/snæˈfuː/, /ˈsnæfuː/, /snæˈfu/
OriginThe term was born during the Second World War as an acronym of the initials of the words situation normal, all fucked up, which summed up the chaos and confusion of the war from an individual soldier’s point of view.
- abbreviation, acronym, alt-of, euphemistic, slangAcronym of situation normal, all fucked up /situation normal, all fouled up.
- alt-ofAlternative letter-case form of SNAFU.
- A confused, muddled, or messed-up condition or state; a ridiculously chaotic situation; confusion or chaos regarded as the normal state.
- A major glitch or breakdown; a mistake or blunder.
“2007, Susan Glairon, Paperwork SNAFU, The Daily Times-Call, LongmontFYI
Because of a paperwork snafu, he also hasn’t been able to get his Army discharge papers and is still listed as an active-duty so”
- alt-ofAlternative letter-case form of SNAFU.
“There's plenty of time for dating later on—look at Janet Reno. Okay, don’t look at Janet Reno. However, assuming that you are seeking romance (and that a cigar is just a cigar), your best bet is to wa”
“Tesla’s first decade was plagued by unmet deadlines, technical snafus and cost overruns.”
- slangTo screw up, fuck up, or foul up.
“Generally I just catch the main event; but this night the prelims were snafued and the last bout was going on when I checked in.”
Formssnafu(alternative) · SNAFUs(plural) · snafus(plural) · snafus(present, singular, third-person) · snafuing(participle, present) · snafued(participle, past) · snafued(past)