Crossword abbreviations
Encyclopedia
Cryptic crossword
s often use abbreviation
s to clue individual letters or short fragments of the overall solution. These include:
The abbreviation is not always a short form of the word used in the clue. For example:
Taking this one stage further, the clue word can hint at the word or words to be abbreviated rather than giving the word itself. For example:
More obscure clue words of this variety include:
Cryptic crossword
Cryptic crosswords are crossword puzzles in which each clue is a word puzzle in and of itself. Cryptic crosswords are particularly popular in the United Kingdom, where they originated, Ireland, the Netherlands, and in several Commonwealth nations, including Australia, Canada, India, Kenya, Malta,...
s often use abbreviation
Abbreviation
An abbreviation is a shortened form of a word or phrase. Usually, but not always, it consists of a letter or group of letters taken from the word or phrase...
s to clue individual letters or short fragments of the overall solution. These include:
- Any conventional abbreviations found in a standard dictionary, such as:
- "current": AC (for "alternating current"); less commonly, DC (for "direct current"); or even I (the symbol used in physics and electronics)
- Roman numeralsRoman numeralsThe numeral system of ancient Rome, or Roman numerals, uses combinations of letters from the Latin alphabet to signify values. The numbers 1 to 10 can be expressed in Roman numerals as:...
: for example the word "six" in the clue might be used to indicate the letters VI - The name of a chemical elementChemical elementA chemical element is a pure chemical substance consisting of one type of atom distinguished by its atomic number, which is the number of protons in its nucleus. Familiar examples of elements include carbon, oxygen, aluminum, iron, copper, gold, mercury, and lead.As of November 2011, 118 elements...
may be used to signify its symbol; e.g., TungstenTungstenTungsten , also known as wolfram , is a chemical element with the chemical symbol W and atomic number 74.A hard, rare metal under standard conditions when uncombined, tungsten is found naturally on Earth only in chemical compounds. It was identified as a new element in 1781, and first isolated as...
for W - Country codes: "Switzerland" can indicate the letters CH
- ICAO spelling alphabet: where Mike signifies M and Romeo R
- Conventional abbreviations for US cities and states: for example, New York can indicate NY and "California" CA or CAL.
The abbreviation is not always a short form of the word used in the clue. For example:
- "Knight" for N (the symbol used in chess notation)
Taking this one stage further, the clue word can hint at the word or words to be abbreviated rather than giving the word itself. For example:
- "About" for C or CA, abbreviations of "circa", meaning "about". "About" can also be abbreviated to RE, for "regarding".
- "Say" for EG, used to mean "for example".
More obscure clue words of this variety include:
- "Model" for T, referring to the Model T.
- "Beginner" or synonyms such as "novice" or "student" for L, as in L-plateL-plateAn L-plate is a square plate bearing a sans-serif letter L, for learner, which must be affixed to the front and back of a vehicle in many countries if its driver is a learner under instruction, or a motorcycle rider with provisional entitlement to ride restricted motorcycles.- Australia :In...
. - "Bend" for S or U (as in "S-bend" and "U-bend")
- "Books" for OT or NT, as in Old Testament or New Testament.
- "Sailor" for AB, abbreviation of able-bodied.
- "Take" for R, abbreviation of the Latin word recipe, meaning "take".
Clues beginning with A
- About - c or ca (circa) or re
- Account - ac
- Accountant - ca (chartered accountantChartered AccountantChartered Accountants were the first accountants to form a professional body, initially established in Britain in 1854. The Edinburgh Society of Accountants , the Glasgow Institute of Accountants and Actuaries and the Aberdeen Society of Accountants were each granted a royal charter almost from...
) - Ace - a
- Advert - ad
- Afternoon - pm
- Against - v or vs (versus)
- Agent - rep (representative)
- Agricultural - ag
- Air conditioning - ac
- Alien - et (extraterrestrialExtraterrestrial lifeExtraterrestrial life is defined as life that does not originate from Earth...
) - Also known as - aka
- AluminiumAluminiumAluminium or aluminum is a silvery white member of the boron group of chemical elements. It has the symbol Al, and its atomic number is 13. It is not soluble in water under normal circumstances....
- al (chemical symbol) - America - am, us or usa (United States of America)
- Amnesty - ai (Amnesty InternationalAmnesty InternationalAmnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
) - Anglican - ce (Church of England)
- Arbiter - ref(refereeRefereeA referee is the person of authority, in a variety of sports, who is responsible for presiding over the game from a neutral point of view and making on the fly decisions that enforce the rules of the sport...
) - Army cop - mp (Military Policeman)
- ArsenicArsenicArsenic is a chemical element with the symbol As, atomic number 33 and relative atomic mass 74.92. Arsenic occurs in many minerals, usually in conjunction with sulfur and metals, and also as a pure elemental crystal. It was first documented by Albertus Magnus in 1250.Arsenic is a metalloid...
- as (chemical symbol) - Artificial intelligenceArtificial intelligenceArtificial intelligence is the intelligence of machines and the branch of computer science that aims to create it. AI textbooks define the field as "the study and design of intelligent agents" where an intelligent agent is a system that perceives its environment and takes actions that maximize its...
- ai - ArtilleryArtilleryOriginally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
- ra (Royal ArtilleryRoyal ArtilleryThe Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery , is the artillery arm of the British Army. Despite its name, it comprises a number of regiments.-History:...
) - Artists - ra (Royal AcademyRoyal AcademyThe Royal Academy of Arts is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly, London. The Royal Academy of Arts has a unique position in being an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects whose purpose is to promote the creation, enjoyment and...
) - Attorney - da (District AttorneyDistrict attorneyIn many jurisdictions in the United States, a District Attorney is an elected or appointed government official who represents the government in the prosecution of criminal offenses. The district attorney is the highest officeholder in the jurisdiction's legal department and supervises a staff of...
) or pa (Practicing Attorney) - AustraliaAustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
- aus or oz (slang name for Australia) - Avenue - ave
Clues beginning with B
- Bachelor of ArtsBachelor of ArtsA Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
- ba - Bachelor of Medicine - bm
- Basque nationalists - eta
- Bearing - n, e, s, w, ne, nw etc. (compassCompassA compass is a navigational instrument that shows directions in a frame of reference that is stationary relative to the surface of the earth. The frame of reference defines the four cardinal directions – north, south, east, and west. Intermediate directions are also defined...
points) - Beginner - l (for Learner)
- Bend - s or u (U-bendTrap (plumbing)In plumbing, a trap is a U-, S-, or J-shaped pipe located below or within a plumbing fixture. An S-shaped trap is also known as the S-bend invented by Alexander Cummings in 1775 but became known as the U-bend following the introduction of the U-shaped trap by Thomas Crapper in 1880. The new U-bend...
and S-bendTrap (plumbing)In plumbing, a trap is a U-, S-, or J-shaped pipe located below or within a plumbing fixture. An S-shaped trap is also known as the S-bend invented by Alexander Cummings in 1775 but became known as the U-bend following the introduction of the U-shaped trap by Thomas Crapper in 1880. The new U-bend...
) - Bill - ac (account) or iou
- Bird - tit
- BishopBishopA bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
- b or rr (Right Reverend) - Bob - s (shillingShillingThe shilling is a unit of currency used in some current and former British Commonwealth countries. The word shilling comes from scilling, an accounting term that dates back to Anglo-Saxon times where it was deemed to be the value of a cow in Kent or a sheep elsewhere. The word is thought to derive...
) - Book (or books) - nt (New TestamentNew TestamentThe New Testament is the second major division of the Christian biblical canon, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament....
), ot (Old TestamentOld TestamentThe Old Testament, of which Christians hold different views, is a Christian term for the religious writings of ancient Israel held sacred and inspired by Christians which overlaps with the 24-book canon of the Masoretic Text of Judaism...
) - Boy - b
- BridgeContract bridgeContract bridge, usually known simply as bridge, is a trick-taking card game using a standard deck of 52 playing cards played by four players in two competing partnerships with partners sitting opposite each other around a small table...
player - n, e, s, w - Byte - b
Clues beginning with C
- CalciumCalciumCalcium is the chemical element with the symbol Ca and atomic number 20. It has an atomic mass of 40.078 amu. Calcium is a soft gray alkaline earth metal, and is the fifth-most-abundant element by mass in the Earth's crust...
- ca - CaliforniaCaliforniaCalifornia is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
- ca - Car - t (Model T), rr (Rolls-Royce)
- 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)
- Chartered accountant - ca
- Chief - ch
- ChlorineChlorineChlorine is the chemical element with atomic number 17 and symbol Cl. It is the second lightest halogen, found in the periodic table in group 17. The element forms diatomic molecules under standard conditions, called dichlorine...
- cl (chemical symbol) - ChromosomeChromosomeA chromosome is an organized structure of DNA and protein found in cells. It is a single piece of coiled DNA containing many genes, regulatory elements and other nucleotide sequences. Chromosomes also contain DNA-bound proteins, which serve to package the DNA and control its functions.Chromosomes...
- x or y - Church - ch or ce (Church of EnglandChurch of EnglandThe Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
)or rc(Roman Catholic) - Circa - c
- Circle - o (the letter O is a circle)
- City - ny (New YorkNew YorkNew York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
), la (Los AngelesLos ÁngelesLos Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
), or ec (postcode for City of London) - Club - y (YMCAYMCAThe Young Men's Christian Association is a worldwide organization of more than 45 million members from 125 national federations affiliated through the World Alliance of YMCAs...
) - Coin - p (penny), d (from the LatinLatinLatin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
denarius) or c (cent) - d or c would usually have "old" or "American" as well as "coin". - Colonel - col
- Colt - c
- Company - co
- Compare - cf (abbreviation of the Latin confer)
- Compass point - n, e, s, w (and other bearings)
- Computer - pc
- Conservationists - nt (National TrustNational Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural BeautyThe National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, usually known as the National Trust, is a conservation organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland...
) - Conservative - c, con
- Constable - pc (police constable)
- Copper - p (penny), d (denarius), cu (chemical symbol), pc (police constable)
- Court - ct
- Credit - cr
- Criminal - con
- Cross - x
- Current - ac (alternating current), dc (direct current), ad (Anno DominiAnno Dominiand Before Christ are designations used to label or number years used with the Julian and Gregorian calendars....
) or amp - Current account - ca
- Cystic fibrosisCystic fibrosisCystic fibrosis is a recessive genetic disease affecting most critically the lungs, and also the pancreas, liver, and intestine...
- cf
Clues beginning with D
- Date - d
- Daughter - d
- Dead or Died - d, dec (deceased), ex, ob (abbreviation)
- Debts - ious (IOU (debt)IOU (debt)An IOU is usually an informal document acknowledging debt. An IOU differs from a promissory note in that an IOU is not a negotiable instrument and does not specify repayment terms such as the time of repayment. IOUs usually specify the debtor, the amount owed, and sometimes the creditor...
) - Deceased - d, dec, ex
- Decoration - vc (Victoria CrossVictoria CrossThe Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
), gc (George Cross) - Degree - deg, c (Celsius or Centigrade), f (Fahrenheit), ba (Bachelor of ArtsBachelor of ArtsA Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
), ma (Master of ArtsMaster of Arts (postgraduate)A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
). - Detectives - cid
- Detective inspector - di
- Deutschmark - dm
- Direction - n, e, s, w (and other compass bearings)
- Disc - o (the letter O is round, like a disc), ep (extended play record), lp (long play record), cd (compact disc)
- Disease - tb
- Doctor of Divinity - dd
- Doctor - doc, bm (Bachelor of Medicine), mb (Medicinae Baccalaureus), md (Medicinae Doctor), mo (medical officer), gp (General Practitioner), dr
- Drip - iv (intravenous drip)
- Drug - c (cocaineCocaineCocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. The name comes from "coca" in addition to the alkaloid suffix -ine, forming cocaine. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system, an appetite suppressant, and a topical anesthetic...
), e, x (both short for ecstasy) or h (heroin) - Dry - tt (teetotal) or aa (Alcoholics AnonymousAlcoholics AnonymousAlcoholics Anonymous is an international mutual aid movement which says its "primary purpose is to stay sober and help other alcoholics achieve sobriety." Now claiming more than 2 million members, AA was founded in 1935 by Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob Smith in Akron, Ohio...
) - Duck - o (from the cricketCricketCricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
score of 0)
Clues beginning with E
- Each - ea
- East - e
- East Germany - gdr (German Democratic Republic)
- Ecstasy - e or x (slang names for the drug)
- Editor - ed
- Egg - o (the letter O loosely resembles the shape of an egg)
- Electricity - ac (alternating current), dc (direct current)
- Eleven - ll (II looks similar to 11), or xi (Roman numeralsRoman numeralsThe numeral system of ancient Rome, or Roman numerals, uses combinations of letters from the Latin alphabet to signify values. The numbers 1 to 10 can be expressed in Roman numerals as:...
) - Energy - e, j (joule)
- Engineer - ce (civil engineer) or re (Royal Engineer) or me (mechanical engineer)
- English - e
- Escape - esc
- Established - est
- Estimated time of arrival - eta
- Europe - eu (European UnionEuropean UnionThe European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
), ec (European Community) - Exercise - pe (physical education), pt (physical training)
- Extra - w (from the extra runs in cricket for a wide ball)
- Extra large - xl
- Extra terrestrial - et
Clues beginning with F
- Fahrenheit - f
- Father - da, dad, fr, pa
- Female - f
- Fighter plane - mig (type of plane)
- Firm - co (company)
- Fifty - l (Roman numeral (lower case L))
- Five - v (Roman numeral)
- Fleet - rn (Royal NavyRoyal NavyThe Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
) - Flying bomb - vi (looks like V1V-1 flying bombThe V-1 flying bomb, also known as the Buzz Bomb or Doodlebug, was an early pulse-jet-powered predecessor of the cruise missile....
) - Football association - fa
- Football club - fc
- For example - eg (short for the Latin exempli gratia)
- Former - ex
- Four - iv (Roman Numeral)
- FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
- f - Frenchman - m (Monsieur)
Clues beginning with G
- GameGameA game is structured playing, usually undertaken for enjoyment and sometimes used as an educational tool. Games are distinct from work, which is usually carried out for remuneration, and from art, which is more often an expression of aesthetic or ideological elements...
- ru(Rugby Union) - GasGasGas is one of the three classical states of matter . Near absolute zero, a substance exists as a solid. As heat is added to this substance it melts into a liquid at its melting point , boils into a gas at its boiling point, and if heated high enough would enter a plasma state in which the electrons...
- h (hydrogen), o (oxygen), n (nitrogen), cs (tear gas) - German submarine - u (U-boatU-boatU-boat is the anglicized version of the German word U-Boot , itself an abbreviation of Unterseeboot , and refers to military submarines operated by Germany, particularly in World War I and World War II...
) - GermanyGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
- ger, d (Deutschland) - GoldGoldGold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
- au (chemical symbol), or (in heraldry) - Good - pi (pious)
- Good Man - st (abbreviation for Saint)
- Graduate - ba, ma (university degrees)
- Gram - g
- Grand prix - gp
- Grand - g, m (Roman numeral for 1000), k (kilo-)
- Group - gp
- Gunners - ra (Royal Artillery)
- Gym - pe (Physical Education)
Clues beginning with H
- Hear - t (Position on hearing aid)
- HectareHectareThe hectare is a metric unit of area defined as 10,000 square metres , and primarily used in the measurement of land. In 1795, when the metric system was introduced, the are was defined as being 100 square metres and the hectare was thus 100 ares or 1/100 km2...
- ha - HeliumHeliumHelium is the chemical element with atomic number 2 and an atomic weight of 4.002602, which is represented by the symbol He. It is a colorless, odorless, tasteless, non-toxic, inert, monatomic gas that heads the noble gas group in the periodic table...
- he - Heroin - h
- Hire purchase - hp
- Holy man - st (saint)
- Home countiesHome CountiesThe home counties is a term which refers to the counties of South East England and the East of England which border London, but do not include the capital city itself...
- se (South-east of England) - Honours - ba or ma (see Degree)
- HorseHorseThe horse is one of two extant subspecies of Equus ferus, or the wild horse. It is a single-hooved mammal belonging to the taxonomic family Equidae. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature into the large, single-toed animal of today...
- g, gg (slang) - HospitalHospitalA hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment by specialized staff and equipment. Hospitals often, but not always, provide for inpatient care or longer-term patient stays....
- h - Hour - h
- Houses of Parliament - hp
- Hundred - c (Roman numeral)
- Husband - h
- Hydrogen - h
Clues beginning with I
- IcelandIcelandIceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
- is (country code) - Inch - in
- Information - gen
- Information technology - it
- Intelligence - iq
- IodineIodineIodine is a chemical element with the symbol I and atomic number 53. The name is pronounced , , or . The name is from the , meaning violet or purple, due to the color of elemental iodine vapor....
- i (chemical symbol) - IrelandIrelandIreland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
- ire - Irish Republican Army - ira
- IronIronIron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. It is a metal in the first transition series. It is the most common element forming the planet Earth as a whole, forming much of Earth's outer and inner core. It is the fourth most common element in the Earth's crust...
- fe (chemical symbol)
Clues beginning with J
- Jack - j, tar, ab (sailor)
- Jet - mig (type of plane)
- Jolly - rm (Royal MarineRoyal MarinesThe Corps of Her Majesty's Royal Marines, commonly just referred to as the Royal Marines , are the marine corps and amphibious infantry of the United Kingdom and, along with the Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary, form the Naval Service...
) - Journalist - ed (editor)
- Judge - j
- Junction - t (T-junction)
- Junior - jr
Clues beginning with K
- KelvinKelvinThe kelvin is a unit of measurement for temperature. It is one of the seven base units in the International System of Units and is assigned the unit symbol K. The Kelvin scale is an absolute, thermodynamic temperature scale using as its null point absolute zero, the temperature at which all...
- k - KentuckyKentuckyThe Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
- ky - Key - a, b, c, d, e, f or g (musical keys)
- Kick off - ko
- Kilo - k
- King - k, r (from the Latin rex), hm (His Majesty), or hrh (His Royal Highness), or gr (King George (rex))
- Kiss - x (the symbol for a kiss)
- KnaveBoyA boy is a young male human , as contrasted to its female counterpart, girl, or an adult male, a man.The term "boy" is primarily used to indicate biological sex distinctions, cultural gender role distinctions or both...
- j (Jack) - Knight - k, kt, kbe (Knight Commander 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
Clues beginning with L
- Labour - lab
- Lake - l or la
- Large number - c, d, m (Roman numerals) or k (kilo-)
- Last month - ult (ultimo)
- Lawrence - dh (D. H. LawrenceD. H. LawrenceDavid Herbert Richards Lawrence was an English novelist, poet, playwright, essayist, literary critic and painter who published as D. H. Lawrence. His collected works represent an extended reflection upon the dehumanising effects of modernity and industrialisation...
) or te (T. E. LawrenceT. E. LawrenceLieutenant Colonel Thomas Edward Lawrence, CB, DSO , known professionally as T. E. Lawrence, was a British Army officer renowned especially for his liaison role during the Arab Revolt against Ottoman Turkish rule of 1916–18...
) - Lead - pb (chemical symbol)
- Learner - l
- Left - l
- Liberal l or lib
- Lieutenant - lt
- LitreLitrepic|200px|right|thumb|One litre is equivalent to this cubeEach side is 10 cm1 litre water = 1 kilogram water The litre is a metric system unit of volume equal to 1 cubic decimetre , to 1,000 cubic centimetres , and to 1/1,000 cubic metre...
- l - Local area network - lan
- Long playing record - lp
- Long wave - lw
- Loud - f (forte), or ff (fortissimo)
- Los Angeles - la
- Love - o (zero score in tennis)
Clues beginning with M
- Maiden - m (cricket terminology for no runs in an over)
- Male - m, he or pa
- Many - CL, XD... (A collection of at least 2 roman numerals)
- Map-makers - os (Ordnance SurveyOrdnance SurveyOrdnance Survey , an executive agency and non-ministerial government department of the Government of the United Kingdom, is the national mapping agency for Great Britain, producing maps of Great Britain , and one of the world's largest producers of maps.The name reflects its creation together with...
) - Marines - rm (Royal MarinesRoyal MarinesThe Corps of Her Majesty's Royal Marines, commonly just referred to as the Royal Marines , are the marine corps and amphibious infantry of the United Kingdom and, along with the Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary, form the Naval Service...
) - Married - m
- Master of ceremonies - mc
- Medal - vc (Victoria CrossVictoria CrossThe Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
), gc (George CrossGeorge CrossThe George Cross is the highest civil decoration of the United Kingdom, and also holds, or has held, that status in many of the other countries of the Commonwealth of Nations...
), obe (Order of the British EmpireOrder of the British EmpireThe Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
), om (Order of meritOrder of MeritThe Order of Merit is a British dynastic order recognising distinguished service in the armed forces, science, art, literature, or for the promotion of culture...
) - 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)
- Master of Arts - ma
- Master's - ma (Master of Arts degree)
- Megabyte - mb
- Member - mp (same as Member of Parliament (below))
- Member of Parliament - mp
- Messerschmitt - me
- Middle East - me
- Midfielder - l (the 'mid' letter of 'fielder')
- Military Police - mp
- Ministry of DefenceMinistry of Defence (United Kingdom)The Ministry of Defence is the United Kingdom government department responsible for implementation of government defence policy and is the headquarters of the British Armed Forces....
- mod - Minute - m
- Model - t (Model T Ford)
- Monarch - er (Elizabeth Regina), gr (George Rex), q (queen), k (king) or r (rex/regina)
- Monsieur - m
- Morning or Half Day - am
- Mother - ma
- Motorway - m or mi (looks like M1M1 motorwayThe M1 is a north–south motorway in England primarily connecting London to Leeds, where it joins the A1 near Aberford. While the M1 is considered to be the first inter-urban motorway to be completed in the United Kingdom, the first road to be built to motorway standard in the country was the...
)
Clues beginning with N
- National Trust - nt
- Navy - rn (Royal Navy), abs (able-bodied seamen) or tars (slang for seamen)
- Nazis - ss (SchutzstaffelSchutzstaffelThe Schutzstaffel |Sig runes]]) was a major paramilitary organization under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party. Built upon the Nazi ideology, the SS under Heinrich Himmler's command was responsible for many of the crimes against humanity during World War II...
) - NeonNeonNeon is the chemical element that has the symbol Ne and an atomic number of 10. Although a very common element in the universe, it is rare on Earth. A colorless, inert noble gas under standard conditions, neon gives a distinct reddish-orange glow when used in either low-voltage neon glow lamps or...
- ne (chemical symbol) - Never-never - hp (synonym for hire purchase)
- New - n
- New Testament - nt
- Nitrogen - n
- No ball - nb (cricket terminology)
- North - n
- Not applicable - na
- Note - nb (from the Latin nota bene) or a, b, c, d, e, f, g (musical notes)
- Nothing - o (the letter O looks like the number 0)
- Now - ad (from the Latin Anno DominiAnno Dominiand Before Christ are designations used to label or number years used with the Julian and Gregorian calendars....
) - Number - v, x, c, d, m, l (Roman numeralsRoman numeralsThe numeral system of ancient Rome, or Roman numerals, uses combinations of letters from the Latin alphabet to signify values. The numbers 1 to 10 can be expressed in Roman numerals as:...
)
Clues beginning with O
- Odds - sp (starting price)
- Officer - oc (Officer Corps)
- Old - o
- 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)
- Operating system - os
- Operation - op
- Oriental - e (East)
- OunceOunceThe ounce is a unit of mass with several definitions, the most commonly used of which are equal to approximately 28 grams. The ounce is used in a number of different systems, including various systems of mass that form part of the imperial and United States customary systems...
- oz (abbreviation) - Outsized - os
- Over the top - ott
- Overdose - od
- Oxygen - o
Clues beginning with P
- Page - p
- Painters - ra (Royal Academy)
- Paramilitaries - eta (Basque Nationalists), ira (Irish Republican ArmyIrish Republican ArmyThe Irish Republican Army was an Irish republican revolutionary military organisation. It was descended from the Irish Volunteers, an organisation established on 25 November 1913 that staged the Easter Rising in April 1916...
), uff (Ulster Freedom Fighters), uda (Ulster Defence AssociationUlster Defence AssociationThe Ulster Defence Association is the largest although not the deadliest loyalist paramilitary and vigilante group in Northern Ireland. It was formed in September 1971 and undertook a campaign of almost twenty-four years during "The Troubles"...
) - Parking - p
- Party - lab, lib, con or c (Political Parties)
- Peacekeepers - un (United NationsUnited NationsThe United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
) - Pencil - hb
- Penny - p, d (old penny), cu (copper)
- Phone company - bt
- Physical education - pe
- Physical training - pt
- Piano - p
- Plane - mig (type of plane)
- Plate - l or p (L-plate and P-plate)
- Poem - if (Kipling)
- Poet - 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 PoliceMetropolitan policeMetropolitan Police is a generic title for the municipal police force for a major metropolitan area, and it may be part of the official title of the force...
), cid (Criminal Investigation DepartmentCriminal Investigation DepartmentThe Crime Investigation Department is the branch of all Territorial police forces within the British Police and many other Commonwealth police forces, to which plain clothes detectives belong. It is thus distinct from the Uniformed Branch and the Special Branch.The Metropolitan Police Service CID,...
) - Politician - mp
- Posh - u (short for upper class)
- Post office - po
- Potassium - k (chemical symbol)
- Pound - lb (weight)
- Priest - pr, rev (reverend), rr (Right Reverend), dd (Doctor of Divinity), fr (Father), eli (Eli (Bible))
- Prime Minister - pm
- Prisoner of war - pow
- Promises - ious (I owe yous)
- Province - ni (Northern Ireland)
- Pub - ph (Public House)
Clues beginning with Q
- Quarter - n, s, e, w (compass direction)
- Queen - q, er (Elizabeth Regina), hm (Her Majesty)
- Quiet/quietly - p (piano)
Clues beginning with R
- Railway - r, ry or br (British RailBritish RailBritish Railways , which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was the operator of most of the rail transport in Great Britain between 1948 and 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the "Big Four" British railway companies and lasted until the gradual privatisation of British Rail, in stages...
) - Record - ep (extended play record), lp (long playing record)
- Ref - ump (referee - umpire)
- Regina - r
- Retired - ret
- Reverend - rr (Right Reverend), dd (Doctor of Divinity), rev
- Rex - r
- Right Reverend - rr
- Right - r
- Ring - o (the letter O looks like a ring)
- River - r
- Road - rd or ai (looks like A1)
- Rolls Royce - rr
- Rook - r
- Royal Academy - ra
- Royal Artillery - ra
- Royal Engineers - re
- Royal Marines - rm
- Royal Navy - rn
- Run - r
Clues beginning with S
- Sailor - ab (able-bodied seaman), tar (slang), rn, salt
- Saint - st
- Sappers - re (the Royal Engineers equivalent of "private")
- Say - eg (short for the Latin exempli gratia)
- Seaman - ab (able-bodied seaman)
- Secret service - ss
- Setter - i or me (meaning the setter of the crossword)
- Shilling - s
- Significant other - so
- Ship - ss (steam ship)
- Short wave - sw
- SilkQueen's CounselQueen's Counsel , known as King's Counsel during the reign of a male sovereign, are lawyers appointed by letters patent to be one of Her [or His] Majesty's Counsel learned in the law...
- qc or kc (From Queen's—or King's—Counsel) - SilverSilverSilver is a metallic chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...
- ag (chemical symbol) - SodiumSodiumSodium is a chemical element with the symbol Na and atomic number 11. It is a soft, silvery-white, highly reactive metal and is a member of the alkali metals; its only stable isotope is 23Na. It is an abundant element that exists in numerous minerals, most commonly as sodium chloride...
- na (chemical symbol) - Softly - p (musical notation)
- Soldier - rm (Royal Marine), re (Royal Engineer), gi (General Infantryman), ant
- Soldiers - men, or (Other Ranks)
- Son - s
- South - s
- Sportsman - blue(From Oxford - Cambridge Face-Offs)
- State - any abbreviation of an American State (e.g. CA, FL ..)
- Street - st
- Student - l (learner) or nus (National Union of Students)
- Submarine - u (U-boat) or sub
- Sweat - bo (Body odorBody odorBody odor or body odour, sometimes colloquially abbreviated as B.O., is the smell of bacteria growing on the body. The bacteria multiply rapidly in the presence of sweat, but sweat itself is almost completely odorless to humans....
)
Clues beginning with T
- Tar - ab (able-bodied seaman)
- Tax - vat (Value added taxValue added taxA value added tax or value-added tax is a form of consumption tax. From the perspective of the buyer, it is a tax on the purchase price. From that of the seller, it is a tax only on the "value added" to a product, material or service, from an accounting point of view, by this stage of its...
) - 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 AnonymousAlcoholics AnonymousAlcoholics Anonymous is an international mutual aid movement which says its "primary purpose is to stay sober and help other alcoholics achieve sobriety." Now claiming more than 2 million members, AA was founded in 1935 by Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob Smith in Akron, Ohio...
) - Ten - x (Roman numerals) or io (IO looks like 10)
- Territorial Army - ta
- Terrorists - eta (Basque Nationalists), ira (Irish Republican ArmyIrish Republican ArmyThe Irish Republican Army was an Irish republican revolutionary military organisation. It was descended from the Irish Volunteers, an organisation established on 25 November 1913 that staged the Easter Rising in April 1916...
), uff (Ulster Freedom Fighters), uda (Ulster Defence AssociationUlster Defence AssociationThe Ulster Defence Association is the largest although not the deadliest loyalist paramilitary and vigilante group in Northern Ireland. It was formed in September 1971 and undertook a campaign of almost twenty-four years during "The Troubles"...
) - That is - ie (from the Latin id est)
- 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)
- Time - t, s, m
- Times - x (multiplication symbol)
- Toilet - wc (water closet)
- Tory - con (slang for Conservative)
- Trendy - in (euphemism)
- Tripod - Y (shape of a Tripod)
- Tyro - l (for learner)
Clues beginning with U
- Ulster - ni (Northern Ireland)
- Ulster Defence Association - uda
- Ulster Freedom Fighters - uff
- Ultimate - z (last or ultimate letter of the alphabet)
- United Nations - un
- Unknown - x, y or z (Mathematical variableVariable (mathematics)In mathematics, a variable is a value that may change within the scope of a given problem or set of operations. In contrast, a constant is a value that remains unchanged, though often unknown or undetermined. The concepts of constants and variables are fundamental to many areas of mathematics and...
) - University - u or ou (Open University) or up (in the UK one goes up to university)
Clues beginning with V
- Value added tax - vat
- Variable - x, y or z (Mathematical unknown)
- Versus - v or vs
- Very - v
- Volunteers - ta (Territorial Army)
Clues beginning with W
- Way - rd (road), st (street), ave (avenue)
- Weight - g (gram), lb (pound)
- Whistle-blower - ref(refereeRefereeA referee is the person of authority, in a variety of sports, who is responsible for presiding over the game from a neutral point of view and making on the fly decisions that enforce the rules of the sport...
) - Wide - w (cricket)
- Wife - w
- With - w
- Without - wo
- Work - w, op (operation), opus (classical music)
- Worker - ant