Snafu

“It seems we have a bit of a snafu here…”

Snafu has become one of those words that have entered everyday use, but a lot of people don’t know that it is actually a military originated acronym. Situation Normal, All Fouled Up (yes, I am using that more polite f-word, this is a family blog.) It has been said that the acronym can be traced back to 1941, with the other f-word with fouled taking its place in civilian outlets in 1942. But maybe that is not the case…

There are some indications that at the very least the phrase itself was in use in the mid to late 19th Century and was used by telegraph operators out west. Native tribes were known to either cut the telegraph lines or tear down the poles causing repairmen to have to go out and find the break. When they did the would hook up their portable set and report back, Situation Normal (meaning the vandals were gone), All Fouled Up (indicating the lines were indeed down.) sending this via telegraph would fit in with the terse phrasing of such messages. This could be more allegorical, but it would certainly make a more interesting take on this common phrase.

Skosh

I am sure you have heard the skosh before. “May I have a skosh of coffee?” I had one version of the origin of the word in mind but surprised to find the actual origin.

See, skosh actually comes from the Japanese word sukoshi which literally means “a tiny bit.” In American occupied Japan and later during the Korean War a small soldier was sometimes called “Skosh”.

So yep, that one comes from the Japanese. I was a skosh surprised at that one!

Restaurant

Hang on, “restaurant” is a military term? In a roundabout way yes.

Up until the French Revolution (1789 -99) there were very few places where you could simply walk in a get a meal. Sure there were pubs and inns, but no where that was specifically just for eating.

In Paris, during the revolution, many upper class citizens lost their lives (OK, had them taken) and this had the unfortunate effect of leaving most of their serving staff without a means to support themselves. Suddenly Paris was awash with professional cooks, servers, wine experts  and the like who decided to do what they did best and set up shop for themselves.

These shops were called restaurants  which comes from the French for “to restore” or “to restock”. So if you are hungry you can restore yourself at one of these fine establishments.

Umpire

Ah yes. The umpire. The bane of every sports fan, unless they are making calls for your team that is. So where does that term come from?

Well in old French the numpire was a man who judged trial by combat. Numpire means “non-peer” which basically meant they were supposed to be impartial to the combatants.

The term entered English in the 15th century with the “n” dropping back to the article making it “an umpire.”

That’ll Be The Day

Sorry, I couldn’t help it using that picture. The phrase “That’ll Be the Day” oddly enough did not originate with Buddy Holly. It actually came from the German army (with a little help from the British).

Or the Prussian officer corps of the German Army during World War 1. They held a belief that someday the German Army would defeat the British and become the preeminent power in Europe. They referred to it as Der Tag or “The Day”. The phrase was used as a popular toast and appeared in many books and newspaper article. So many in fact that the British picked up and started yelling it across No Man’s Land as a taunt to the German forces.

So technically Buddy Holly wrote a song mocking the German army.

Run The Gauntlet

To Endure a Trial

This phrase first entered the English during the Thirty Years War (1618-48) and came from the Swiss. The Swiss Army would punish soldiers by causing them to run between two ranks for men armed with sticks and rope ends. The end result was they were beaten pretty bad, but never really fatal.

The Swiss called this the “gatlopp” or “gangway”. Eventually, in the late 17th century, the English corrupted it to “running the gauntlet” which probably had to do with the armored gove of the same name. It sounded alike so they just went with it. So next time you have to endure a trial get ready to Run the Gatlopp!

Panic Button

Though the origin of the term panic button is one that can be traced anecdotally to Americans air crews stationed in Britain during WWII, it does not show up in print until the 1950’s.

The actual “panic button” itself was a fixture in the bombers of the era and was used by the pilot to signal the rest of the crew that it was time to bail out as things had gone exceptionally wrong.

Panic itself is derived from the Greek god Pan who among other things was the god of shepherds woods and pastures. Normally a jovial figure that traversed the woods playing his pipes he could easily be startled from his frequent naps and his shock and surprise would cause him to launch into loud protestations that would cause the flocks to stampede. The word for this, panikon, means “sudden fear” which eventually came to English as panic.

It was going to be troops marching in formation, but this is so much nicer.

Field Day

Do you remember field days when you were a kid? Going outside, competing in games, maybe winning prizes. Sort of an end of the year tradition. (At least in my schools.)

Well, would you believe that term, Field Day has a military meaning?

Starting in the 18th century the military used the word to refer to a day that was set aside for maneuvers and reviews, as a way for the troops to show off on the parade ground. Just like in school.

Of course, there is a negative connotation to the term as shorthand for someone making a big deal out of something. You know, “don’t make a field day out it.”