another "moment" for WOTY consideration (UNCLASSIFIED)

[Bill Palmer]

One example from my time was "Foxtrot Uniform", suggesting that the
addressee perform an unnatural act on himself.

"Tango Sierra" was in common usage for "tough shit"

A few others would prob'ly come to me with some thought.

Naval aviators would use "Delta Sierra" (dog shit) for a poorly executed
maneuver, or just unsatisfactory performance in general  It's opposite was
"Sierra Hotel" .."shit hot"

Bill P
----- Original Message -----
From: "Jonathan Lighter" <wuxxmupp2000 at GMAIL.COM>
To: <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
Sent: Thursday, October 15, 2009 3:29 PM
Subject: Re: another "moment" for WOTY consideration (UNCLASSIFIED)


> ---------------------- Information from the mail
> header -----------------------
> 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)
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> 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:
>
>> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
>> -----------------------
>> 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)
>>
>>
>> > ---------------------- Information from the mail
>> > header -----------------------
>> > 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:
>> >
>> >> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
>> >> -----------------------
>> >> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>> >> 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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>> >> Caveats: NONE
>> >>
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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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> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

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