FUBAR Is Actually an Acronym That Contains Some NSFW Language — Here’s What It Means

If you ever wanted to feel old, just scroll through the latest social media application and take a gander at some of the terms people are throwing around in the comments section. A few years ago, people began saying "cap" instead of "lie" and if someone enjoyed their grandma's cooking, they referred to the meal as "bussin'" which is a phrase that would probably make people wince in pain if they heard it now.

However, there's another phrase, FUBAR, which has persisted throughout the years. What does it mean?

According to Merriam-Webster, this terminology has purportedly been in use for several years, and there are recorded instances of its usage that extend back to the 1980s. The dictionary states that it's an acronym that stands for "F--ked up Beyond all Recognition."

In 1986, Patrick P. McCurdy utilized the phrase in a March 5 article for Chemical Week. According to McCurdy, the term was implemented by members of the United States military as a commentary on a situation to describe a catastrophic failure.

McCurdy wrote: "For some, this epitomizes that widely held view that the Army — the military in general — usually manages to foul things up in unique ways. (This view has also been immortalized in such wry expressions as SNAFU and FUBAR.)"

Years later, Dave Edson published his own implementation of the word in a Microsoft Systems Journal in October 1994. He seems to be referencing end users who may get in over their heads while using a Microsoft operating system.

If the user in question finds themselves in a situation where they've overloaded their computer with processes and can't seem to find a way to extricate from the situation, he recommends canceling the operation. Furthermore, he describes this worst-case scenario as a FUBAR incident.

"Likewise, if users get completely FUBAR while filling in the multitudes of fields in all the different pages of your dialog, they may choose the ejector seat and press the Cancel button."

Author David Abrams also used the term in his 2012 book Fobbit as well.

"Robby paced from side to side, impatient to move out and investigate what looked to be a FUBAR situation," Abrams penned.

The Arnold Schwarzenegger Netflix series, FUBAR, is also named after the acronym.

The action comedy appropriately takes the term and appends it to the greater story arc of the series. It involves a covert spy who, while nearing retirement, discovers his daughter is involved in the same line of work that he is.

Both father and daughter discover a plot that could have some particularly nasty implications, which prompts them to team up to fight against an "enemy plot." However, like any good drama, there are tons of problems that pop up along the way, leading to numerous FUBAR situations they're then forced to deal with.

Moreover, the Cambridge dictionary also echoed this same definition for the popular term. According to the resource, FUBAR stands for: "extremely bad or certain to fail or be defeated or destroyed. Fubar is short for F---ed Up Beyond All Recognition."