All Recognition . " NFG is equipment that is not functional , but may or may not be repairable , FUBAR is beyond repair . TARFU . " TARFU " stands for " totally and royally fucked up " or " things are really fucked up " . The 1944 U . S . Army animated shorts " Three Brothers " and " Private Snafu Presents Seaman Tarfu In The Navy " ( both directed by Friz Freleng ) , feature the characters Private Snafu , Private Fubar , and Seaman Tarfu . BOHICA . " BOHICA " stands for " bend over , here it comes again " . It is an item of acronym slang which grew to regular use amongst the United States armed forces during the Vietnam War . It is used colloquially to indicate that an adverse situation is about to repeat itself , and that acquiescence is the wisest course of action . It is commonly understood as a reference to being sodomized . An alternative etymology relates the expression to the days of sail and avoiding being struck by the boom , which would swing around the mast due to shifts in wind or the vessel ' s course . Although it originated in the United States military forces , and is still commonly used by United States Air Force fighter crew chiefs and armament crews , its usage has spread to civilian environments , used to describe unavoidable , unpleasant situations that have inconvenienced someone before and are about to yet again . Other . Military brat , or ( branch ) brat , such as Army brat , Navy brat . Refers to the child of someone in that branch of the service .