another "moment" for WOTY consideration (UNCLASSIFIED)
Mullins, Bill AMRDEC
Bill.Mullins at US.ARMY.MIL
Fri Oct 16 17:21:28 UTC 2009
Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
Caveats: NONE
Richard Preston, _The Hot Zone_ NY: Anchor Books, 1995. p. 226
"He turned to someone and said, "WELL, THIS IS A BIG CHARLIE FOXTROT."
That's code for C.F., which means "cluster fuck." "
Rod Quinn "Beer-thirty time - Weekender webpage"
Newcastle Herald (Australia) - February 17, 2001 Section: Saturday
Magazine Page: 11 [col not given in Newsbank database]
"Charlie Foxtrot : A clean form of an expression that can't be printed
in a family magazine, the first word of which is 'cluster'."
> -----Original Message-----
> From: American Dialect Society [mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] On
> Behalf Of Dave Wilton
> Sent: Thursday, October 15, 2009 4:30 PM
> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> Subject: Re: another "moment" for WOTY consideration (UNCLASSIFIED)
>
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
---------------
> --------
> Sender: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster: Dave Wilton <dave at WILTON.NET>
> Subject: Re: another "moment" for WOTY consideration
> (UNCLASSIFIED)
>
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
> --------
>
> Also, "charlie foxtrot" for clusterfuck. That's from at least the
late-
> 80s,
> probably much earlier.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: American Dialect Society [mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] On
> Behalf Of
> Bill Palmer
> Sent: Thursday, October 15, 2009 12:39 PM
> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> Subject: Re: another "moment" for WOTY consideration (UNCLASSIFIED)
>
> 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
> >> >> > >
> >> >> > > ------------------------------------------------------------
> >> >> > > The American Dialect Society -
http://www.americandialect.org
> >> >> > >
> >> >> >
> >> >> > ------------------------------------------------------------
> >> >> > The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
> >> >> Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
> >> >> Caveats: NONE
> >> >>
> >> >> ------------------------------------------------------------
> >> >> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
> >> >>
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > --
> >> > "There You Go Again...Using Reason on the Planet of the Duck-
> Billed
> >> > Platypus"
> >> >
> >> > ------------------------------------------------------------
> >> > The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
> >>
> >> ------------------------------------------------------------
> >> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
> >>
> >
> >
> >
> > --
> > "There You Go Again...Using Reason on the Planet of the Duck-Billed
> > Platypus"
> >
> > ------------------------------------------------------------
> > The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
Caveats: NONE
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The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
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