FUBAR

Not to be confused with foobar.

For other uses, see FUBAR (disambiguation).

FUBAR is an acronym that commonly means "fucked up beyond all recognition/any repair/all reason".

Etymology and history

The Oxford English Dictionary lists Yank, the Army Weekly magazine (1944, 7 Jan. p. 8) as its earliest citation: FUBAR? It means 'Fucked Up Beyond All Recognition'"

The acronym FUBAR has been used since Operation Desert Storm in 1991 but more significantly used during Operation Desert Clean Up 1992-1994. The troops in Desert Clean Up had little or no genuine military function and plenty of time to kill, the also constantly asked the same question: "What are we doing here?" Superiors would give mind numbing tasks to kill time and tire out fit, young troops. Such as digging holes in the desert, digging sand bunkers, hours of PT and monotonous sedimentology of the endless sand. Perhaps because of the positivity of Gen-X and without the real action in this war as experienced by the troops in WWII whom originally coined FUBAR, the savvy and peace loving troops adapted FUBAR: Fucked Up Beyond All Recognition to FUBAR: Fucked Up But All Right.

In computing and technology

• 1980, FUBAR appears in an apparent example of geek humor, as the acronym for the Failed UniBus Address Register in the Digital Equipment Corporation VAX-11/780 Unibus adapter (DW780).
• In computer science, the variable names FOO and BAR are frequently encountered. The origin of their names might be traced to FUBAR.

In media and popular culture

Film and Television

• 1944, in the U.S. Army animated shorts Three Brothers (1944) and Private Snafu Presents Seaman Tarfu In The Navy (both directed by Friz Freleng), characters are featured such as Fubar, a brother of Private Snafu (Situation Normal, All Fucked Up), and Seaman Tarfu (Things Are Really Fucked Up or Totally and Royally Fucked Up).
• 1989, in the film Tango & Cash, Kurt Russell's character, Gabriel Cash, uses the phrase several times.
• 1998, in the TV show Babylon 5, Jerry Doyle's character Micheal Garibaldi used the term to describe a mission that went in an unexpected direction.^{[citation needed]}
• 1998, in the film Saving Private Ryan, FUBAR is a term used many times by members of Captain John Miller's squad to describe the mission given to them by high command. The squad also kids a gullible translator into believing that it is actually a German term.
• 2002, in the TV Show Dark Angel, the last episode, Freak Nation, Joshua made a phone call to Max saying "everything's gone sideways. It's-It's FUBAR".
• 2002, FUBAR (film): a mockumentary by Michael Dowse.^{[citation needed]}
• 2007, in the TV Show Dexter (4th episode, 2nd season, See-through), the boat on which Sgt. Doakes shoots former Ranger Curtis Barnes is named S.S. FUBAR.
• 2008, in Tropic Thunder (2008), Robert Downey Jr's character yells: "FUBAR!"
• 2009, in The Men Who Stare at Goats (2009), One of the Contractors in the battle at the gas station yells "FUBAR" at the radio.
• 2009, in Dear Lemon Lima (2009), A phrase popular at the protagonist's Alaskan prep school.

Video games

• 1999, in Half-Life: Opposing Force, misc. allied marines will sometimes say, "This mission is way beyond FUBAR!" when interacted with or at random.
• 2005, in Quake 4, Lt. Voss said "FUBAR" when Cpl. Kane and Med. Anderson saw the carrier intended to evacuate Rhino Squad overrun by enemy forces.
• 2005, in Stubbs the Zombie in "Rebel Without a Pulse", Misc. soldiers will sometimes say, "So, this is what FUBAR means!"
• 2006, in Gears of War, Quote by Damon Baird: "Situation's FUBAR here" while he and Augustus Cole defend a different area of the Fenix estate than the player. Also quoted by Marcus Fenix whilst Jack (the robot) is opening a door.
• 2007, in ARMA: Armed Assault, the main character uses FUBAR during the first few intros of the game.
• 2007, in Crysis, Prophet uses FUBAR after Jester's death.
• 2008, in Left 4 Dead, Bill will use FUBAR if he has taken significant damage and is bleeding out.
• 2010, in the Vietnam extension pack for the video game Battlefield: Bad Company 2, when the player commits suicide (whether accidentally or intentionally), the game reads FUBAR on the top of the screen (much like the original, which read EPIC FAIL under the same circumstances).
• 2011, in Operation Flashpoint: Red River, FUBAR is often used as a distress signal in combat.
• 2011, in Deus Ex: Human Revolution, spec-ops soldier say, "Man, this is so FUBAR!" when Jensen infiltrates FEMA facility in last mission before first boss fight.
• 2011, in Operation Flashpoint: Red River, US marines say, "This shit is FUBAR!" if they are taking rounds or fire.
• 2011, in "Serious Sam:BFE", The radio woman asks Sam "Whats the status?" and Sam replies "The choppers FUBAR"

Books

• F.U.B.A.R.: America's Right-Wing Nightmare, a book by Sam Seder.
• 1975, in The Illuminatus! Trilogy, a book by Robert Shea and Robert Anton Wilson, Nkrumah Fubar is a Kikuyan Shaman and maker of Voodoo Dolls

Music

• 2011, in Above The Law, by rap duo Royce Da 5'9 and Eminem (Bad Meets Evil), Royce raps"Leave you FUBAR, Fucked Up Beyond All Recognition"

See also

• BOHICA
• List of government and military acronyms
• SNAFU (aka SUSFU)

External links

• Acronym Finder's FUBAR entry
• Glossary of Military Terms & Slang from the Vietnam War
• World Wide Words, Quinion, Michael , Acronyms for your Enjoyment.