Crossword abbreviations

• Aboard – SS, or a word inside the letters SS • About – C or CA (circa) or RE • Abstainer – TT (teetotaller) • Academic – DD (doctor of divinity) or PROF • Acceleration – G • Accepted – A • Account – AC • Accountant – CA (chartered accountant) • Ace – A or AI (A-1) • Advert – AD • African organisation – ANC (African National Congress) • Afternoon – PM • Against – V or VS (versus) • Agent – REP (representative) • Agricultural – AG • Air conditioning – AC • Airman – AC (aircraftsman), LAC (leading aircraftsman) or PO (pilot officer) • Airmen – RAF (Royal Air Force) • Alien – ET (extraterrestrial) • Also known as – AKA • Aluminium – AL (chemical symbol) • Alumnus – OB (old boy) or OG (old girl) • Ambassador – HE (his/her excellency) • America – A, AM, US or USA (United States of America) • American – GI (U.S. soldier) • American ship – USS • Amnesty – AI (Amnesty International) • Anglican – CE (Church of England) • Answer – A • Arbiter – REF (referee) • Archdeacon – VEN (Venerable) • Area – A • Army cop – MP (Military Policeman) • Army corps – REME (Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (British army)) or RE (Royal Engineers) • Arsenic – AS (chemical symbol) • Article - A, AN (indefinite articles) or THE (definite article) • Artificial intelligence – AI • Artillery – RA (Royal Artillery) • Artist – RA (Royal Academy) • At – A (Similar to the @ symbol) • At home – IN • Atmosphere – AT • Attorney – DA (District Attorney) or PA (Practicing Attorney) • Australia – A, AUS or OZ (slang name for Australia) • Avenue – AVE • Award – OM (Order of Merit) ==B==

• Bachelor of Arts – BA • Bachelor of Medicine – BM, MB • Base – E (base of natural logarithms) or TEN (base of common logarithms) • Basque nationalists – ETA • Bearing – N, E, S, W, NE, NW, etc. (points of the compass) • Beginner – L (for Learner) • Bend – S or U (U-bend and S-bend) • Bible – AV (King James bible Authorized Version) • Bill – AC (account), IOU, TAB • Bishop – B or RR (Right Reverend) or DD (Doctor of Divinity) • Boat – SS (screw steamer) • Bob – S (shilling) • Book (or books) – B, NT (New Testament), OT (Old Testament), MS (Manuscript), GEN (Genesis), AV (King James bible Authorized Version) • Bowled – B (Cricket scorecard) • Boy – B • Bridge player – N, E, S, W • British – B • Broadcaster – BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) • By – X (multiplication) • Byte – B ==C==

• Calcium – CA • California – CA • Cape – C • Car – T (Model T), RR (Rolls-Royce) • Cardinal – N, E, S, W, RED (a vivid shade of red, which may get its name from the cassocks worn by Catholic cardinals) • Care of – CO • Caught – C or CT • Celsius – C • Cent – C • Centigrade – C • Century – C • Certificate – X, U, PG, R, G (from the film certificates) • Champion – CH • Charge – Q (Electric charge) • Charged – ION • Charlie – C (NATO phonetic alphabet) • Chartered accountant – CA • Check or Checkmark – V (Similar shape to a checkmark) • Chief – CH • Chlorine – CL (chemical symbol) • Chromosome – X or Y • Church – CH or CE (Church of England) or RC (Roman Catholic) • Circa – C • Circle – O (the letter O is a circle) • City – NY (New York), LA (Los Angeles), or EC (postcode for City of London) • Closed - TO (like a door) • Club – Y (YMCA) • Coin – P (penny), D (from the Latin denarius) or C (cent) – D or C would usually have "old" or "American" as well as "coin". • College – C • Cold – C • Colonel – COL • Colt – C • Commander-In-Chief – CINC, CIC (less common) • Commercial – AD • Committee – COM • Communist – RED, CHE (Che Guevara) • Companion – CH (Order of the Companions of Honour) • Company – CO • Compare – CF (abbreviation of the Latin confer) • Compass point – N, E, S, W (and other bearings) • Computer – PC • Concerning – RE • Conservationists – NT (National Trust) • Conservative – C, CON, TORY, BLUE • Constable – PC (police constable) • Constant – E, PI, K, C or G • Contralto – C • Copper – P (penny), D (denarius), CU (chemical symbol), PC (police constable) • Corner – .SE, NW, NE, SW • Councillor – CL, CLR, CLLR • Court – CT • Credit – CR • Criminal – CON • Cross – X • Current – AC (alternating current), DC (direct current), I (electric current), AD (Anno Domini) or AMP (ampere) • Current account – CA • Cystic fibrosis – CF ==D==

• Date – D • Daughter – D • Dead or Died – D, DEC (deceased), EX, OB (abbreviation) • Debts – IOUS (IOU) • Deceased – D, DEC, EX • Decoration – VC (Victoria Cross), GC (George Cross), MM (Military Medal) • Degree – DEG, C (Celsius or Centigrade), F (Fahrenheit), BA (Bachelor of Arts), MA (Master of Arts). • Democrat – D • Departs – D • Detective – DC (Detective Constable), DS (Detective Sergeant), DI (Detective Inspector) or PI (Private Investigator) • Detective inspector – DI • Detectives – CID (Criminal Investigation Department), YARD (Scotland Yard) • Deutschmark – DM • Dial - O • Dictionary - OED (Oxford English Dictionary) • Dinner jacket – DJ • Direction – N, E, S, W (and other points of the compass) • Director – D • Disc – O (the letter O is round, like a disc), EP (extended play), LP (long play), CD (compact disc) • Disease – TB (tuberculosis), ME (myalgic encephalomyelitis) • Doctor – DOC, BM (Bachelor of Medicine), MB (Medicinae Baccalaureus), MD (Medicinae Doctor), MO (medical officer), NO (Dr. No), GP (General Practitioner), DR, WHO (Doctor Who) • Doctor of Divinity – DD • Donut – O • Drama – NOH (Japanese drama Noh) • Drama Company – REP • Drip – IV (intravenous drip) • Drug – C (cocaine), E, X (both short for ecstasy) or H (heroin) • Drunk/Drunkard - sot (an old-fashioned work for drunkard) • Dry – TT (teetotal) or AA (Alcoholics Anonymous) • Duck – O (from the cricket score of 0) • Ducks – OO • Duke – D ==E==

• Each – EA • Earl – E • East – E • East Germany – GDR (German Democratic Republic) • Echo – E • Economists – LSE (London School of Economics) • Ecstasy – E or X (slang names for the drug) • Editor – ED • Egg – O (the letter O loosely resembles the shape of an egg) • Elected – IN • Electricity – AC (alternating current), DC (direct current) • Eleven – II (II looks similar to 11), or XI (Roman numerals) • End of war – VE (Victory in Europe, the end of World War II) • Energy – E, J (joule) • Engagement - GIG • Engineer – CE (civil engineer), RE (Royal Engineer), REME (Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers) or ME (mechanical engineer) • English – E, EN, ENG • Escape – ESC • Established – EST • Estimated time of arrival – ETA • Europe – EU (European Union), EC (European Community) • European - E • [for] Everyone - U ('Universal' BBFC rating) • Excellent – AI (looks like 'A1' (first-class, first-rate, top-notch)) • Exercise – PE (physical education), PT (physical training), TRAIN • Extra – W (from the extra runs in cricket for a wide ball) • Extra large – XL • Extra terrestrial – ET ==F==

• Fahrenheit – F • Father – DA, DAD, FR, PA • Fellow – F • Female – F • Fifty – L (Roman numeral (lower case L)) • Fighter (plane) – MIG (type of plane) • Fine – F • Firm – CO (company) • Fish - Ling (an old-fashioned name for salted Atlantic cod, but can also refer to other fish such as common ling) • Five – V (Roman numeral) • Five hundred – D (Roman numeral) • Fleet – RN (Royal Navy) • Fliers – RAF (Royal Air Force) • Flying bomb – VI (looks like V1) • Following – F • Football association – FA • Football club – FC • For example – EG (e.g., short for the Latin exempli gratia) • Force – F, G (gravity), N (newton) • Former – EX • Four – IV (Roman Numeral) • France – F • Frenchman – M (Monsieur) • Friend - PAL ==G==

• Game – RU (Rugby Union) • Gangster/gang leader – AL (Al Capone) • Gas – H (hydrogen), O (oxygen), N (nitrogen), CS (tear gas) • Genetic code – DNA or RNA • Georgia - GA (as in, the US state of Georgia) • German submarine – U (U-boat) • Germany – GER, D (Deutschland) • Glasses – OO • Gold – AU (chemical symbol), OR (in heraldry) • Good – PI (pious) • Good Man – S or ST (abbreviations for saint) • Graduate – BA, MA (university degrees), BED (Bachelor of Education) • Gram – G • Grand – G, M (Roman numeral for 1000), K (kilo-) • Grand prix – GP • Group – GP • Grunt – GI (General Infantryman) • Gunners/Gunmen – RA (Royal Artillery) • Gym – PE (Physical Education) or PT (Physical Training) ==H==

• Hand – N, E, S, W (Bridge hands) or L, R (left and right) • Hard – H • Hear – T (Position on hearing aid) • Hectare – HA • Helium – HE • Henry – H • Heroin – H • Hesitation – ER • Hire purchase – HP • Hole – O • Holy man – ST (saint) • Home - IN (opposite of 'out') • Home counties – SE (South East England) • Honour – A, J, Q, K (honours in bridge) • Honours – BA or MA (see Degree) • Horse – G, GG (slang), H • Hospital – H, SAN (short for Sanatorium) • Hospital Department – AE (Accident & Emergency), ENT (Ear, Nose & Throat) • Hour – H, HR • House – HO • Houses of Parliament – HP • Hug - O (the symbol for a hug) • Hundred – C (Roman numeral), TON • Husband – H • Hydrogen – H ==I==

• Iceland – IS (country code) • Image – PIC • Inch – IN • Independent – I or IND • Information technology – IT • Initials – inits. • Inspector – DI (Detective inspector) • Intelligence – IQ • Internet/internet provider – ISP (internet service provider) • Iodine – I (chemical symbol) • Ireland – IRE • Irish Republican Army – IRA • Iron – FE (chemical symbol) • Island – IS or I • Israel - IL • Isle of Man – IOM ==J==

• Jack – J, TAR, AB (sailor) • Jet – MIG (type of plane) • Jolly – RM (Royal Marine) • Journalist – ED (editor) • Judge – J, REF • Junction – T (T-junction) • Junior – JR • Japan – YEN ==K==

• Kelvin – K • Kentucky – KY • Key – A, B, C, D, E, F or G (musical keys), ALT, ESC, DEL (computer keyboard keys) • Kick off – KO • Kilo – K • King – K, R (from the Latin rex), HM (His Majesty), or GR (George Rex), or CR (Charles Rex). Also BB (B.B. King, singer-songwriter) • Kiss – X (the symbol for a kiss) • Knave – J (Jack) • Knight – K, KT, KBE (Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire) or KG (Knight of the Garter) or N (the symbol for a knight on a chessboard) • Knock out – KO • Knot – KT ==L==

• Labour – LAB • Lake – L or LA • Landlord - LETTER (somebody who lets property) • Large – L, OS (oversize) • Large number – C, D, M (Roman numerals) or K (kilo-) • Last – Z (the last letter of the alphabet) • Last month – ULT (ultimo) • Latin – L or LAT • Lawrence – DH (D. H. Lawrence) or TE (T. E. Lawrence) • Lawyer – DA • Lead – PB (chemical symbol) • Learner – L • Lecturer – L • Left – L • Leg – ON (cricket: 'on' side = leg side) • Liberal – L or LIB • Lieutenant – LT • Line – L • Lines – LL, RY (railway), BR (British Rail) • Literary/Literature – LIT • Litre – L • local – PH or PUB (public house) • Local area network – LAN • London Philharmonic Orchestra – LPO • London police – MET (Metropolitan Police Service) • Long playing record – LP • Long wave – LW • Look – LO • Lord – LD • Los Angeles – LA • Loud – F (forte) or FF (fortissimo) • Love – O (zero score in tennis) ==M==

• Madame – MME (as in French) • Maiden – M (cricket terminology for no runs in an over) • Male – M, HE or PA • Manager – MIC (man in charge) • Many – Any Roman numeral(s) of considerable size • Map-makers – OS (Ordnance Survey) • Marines – RM (Royal Marines) • Married – M • Master – M • Master of Arts – MA • Master of ceremonies – MC • Master's – MA (Master of Arts degree) • Medal – VC (Victoria Cross), GC (George Cross), OBE (Order of the British Empire), OM (Order of Merit) • Medic – DOC (short for doctor), BM (Bachelor of Medicine), MB (Medicinae Baccalaureus), MD (Medicinae Doctor), MO (medical officer), GP (General Practitioner), DR (short for doctor) • Mediterranean Sea – MED • Mega – M • Megabyte – MB • Member – MP (same as Member of Parliament (below)), ARM, LEG, words for male genitals • Member of Parliament – MP • Men – OR (Other ranks) • Messerschmitt – ME • Metre – M • Middle East – ME • Midfielder – L (the 'mid' letter of 'fielder') • Military Police – MP • Million – M • Miners – NUM (National Union of Mineworkers) • Minister - MP, Rev • Ministry of Defence – MOD • Minute – M • Model – T (Model T Ford) • Monarch – CR (Charles Rex), ER (Elizabeth Regina), GR (George Rex), Q (queen), K (king) or R (rex/regina) • Monsieur – M • Morning or Half Day – AM • Mother – MA • Motor racing – FI (as in F1, Formula One) • Motorists – AA (The Automobile Association), RAC (Royal Automobile Club) • Motorway – M or MI (looks like M1) • Murderer - CAIN (killed his brother Abel in the Book of Genesis) • Museum - VA (Victoria and Albert museum in London) ==N==

• Namely – SC, SS (both from the Latin scilicet), alternative to IE • National Trust – NT • Navy – RN (Royal Navy), ABS (able-bodied seamen) or TARS (slang for seamen) • Nazis – SS (Schutzstaffel) • Neon – NE (chemical symbol) • Never-never – HP (synonym for hire purchase) • New – N • New Testament – NT • News – NN (N[ew] + N[ew]) • Newspaper – RAG, FT (Financial Times) • Newton – N (scientific unit of force) • Nil – O (the letter) • Nitrogen – N • No – N or X • No ball – NB (cricket terminology) • Noon – M, N • North – N • Not applicable – NA • Note – NB (from the Latin nota bene), PS (from postscript at the end of a letter) or A, B, C, D, E, F, G (musical notes) or DO, RE, MI, FA, SO/SOH, LA, TE/TI (musical notes). LA is most commonly referenced. • Nothing – O (the letter O looks like the number 0), FA (from Fanny Adams) • Notice – D (from D-Notice) • Now – AD (from the Latin Anno Domini) • Number – NO, V, X, C, D, M, L (Roman numerals) • Nurse – EN (enrolled nurse), SEN (State Enrolled Nurse) or RN (registered nurse) ==O==

• Odds – SP (starting price) • Officer – OC (Officer Corps) or CO (Commanding Officer) • Old – O, OL (e.g. "good ol' boy") • Old man – PA, DAD • Old person – OAP • Old Testament – OT • One – I (I is the Roman numeral for 1) or rarely A, AN (not normally used in British crosswords), ACE (playing card), UNIT • Operating system – OS • Operation – OP • Order – OM (Order of Merit) • Ordinary Seaman – OS, Rating • Oriental – E (East) • Other Ranks – OR (military term for non-commissioned ranks) • Ounce – OZ (abbreviation) • Outside broadcasting – OB • Outsized – OS • Outstanding – OS • Over – O • Over the top – OTT • Overdose – OD • Oversize – OS • Oxygen – O ==P==

• Page – P • Painters – RA (Royal Academy) • Pair – PR • Papers – ID (identity document) • Paramilitaries – ETA (Basque Nationalists), IRA (Irish Republican Army), UFF (Ulster Freedom Fighters), UDA (Ulster Defence Association) • Paratrooper – PARA • Parking – P • Party – LAB, LIB or LD, CON or C or TORY (UK political parties), DO • Peacekeepers – UN (United Nations) • Pencil – HB • Penny – P, D (old penny), CU (copper) • Phone company – BT or EE • Physical education – PE • Physical training – PT • Physicists – CERN (European Organization for Nuclear Research) • Piano – P • Pig - SOW • Pint – PT • Place – PL, SET, SITE, SPOT • Plane – MIG (type of plane) • Plate – L or P (L-plate and P-plate) • Please – O (as in 'O..!', an interjection sometimes used as a plea in poetry) • Poem – IF (Kipling) • Poet – PO, TS (T.S. Eliot) • Point – N, E, S, W (and other compass bearings) • Pole – N (north) or S (south) • Policeman/men – PC (Police Constable), DI (Detective Inspector), MET (Metropolitan Police), CID (Criminal Investigation Department) • Politician – MP • Posh – U (short for upper class) • Post office – PO • Potassium – K (chemical symbol) • Pound – LB (weight), L (from £) • Presenter – DJ (disk jockey) or MC (master of ceremonies) • Priest – PR, REV (reverend), RR (Right Reverend), DD (Doctor of Divinity), FR (Father), ELI (Eli (Bible)) • Prime Minister – PM • Prisoner – CON (Convict) • Prisoner of war – POW • Promises – IOUS (I owe yous) • Promotion – AD (Advertisement) • Province – NI (Northern Ireland) • Pub – PH (Public House) • Pudding – PUD ==Q==

• Quarter – N, S, E, W (compass direction) • Quartet – IV (four in Roman numerals) • Queen – Q, ER (Elizabeth Regina), HM (Her Majesty) • Quiet/quietly – P (piano), SH ==R==

• Race – TT (Isle of Man TT) • Railway – R, RY, BR (British Rail), EL (Chicago "L") • Rated – X (film rating) • Rechabite – TT (Rechabite – tee-total) • Record – EP (extended play), LP (long play) • Ref – UMP (referee – umpire) • Regina – R • Religious – PI (pious) • Religious education – RE • Republican – R, REP, GOP (Grand Old Party) • Resistance – R (physics) • Retired – RET • Reverend – RR (Right Reverend), DD (Doctor of Divinity), REV • Revolutionary — CHE (i.e. Che Guevara) • Rex – R • Right – R • Right Reverend – RR • Ring – O (the letter O looks like a ring) • River – R, MA (Ma River), PO (Po River), OB (Ob River), DEE (Dee River), URE (Ure River), • Road – RD or AI (looks like A1) • Rolls-Royce – RR • Roman Catholic – RC • Rook – R • Round – O (the letter O is round) • Royal Academy – RA • Royal Artillery – RA • Royal Engineers – RE • Royal Marines – RM • Royal Navy – RN • Rugby (Union) – RU • Run – R • Rural Dean – RD ==S==

• Sailor – AB (able seaman), TAR (slang), RN, SALT, JACK, HAND, OS (ordinary seaman) • Saint – ST or S • Same – DO (ditto) • Sappers – RE (the Royal Engineers equivalent of "private") • Satisfactory – S • Say – EG (e.g., short for the Latin exempli gratia) • Seaman – AB (able seaman) • Second – S or MO (moment) • Secret service – SS • Secretary – PA (personal assistant) • Section – OR (Other Ranks – a 'section' of the British Armed Forces) • See – LO • Senior Service – RN (Royal Navy) • Sergeant Major - SM • Serial or Series – SER • Service - RAF (Royal Air Force) • Setter – I, ME, ONE (meaning the setter of the crossword) • Setter's – MY (meaning the setter of the crossword) • Sex appeal – IT (after Clara Bow – the It girl) or SA • Shilling – S • Ship – SS (screw steamer) • Ship's officer – PO (petty officer) • Shirt – T • Short wave – SW • Side – LEG, OFF, ON • Significant other – SO • Silk – QC or KC (From Queen's—or King's—Counsel) • Silver – AG (chemical symbol) • Singer – RAT (Rat Pack) • Sixth sense – ESP (extrasensory perception) • Sleep, Snooze or Asleep - Z or ZZ • Small – S • Snake - S • Socialite – DEB (debutante) • Socially acceptable – U (upper class) • Society - S or SOC • Sodium – NA (chemical symbol) • Softly – P (musical notation) • Soldier – RM (Royal Marine), RE (Royal Engineer), GI (General Infantryman), OR (Other Ranks), ANT, VET • Soldiers – MEN, OR (Other Ranks) • Son – S • South – S • Spade – S (playing card suit) • Spain – E (International vehicle registration code) • Special – S, SP • Spectacles – OO • Spies – CIA (Central Intelligence Agency), MI (Military Intelligence) • Sport – RL (Rugby League), RU (Rugby Union) • State – any abbreviation of an American State (e.g. CA, FL ..) • Steam Ship – SS • Stone – ST • Street – ST • Student – L (learner) or NUS (National Union of Students) • Study – CON, DEN, READ • Stumped – ST • Submarine – U (U-boat) or SUB • Succeeded – S • [Suitable] for all [to see] — U (BBFC film classification) • Superintendent – SUPT (police rank) • Sweat – BO (body odor) ==T==

• Tabloid – SUN, RAG • Take — R (from Latin recipe, meaning "take") • Tar – AB (able seaman) • Tax – VAT (value added tax) • Teacher – DON, B ED (Bachelor of Education) • Teachers – NUT (National Union of Teachers) • Team – XI (Roman numerals for eleven players in a football or cricket team) • Teetotal – TT or AA (from Alcoholics Anonymous) • Ten – X (Roman numerals) or IO (IO looks like 10) • Tense – T (in dictionary entries, usually PT for past tense) • Territorial Army – TA • Terrorists – ETA (Basque Nationalists), IRA (Irish Republican Army), UFF (Ulster Freedom Fighters), UDA (Ulster Defence Association) • Thanks – TA • That is – IE (from the Latin id est) or SC, SS (both from the Latin scilicet meaning namely = that is) • Theatre – REP (The Rep) • Theologian – DD (Doctor of Divinity) • This month – INST (from the Latin instante mense) • Thousand – G (grand), M (Roman numeral), or K (kilo-) • Thus – IE (short for the Latin id est), SO, SIC • Time – T, S, M, AGE • Times – BY, X (multiplication), TT (T[ime] + T[ime]) • Toilet – WC (water closet) • Tory – CON (slang for Conservative) • Trendy – IN (euphemism) • Tripod – Y (shape of a Tripod) • Troop – RM (Royal Marine) • Tungsten – W (chemical symbol) • Tyro – L (for learner) ==U==