A.Word.A.Day		About Us | What's New | Search | Site Map | Contact Us

Home Today's Word Yesterday's Word Archives FAQ

A.Word.A.Day--snafu snafu (sna-FOO, SNA-foo) noun A bad situation, especially one resulting from incompetence. adjective Marked by confusion; chaotic. verb tr. To throw into disorder or confusion. [US military acronym from Situation Normal, All F**ked Up, also euphemistically, Situation Normal, All Fouled Up. Note: We've asterisked the F word here to make sure this newsletter doesn't get held by the nanny software.] "But the Burger King snafu is potentially damaging, Cohen said." Scott Leith; Coke on Thin Ice With Burger King; The Monterey Herald (California); Jun 19, 2003. "In a conference call, chief executive Steve Snyder said the snafu was `literally a cut-and-paste error in an Excel spreadsheet that we did not detect ...'" Drew Cullen; Excel Snafu Costs Firm $24m; The Register (UK), Jun 19, 2003. This week's theme: abbreviations and acronyms. X-Bonus The principal contributor to loneliness in this country is television. What happens is that the family 'gets together' alone. -Ashley Montagu, anthropologist and writer (1905-1999)

The Book: A Word A Day is now a book. Find it in your local bookstore or at Amazon.com. "A delightful, quirky collection." -The New York Times Join Us: Subscribe to A.Word.A.Day to receive it in your mailbox every day. Interact: Bulletin board AWADtalk Moderated Chat AWADchat Readers' Voice AWADmail