BOHICA
Encyclopedia
BOHICA is an acronym that stands for "Bend Over, Here It Comes Again". It is used colloquially to indicate that an adverse situation is about to repeat itself, and that acquiescence is the wisest course of action. It is commonly understood as a reference to being sodomized. An alternative etymology relates the expression to the days of sail and avoiding being struck by the boom
, which would swing around the mast
due to shifts in wind or the vessel's course.
The term grew to regular use amongst the United States armed forces
during the Vietnam War
. Although it originated in the US Military forces, its usage has spread to civilian environments and used to describe unavoidable, unpleasant situations that have inconvenienced one before, and are about to yet again.
, "The Devil's Filmmaker: BOHICA", which revolves around the difficulties of a director making a film.
The term is commonly used by USAF fighter crew chiefs.
The term has been incorporated into the telecom
industry, used as utterance of frustration by computer support personnel who anticipate a directive from an ignorant supervisor to do something that cannot be accomplished.
The term has also been used to describe a business managerial problem. Published in Wiley InterScience
journal, the article The BOHICA syndrome: a symptom of cynicism towards change initiatives, identifies "the importance of demonstrating the credibility and logic of managerial action and allowing for incremental change wherever possible in addressing the problem". In example, "Beverly Olson keeps giving me the BOHICA treatment."
Boom (sailing)
In sailing, a boom is a spar , along the foot of a fore and aft rigged sail, that greatly improves control of the angle and shape of the sail. The primary action of the boom is to keep the foot of the sail flatter when the sail angle is away from the centerline of the boat. The boom also serves...
, which would swing around the mast
Mast (sailing)
The mast of a sailing vessel is a tall, vertical, or near vertical, spar, or arrangement of spars, which supports the sails. Large ships have several masts, with the size and configuration depending on the style of ship...
due to shifts in wind or the vessel's course.
The term grew to regular use amongst the United States armed forces
United States armed forces
The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. They consist of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard.The United States has a strong tradition of civilian control of the military...
during the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
. Although it originated in the US Military forces, its usage has spread to civilian environments and used to describe unavoidable, unpleasant situations that have inconvenienced one before, and are about to yet again.
Variations
The term is also used in the Andrew Montlack B movieB movie
A B movie is a low-budget commercial motion picture that is not definitively an arthouse or pornographic film. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified a film intended for distribution as the less-publicized, bottom half of a double feature....
, "The Devil's Filmmaker: BOHICA", which revolves around the difficulties of a director making a film.
The term is commonly used by USAF fighter crew chiefs.
The term has been incorporated into the telecom
Telecommunication
Telecommunication is the transmission of information over significant distances to communicate. In earlier times, telecommunications involved the use of visual signals, such as beacons, smoke signals, semaphore telegraphs, signal flags, and optical heliographs, or audio messages via coded...
industry, used as utterance of frustration by computer support personnel who anticipate a directive from an ignorant supervisor to do something that cannot be accomplished.
The term has also been used to describe a business managerial problem. Published in Wiley InterScience
John Wiley & Sons
John Wiley & Sons, Inc., also referred to as Wiley, is a global publishing company that specializes in academic publishing and markets its products to professionals and consumers, students and instructors in higher education, and researchers and practitioners in scientific, technical, medical, and...
journal, the article The BOHICA syndrome: a symptom of cynicism towards change initiatives, identifies "the importance of demonstrating the credibility and logic of managerial action and allowing for incremental change wherever possible in addressing the problem". In example, "Beverly Olson keeps giving me the BOHICA treatment."