For Lovers of English - 100 English Abbreviations
Jeremy Taylor
Copyright 2011 by Jeremy Taylor
Smashwords Edition
Cartoons by Karmentxu Elizegi
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Introduction
A friend of mine once told me that the English language is being taken over by T.L.A.s I confess I had to ask her what T.L.A.s were. “Three Letter Abbreviations!”.
I should have guessed. In a way, she was right. Abbrevations, and not just T.L.A.s, are everywhere: You can see them on the BBC and CNN; and if you’re P.D.Q. you can read about them on A.O.L.
This book may have you L.O.L. at times and hopefully some R.O.F.L. as well but there are some serious abbreviations as well. It’s not a heavy, academic tome with every abbreviation that ever existed. It’s a book for everyone, regardless of your A/S/L. It doesn’t matter if you’re a N.E.E.T. or an M.E.P., a M.I.F. or a T.I.F.; there’s something here for you.
TTYL!
How to use the book.
Well that is completely up to you. There are 100 abbreviations divided into 10 different sections. I suggest you just do one section at a time. Any more and you could O.D. on abbreviations and if they take you to a hospital we don’t want you to be D.O.A.
Step One: Look at the abbreviation. You may know it, or you may need a little help.
Step Two: If you need help, go to the next page where you can see the abbreviation in context. This may serve to jog your memory or give you a very good idea of what the abbreviation stands for. Got it now?
Step Three: Go to the next page where the correct answer is revealed.
If you’re playing for points, (a fun game for families or friends) then you get five points if you know the abbreviation without any help and two points if you get it with help from the context. If there are two answers given, you get your points for either answer.
The easiest way to run the competition is for one person to read out the abbreviation and for each person to write down what they think it is, either after step one, or step 2.
Chapter One: Health Abbreviations
1.
A.D.H.D.
There are lots of studies to try and find out why so many children seem to suffer from A.D.H.D. these days – or perhaps there are just more naughty children.
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
About 4% of children in the world are believed to suffer from A.D.H.D.
2.
M.M.R.
“I’m taking my daughter to the doctor today. It’s time for her MMR jabs.”
Measles Mumps and Rubella.
These three illnesses are grouped together because there is an effective vaccine given to children at the same time to stop the illnesses.
3.
B.O.
It’s a good idea to wear some deodorant, particularly in summer, as you don’t want your B.O. to frighten away your friends.
Body Odour.
Body Odour is not the result of sweat (which is virtually odourless) but the growth of bacteria which thrive in warm sweaty areas such as armpits.
4.
H.I.V.
Practising safe sex will reduce the chance of becoming infected with H.I.V.
Human Immunodeficiency Virus
About 0.6% of the world's population is infected with H.I.V.
5.
A.I.D.S.
I thought a friend of mine had lost quite a lot of weight but I was pretty shocked when he told me he was actually suffering from A.I.D.S.
Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome.
About 2 million people die of A.I.D.S every year - including about a third of a million children.
6.
M.R.S.A.
Some people say that when you're sick, you're better off staying at home rather than going to hospital with a risk of becoming infected with M.R.S.A.
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus
These nasty bugs are a real problem in hospitals and old people's homes. Most bacteria are killed by penicillin-like antibiotics, but M.R.S.A thrive on the stuff!
7.
O.C.D.
A friend of mine has O.C.D. and I once watched her wash her hands fifty times in one day.
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
Perhaps the best-known sufferer of O.C.D. is David Beckham.
8.
P.M.T.
When a woman is irritable, one of the worst things a man can do is ask if she’s suffering from P.M.T.
Pre-Menstrual Tension.
Drinking less caffeine and getting plenty of sleep can help reduce the symptoms of P.M.T.
9.
D.N.R.
I was in hospital last week. I was quite surprised to see a ‘DNR’ notice on the end of the bed of the old man in the bed next to mine.
Do Not Resuscitate
If an old person is close to death then they may prefer to die naturally rather than having a team of doctors keep them alive for a few more hours or days. A D.N.R. notice informs the medical staff that they shouldn't try to resuscitate the patient.
10.
D.O.A.
There was nothing the doctors at the hospital could do for him. He was D.O.A.
Dead On Arrival
D.O.A. was also a 1988 film starring Dennis Quaid, Meg Ryan and Charlotte Rampling.
Chapter Two: Business and office Abbreviations.
11.
C.O.D.
Our standard terms for orders is that we dispatch the goods within 24 hours and it is C.O.D. so you don’t pay anything in advance.
Cash on Delivery
Now that so many people have credit cards, C.O.D. is not as common as it used to be - though is still pretty normal for pizza delivery.
12.
C.E.O.
After four years on the board of the company I was delighted to be made C.E.O.
Chief Executive Officer
Jack Weil was CEO of an American clothing company. He was still going to work at the age of 104. He said "What else am I supposed to do all day?"
13.
G.D.P.
Many people think that G.D.P. shouldn’t be the only factor when judging the success of a country. Money isn’t everything.
Gross Domestic Product
A more useful measurement is the Human Development Index - which looks at life expectancy, education as well as average income.
14.
A.G.M.
Our A.G.M. is a chance for all shareholders to voice their opinions about the success – or otherwise, of the company.
Annual General Meeting.
If you hold a share in a company you are entitled to attend the A.G.M. Some companies offer a nice buffet at their A.G.M. so it might be worth buying one share in a company such as Harrods or Fortnum and Mason. Just make sure you don’t get trampled in the rush to the buffet!
15.
LTD
There seem to be a lot more plcs than Ltd companies around these days.
Limited
If you are owed a lot of money by the owner of a limited company and the company goes bust then you probably won't get your money back - even if the owner has a Porsche sitting in his garage. The owner has limited liability.
16.
H.R.
We used to call it the personnel department but now it is known as H.R.
Human Resources