Snasu (Situation normal: all screwed up) (1941 Aug 18) (early snafu variant)

[Douglas G. Wilson]

Garson O'Toole wrote:
> ....
> Fred Shapiro wrote:
>
>> Note that I found a July 27, 1941 citation for _snafu_ in the Kansas City Star,
>> then someone else (I forget who!) found a July 15, 1941 citation in the San
>> Francisco Chronicle.
>>
>> Fred Shapiro
>>
>
> The July 27, 1941 citation you found is grand and fun to read. Thanks.
> I apologize for missing it in the ADS list archive when I checked.
> There were quite a few hits for Snafu. However, the search term "snafu
> antedating" does locate your posting.
>
> http://listserv.linguistlist.org/cgi-bin/wa?A2=ind0608D&L=ADS-L&P=R2709
>
--

 >From this link:

<<They're khaki and match our uniforms and you keep the brim up when the
sun's out and down when it's raining.>>

This is "snafu" referring to a type of military hat. N'archive shows a
couple of other citations for "snafu" meaning "[a type of] hat" in
August 1941.

I suppose "snafu" here is likely a play on "snap-brim" ... likely
"snap-brim" altered to match pre-existing "SNAFU" in the modern sense or
so ... although other possibilities might be entertained ....

--
> I am still having trouble locating a mention of the July 15, 1941
> citation in the ADS list archive. A search at Barry Popik's website
> failed. Wikipedia has the OED cite. In any case, congratulations to
> that discoverer.
--

http://lloyd.emich.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A2=ind0211E&L=ADS-L&P=R2

<<"Snafu" means "situation normal, all fuddled up.">>

-- Doug Wilson

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