antedating of SWAG (UNCLASSIFIED)

[Jonathan Lighter]

I encountered WAG first, also in the early '70s.

JL

On Thu, Jun 21, 2012 at 10:49 AM, Mullins, Bill AMRDEC <
Bill.Mullins at us.army.mil> wrote:

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> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       "Mullins, Bill AMRDEC" <Bill.Mullins at US.ARMY.MIL>
> Subject:      Re: antedating of SWAG (UNCLASSIFIED)
>
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>
> Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
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>
> Variant forms and retronyms:
>
> _Management of Personnel Quarterly_ Spring 1962 v1 n3 p 11 col 2
> (ABI/INFORM Reseach)
> "Many opinions appear to be based upon "dead reckoning," gleaned from
> long close association with subordinate white collar groups; what one
> executive referred to as "scientific wild-eyed guessing." "
>
> _Science News_ 146. 26-27 (Dec 24, 1994): 432. (not from page image;
> ProQuest)
> "One researcher privately categorized some of the estimates as "SWAGs"
> (strictly wild-assed guesses)."
>
> _Inc_ 17. 13 (1995): 52. (not from page image; ProQuest)
> "When they do write down numbers, the numbers are estimates--what
> Harford calls WAGs, for "wild-assed guesses.""
>
> _Production and Inventory Management Journal_ 37. 2 (Second Quarter
> 1996): 1. (not from page image; ProQuest)
> "How cost of quality is measured ranges from crude SWAG (stupid,
> without-analysis guess) to detailed record keeping of all quality costs
> regardless of their size and relevance."
>
> _American Printer_ 124. 1 (Jan 2007): 47. (not from page image;
> ProQuest)
> "As long as SWAG (strategic wild-butt guess) remains the industry
> standard, the debate will continue to fall on deaf ears."
>
> _Ward's Dealer Business_ 44. 1 (Jan 2010): n/a. (not from page image;
> ProQuest)
> "The "SWAG" (sophisticated wild @#@ guess) percentage understates the
> projects by 20%."
>
>
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: American Dialect Society [mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] On
> Behalf Of
> > Jonathan Lighter
> > Sent: Thursday, June 21, 2012 8:24 AM
> > To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> > Subject: antedating of SWAG
> >
> > ---------------------- Information from the mail header
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> > -
> > Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > Poster:       Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at GMAIL.COM>
> > Subject:      antedating of SWAG
> >
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> ------
> > -
> >
> > Not in OED.
> >
> > I first heard this in the early '70s as the acronym of "Scientific
> > Wild-Assed Guess."  Also "Stupid...."
> >
> > 1966 James H. Pickerell _Vietnam in the Mud_ (Indianapolis:
> Bobbs-Merrill)
> > 14: Consequently, troops in the field have started turning in what
> they
> > refer to as a SWAG count, but what their superiors still call a "body
> > count." (SWAG stands for "Stupid Wild-Ass Guess.")
> >
> > Malcolm W. Browne's intro is dated "February, 1966."
> >
> > JL
> >
> > --
> > "If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the
> truth."
> >
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