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What does “Four-F.” mean?
What does “hit me like a two-by-four” mean?What does “interstitial effect” mean?Origin of “quarters” in the sense of living areaWhat does “Blast” mean?What is the source of “Long time no see,” and when did it enter U.S. English?What does this joke mean?What does “a tremendous flapping and snapping of the four-cylinder engine” mean?Origin and connotations of RBF (Resting Bitch Face)Connotative history and recent usage of “Person / People of color”Why can “dividing a pizza into 4” be different from “dividing 1 into 4”?
What did "Four-F." mean in the United States of the 1940s?
Here is the quote from Catch-22:
They had to send a guy from the draft board around to look me over. I was Four-F. I had examined myself pretty thoroughly and discovered that I was unfit for military service
meaning american-english
asked Mar 17 at 17:02
Franz DrolligFranz Drollig
522415
add a comment |
What did "Four-F." mean in the United States of the 1940s?
Here is the quote from Catch-22:
They had to send a guy from the draft board around to look me over. I was Four-F. I had examined myself pretty thoroughly and discovered that I was unfit for military service
meaning american-english
asked Mar 17 at 17:02
Franz DrolligFranz Drollig
522415
Nit: 4-F remained part of the military and social lingo until, post Viet Nam, Congress cancelled the Selective Service Act(s).
– Carl Witthoft
2 days ago
When I saw the question, before I saw context, I misremembered 4H(en.wikipedia.org/wiki/4-H ) and thought instead of "Head, Heart, Hands, and Health", the letter stood for Family, Faith, Farm and Friendship." Oops. :)
– April
2 days ago
add a comment |
What did "Four-F." mean in the United States of the 1940s?
Here is the quote from Catch-22:
They had to send a guy from the draft board around to look me over. I was Four-F. I had examined myself pretty thoroughly and discovered that I was unfit for military service
meaning american-english
asked Mar 17 at 17:02
Franz DrolligFranz Drollig
522415
What did "Four-F." mean in the United States of the 1940s?
Here is the quote from Catch-22:
They had to send a guy from the draft board around to look me over. I was Four-F. I had examined myself pretty thoroughly and discovered that I was unfit for military service
meaning american-english
meaning american-english
asked Mar 17 at 17:02
Franz DrolligFranz Drollig
522415
asked Mar 17 at 17:02
Franz DrolligFranz Drollig
522415
asked Mar 17 at 17:02
Franz DrolligFranz Drollig
522415
asked Mar 17 at 17:02
Franz DrolligFranz Drollig
522415
asked Mar 17 at 17:02
Franz DrolligFranz Drollig
522415
522415
Nit: 4-F remained part of the military and social lingo until, post Viet Nam, Congress cancelled the Selective Service Act(s).
– Carl Witthoft
2 days ago
When I saw the question, before I saw context, I misremembered 4H(en.wikipedia.org/wiki/4-H ) and thought instead of "Head, Heart, Hands, and Health", the letter stood for Family, Faith, Farm and Friendship." Oops. :)
– April
2 days ago
add a comment |
Nit: 4-F remained part of the military and social lingo until, post Viet Nam, Congress cancelled the Selective Service Act(s).
– Carl Witthoft
2 days ago
When I saw the question, before I saw context, I misremembered 4H(en.wikipedia.org/wiki/4-H ) and thought instead of "Head, Heart, Hands, and Health", the letter stood for Family, Faith, Farm and Friendship." Oops. :)
– April
2 days ago
Nit: 4-F remained part of the military and social lingo until, post Viet Nam, Congress cancelled the Selective Service Act(s).
– Carl Witthoft
2 days ago
Nit: 4-F remained part of the military and social lingo until, post Viet Nam, Congress cancelled the Selective Service Act(s).
– Carl Witthoft
2 days ago
When I saw the question, before I saw context, I misremembered 4H(en.wikipedia.org/wiki/4-H ) and thought instead of "Head, Heart, Hands, and Health", the letter stood for Family, Faith, Farm and Friendship." Oops. :)
– April
2 days ago
When I saw the question, before I saw context, I misremembered 4H(en.wikipedia.org/wiki/4-H ) and thought instead of "Head, Heart, Hands, and Health", the letter stood for Family, Faith, Farm and Friendship." Oops. :)
– April
2 days ago
add a comment |
1 Answer
1
active
oldest
votes
It's a classification for military service. 4-F means "Registrant not acceptable for military service." See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selective_Service_System#Classifications
The context clue here you might have used to deduce an area of inquiry would be the reference to a "draft board", which is part of the Selective Service System that determines the eligibility and thus the classification of potential draftees.
answered Mar 17 at 17:15
nohat♦nohat
60.8k12171238
5
yep, or straight from the horse’s mouth: sss.gov/Classifications
– Jim
Mar 17 at 17:22
10
Specifically, 4-F commonly implied you were ineligible for medical reasons. The character in the book who said that was a doctor; the implication is that he just didn't want to be drafted and so said "as a doctor, I find that I am medically unfit."
– cpast
Mar 17 at 18:29
1
@cpast PLEASE make that an answer! OP may never see the comment thread here, and I think it's crucial to understand that!
– user45266
Mar 18 at 2:26
1
Specifically for the sake of catch 22, it means he's medically unfit for mental health reasons
– Separatrix
2 days ago
add a comment |
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1 Answer
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1 Answer
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It's a classification for military service. 4-F means "Registrant not acceptable for military service." See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selective_Service_System#Classifications
The context clue here you might have used to deduce an area of inquiry would be the reference to a "draft board", which is part of the Selective Service System that determines the eligibility and thus the classification of potential draftees.
answered Mar 17 at 17:15
nohat♦nohat
60.8k12171238
5
yep, or straight from the horse’s mouth: sss.gov/Classifications
– Jim
Mar 17 at 17:22
10
Specifically, 4-F commonly implied you were ineligible for medical reasons. The character in the book who said that was a doctor; the implication is that he just didn't want to be drafted and so said "as a doctor, I find that I am medically unfit."
– cpast
Mar 17 at 18:29
1
@cpast PLEASE make that an answer! OP may never see the comment thread here, and I think it's crucial to understand that!
– user45266
Mar 18 at 2:26
1
Specifically for the sake of catch 22, it means he's medically unfit for mental health reasons
– Separatrix
2 days ago
add a comment |
It's a classification for military service. 4-F means "Registrant not acceptable for military service." See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selective_Service_System#Classifications
The context clue here you might have used to deduce an area of inquiry would be the reference to a "draft board", which is part of the Selective Service System that determines the eligibility and thus the classification of potential draftees.
answered Mar 17 at 17:15
nohat♦nohat
60.8k12171238
5
yep, or straight from the horse’s mouth: sss.gov/Classifications
– Jim
Mar 17 at 17:22
10
Specifically, 4-F commonly implied you were ineligible for medical reasons. The character in the book who said that was a doctor; the implication is that he just didn't want to be drafted and so said "as a doctor, I find that I am medically unfit."
– cpast
Mar 17 at 18:29
1
@cpast PLEASE make that an answer! OP may never see the comment thread here, and I think it's crucial to understand that!
– user45266
Mar 18 at 2:26
1
Specifically for the sake of catch 22, it means he's medically unfit for mental health reasons
– Separatrix
2 days ago
add a comment |
It's a classification for military service. 4-F means "Registrant not acceptable for military service." See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selective_Service_System#Classifications
The context clue here you might have used to deduce an area of inquiry would be the reference to a "draft board", which is part of the Selective Service System that determines the eligibility and thus the classification of potential draftees.
answered Mar 17 at 17:15
nohat♦nohat
60.8k12171238
It's a classification for military service. 4-F means "Registrant not acceptable for military service." See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selective_Service_System#Classifications
The context clue here you might have used to deduce an area of inquiry would be the reference to a "draft board", which is part of the Selective Service System that determines the eligibility and thus the classification of potential draftees.
answered Mar 17 at 17:15
nohat♦nohat
60.8k12171238
edited 2 days ago
answered Mar 17 at 17:15
nohat♦nohat
60.8k12171238
answered Mar 17 at 17:15
nohat♦nohat
60.8k12171238
answered Mar 17 at 17:15
nohat♦nohat
60.8k12171238
60.8k12171238
5
yep, or straight from the horse’s mouth: sss.gov/Classifications
– Jim
Mar 17 at 17:22
10
Specifically, 4-F commonly implied you were ineligible for medical reasons. The character in the book who said that was a doctor; the implication is that he just didn't want to be drafted and so said "as a doctor, I find that I am medically unfit."
– cpast
Mar 17 at 18:29
1
@cpast PLEASE make that an answer! OP may never see the comment thread here, and I think it's crucial to understand that!
– user45266
Mar 18 at 2:26
1
Specifically for the sake of catch 22, it means he's medically unfit for mental health reasons
– Separatrix
2 days ago
add a comment |
5
yep, or straight from the horse’s mouth: sss.gov/Classifications
– Jim
Mar 17 at 17:22
10
Specifically, 4-F commonly implied you were ineligible for medical reasons. The character in the book who said that was a doctor; the implication is that he just didn't want to be drafted and so said "as a doctor, I find that I am medically unfit."
– cpast
Mar 17 at 18:29
1
@cpast PLEASE make that an answer! OP may never see the comment thread here, and I think it's crucial to understand that!
– user45266
Mar 18 at 2:26
1
Specifically for the sake of catch 22, it means he's medically unfit for mental health reasons
– Separatrix
2 days ago
5
5
yep, or straight from the horse’s mouth: sss.gov/Classifications
– Jim
Mar 17 at 17:22
yep, or straight from the horse’s mouth: sss.gov/Classifications
– Jim
Mar 17 at 17:22
10
10
Specifically, 4-F commonly implied you were ineligible for medical reasons. The character in the book who said that was a doctor; the implication is that he just didn't want to be drafted and so said "as a doctor, I find that I am medically unfit."
– cpast
Mar 17 at 18:29
Specifically, 4-F commonly implied you were ineligible for medical reasons. The character in the book who said that was a doctor; the implication is that he just didn't want to be drafted and so said "as a doctor, I find that I am medically unfit."
– cpast
Mar 17 at 18:29
1
1
@cpast PLEASE make that an answer! OP may never see the comment thread here, and I think it's crucial to understand that!
– user45266
Mar 18 at 2:26
@cpast PLEASE make that an answer! OP may never see the comment thread here, and I think it's crucial to understand that!
– user45266
Mar 18 at 2:26
1
1
Specifically for the sake of catch 22, it means he's medically unfit for mental health reasons
– Separatrix
2 days ago
Specifically for the sake of catch 22, it means he's medically unfit for mental health reasons
– Separatrix
2 days ago
add a comment |
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Nit: 4-F remained part of the military and social lingo until, post Viet Nam, Congress cancelled the Selective Service Act(s).
– Carl Witthoft
2 days ago
When I saw the question, before I saw context, I misremembered 4H(en.wikipedia.org/wiki/4-H ) and thought instead of "Head, Heart, Hands, and Health", the letter stood for Family, Faith, Farm and Friendship." Oops. :)
– April
2 days ago