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From: munir@vcvax1.UUCP (munir)
Newsgroups: comp.misc,comp.unix.questions,comp.unix.wizards,news.misc,rec.games.trivia
Subject: Re: History
Message-ID: <238@vcvax1.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 18-Sep-87 17:15:31 EDT
Article-I.D.: vcvax1.238
Posted: Fri Sep 18 17:15:31 1987
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> In article <1266@mucs.UX.CS.MAN.AC.UK>, arnold@mucs.UX.CS.MAN.AC.UK (Toby Howard) writes:
> > I know about the derivation of the ubiquitous "foo bar", but
> > what I would like to discover is when it *first* appeared as
> > a term of computer jargon. I'd like to track it down. Any help
> > gratefully received. Replies by email please.
> > 
> I seem to recall reading something in William Safire's column in the
> New York Times Sunday Magazine about the term's stemming from the
> Marine (?) acronym "fubar" and from an early computer instruction
> "BAR".  But Safire is generally further off only on teenage lingo than
> he is on computer stuff. Anybody else?

Actually I heard it came from the army - F***ed up beyond all recognition!!