The historical origins of many words make both fascinating and interesting reading. Take for instance the word " SNAFU " , which according the Oxford English Dictionary means a state of chaos and/or confusion. This acronym was first coined by the members of the Slaughter House Bridge Club, when despairing of the constant chaos and mayhem that went on around them. For these poor beleaguered souls Bigot's hapless stewardship of the club was nothing short of shambolic, being politely described as "situation normal : all fucked up ".
Indeed , the acronym based on this phrase was yet another great example of English euphemism, designed to satirise an appalling state of affairs , by stripping off the veneer of comforting illusions and cosy half-truths , and saying what needs to be said , albeit in a pleasant and inoffensive way.
Needless to say , the members of the Slaughter House created a whole load more of euphemistic acronyms, none of which ever gained acceptance as legitimate words. All of them were variations on the same theme , reflecting the various different kinds of cock ups and catastrophes that can befall badly managed bridge clubs. The following list contains just a few of the best :
- GFU : general fuck up
- MFU : management fuck up
- TOFU : typically outrageous fuck up
- SAMFU : Self adjusting management fuck up
- SUSFU : situation unchanged still fucked up
- TARFU : things are really fucked up
- FUBAR : fucked up beyond all recognition
- SAPFU : surpassing all previous fuck ups
- TUIFU : the ultimate in fuck ups
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