Fouled Up Beyond All Repair

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What Does Fouled Up Beyond All Repair Mean?

Fouled up beyond all repair (FUBAR) is a slang term that originated and was popularized during World War II by American soldiers. The term means that a situation or object is so messed up that it is beyond being salvageable. There are also other, more obscene, variations of the term.

Techopedia Explains Fouled Up Beyond All Repair

The origins of this word is are unclear but some say that it was influenced by the German word “furchtbar,” which means “terrible.” It is also used as an expression for extreme desperation or helplessness.

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Margaret Rouse
Technology Expert
Margaret Rouse
Technology Expert

Margaret is an award-winning technical writer and teacher known for her ability to explain complex technical subjects to a non-technical business audience. Over the past twenty years, her IT definitions have been published by Que in an encyclopedia of technology terms and cited in articles by the New York Times, Time Magazine, USA Today, ZDNet, PC Magazine, and Discovery Magazine. She joined Techopedia in 2011. Margaret's idea of a fun day is helping IT and business professionals learn to speak each other’s highly specialized languages.

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