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From: scw@cepu.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.columbia,net.aviation
Subject: Re: No joy?
Message-ID: <364@cepu.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 10-Oct-84 12:20:37 EDT
Article-I.D.: cepu.364
Posted: Wed Oct 10 12:20:37 1984
Date-Received: Thu, 11-Oct-84 08:09:36 EDT
References: <586@ihlts.UUCP> <1370@sdcrdcf.UUCP>
Reply-To: scw@cepu.UUCP (Stephen C. Woods)
Organization: VA Wadsworth Med. Center; LA CA
Lines: 29
Xref: 1148 1026
Summary: 

In article <1370@sdcrdcf.UUCP> markb@sdcrdcf.UUCP (Mark Biggar) writes:
>In article <586@ihlts.UUCP> rjnoe@ihlts.UUCP (Roger Noe) writes:
>>Does anyone know the origin and meaning of the phrase "no joy"?  I have heard
>>it now from three astronauts[...] the phrase came about, please fill me in.
>>Why didn't Tom Wolfe have this in "The Right Stuff"?  (or did I miss it?)
>
>Probably short for "There's no joy in mudville" from the poem
>"Casey at the bat".

In his semi-biography the chap who was 'Cats Eye' Cunningham's R/O
(Radar Operator) (Cunningham was the most successful British night-fighter
pilot) reports that the phrase was in use as early as 1941 in the RAF.

Other inreresting items in ths book are: Because the AI (Airborne Intercept)
equipment was *SOO* top secret it was refered to as the 'thing'. Early
Radar sets were very unreliable, and RAF slang for broken is/was 'bent'.
Imagine if you will a plotting room full of WAFs and a voice comes over the
speaker  (RAF accents please)

Control:	Hello Blue 2, you are in position now, flash your thing.
    [pause of several min. ]
Blue 2:		Hello, Control, Blue 2 calling, no joy, returning to base.
Ctrl:		Hello, Blue 2, why are you returning?
B 2:		Hello control, my thing is bent.

-- 
Stephen C. Woods (VA Wadsworth Med Ctr./UCLA Dept. of Neurology)
uucp:	{ {ihnp4, uiucdcs}!bradley, hao, trwrb, sdcrdcf}!cepu!scw
ARPA: cepu!scw@ucla-cs location: N 34 3' 9.1" W 118 27' 4.3"