# What does the "A" in "Fuckin' A, Bubba" mean? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 20, 2001, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-a-in-fuckin-a-bubba-mean/58770 "2001-03-20T20:33:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![City\_Gent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a87d85/32.png) [@City\_Gent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/City_Gent)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2001, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-a-in-fuckin-a-bubba-mean/58770/1 "2001-03-20T20:33:00Z")
Well? ---
**Author:** ![Sofa\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/58956e/32.png) [@Sofa\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sofa_King)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2001, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-a-in-fuckin-a-bubba-mean/58770/2 "2001-03-20T20:57:53Z")
Well, it’s definitely “Army Creole,” as described by Tom Wolfe in _The Right Stuff_. [This site](http://files.chatnfiles.com/Space%20and%20Astronomy/TEXT/SPACEDIG/V16_9/V16NO919.TXT) mentions that Gus Grissom spoke Army Creole fluently and often, and that may have been a factor in his not being selected to be the first American in space. As for the “A,” you got me. A-list? Grade-A? Yea? ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2001, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-a-in-fuckin-a-bubba-mean/58770/3 "2001-03-20T21:07:37Z")
It means “asshole” from the popular euphimism(sp?) “effin A’” which means “fuckin’ asshole.” ---
**Author:** ![troub](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troub/32/14802_2.png) [@troub](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/troub)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2001, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-a-in-fuckin-a-bubba-mean/58770/4 "2001-03-20T21:34:03Z")
I have often seen this spelled in literature as “F\*#@in’ aye,” which seem to me to simply be a variant of “F\*# yeah," or "F\*#in’ right.” ---
**Author:** ![demanton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3bc359/32.png) [@demanton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/demanton)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2001, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-a-in-fuckin-a-bubba-mean/58770/5 "2001-03-20T21:58:22Z")
Fucking A is shortened from fucking aye, an expression of assent or approval. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2001, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-a-in-fuckin-a-bubba-mean/58770/6 "2001-03-21T04:14:02Z")
JE Lighter, _American Slang_ shows it’s first printed appearance in Norman Mailer _Naked & Dead_, 1947. Lighter says origin unknown, but suggests "perhaps abstracted from a phrase such as _you’re fucking A-number-one right!_ Many early cites are from military literature. If Lighter says _origin unknown_ you can be sure it is. ---
**Author:** ![jb\_farley](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9d8465/32.png) [@jb\_farley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jb_farley)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2001, 7:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-a-in-fuckin-a-bubba-mean/58770/7 "2001-03-21T07:27:17Z")
I have always assumed it meant “affirmative”, as in “Fucking affirmative”. Perhaps the most superlative answer someone lower on the military rank than yourself could give. just my assumption. and you know what they say about assumptions: the make an ass out of you and- ur… ption? yeah, I guess. whatever, jb ---
**Author:** ![ErnestoLesto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b2d939/32.png) [@ErnestoLesto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ErnestoLesto)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2010, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-a-in-fuckin-a-bubba-mean/58770/8 "2010-12-15T22:28:12Z")
re: demanton’s post: fuckin A bubba! all you other punters are decomposingly wrong ---
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2010, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-a-in-fuckin-a-bubba-mean/58770/9 "2010-12-15T22:47:46Z")
I’ve always used it for ‘Awesome’. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2010, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-a-in-fuckin-a-bubba-mean/58770/10 "2010-12-15T23:32:22Z")
Since this question originally was asked in 2001, there has been a staff report in answer. [What’s the origin of Fuckin A](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2077/whats-the-origin-of-fuckin-a) ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2010, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-a-in-fuckin-a-bubba-mean/58770/11 "2010-12-15T23:32:28Z")
[moderating] This is a nine-year-old zombie thread, and the new posts don’t really add anything. To top it all off, we’ve had more recent discussions on the subject, so I closed this thread down. [/moderating]