For all of you wordsmiths... a little help? - Page 2

slayda · 02-19-2009, 07:21 PM

SNAFU is an acronym. Does that make it a word since we use it like a word? If so, there are a multitude of acronyms around. Just ask someone who is in the military, works in the medical field or the Government.

How about USDoJ - US Department of Justice? Of course that's a proper noun isn't it?

rebarnmom · 02-19-2009, 09:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by slayda

SNAFU is an acronym. Does that make it a word since we use it like a word? If so, there are a multitude of acronyms around. Just ask someone who is in the military, works in the medical field or the Government.

How about USDoJ - US Department of Justice? Of course that's a proper noun isn't it?

What's does the acronym stand for? Maybe I shouldn't ask...

Scuba is an acronym that's used as a word, isn't it?

Elsi · 02-19-2009, 09:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by slayda

SNAFU is an acronym. Does that make it a word since we use it like a word? If so, there are a multitude of acronyms around. Just ask someone who is in the military, works in the medical field or the Government.

Quote:

Originally Posted by rebarnmom

What's does the acronym stand for? Maybe I shouldn't ask...

SNAFU = Situation Normal, All Fouled Up

You can use your favorite 'f' word instead.

Quote:

Originally Posted by rebarnmom

Scuba is an acronym that's used as a word, isn't it?

SCUBA = Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Aparatus

rebarnmom · 02-19-2009, 10:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Elsi

SNAFU = Situation Normal, All Fouled Up

You can use your favorite 'f' word instead.

SCUBA = Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Aparatus

Thanks! I didn't know that about "SNAFU". It makes perfect sense now!

GeoffC · 02-20-2009, 09:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rebarnmom

My 10 year-old daughter and I were playing a game where you start with a word (5 letters or longer and not allowing proper nouns) and the next person has to follow with a word that begins with the last letter of the previous word.

About 100 words later, we were stumped, as we were trying to end up using every letter of the alphabet. But we couldn't come up with any words within the guidelines that ended in "j, q, u or v". Could you help us out?

jungle
juxtaposition
query
quibble
velvet
victorious etc
uncle
united

Patricia · 02-20-2009, 10:06 AM

I think the idea is that they have to end with the letter, Geoff.

What about "hajj" -- the pilgimage to Mecca made by observant Muslims?
I can't think of another word ending in J. But, alas, it's only four letters.

GeoffC · 02-20-2009, 10:13 AM

Oh go swipe me with the blue fish ....

zelda_pinwheel · 02-20-2009, 10:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Elsi

SNAFU = Situation Normal, All Fouled Up

You can use your favorite 'f' word instead.

heehee ! i love that. i must start using "snafu" more. funny word, funny meaning.

Greg Anos · 02-20-2009, 11:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zelda_pinwheel

heehee ! i love that. i must start using "snafu" more. funny word, funny meaning.

It's from US Military, circa WWII. And the stronger F word is the "proper" usage. The next level of disaster is FUBAR. (F)ouled (U)p (B)eyond (A)ll (R)ecognition. And yes, the same F word applies.

The most current disaster phrase from our military is ClusterF***, dating from late Vietnam at the earliest, and heavy usage in the first Gulf War. It is based on leveling a large area with an artillery (or dropped bomb) that flys apart into hundreds of smaller sub-bombs, all of which go off at the same time.

Usages - SNAFU is a general grumble, about something gone wrong that might get fixed.

FUBAR is about something in which there is little hope of fixing.

and

ClusterF*** is a situtation with no hope of understanding or any way to fix.

If you talk with a retired legionarre, you might find the French equivalent terms...

pshrynk · 02-20-2009, 11:55 AM

Umm... Ended with the letter, Geoff...

GeoffC · 02-20-2009, 11:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pshrynk

Umm... Ended with the letter, Geoff...

RUB it IN why DON'T you ......

pshrynk · 02-20-2009, 12:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GeoffC

RUB it IN why DON'T you ......

Well. if you insist...

GeoffC · 02-20-2009, 12:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pshrynk

Well. if you insist...

okay, but it'll cost you ....

02-19-2009, 07:21 PM	#16
slayda Retired & reading more! Posts: 2,764 Karma: 1884247 Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: North Alabama, USA Device: Kindle 1, iPad Air 2, iPhone 6S+, Kobo Aura One	SNAFU is an acronym. Does that make it a word since we use it like a word? If so, there are a multitude of acronyms around. Just ask someone who is in the military, works in the medical field or the Government. How about USDoJ - US Department of Justice? Of course that's a proper noun isn't it?

02-20-2009, 10:06 AM	#21
Patricia Reader Posts: 11,504 Karma: 8720163 Join Date: May 2007 Location: South Wales, UK Device: Sony PRS-500, PRS-505, Asus EEEpc 4G	I think the idea is that they have to end with the letter, Geoff. What about "hajj" -- the pilgimage to Mecca made by observant Muslims? I can't think of another word ending in J. But, alas, it's only four letters.

02-20-2009, 10:13 AM	#22
GeoffC Chocolate Grasshopper ... Posts: 27,599 Karma: 20821184 Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Scotland Device: Muse HD , Cybook Gen3 , Pocketbook 302 (Black) , Nexus 10: wife has PW	Oh go swipe me with the blue fish ....

02-20-2009, 11:55 AM	#25
pshrynk Beepbeep n beebeep, yeah! Posts: 11,726 Karma: 8255450 Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: La Crosse, Wisconsin, aka America's IceBox Device: iThingie, KmkII, I miss Zelda!	Umm... Ended with the letter, Geoff...