IDIOM CONNECTION

Initials - Meanings and Quizzes

Initials Quiz #1

A Initials

AA

- Alcoholic's Anonymous - a group that helps people recover from alcohol abuse

My boss has been going to AA meetings for over a year.

AD

- Anno Domini - used to mark time that comes after the commonly accepted beginning of the Christian era

The ancient city was founded in 125 AD.

AGM

- Annual General Meeting - the annual meeting of an organization

My sister attended the AGM of the condominium owners last night.

AI

- Artificial Intelligence - used for robots etc.

Several professors at our university have been researching AI for many years.

AIDS

- Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome - a disease of the immune system

Recently, the number of AIDS patients has been increasing rapidly in many countries.

aka

- also known as

We went to see James Smith, aka "The Bulldozer," wrestle.

AM

- Amplitude Modulation - a type of radio frequency

We do not listen to AM radio much because we do not like the songs that they play.

AM

- Ante Meridiem - the Latin which means before noon

I always get up at 7:00 AM.

AOB

- Any Other Business - used in meetings etc.

The organizer of the meeting wrote AOB at the bottom of the meeting information sheet.

AOK

- great, doing well

The man said that he was feeling AOK after the accident.

APB

- All Point's Bulletin - used by the police when looking for a criminal

The police put out an APB on the man who robbed the bank.

ASAP

- As Soon As Possible

I want to finish the first draft of the letter ASAP.

ATM

- automated teller machine

I went to the ATM to get some money.

AWOL

- Absent Without Leave - often used in the military

The military police were searching for the soldier who had gone AWOL.

B Initials

BA

- Bachelor of Arts - from a university

The man received a BA in economics from his university.

B & B

- Bed and Breakfast - a small inn or hotel that serves breakfast

My sister wants to open a B & B when she quits her job.

B & E

- Break and Enter - a criminal act of breaking into a house or building to steal something

When I was going to university there was a B & E in my apartment.

BLT

- Bacon and Lettuce and Tomato - a type of sandwich

We went into the restaurant and ordered a BLT sandwich.

BO

- Body Odor - smell of sweat from the human body

The BO from the man in the elevator was very bad.

BS

- Bullshit - lies or other information that is false

We heard a lot of BS at the meeting last night which nobody believed.

BSc

- Bachelor of Science - from a university

My cousin received a BSc in computer science from his university.

BYOB

- Bring Your Own Bottle - used for a party or dinner where each person must bring something to drink

I decided to have a dinner party at my house and told everyone that it was BYOB.

C Initials

CA

- Chartered Accountant

We went to see a CA to get our income tax finished on time.

cc

- send a copy to someone - cc means carbon copy

I had to cc the email to my boss.

CD

- Compact Disc

CDs are becoming less popular now.

CEO

- Chief Executive Officer

My uncle was the CEO of a large computer company.

CFO

- Chief Financial Officer

I have an appointment to meet the CFO of the company.

CIA

- Central Intelligence Agency - US spy and security organization

The CIA was involved in the efforts to free the kidnapped air force pilot.

C/O

- Care Of - used when you want to send something to someone at the address of another person

I did not know my friend's address so I sent a letter to him C/O another friend of ours.

COD

- Cash On Delivery - used when a delivery person receives cash when they deliver something

I decided to send away for some books and the company said that they would send them COD.

CPA

- Certified Public Accountant

The woman in our accounting department has been studying for her CPA exams for three months.

D Initials

DA

- district attorney

The office of the DA will make a statement about the murder soon.

DIY

- Do-It-Yourself

I went to a DIY store and bought the materials to build a bed.

DJ

- Disc Jockey

My cousin worked in the summer as a disc jockey while he was going to university.

DNA

- Deoxyribonucleic Acid - the main constituent of the chromosomes of all organisms

My university has spent a lot of money in the study of DNA.

DUI

- Driving Under the Influence

The man was sent to jail for several months on a charge of DUI.

DVD

- Digital Video Disc

The use of DVDs is still very popular.

E Initials

ECG

- Electrocardiogram - an electronic test of a person's heart

My father was asked to take an ECG by his doctor.

e.g.

- Exempli Gratia - the Latin which means for example

The company has many factories around the world - e.g. Italy, Mexico, Thailand and Korea.

ER

- Emergency Room - the place in a hospital which deals with emergency situations

The victims of the accident were taken to the ER.

ESL

- English as a Second Language

The ESL classes at the college have been offered for almost ten years now.

ESP

- Extrasensory Perception

The movie was about a young boy who had the ability of ESP.

ETA

- Estimated Time of Arrival

"What will your ETA be when you return home next month?"

F Initials

FAQ

- frequently asked questions

The website had much information in the FAQ section.

FBI

- Federal Bureau of Investigation

The killers were found in a nationwide search by the FBI.

FM

- Frequency Modulation - a type of radio signal

The radio station that we listen to regularly is an FM station.

FYI

- For Your Information

I wrote FYI on the information bulletin and sent it to the other members of the staff.

G Initials

GI

- Government Issue - stamped on US military equipment - GI is also used to mean a US soldier

The man went to the store and bought a GI Joe doll for his son.

GMT

- Greenwich Mean Time - Greenwich is a place in England which is used as the standard for time around the world

The rocket will be launched at 10:00 AM tomorrow GMT.

GNP

- Gross National Product - the total value of goods and services produced by a country in one year

The GNP of the small country has been decreasing for several years.

GP

- General Practitioner - a general doctor

I went to see a GP when I broke my leg last summer.

H Initials

HIV

- Human Immunodeficiency Virus

The rate of HIV infection among drug users is very high.

HMO

- health maintenance organization

The man had to speak to his HMO about his medical bills.

HQ

- Headquarters

The HQ of our company is located in a small town.

HR

- Human Resources (Department)

I must talk to HR about the mistake on my pay check.

I Initials

i.e.

- id est - from Latin with the meaning of "that is to say" or "in other words"

The meeting starts at 8:00 PM - i.e. we cannot be late.

IMF

- International Monetary Fund - an international agency that works to stabilize currencies etc.

The IMF imposed very strict currency guidelines that many people were opposed to.

IOU

- I Owe You - a signed paper stating that you promise to pay a debt

I gave my friend an IOU when I bought his television.

IQ

- Intelligence Quotient - a measure of a person's intelligence

The IQ of the new student is very high.

J Initials

JP

- Justice of the Peace (a person in the court/justice system who can do some minor duties and perform marriages etc.)

The young couple went to a JP when they decided to get married.

K Initials

KO

- Knockout

The boxer won the match in the fifth round by a KO.

L Initials

LLB

- Bachelor of Laws

My cousin received his LLB and will begin to practice law soon.

LP

- Long-Playing Record

Recently, LP records are becoming more popular.

LPG

- Liquid Petroleum Gas

The truck carrying LPG was in an accident on the highway last night.

M Initials

MA

- Master of Arts

My cousin's wife has recently decided to study for her MA in economics.

MC

- Master of Ceremonies

My cousin was the MC for my sister's wedding.

MD

- Doctor of Medicine

The woman received her MD when she was 26 years old and has been practicing medicine since then.

MIA

- Missing In Action

There are several MIA soldiers in the small country.

MO

- modus operandi - the way that a person works

The MO of the criminal was very difficult to understand.

MP

- Member of Parliament - used in the United Kingdom and Canada etc.

There were several MPs at the restaurant where we had dinner.

MP3

- MPEG-1 audio layer 3 - a method to compress digital audio

The students listened to their MP3 players as they worked in the computer lab.

MSc

- Master of Science

The woman has an MSc in computer science and she found a job easily.

N Initials

N/A

- not applicable (often found on a survey or questionnaire)

I wrote down N/A for many questions on the survey.

NASA

- National Aeronautics and Space Administration - the US space organization

According to a spokesperson for NASA the rocket will be launched next week.

NATO

- North Atlantic Treaty Organization

The members of NATO are gathering for an important meeting next month in Brussels.

NB

- Nota Bene - Latin for take notice or note well

Our teacher told us to memorize the information in our text that is marked NB.

NRA

- National Rifle Association

The NRA had a big meeting recently.

O Initials

OAP

- Old Age Pensioner

At first, I thought that I could get the OAP discount. Later, I realized it was for senior citizens only.

OAU

- Organization of African Unity

The OAU is working very hard to promote free trade between its various countries.

OBO

- or best offer

The piano is being sold for $300 obo.

OD

- Overdose - on drugs

The man died because of a drug OD.

OR

- Operating Room - in a hospital

Before entering the OR the doctors carefully washed their hands.

OT

- overtime

I have to work some OT this weekend.

P Initials

PA

- Public Address (System)

Every morning the children listened to the latest school information over the PA.

PC

- Politically Correct - language that is not harmful or insulting to others

The university has a policy that says that all material published in the school newspaper must be PC.

PC

- Personal Computer

The PC industry has been growing rapidly in recent years.

P.E.

- Physical Education

My P.E. class is held indoors during the winter months.

Phd

- Doctor of Philosophy

After receiving his Phd in history my friend got a job at a university.

PLO

- Please Leave On - used when you want to leave something on a blackboard or whiteboard

Although the teacher wrote PLO on the blackboard, the information was erased during the lunch break.

PM

- Post Meridiem - Latin for after noon

The meeting started at exactly 1:00 PM.

PO

- post office

I went to the PO to get a package.

POW

- Prisoner of War

The negotiations regarding POWs continued for many years after the Vietnam war.

PR

- Public Relations

With good PR the politician was able to gain the support of many people.

PS

- Postscript - written at the end of a letter when you want to add some extra information

After finishing the letter, I wrote PS to include something very important that I had forgotten.

PTA

- Parent-Teacher Association

We got home late last night after attending our son's PTA meeting.

PTO

- Please Turn Over - written on a piece of paper to tell someone to look at the other side

I wrote PTO on the letter to make sure that my friend looked at the other side.

PVR

- Personal Video Recorder - a recording device that you can record TV programs with

The hard drive of our PVR is full so we cannot record any more TV shows until we delete something.

R Initials

RCMP

- Royal Canadian Mounted Police - Canada's national police force

The movie was about the RCMP and it took place in northern Canada.

RIP

- Requiescat In Pace (from the Latin) or Rest In Peace- used when talking about someone who is dead and sometimes written on a gravestone

At the end of the movie RIP was written on the gravestone of the character who had been killed.

RN

- registered nurse

My aunt is an RN.

RSVP

- Repondez S'il Vous Plait - the French which means please reply

The invitation said RSVP so I sent a note to say that I would attend the party.

S Initials

SOB

- Son Of a Bitch - a swear word used in anger or when you want to insult someone

The man called me a SOB when I drove in front of him in the parking lot.

SOS

- this does not refer to any words but is the international code (Morse code) that is used as a signal of distress, a call for help

The sinking ship sent out an SOS signal but nobody came to their rescue.

SPCA

- Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals

The man called the SPCA to tell them about the poor treatment of the dog.

T Initials

TA

- Teaching Assistant

After leaving university, my friend was able to get a job as a TA at the junior college.

TB

- Tuberculosis

The number of TB cases has been increasing around the world recently.

TBA

- To Be Announced - used when something will be announced at a later time

I looked in the television guide to see what the 7:00 movie would be but it said TBA.

TGIF

- Thank Goodness It's Friday

The restaurant has a large TGIF sign on the door and all drinks are half price.

TKO

- Technical Knockout

The boxer won the fight with a TKO.

TLC

- Tender Loving Care

With lots of TLC the house plants did very well under my sister's care.

TP

- Toilet Paper

I went to the store to buy some TP.

U Initials

UFO

- Unidentified Flying Object

The number of UFO sightings has increased dramatically recently.

UPS

- United Parcel Service

My friend will send the package by UPS.

UV

- Ultraviolet - a type of light ray

We used sunscreen in order to protect ourselves from UV rays.

V Initials

VCR

- Video Cassette Recorder

The electronics store does not sell VCR's anymore.

VDU

- Video Display Unit

The VDU was beginning to cause problems with my eyes so I went to an eye doctor.

VHF

- Very High Frequency

The television was not working because of a problem with the VHF connection.

VIP

- Very Important Person

The football player was given the VIP treatment when he visited his hometown.

VP

- Vice President

After serving as vice president for many years the man was appointed company president.

VTR

- Video Tape Recorder

We stopped using the VTR in the classroom several years ago.

W Initials

WC

- Water Closet - toilet

When we entered the park we went directly to the sign that said WC.

Y Initials

YMCA

- Young Men's Christian Association

The English classes at the YMCA were recommended to the students last year.

YWCA

- Young Women's Christian Association

My friend stayed at the YWCA when she visited New York City last summer.

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