snafu

A snafu is when things go wrong because of confusing or unclear information. It's like a big mess that nobody can untangle.

You've probably heard the word "snafu" before, but maybe you didn't know what it means. A snafu often happens in situations where people are trying to get something done together, but they don't understand each other very well. For example, imagine two teams of workers trying to build a house. If one team is digging the foundation and the other team thinks it's time to put up the walls, that can be a snafu because they're not on the same page. It's like a big puzzle with missing pieces, and it takes time and effort to figure out what went wrong.

A snafu can also happen in business or politics when there's a lot of paperwork and red tape involved. Sometimes it's just a simple case of bad communication, but other times it's more complicated than that. The word "snafu" comes from a mix of two old naval words, "situation normal, all fouled up," which is exactly what happens when there's a snafu!