' s ▁Te ch ▁Engineering ▁News . ▁Fo obar ▁may ▁have ▁come ▁about ▁as ▁a ▁result ▁of ▁the ▁pre - ex isting ▁" Foo " ▁being ▁con jo ined ▁with ▁" bar ", ▁an ▁addition ▁borrow ed ▁from ▁the ▁military ' s ▁F UB AR . ▁The ▁use ▁of ▁foo ▁in ▁a ▁programming ▁context ▁is ▁generally ▁cred ited ▁to ▁the ▁Te ch ▁Model ▁Rail road ▁Club ▁( TM RC ) ▁of ▁M IT ▁from ▁circa ▁ 1 9 6 0 . ▁In ▁the ▁complex ▁model ▁system , ▁there ▁were ▁sc ram ▁switch es ▁located ▁at ▁numerous ▁places ▁around ▁the ▁room ▁that ▁could ▁be ▁thrown ▁if ▁something ▁und es irable ▁was ▁about ▁to ▁occur , ▁such ▁as ▁a ▁train ▁going ▁full - b ore ▁at ▁an ▁obst ruction . ▁Another ▁feature ▁of ▁the ▁system ▁was ▁a ▁digital ▁clock ▁on ▁the ▁dispatch ▁board . ▁When ▁someone ▁hit ▁a ▁sc ram ▁switch , ▁the ▁clock ▁stopped ▁and ▁the ▁display ▁was ▁replaced ▁with ▁the ▁word ▁" FO O "; ▁at ▁T M RC ▁the ▁sc ram ▁switch es ▁are , ▁therefore , ▁called ▁" Foo ▁switch es ". ▁Because ▁of ▁this , ▁an ▁entry ▁in ▁the ▁ 1 9 5 9 ▁Dictionary ▁of ▁the ▁T M RC ▁Language ▁went ▁something ▁like ▁this : ▁" FO O : ▁The ▁first ▁sy ll able ▁of ▁the ▁mis qu oted ▁sacred ▁chant ▁phrase ▁' foo ▁man e ▁pad me ▁hum .' ▁Our ▁first ▁oblig ation ▁is ▁to ▁keep ▁the ▁foo ▁coun ters ▁turning ." ▁One ▁book ▁describing ▁the ▁M IT