From: utzoo!decvax!minow Newsgroups: net.nlang Title: Fubar entemology (re)revealed Article-I.D.: decvax.422 Posted: Wed Feb 16 19:08:18 1983 Received: Mon Feb 21 07:30:59 1983 Thanks to the many correspondents who pointed out the WWII slang use of "fubar" and especially to mit-vax!mp who found the reference from earlier times. Turned out to predate Napoleon by a a few score years. >From ihnss!cbosg!teklabs!tekmdp!azure!jackk Wed Feb 24 13:41:38 1982 Subject: RE: Fubar Newsgroups: net.general; Article: 410 The term FUBAR actually first appeared during the reign of Queen Anne of England( 1702-1714 ), the last ruling sovereign of the Stuart Dynasty ( 1603-1714 ). The Duke of Marlborough( 1650-1722 ), John Churchill, Sir Winston's great great... grandfather, after his great victory at the battle of Blenhiem ( 13 August 1704 ) against the French, in Austria, had some captured French dispatches translated. The translator, unfortunately unknown, but believed to be a Lance Cor- poral in the Royal Guards, having some difficulty translating a slang French expression used by Marshall Tallard, the defeated French gen- eral, gave up in despair and wrote in FUBAR, although not literally translating the dispatch, expressed the French general's analysis of the situation. 1. Smith-Huxley,J.P.,"The Augustan Age of Good Queen Anne", pg386-387, R.Clay Ltd, London, ( 1903 ) SBN 384-82210-2.