# Origin of Fuckin' A! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\ **Created:** [June 6, 2010, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-fuckin-a/542124 "2010-06-06T02:19:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Jim2929](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ea5d25/32.png) [@Jim2929](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim2929)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2010, 6:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-fuckin-a/542124/21 "2010-06-09T06:49:25Z")
I’ll be back tomorrow. Maybe some can tell who CANTY,heor she was or is. THANK YOU. FROM HOT, VERY HOT FLORIDA. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2010, 10:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-fuckin-a/542124/22 "2010-06-09T10:59:36Z")
I know the origin of the phrase, and let me just say that there’s a very good reason they’ll never ask Quentin Tarantino to direct another episode of Sesame Street. ---
**Author:** ![FNAWright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecccb3/32.png) [@FNAWright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FNAWright)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2010, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-fuckin-a/542124/23 "2010-06-09T16:34:48Z")
New member here and what a coinkydink that this subject is on the forum. In the polite, middle-class neighborhood I where grew up , this phrase was mostly “Bowdlerized” to ‘Effin’ A’. This was understood to solve a couple of problems - not only the infamous Anglo-Saxon term, but the object of that modifier “Ass”. The whole phrase was understood to be short for 'You bet your f\_\_cking ass." which is an indicator of a strongly positive, generally undeniable chance. (Who bets their ass on anything less?) ‘You going to the dance with Liz?’ ‘Effin’ A right!’ (Or FNA Wright?) As noted by others, it wouldn’t make sense in the context of most uses to mean asshole. I don’t see it as meaning “yes” either. For one, its is “A” not “Aye” and there seems to me to be no reason to abbreviate Aye to “A”. For another there is no reason to say “F\_\_cking yes, right” Change the above example to : “Taking Liz to the dance? Effin yes, right” doesn’t make it, while both FNA right" and “You bet your ass yeah!” seem much less clumsy. Glad this was here. I have used the tag “FNA” for some years and most people I talk to in NJ or PA claim no recollection of this term. ---
**Author:** ![John\_W.Kennedy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_w.kennedy/32/1031_2.png) [@John\_W.Kennedy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_W.Kennedy)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2010, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-fuckin-a/542124/24 "2010-06-09T18:35:59Z")
There are two different English words spelled (for the last century or so) “aye”. The one that means “yes” isn’t pronounced like the letter “a”, and the one pronounced like the letter “a” doesn’t mean “yes”. ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2010, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-fuckin-a/542124/25 "2010-06-09T21:17:01Z")
Okay, I know “aye” as in “aye-aye, skipper”. So what is the other one? ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2010, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-fuckin-a/542124/26 "2010-06-10T00:23:34Z")
“Always; ever: pledged their love for aye.” -American Heritage (via [tfd.com](http://tfd.com)) ---
**Author:** ![John\_W.Kennedy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_w.kennedy/32/1031_2.png) [@John\_W.Kennedy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_W.Kennedy)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2010, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-fuckin-a/542124/27 "2010-06-10T16:03:01Z")
“For His mercies aye endure, Ever faithful, ever sure.” – Milton, _Psalm CXXXVI: Let us with a gladsome mind_ Or, to illustrate the point better, “Leonard, my loved one — come to me. They bear me hence away! But though they take me far from thee, My heart is thine for aye!” – W. S. Gilbert, _The Yeomen of the Guard_ Until quite recently, “aye” (yes) was commonly spelled “ay”, so you could tell them apart. Yes, I know that seems the opposite of the way it should be; perhaps that’s why the old spelling disappeared. ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2010, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-fuckin-a/542124/28 "2010-06-13T21:42:40Z")
I wonder if it could be related to “Sweet F-A” For fanny adams or fuck all Or somehow a corruption o that? ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2010, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-fuckin-a/542124/29 "2010-06-13T23:32:15Z")
> [@TWDuke](#): > > Kind of disappointing that it’s just a bunch of guesses as to the origin. Disappointing, but not uncommon in etymology. Words and phrases often just appear, and we don’t know the exact origin. See “whole nine yards” for instance. ---
**Author:** ![In\_Winnipeg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/a8b319/32.png) [@In\_Winnipeg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/In_Winnipeg)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2010, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-fuckin-a/542124/30 "2010-06-14T15:33:39Z")
Seems to me that the “A” part is the shortened form of “A-1”, but I don’t know where I read this. ---
**Author:** ![Sparky812](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb9ed0/32.png) [@Sparky812](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sparky812)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2010, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-fuckin-a/542124/31 "2010-06-14T16:28:14Z")
> [@Jim2929](#): > > When I was in grade school, Grace St., now Canty, we always used to > “Fucking A DO”. and that was for just about anything you think of. > I.E. you goin’ to night, she does she have a nice ass, he’s and idiot. > And I’m 81 years old. > PS. Just who the fuck is Canty? 😕:eek::):mad::p;):D:(:dubious:⭕smack: > I had to try all those icons over there to the right. never used them before. Wow! And this was edited for “mis spelled words” I’ll be back tomorrow. Maybe some can tell who **Jim2929** ,heor she was or is. ---
**Author:** ![tropes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e5b9ba/32.png) [@tropes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tropes)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2010, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-fuckin-a/542124/32 "2010-06-14T22:56:51Z")
> [@Rick](#): > > It is the first letter of the New York alphabet. the second, of course, is fuckin’ B. > > 😃 I think you’re close. “Fucking eh” is the first alphabet of the Canadian language. Since “eh” is a common word in Canada meaning “right”, the term “fucking eh” is really a Canadian term meaning meaning “fucking right” Tropes ---
**Author:** ![Sparky812](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb9ed0/32.png) [@Sparky812](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sparky812)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2010, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-fuckin-a/542124/33 "2010-06-15T12:27:37Z")
> [@tropes](#): > > I think you’re close. “Fucking eh” is the first alphabet of the Canadian language. Since “eh” is a common word in Canada meaning “right”, the term “fucking eh” is really a Canadian term meaning meaning “fucking right” > Tropes ``` No, we don't use it that way. It doesn't mean "right" as an in "correct!" or "Agreed!". It is used to illicit a response from a listener. ``` From Merriam-Webster: > [@](#): > > [Eh]([http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/—used](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/%E2%80%94used) to ask for confirmation or repetition or to express inquiry ; used especially in Canadian English in anticipation of the listener’s or reader’s agreement)—used to ask for confirmation or repetition or to express inquiry ; used especially in Canadian English in anticipation of the listener’s or reader’s agreement. We use the term “Fucking A” just like everyone else. (maybe more!) For example: How’s it going, eh? Fuckin’ A! Check out my new car, eh? Fuckin’ A! You’re too drunk to drive, eh? Fuckin’ A! For other examples, check out [Fubar](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0302585/) ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2010, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-fuckin-a/542124/34 "2010-06-15T15:36:15Z")
I always understood the “A” in the phrase to be short for “Absolutely,” to indicate the speaker’s emphatic agreement with whatever was just said. ---
**Author:** ![John\_W.Kennedy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_w.kennedy/32/1031_2.png) [@John\_W.Kennedy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_W.Kennedy)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2010, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-fuckin-a/542124/35 "2010-06-15T17:37:55Z")
“Eh?” was also common in central Maine in the 1950s. May still be, for aught I know to the contrary. ---
**Author:** ![Whargoul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Whargoul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whargoul)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2011, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-fuckin-a/542124/36 "2011-06-11T22:02:24Z")
i have no evidence to support my claim but common sense tells me that the original phrase was “fucking aye”. apparently, however, it did not take long for it to become bastardized into “fucking a” by people unfamiliar with the word “aye” which means “yes”. ---
**Author:** ![Whargoul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Whargoul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whargoul)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2011, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-fuckin-a/542124/37 "2011-06-11T22:10:14Z")
apparently according to an online dictionary “aye” when pronounced “a” means always. still works. for sure the phrase didn’t originate as “fucking a”. that just makes no sense. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2011, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-fuckin-a/542124/38 "2011-06-11T22:28:26Z")
I’m with Cecil: > [@Cecil](#): > > “Fuckin’ A” is short for “you bet your fucking ass.” “You bet!” “You bet your bottom dollar!” “You bet your ass!” “You bet you fuckin’ ass” “Fuckin’ ass!” “Fuckin’ A!” My grandfather was born in 1888, and one of his favorite expressions that meant the same thing was, “You bet your boots!” "you bet your ass/fuckin’ ass " was just a vulgarization of that. ---
**Author:** ![John\_W.Kennedy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_w.kennedy/32/1031_2.png) [@John\_W.Kennedy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_W.Kennedy)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2011, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-fuckin-a/542124/39 "2011-06-12T01:36:09Z")
The “You bet your fucking ass!” theory has always seemed probable to me. ---
**Author:** ![Powers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@Powers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Powers)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2011, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-fuckin-a/542124/40 "2011-06-14T15:28:39Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > I’m with Cecil: The column in question was not written by Uncle Cecil. Powers &8^] [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-fuckin-a/542124.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-fuckin-a/542124.md?page=3)