The U.S. military was established on June 14, 1775. Since then, it has grown to include six branches (Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, Coast Guard, Space Force) and over 2 million military members while becoming one of the most powerful militaries on the planet.
Over the last 250 years, the U.S. military has also offered something else to the world: hilarious military slang acronyms!
If you’re an active-duty U.S. military member or one of the roughly 16 million U.S. veterans, you might already know what terms like SKATE, BOHICA, SNAFU, FUBAR, and TARFU mean. But if you haven’t ever served your country or if you served in a military branch that didn’t rely on acronyms as often as others, you might not have the slightest clue about their meanings.
U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Patrick Evenson
Learn what the 10 funniest military slang acronyms mean below.
1. SKATE
Not in the mood to take part in the manual tasks that military “working parties” are typically asked to do, such as mowing the lawn? You might try to SKATE.
SKATE is short for:
- Seek cover
- Keep a low profile
- Avoid higher-ups
- Take your time
- Enjoy yourself
This is one of the many military-themed acronyms that have entered modern-day American life. People “skate by” at home, school, or work all the time.
2. BOHICA
BOHICA is short for:
- Bend
- Over
- Here
- It
- Comes
- Again
This term is used by military members when they’re given undesirable assignments — and there isn’t anything they can do about it.
BOHICA was first used during the Vietnam War. It also inspired the comic strip “The Bohica Brothers” in the U.S. Naval Academy’s humorous magazine The LOG in the 1970s.
3. SNAFU
Today, snafu usually refers to a mistake someone makes. But in military terms, SNAFU is short for:
- Situation
- Normal
- All
- F*****/Fouled
- Up
SNAFU supposedly got its start among the Marines during World War II. It’s primarily used to describe dangerous situations that have somehow started feeling normal.
4. FUBAR
Like SNAFU, FUBAR can be traced back to World War II. It refers to any situation that has taken a turn for the worse.
FUBAR is short for:
- F*****/Fouled
- Up
- Beyond
- All/Any
- Repair/Recognition
FUBAR got pushed to the forefront of American pop culture in the 1980s and 1990s when it was repeatedly referenced in war movies like Tango and Cash and Saving Private Ryan.
5. TARFU
Warner Bros. released military-themed animated shorts during World War II, including Three Brothers, which featured the characters Private Snafu and Private Fubar. One of the final shorts to come out of this series was Private Snafu Presents Seaman Tarfu in the Navy.
TARFU was yet another one of the military slang acronyms to emerge during WWII. It is short for:
- Things
- Are
- Really
- F*****
- Up
TARFU managed to capture the mood of many military members at the time.
6. FAP
If you Google “FAP” (don’t do it!), you’ll find that this military slang acronym has taken on a much different meaning in 2024. But for a long time, FAP was simply short for:
- Fleet
- Assistance
- Program
It refers to a program the Marines put in place allowing one unit to “FAP out” (don’t Google this, either!) those nearing the end of their enlistment periods to other units.
7. STEAL
There’s no stealing allowed in the U.S. military. But STEALing? Oh, that’s perfectly acceptable among military members.
STEAL is short for:
- Strategic
- Transfer of
- Equipment to
- Alternate
- Locations
This definition might make STEAL sound fancy, but it essentially means taking military equipment that wasn’t originally given to you and repurposing it.
8. BCG
About one-quarter of U.S. military members wear glasses. However, they aren’t allowed to wear traditional eyeglasses and must instead wear BCGs.
BCG is short for:
- Birth
- Control
- Glasses
If you’ve ever seen what these glasses look like, you know why they deserve this name!
9. FIGMO
Do you know that feeling you get when you’ve put in your two weeks’ notice at a job? You still have to show up every day and “work,” but you’ve already mentally checked out.
FIGMO is short for:
- Forget/F***
- It
- Got
- My
- Orders
Military members use FIGMO to describe the feeling they have when they get orders to head to a new permanent change of station.
10. RHIP
Each U.S. military branch has military ranks that break down where different commissioned officers, warrant officers, non-commissioned officers, and enlisted personnel land within its hierarchical system.
RHIP is short for:
- Rank
- Has
- Its
- Privileges
RHIP refers to high-ranking military members getting preferential treatment and making sure their subordinates know why.
Use These Funny Military Slang Acronyms on Our Custom Challenge Coins
Now that you know what these funny military slang acronyms mean, why not use your favorite one to create a custom challenge coin? Embleholics can help you design one from start to finish. Contact us today to find out how!
