Swearing loves the alphabet – or euphemisms for swearing do, at least. To avoid saying fuck outright, we might just drop an f bomb, sidestep with the f word, or register ‘initial’ reactions with WTF. Some swears play with spelling: see you next Tuesday, say. Yet others, including a number originating from military expressions, are acronyms: snafu, or Situation Normal: All Fucked Up. That’s no BS, an abbreviation of bullshit that Mark Peters has written a whole damn book on.
But what about fucking A? What is this A doing? Is it standing in for another swearword? What the fuck is this A in fucking A?
First off, what the fuck does the expression fucking A even mean? It’s versatile, as any fan of The Big Lebowski can tell you. As I hear and use it in American English today, fucking A – or, more often, fuckin’ A – largely functions as an interjection. It can express excitement. You got the promotion? Fucking A, man! It can vent frustration. Dude, you drank my last can of LaCroix? Fucking A.
But fucking A does a lot of its work announcing a kind of agreement – a subtle, knowing, or sympathizing kind of agreement, if my ears are any measure. It figures humorously in a scene in Mike Judge’s 1999 Office Space, when disillusioned cubicle drone Peter Gibbons finally finds contentment:
All right, so what the fuck is the A in fucking A? There has been a lot of speculation for what it represents. Some see it as standing in for other swearwords: ass, asshole, or, pointing to a source in British English, arse. Speaking of British English, another effort claims fucking A comes from fuck all and Fanny Adams. But why abbreviate ass and not fucking? On the American Dialect Society’s email discussion list, others have reported fuck an A or a riff on the Flying-A gas stations. Evidence is lacking for these explanations.
The written record of fucking A grounds the expression in the 1940s, especially as used by US soldiers during World War II to express emphatic, intensive assent. The first citation Jesse Sheidlower provides in his sweary essential, The F-Word, comes from a passage in Norman Mailer’s 1948 The Naked and the Dead: “‘You’re fuggin ay,’ Gallagher snorted.” (This fug has its own interesting story to tell.) Here, the character is conveying a sense of You’re totally right or absolutely correct.
So, what’s so right about fucking A? As Sheidlower suggests, fucking A may have been taken from phrases like “You’re fucking A-number-one right.” This makes fucking an intensifier. And this makes A shorted from the adjectival expression, A-number-one, which had been signifying something first-class or outstanding in American English at least a 100 years prior, according to the Oxford English Dictionary (OED). The OED dates A-number-one (or A No.1) back to 1838 and roots it in A1, which Lloyd’s Register in London famously used to classify ships in the best conditions. This A, of course, enjoys its distinction due to its esteemed position in the alphabet.
Sheidlower also notes fucking A can be used as an adverb and infix, as well as in the expression You’re fucking-A well told. (Fucking well told is another expression for absolutely right, according to the Dictionary of American Slang.) And the expression, of course, has evolved over the years, though it still retains its affirmative character. Even when expressed in dismay, I think fucking A still can take a see-this-from-my-perspective plea.
Speaking of affirmative, there are yet other suggestions for its origin. Two also root the expression in the US military: one argues that the A stands for affirmative, used in aviation; the other that the A stands for able, which named the letter A in the US military radio alphabet used during Wold War II. Another, fucking amen, underscores the expression’s sense of “heartfelt agreement,” as the Oxford Dictionary of Modern Slang glosses the expression. Fucking aye and fucking A-OK have also been proposed.
Ultimately, we’re not absolutely sure what the A in fucking A is. But, if Sheidlower’s suggestion is correct, the A could be just that: the letter A.
Fuckin’ A, fucking A.
***
Clarification: Jesse Sheidlower credits the suggestion that fucking A is short for fucking A-number-one to Jonathan Lighter in the Historical Dictionary of American Slang.
For more on swearing in the military, take in Rob Chirico’s “You’re in the fucking army now.” I also previously did a short piece on the expression “broke dick,” which also has military connections. And for more on the use of abbreviations in swearing, enjoy Stan Carey’s “OMFG! Sweary abbreviations FTFW.”
Strong Language 
In Spider Robinson’s novel Night of Power, one of the characters frequently says “Fuckin’ A!” to express astonishment (a meaning you don’t discuss above). As the night goes on and more and more astonishing things happen, this seems to wear out, and he switches to “Fuckin’ B!” and finally “Fuckin’ C!”. This is a literary conceit, of course, but I like it.
LikeLiked by 3 people
Fuckin’ D! I subsumed the sense of “astonishment” under my brief discussion of its interjectional excitement, but one should never assume. That’s an excellent example: I like that, too.
LikeLiked by 1 person
If your Canadian you get this – it started here Fuckin Eh????
LikeLiked by 1 person
Classic!
LikeLiked by 1 person
That’s what I always thought it actually was…either “eh” or “ay” and then Americans like me just thought it was “A” haha.
LikeLiked by 2 people
in Maine we say fuckin Ayuh!
LikeLike
In my little corner of the world (small town Pennsylvania) where I grew up the “A” stood for A-rab in the early to mid 1950s and as time went on the ‘-rab’ became silent.
LikeLike
The “A” refers to the grade you are given in school when your answer is perfectly correct. In any class when your answers are right, the teacher gives you a fuckin’ A
LikeLike
With a preface needed to explain that expression, there is no clearer way to explain the meaning. “Moderation” means I would only answer less perfectly.
LikeLike
I grew up in New Jersey, where this old joke is told:
“Do you know the Jersey alphabet?”
“No.”
“Fuckin’ A, Fuckin’ B, Fuckin’ C…”
LikeLiked by 5 people
I lived in NY for a long time and fuck is one of the only word they use often, but I never heard them say fucking a. However I do sometimes. But,
you fuckers is my favorite.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ha! That’ll definitely get the kids to learn their alphabet.
LikeLiked by 1 person
In the Pacific Island’s, all you hear is YOU FUCKA or FUCKA I BUST YOU UP or reversed FUCKA YOU. That’s why some letters are missing in the Island’s Alphabet, lol & i’m PI…
LikeLiked by 2 people
As a Canadian, I always thought that the expression was “fuckin’ eh” until my American friend messaged it to me one day as “fuckin’ A”. Having thought about it, I guess I’m more likely to use “fuckin’ eh” as agreement or exclamation rather than an agreement seeker, which is usually how I use “eh”.
LikeLiked by 4 people
Ditto here. I grew up knowing it as “fuckin’ eh!” and seeing it spelled that way too. On occasions where I saw “fuckin’ A” I assumed it was an indication of reduced literacy. Go figure.
LikeLiked by 3 people
I would think that as long as the apostrophe is included, the literacy level shouldn’t be considered reduced… 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
I too have to agree with the “eh” spelling. Originally (as I recall) from Saturday Night Live skits… Bob and Doug McKenzie, eh! As in “Good Day, eh”. Definitely a Canadian tradition.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s definitely “fuckin’ eh!” north of the 49th. Perhaps a grammatical homology (http://www.britannica.com/science/homology-evolution) with “fuck” as the common ancestor, or even just an analogy (http://www.britannica.com/science/analogy-evolution)? And I also only think of it as positive or excited, not frustrated, which supports dialect differences.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thanks for the extensive acknowledgement. The suggestion that _fucking A_ is short for _fucking A-number-one_ was originally made by Jonathan Lighter in the relevant entry in HDAS.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jesse, thank you for this clarification/edification! I’ll update the post.
LikeLike
Grew up and New England, where we always said, “fahkin’ A”. Depending on the situation, the ‘ah’ sound elongated to show level of disgust or disdain: “I gatta go to work early tomorrow, faaaaahkin’ A! Faaahkin’ snow is pilin’ up”
I’ve often wondered what the “A” meant as well. Thinking along the lines of a British derivation, maybe it came from “aye” that is used sometimes at the ends of sentences? Not as pointed as a “Hey, pay attention!” But more like some sort of modifier where the “aye” is more like a “huh” or “okay”. Perhaps it’s not unreasonable to think that “A” is just a horked up loogey away from from “Fucking A”?
Just a thought…
LikeLike
Interesting. Among my high school/college buddies (Michigan in the 1980s) I think there was a general understanding that the A was short for “awesome.” But this makes it clear it didn’t start that way.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Exactly what I thought too!
LikeLike
I’ve always used “fuckin’ a” as an affirmative. I have also heard many times that it along with “balls to the wall” were from World War 2 American (and perhaps British) avation. If true than I Say, Fuckin’ A!
LikeLiked by 1 person
No, “balls to the wall” is Vietnam-era, and is not related to the testicles (though some people do make that association).
LikeLiked by 2 people
Ok, Having grown up in the ’70s, I guess I should have known it was the Vietnam War, As far a the actual “balls” I always thought they were the round ends of the engine throttle controls of a plane being pushed all the way open (toward the front “wall”) of the cockpit. I’m probably not using any correct avation terms, not being a pilot! Thanx!
LikeLike
Any possible reference to Hester’s Scarlet Letter?
LikeLike
Not that I came across. But there is a play called “Fucking A” inspired by Hawthorne’s work: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fucking_A
LikeLike
“Hey, get a room, you two!” (Flips them off) – The Chotchkie’s Waiter (Me)
LikeLike
Great journalistic writing, Strong Language! Always fun seeing what you’ve dug up!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Language – It is always refreshing to hear the original course language in movies you saw in the theater, and many times on TV – sanitized (and worse). I watched Terminator 2 on HBO last month. The language was a big improvement!
LikeLike
Interesting stuff! I love the phrase Fuckin’ A, and enjoy its many uses, to express agreement, disappointment, frustration, etc. I’ve always wondered what the A meant but never bothered to look it up. Now to find out what the H means in Jesus H Christ, something else I enjoy saying but don’t really know why.
LikeLiked by 3 people
It really is a great phrase. Concerning the “H,” see https://stronglang.wordpress.com/2015/01/18/diy-oathmaking/
LikeLiked by 3 people
Thanks for that link! Fuckin’ A!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Heard this first in the late 80s, and was always as a strong affirmative. “Fuckin’ A!”, this is from Australia. Although undoubtedly imported from the US, in Australian slang may well have been spelt “Fuckin’ eh!”–not necessarily implying the letter “A”, as “eh” is used as an intensifier especially in northern Queensland. There is, though, a variant here of “Fuckin’ Ace!”, which is not dissimilar to the “number one” notion noted above.
LikeLike
Ah, more evidence for a “fuckin’ eh!” origin! No one would ever think a well-known swear would start in Canada, but Australia, well, sure.
LikeLike
In military parlance affirmative is frequently exaggerated as A-firmative. I vote for that origin.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Interesting, I’m from the Isle of Wight in England and I’ve always taken the ‘A’ to mean yes (like “fucking yesss” or positive like “fucking awesome!) it can be used sarcastically too when you got literal shit to clean up or some shit haha! I love that expression on the end of most sentences, “I love cats, and shit” “it’s QOTSA or some shit” not meaning shit, just meaning other things/stuff… I see you have a shit post, I’ll get on that!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Fuck an ‘A’.
LikeLike
ac·knowl·edge
əkˈnäləj/
verb
1.
accept or admit the existence or truth of.
“the plight of the refugees was acknowledged by the authorities”
synonyms:admit, accept, grant, allow, concede,accede to, confess, own, recognize
“the government acknowledged the need to begin talks”
2.
(of a body of opinion) recognize the fact or importance or quality of.
“the art world has begun to acknowledge his genius”
Military radio operator phraseology. Had Fuck added for effect.
Used in a sentence …did the round impact on those fuckin goods private? Fuckin A sarge . Followed by hooah on a fuckin good day.
LikeLike
This is the first I’ve come across the ‘A’ is for ‘acknowledge’, which resonates with 1) other military-based theories and specifically 2) the ‘affirmative’ hypothesis. Is ‘acknowledge’ used in a particular military radio (cf. aviators specific use of ‘affirmative’)?
LikeLike
My favorite, or maybe I should say what for me is the iconic, use of Fucking-A is from the 1978 movie ‘The Deer Hunter,” where it’s used frequently among the banter of the group of friends that includes Michael, Axel, etc. I hadn’t heard or noticed the term previous to that (which I first watched at least a decade after the film was released), so I was trying to decipher the A part. Like from something said earlier in the movie, like Fucking-Ass; but I don’t think this is the case. I finally just settled from the inflection & contexts in which it was said to mean something like Fuck yeah. Perhaps A is not short for anything but is similar to its use in A-OK, one theory for which is that preceding OK with A made ‘strengthened’ the phrase and made it more intelligible over weak radio broadcasts. Whether true or not, the A certainly adds an emphasis or certainly sounds stronger then Fucking yes or Fucking Right. So the secret may just be in the sound of A itself.
LikeLike
“Deer Hunter” indeed provides many a memorable example of “fucking A.” Its plot and setting would also jibe with its early military appearances.
LikeLike
We were using fuckin’ A in LA in 1970. It was a well known phrase used a lot by transplants from the NYC area to California.
LikeLike
In my opinion it depends on the context it is used in and the nationality of the pEpson using it. For me it is like saying fucking awesome or fucking agree or affirm like I said depends on context. In the same area of question how about the H in Jesus h christ, what does it stand for?
LikeLike
Context indeed always applies. As for the H in Jesus H Christ, I’ll refer you to this post on the blog: https://stronglang.wordpress.com/2015/01/18/diy-oathmaking/. In short, the H is probably form the Greek letter eta, used in the Greek rendering of the first three letters of Jesus’ name (ΙΗΣΟΥΣ, Iesous).
LikeLike
When I served in the US Army during the VN War “fuckin’ A” was used as a shortened form of “You bet your fuckin’ ass!” A confirmation to what another GI had said!
LikeLike
Of course it came from the Scottish term “aye” meaning “yes” (just say ‘aye’ it sounds like ‘A’ to an American) “Fuckin Aye”… They are saying “fuck-yeah!” Americans learned the term from their UK comrades-in-arms during WWI &WWII have brought this expression back to America
LikeLiked by 1 person
I always believed it stood for Fucking Americans.
LikeLike
In Australia, at least, have always perceived this is as “Fucking/fucken eh” both as an emphatic statement and as an interrogative, and have never heard the B let alone C, D versions. “Fuck, yeah” as an emphatic as an equivalent.
LikeLike
I always thought of the A meaning the best grade. Eg. A-list actors, get an ‘A’ grade in school, etc. Similar to the A1 meaning but not requiring a 1.
LikeLike
The A is short for “Hey”, or usually “HEY!”. Like if someone grabs your sandwich off your plate, you might say “HEY!”, or if it made you a little madder than that, you might say “FUCKIN’ HEY, MAN!”. And of course the “hey” comes out as “A”. That’s how I’ve always heard it used.
LikeLike
I think all are correct, but another is it means, “FUCKING AWESOME!”.
LikeLike
Yo this is great writing. I’ve always wondered this – thank you for doing a blog about it!
LikeLike