another "moment" for WOTY consideration

[Jonathan Lighter]

Wackipedia notes that the current NATO radiocommunications alphabet, the
source of Whisky, Tango, Foctrot, was first "implemented" by the
Interantional Civil Aviation Organization in November 1951. It was adopted,
with some alterations, by NATO in 1956.

During the Vietnam War the Air Force occasionally used the burlesque phrase,
"What the fuck, over?" and they also used the NATO alphabet.

The mirth resides in the fact that radio communications (the allusion in
"over") must be as brief as possible, and expletives are forbidden.  So the
phrase, to the discerning, implies a high-stress situation, possibly
involving Murphy's Law.

Thus (and there's a lesson here, you whippersnappers) "Whisky Tango Foxtrot"
meaning "What the f^*k??" *could* be as creakily ancient as 1951-52, but I
can't find a recorded trace of it before 2000.

JL



On Thu, Oct 15, 2009 at 10:56 AM, Mark Mandel <Mark.A.Mandel at gmail.com>wrote:

> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Mark Mandel <Mark.A.Mandel at GMAIL.COM>
> Subject:      Re: another "moment" for WOTY consideration
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> I've seen "Whiskey Tango Foxtrot", though not AFAIR modifying "moment", for
> several years at least.
>
> m a m
>
> On Wed, Oct 14, 2009 at 7:13 PM, Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at yale.edu
> >wrote:
>
> >  From Arianna Huffington's argument that Joe Biden should resign and
> > become the point person for opposition to the war in Afghanistan:
> >
> >
> >
> >
> http://www.huffingtonpost.com/arianna-huffington/why-joe-biden-should-resi_b_320929.html
> >
> >
> > In June, Gen. Jones, the president's National Security Advisor, was
> > at Camp Leatherneck in Afghanistan, meeting with U.S. commanders
> > there. This was shortly after the arrival of the 21,000 additional
> > troops President Obama had sent over. Jones raised the question of
> > what the president's reaction would be if he were asked for even more
> > troops. Well, Jones said, answering his own question, if that
> > happened, the president would probably have a "Whiskey Tango Foxtrot
> > moment." In other words, wtf?
> >
> > Well, Obama has gotten that request, but it wasn't a "Whiskey Tango
> > Foxtrot moment" for him after all. Sadly, Newsweek reports that Obama
> > is typically "looking for a middle way." But this isn't a negotiation
> > for a used car, where you split the difference. It's either in our
> > national security interest to be there or it isn't. It's either a
> > necessary war or it isn't.
> > ==================
> >
> > I haven't encountered Whiskey Tango Foxtrot moments before, at least
> > not by name.
> >
> > LH
> >
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> >
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