# Why do we say "FCKING A!"? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 31, 2003, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-say-fcking-a/192175 "2003-07-31T17:19:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mini-Thud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/779978/32.png) [@Mini-Thud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mini-Thud)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2003, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-say-fcking-a/192175/1 "2003-07-31T17:19:10Z")
I think you get the point, I left out the U so its not actually a swear, don’t know how you guys feel about that stuff. But I said this the other day, and my friend mentioned that is doesn’t really make sense. Is it a shortened thing for saying “Fucking Ass”, as in an insult? Or maybe it just came from people being pissed off and yelling like, “Fucking aahhhH!!” and it just kind of got shortened to A? Any ideas on how this one came around? And if the foul language isn’t welcome, I apologize. ---
**Author:** ![Waverly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/57b2e6/32.png) [@Waverly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waverly)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2003, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-say-fcking-a/192175/2 "2003-07-31T17:31:26Z")
I understood it to be short for Fucking Ass, from the dark ages when ‘Ass’ could be used as a suffice, eg: Don’t be such a smart-ass You sure have an ugly-ass girlfriend That was one long-ass movie Fucking, of course, is always in vogue, so the combination of Fucking Ass was a natural, eg: That was suburb fucking-ass weed ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2003, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-say-fcking-a/192175/3 "2003-07-31T17:32:29Z")
Around here the full expression is Fucking A Touchee, although I’m unsure of the spelling on the touchee part. Also, Fuckin’ A Bubba and Fuckin’ A Right are also used. I have a theory that it was derived from a fencing term, bastardized French as it were, with something like “vous Connaiz touche’” meaning roughly “do you acknowledge the touch?” Really though, I’ve heard it all my life and have thought it was a very strong way of saying “yes” or “you bet” or “I see.” ---
**Author:** ![Waverly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/57b2e6/32.png) [@Waverly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waverly)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2003, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-say-fcking-a/192175/4 "2003-07-31T17:32:30Z")
that should read ‘suffix’ ---
**Author:** ![zut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zut/32/2875_2.png) [@zut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zut)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2003, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-say-fcking-a/192175/5 "2003-07-31T17:33:14Z")
Apparently no one really knows for sure. Check out the Staff Report [What’s the origin of “fuckin’ A”? (27-Feb-2003)](http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mfuckina.html) by **samclem** for a short discussion and a link to a previous thread. ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2003, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-say-fcking-a/192175/6 "2003-07-31T17:37:36Z")
It’s the first letter of the New York alphabet. Fucking A Fucking B Fucking C ---
**Author:** ![Mini-Thud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/779978/32.png) [@Mini-Thud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mini-Thud)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2003, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-say-fcking-a/192175/7 "2003-07-31T18:15:36Z")
Interesting theories. Normally when i say it it isn’t meaning “yes” though, its because I’m mad at something and just letting out some anger. I guess its no different than other swears really, some people when they get real mad they just start sayin random words that don’t make much sense… maybe this one just caught on. Hmm ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2003, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-say-fcking-a/192175/8 "2003-07-31T18:28:13Z")
Fuckin’ A Touchee, Bubba! You damn right! Or as it used to be affirmed, Right On! ---
**Author:** ![hyjyljyj](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/0ea827/32.png) [@hyjyljyj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hyjyljyj)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2003, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-say-fcking-a/192175/9 "2003-08-04T22:56:09Z")
There’s no French word “connaiez” though. It would be “connaissez”, which would wreck the transliteration to English. Some guy I knew in the Air Force from Georgia always used to say “fuckin’ A douche-kit!”