# What does ETA stand for? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [October 4, 2012, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-eta-stand-for/636719 "2012-10-04T17:24:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e4f/32.png) [@Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Digital_is_the_new_Analog)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2012, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-eta-stand-for/636719/21 "2012-10-05T01:22:37Z")
[Euskadi Ta Askatasuna](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ETA). > [@](#): > > Originally Posted by **Wikipedia** > ETA (Basque: [eta], Spanish: [ˈeta]), an acronym for Euskadi Ta Askatasuna (Basque pronunciation: [eus̺kadi ta as̺katas̺una]; “Basque Homeland and Freedom”) is an armed Basque nationalist and separatist organization. The group was founded in 1959 and has since evolved from a group promoting traditional Basque culture to a paramilitary group with the goal of gaining independence for the Greater Basque Country.[4][5] ETA is the main organisation of the Basque National Liberation Movement and is the most important participant in the Basque conflict. ETA declared ceasefires in 1989, 1996, 1998 and 2006, but subsequently broke them. However, on 5 September 2010, ETA declared a new ceasefire[6] that is still in force – moreover, on 20 October 2011 ETA announced a “definitive cessation of its armed activity” -D/a ---
**Author:** ![PlainJain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5daacb/32.png) [@PlainJain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlainJain)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2012, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-eta-stand-for/636719/22 "2012-10-05T01:45:29Z")
> [@Giraffe](#): > > Some of us are trying to be considerate of the future historians who will end up going back and analyzing every single word we’ve ever written in order to figure out precisely when we went crazy. Nice. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2012, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-eta-stand-for/636719/23 "2012-10-05T02:01:56Z")
Elvia Tribute Artist ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2012, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-eta-stand-for/636719/24 "2012-10-05T02:07:27Z")
Extremely Trivial Addendum ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2012, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-eta-stand-for/636719/25 "2012-10-05T02:09:25Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > Elvia Tribute Artist Which, of couse, should have been _Elvis_ Tribute Artist. Yes, I _am_ getting new glasses this month. Why do you ask? ---
**Author:** ![Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e4f/32.png) [@Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Digital_is_the_new_Analog)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2012, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-eta-stand-for/636719/26 "2012-10-05T02:19:42Z")
Elvira’s Twin Assets? -D/a ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2012, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-eta-stand-for/636719/27 "2012-10-06T23:41:54Z")
It’s for added content that’s not quite acute enough to be theta. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2012, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-eta-stand-for/636719/28 "2012-10-07T00:34:09Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > To be honest, I don’t understand why people bother. Who cares? I appreciate it. Sometimes people will respond to posts within the 5 minutes, and the original poster will be editing at the same time, resulting in confusion. The “ETA” tag can explain the gap. ---
**Author:** ![Beastly\_Rotter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/45deac/32.png) [@Beastly\_Rotter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beastly_Rotter)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2012, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-eta-stand-for/636719/29 "2012-10-07T02:21:44Z")
It’s a historical curiosity left over from the 19th Century, when early Morse operators would smugly sign off every message as Early Telegraph Adopter. ---
**Author:** ![Mona\_Lisa\_Simpson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ce7236/32.png) [@Mona\_Lisa\_Simpson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mona_Lisa_Simpson)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2012, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-eta-stand-for/636719/30 "2012-10-07T02:30:21Z")
> [@Beastly\_Rotter](#): > > It’s a historical curiosity left over from the 19th Century, when early Morse operators would smugly sign off every message as Early Telegraph Adopter. This is my favourite thing I have read today. And I read all the things! ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2012, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-eta-stand-for/636719/31 "2012-10-07T04:50:15Z")
Now that we’ve got settled, could someone please tell me what the fuck “WTF” stands for? ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2012, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-eta-stand-for/636719/32 "2012-10-07T05:21:16Z")
whiskey tainted formula is when you spike a baby’s bottle ---
**Author:** ![Beastly\_Rotter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/45deac/32.png) [@Beastly\_Rotter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beastly_Rotter)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2012, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-eta-stand-for/636719/33 "2012-10-07T05:44:17Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Now that we’ve got settled, could someone please tell me what the fuck “WTF” stands for? Will Tergiversate Free. ---
**Author:** ![Dallas\_Jones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dallas_jones/32/3277_2.png) [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2012, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-eta-stand-for/636719/34 "2012-10-07T06:05:19Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Now that we’ve got settled, could someone please tell me what the fuck “WTF” stands for? Wednesday, Thursday, Friday. ---
**Author:** ![swampbear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/swampbear/32/467_2.png) [@swampbear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/swampbear)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2012, 10:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-eta-stand-for/636719/35 "2012-10-07T10:57:20Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Now that we’ve got settled, could someone please tell me what the fuck “WTF” stands for? Everybody knows it means Whiskey Tango Foxtrot. ---
**Author:** ![Canadjun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/76d3ee/32.png) [@Canadjun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Canadjun)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2012, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-eta-stand-for/636719/36 "2012-10-07T18:31:23Z")
With True Friendship What do you mean that’s not what it’s short for?! ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2012, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-eta-stand-for/636719/37 "2012-10-07T18:44:29Z")
ETA – what does it stand for? It stands for Etta [sic] James, legendary blues singer, who died this year. Her signature song was “At Last,” so when someone wants to add a _bot mot_ to a post, he says “ETA,” which means _at last_ he thought of something important to add. RIP, [Etta James.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Etta_James) ---
**Author:** ![Cheshire\_Human](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Cheshire\_Human](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheshire_Human)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2012, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-eta-stand-for/636719/38 "2012-10-07T23:52:57Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Now that we’ve got settled, could someone please tell me what the fuck “WTF” stands for? Why Try Fromage??? It’s partially french for cheese… ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2012, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-eta-stand-for/636719/39 "2012-10-08T00:30:50Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Now that we’ve got settled, could someone please tell me what the fuck “WTF” stands for? Went to France. ---
**Author:** ![Cheshire\_Human](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Cheshire\_Human](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheshire_Human)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2012, 7:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-eta-stand-for/636719/40 "2012-10-08T07:43:28Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > Went to France. Hence the question marks you usually find after it… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-eta-stand-for/636719.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-eta-stand-for/636719.md?page=3)