What does the phrase “Catch 22” mean and what is its origin?
Catch 22 is a popular book made into a movie of the same name. Basically it’s a way the army used to stop soldiers from getting out of the army based on mental instability grounds. The first part of the rule/catch is that: The army does not enlist persons that are mentally insatiable. The second part of the catch is: Therefore you can not be granted a discharge from the army based solely on mental instability. Catch 22 is a rather cynical look at the army during the latter years of the war in the pacific.
