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What does FAB stand for, as in 'Thunderbirds'?

Question #54024. Asked by mrsoliverwood.
Last updated Aug 31 2016.

onlytrivial
Answer has 33 votes
Currently Best Answer
onlytrivial
20 year member
64 replies

Answer has 33 votes.

Currently voted the best answer.
FAB does not stand for anything, it is a shortened version of 'fabulous'.

link http://www.thunderbirdsonline.co.uk/

The official version of the origin of FAB (from Gerry Anderson himself) is
: that the term "FAB" refers to the use of "Fab" as a sixties thing, such as
: the Beatles, "the Fab Four".
: Anderson repeatedly said that FAB had no meaning, fab == a contraction of
: fabulous was in _very_ widespread use at the time.

link https://groups.google.com/forum/#!msg/rec.arts.tv/n2WHs187FNk/_o2-n1nEvHMJ
The definitive answer came from Sylvia Anderson herself during a promotional tour of her book. It was something they made up on the spur of the moment during a writing session, Sylvia says, and it was never intended to stand for anything other than to spell out the letters of a popular British slang word--"fab"--during that era. Many people have attempted to find other meanings ("Filed, Actioned, Briefed", "Fine--Acknowledge Broadcast"), but it never meant anything other than "fabulous".

link http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0057790/faq

Response last updated by Terry on Aug 31 2016.
Jan 13 2005, 6:19 PM
AgentSpade
Answer has 24 votes
AgentSpade

Answer has 24 votes.
The characters use the radio sign-off "F. A. B." rather than "Roger" or "Over and out". Anderson was often asked what F. A. B. stood for, but in fact it simply stood for "fab" (short for "fabulous"), which was a 1960s catchphrase. Later this was unofficially decided to mean Fully Advised and Briefed, following on from P-W-O-R (Proceeding With Orders Received), a similar radio confirmation code in the series Stingray. In Anderson's next series, Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons, S.I.G. (Spectrum is Green) would continue the tradition of initialled call signs.

Apr 04 2006, 11:39 AM
PurgaEd
Answer has 15 votes
PurgaEd

Answer has 15 votes.
"FAB" was used by radio operators in WW2 and is not short for "fabulous" in this context. The acronym means 'Fully Acknowledged Broadcast" and was called as "F" "A" "B" - not FAB as a word.

(Editor: the problem with this theory is that the author has stated that it had no meaning.)

Response last updated by Terry on Aug 31 2016.
Aug 06 2013, 12:01 AM
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