ACF IS IMPOSSIBLE

"ACF IS IMPOSSIBLE" is a catchphrase used for two purposes:

• To sarcastically note a good question on a notably easy answer in an ACF packet as a form of praise. For example, a well-constructed, pyramidal tossup on "Charles Dickens," "carbon dioxide," or "France" would be met with a (sarcastically negative, therefore positive) acclamation of "ACF IS IMPOSSIBLE." A significant percentage of ACF tossups are in fact of this form.

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

1. ACF is a format of questions, not a difficulty level. Tournaments of any difficulty level can and do exist in the ACF format. 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, making any statements at all about the difficulty of "ACF" or "NAQT" questions, without specifying what tournaments one is talking about, belies utter ignorance of how quizbowl works.
2. Official ACF tournaments, such as ACF Regionals, are in fact of 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.