snafu
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Written by a house AI from the entry below, in your language. The entry itself is the source.
SNAFU¹
- /snæˈfuː/ UK
- /ˈsnæfuː/ UK
- /snæˈfu/ US
- /ˈsnæfu/ US
Rhymes with -uː, -ɑːfuː
Where it comes from
The 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.
phrase snafu
- Acronym of situation normal, all fucked up /situation normal, all fouled up.
noun SNAFUs · 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 soldier…
snafu²
phrase
- Alternative letter-case form of SNAFU
noun snafus
- Alternative 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 warn would-be companions of potential scheduling snafus ahead of time.
- a satirical purposefully low-quality rendition of an internet meme
verb snafus · snafuing · snafued
- To 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.
Translations
Every language
noun confused, muddled, or messed-up condition or state; ridiculously chaotic situation
| Español | confusión, caos |
|---|---|
| Français | bordel, merdier |
| Deutsch | tanzendes Chaos, Chaos |
| Italiano | puttanaio, troiaio, bordello, casino, macello, ginepraio |
| Русский | пу́таница pútanica, неразбери́ха nerazberíxa, барда́к bardák, ералаш jeralaš |
Talk about this word "snafu." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/snafu. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. snafu. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/snafu "snafu." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/snafu.Cite this
@misc{snafu_2026,
title = {snafu},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/snafu},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}