ACF IS IMPOSSIBLE

"ACF IS IMPOSSIBLE" was a catchphrase that was used for two purposes:

• To sarcastically note that a question on an easy answerline in an ACF packet was good. For example, a well-constructed, pyramidal tossup on "Charles Dickens," "carbon dioxide," or "France" could have been met with a (sarcastic) acclamation of "ACF IS IMPOSSIBLE." It is possible to acclaim a significant percentage of ACF tossups in this way.

• To mock people who complained about ACF-format questions being difficult in comparison to other formats. This line of argument was considered unworthy of serious consideration for two reasons:

1. There are multiple ACF tournaments at a variety of difficulties; additionally, the modified ACF format of questions spans a wide range of difficulty levels. It would be foolish to say that the Maryland Classic, an ACF-format high school tournament, is of a higher difficulty than the NAQT ICT. Thus, individuals who made blanket statements about the difficulty of "ACF" or "NAQT" questions were typically considered to have little knowledge of how quizbowl works.
2. Official ACF tournaments, such as ACF Regionals, have historically been comparable or even lesser difficulty than their counterparts, such as NAQT Sectionals, in other formats, statistically speaking.

It is unknown if the actual phrase "ACF IS IMPOSSIBLE" was ever spoken in earnest, or if it was coined by ACF supporters as a shorthand for the various accusations about "ACF difficulty" that certainly were made.

This phrase is no longer in common usage.