noun / adjective / verb

snafu

sna-FOO/snæˈfuː/

A confused or badly disrupted state of affairs.

The chair-assembly snafu leaves its backrest sideways and one leg unused.

A bungled flat-pack chair assembly: two older women stare in confusion at a chair with its backrest attached sideways, while an unused leg, loose bolts, and the empty hardware tray lie beside it.

Etymology

snafuEnglishordinary, pervasive disorder

The expression “situation normal, all fucked up” treats disorder as the expected state of affairs. Its resigned military humor became a noun for a confusion or badly mishandled situation.

In context

CBS Mornings3:42

Soldiers uh would say snafu, meaning situation normal, all effed up. Yeah. And uh essentially meaning, you know, things are messed up, but kind of aren't they always?

Ed Helms trades "The Office" for history lessons in new book "SNAFU"

More examples

Several scheduling snafus delayed the opening by a week.
We finally sorted out the snafu with our insurance paperwork.
A missing signature snafued the entire application process.

Forms

snafu · snafus · snafued · snafuing

Similar words

mix-up: Usually a specific misunderstanding or mistake, not widespread disorder.
chaos: Emphasizes widespread disorder rather than a particular operational failure.
glitch: Usually a small technical problem, not a badly disrupted situation.