another "moment" for WOTY consideration (UNCLASSIFIED)

Thu Oct 15 19:29:25 UTC 2009

Bill is correct about the military. Both the USAF and RAF retained the WWII
alphabet till some time in 1956. However, the (remote) possibility exists
that commercial pilots circulated the current phrase earlier:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NATO_phonetic_alphabet

Would-be wits undoubtedly began uttering such "phonetic" equivalents from
the moment of the earliest adoption (apparently in 1914) of such an
alphabet, but such usages would have been nonce humor rather than current
conversational usage.  It is only more recently that any "phonetic" phrases
have become lexicalized as humorous euphemisms.

The earliest one I can think of is "How Able" ("haul ass") from WWII or
Korea.

JL

On Thu, Oct 15, 2009 at 2:57 PM, Bill Palmer <w_a_palmer at bellsouth.net>wrote:

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> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Bill Palmer <w_a_palmer at BELLSOUTH.NET>
> Subject:      Re: another "moment" for WOTY consideration (UNCLASSIFIED)
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> If it goes back to 1951/52, then it would have been "Fox Oboe", reflecting
> military "phonetic alphabet" of that era.
>
> Bill Palmer
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Jonathan Lighter" <wuxxmupp2000 at GMAIL.COM>
> To: <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Sent: Thursday, October 15, 2009 12:09 PM
> Subject: Re: another "moment" for WOTY consideration (UNCLASSIFIED)
>
>
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> > Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > Poster:       Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at GMAIL.COM>
> > Subject:      Re: another "moment" for WOTY consideration (UNCLASSIFIED)
> >
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> >
> > Once again, possible from 1951/52.
> >
> > Unknown till lately.
> >
> > JL
> >
> >
> >
> > On Thu, Oct 15, 2009 at 11:45 AM, Mullins, Bill AMRDEC <
> > Bill.Mullins at us.army.mil> wrote:
> >
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> >> Poster:       "Mullins, Bill AMRDEC" <Bill.Mullins at US.ARMY.MIL>
> >> Subject:      Re: another "moment" for WOTY consideration (UNCLASSIFIED)
> >>
> >>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> >>
> >> Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
> >> Caveats: NONE
> >>
> >> See also "Foxtrot Oscar" for fuck off.
> >>
> >> > -----Original Message-----
> >> > From: American Dialect Society [mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] On
> >> > Behalf Of Mark Mandel
> >> > Sent: Thursday, October 15, 2009 9:56 AM
> >> > To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> >> > Subject: Re: another "moment" for WOTY consideration
> >> >
> >> > ---------------------- 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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> >>
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> >>
> >
> >
> >
> > --
> > "There You Go Again...Using Reason on the Planet of the Duck-Billed
> > Platypus"
> >
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"There You Go Again...Using Reason on the Planet of the Duck-Billed
Platypus"

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