Using an abbreviation for a word as part of your anagram is another class of cryptic clue. It can be anything from a single letter to two- three- or more letters. In each case the capital letters here are used as part of the anagram. Sometimes it may just be the initial letter from a capitalised word. For example, in European, you use the E as part of the anagram. In most cases the exact initials are included in the answer in the same order. Abbreviations applied this way are similar to how short synonyms are used. 
[also see section on Synonyms]
A
About – CA (circa)
About – C (circa)
About – RE (reference to)
Accountant – CA
Ace – A
Adult – A
Again – RE
Against – CON
Agent – REP (as in representative)
Agents – REPS
Alias – AKA (also known as)
Alien – ET
Ambassador – HE (as in His Excellency)
America – A, US or USA
American – GI (general, or government issue – nickname for soldiers)
Ampere – A
Any number – N
Answer – A
Archdeacon – VEN (venerable)
Area – A
Army, territorial – TA
Article – A
Artist – RA (Royal Academy)
Australia and New Zealand Army Corps – ANZAC
B
Bad smell – BO (body odour)
Ball – O
Balloon – O
Base – E (as in logarithm base e)
Before – PRE
Belly – TUM
Bend – U
Bill – AC (account)
Bishop – B
Bishop – R (rook)
Bit – MO (as in moment, a bit of time)
Bits – IO (as in 10, computer language)
Black – B
Book – B
Book – NT (new testament)
Book – OT (old testament)
Both of us – USWE
British – B
Brother – BR
Business – CO (as in company)
C
Caught – C (in cricket)
Chapter – C
Charlie – C
Cheers – TA
Church – CE
Church – CH
Church of England – CE
Circa – C
Circa – CA
Clergyman – REV
Cleric – REV
Clubs – C
Coat – MAC (after Mackintosh)
Cold – C
College – UNI
Comic – MAG
Companion – CH (as in Companion of Honour)
Company – CO
Compiler – ME (the crossword compiler)
Concerned – RE (as in with reference to)
Concerning – RE
Conservative – C
Continued – CONT
Corded cloth – REP
Court – CT
Cricket – C
Cross – X
Current – I (from French intensité du courant)
D
Dad – PA
Dad – POP
Daughter – D
Day – D
Debt – OD
Departs – D
Detective – DI
Detective – DIS
Died – D
Direction – any one or more of N E S W
Doctor – DR
Doctor – MB (degree)
Doctor – MD
Doctor – MO (medical orderly)
Doctor of Divinity – DD (theologian)
Doctrine – ISM
Drive – DR
Drivers – AA
Drug – E
Dry – TT
E
Each – E
Each – EA
Each – PER
Earth – E
Earlier – EX
East – E
Eg – SAY
Egg – O
Electric current – I
Energy – E
Example – EG
Example – SAY
Exercise – PE
Exercise – PT
Expert – PRO
Extra – BYE (extra run in cricket)
F
Facilities – LAV
Family – CLAN
Fatal dose – OD
Father – F
Father – FR
Father – P
Father – PA
Fellow – GENT
Final letter – ZED
Fine – F
Fine – OK
Firm – PLC
First – I or IST
For – PRO
For one – EG
Force – G (gravity)
Former – EX
French of the – DU
Frenchman – M (monsieur)
G
Gadgeteer – Q (as in the Bond movies)
Game – RU (as in Rugby Union)
Gangster – AL (as in Al Capone)
Goalless – OO (nil-nil score)
Gold – OR (heraldic description of)
Good person – ST
Green – ECO
Gun – GAT (Gattling)
Gun – STEN
H
Hard – H
His/her excellency – HE (ambassador)
Home counties – SE (south east)
Horse – GG
Hospital department – ENT
Hotel – H
Hour – HR
Huge – S (generic for size)
Husband – H
I
In charge – IC
In-service education and training – INSET
Inactive – DID O (did nothing)
Indeed – AY (yes)
Independent – I
Indication – One or some of N, E, W, S (points of a compass)
Information – GEN
Instant – MO (a moment)
Isn’t – ain’t
J
Junction – T (as in T-junction)
K
King – K
King – R
King – REX
L
Large – L
Larger than usual – OS (oversized)
Lavatory – LAV
Lawyer – DA
Learner – L
Learner driver – L
Left – EX
Left – L
Leftie – RED
Line – L
Loop – O
Low down – GEN (as in information)
LSD – ACID
Looks – IZE (homonym for eyes, verb)
Loud – F (as in music)
Love – O (as in tennis score)
M
Male – M
March – DEMO (as in demonstration)
Married – M
Maths – N (number)
Medic – DOC
Medical officer – MO
Medical orderly – MO
Member – MP
Men – OR (other ranks)
Military police – MP (army)
Millions – M
Miners – NUM (the union)
Miss – MS
Modern miss – MS (as in not Miss or Mrs)
Money – C (cash)
Morning – AM
Mother – DAM
Mother – M
Mother – MA
Motor hotel – MH
Motorway – MI
Moving eyes – REM
Mum – MA
Mum – SH (as in shush, keep quiet)
N
Namely – EG
Namely – IE
Near – BY
Newspapers – PRESS
News – INFO
None – O
Noon – PM
North – N
Note – any of) DO RE ME FAF SO LAT TE DO
Notice – AD (advertisement)
Number – N
O
Odds – SP (starting price)
Official – REF
Old – EX
Old – O
Old King – GR (George)
Old lady – MA
Old man – PA
Old woman – MA
Ones – IS (1 and S)
Other ranks (men) – OR
Outsize (in clothing) – OS
Over (cricket) – O
Oversized – OS
P
Parking – P
Papa – P (as in Nato call sign code)
Papers – ID (identity papers)
Pensioner – OAP
Perhaps – EG
Photo – PIC
Piano – P
Piece of music – OP (as in opus)
Place – PL
Player – any of N E S W (as in North, East etc denoting card players)
Points – NSEW (any of the letters, or combination)
Poles – N + S (north and south)
Poor hygiene – BO
Posh – U (upper class)
Posted – SAE (stamped addressed envelope)
Pounds – L
Power – P
Pressure – P
Printed item – MAG
Prisoner – CON
Prison guards – SCREWS
Proceeding – PER
Professional – PRO
Program – APP
Promotion – AD (as in advertising)
Pupil – L (learner)
Q
Queen – ER
Queen – R
Queen – Q
Question – QU
Quiet – SH
R
Rabbit – BUN
Races – TT (Tourist Trophy)
Railway – RY
Record – EP
Record – LP
Regarding – RE
Relative – SIS
Republican – R
Reserve – SUB (as in substitute)
Resistance – R
Right – R
Riding – UP (in the sense astride a horse)
Runs – R (as in cricket)
S
Sailor – AB
Sailor – RN (as in navy)
Saint – ST
Sanctimonious – PI (archaic meaning pious)
Satisfactory – OK
Say – EG (for example)
Scholar – BA
School tests – SATS (as in standard attainment test)
Scientific suite – LAB
Scripture/bible – OT or NT
Seaman – OS (ordinary seaman)
Second – MO (moment)
Second – S
Second class – B
Second class degree – TU TU (as in 2.2)
Secretary – PA
Sees – IZE (homonym for eyes, verb)
Senior relative – A GRAN
Sex – IT
Short time – MO (as in a moment)
Show – EXPO
Silly mistake – GOOF
Soldiers – GIS
Soldiers – OR (as in orderly)
Soldiers – RE (Royal Engineers)
Soldiers – TAS (Territorial Army)
Son – S
Sons – SS
South – S
Speed of light – C
Sporty car – AMG (after Aufrecht and Melcher who were located in Großaspach)
Staff common room – SCR
Standard – NORM
Steamship – SS, or MS
Student – L (as in learner)
Sun – TAN
Superior – U
Superiority – U (for Upper)
T
Teacher training – INSET (in-service education and training)
Team/eleven in cricket – XI
Temperature – T
Thanks – TA
That is – IE
The bend – U
Theatre – REP (as in repertory)
Theologian – DD (doctor of divinity)
This compiler – I’VE
This writer – I’VE
Time – T
Toilet – LAV
Too much – OTT (over the top)
Tough youth – TED
Training – INSET (in-service education and training)
Trouble – ADO
Two books – BB
U
Unidentified – ANON (anonymous)
University – U, or UP (University Press)
University – MIT
Unknown – Y (mathematical symbol)
Unknown – NO
Unpleasant smell – BO
Unwanted – U
Upmarket – U
Upper class – U
US Soldier – GI
V
Variable – Y (mathematical)
Very – V
Very big – OS
Very large – OS
Victory – V
Voltage – E
Voltage – V
Vote – X
W
Weight – W
Well – SO
West – W
When – AS
Whisky – W
Wide – W
Wife – W
With – W
Woman – MS (as in ‘Miss’)
Work – OP (as in opus)
Work – OPS (as in operations)
Worker – APP (as in apprentice)
Workplace – LAB
Y
Yankee – Y
Yard – YD
Year – Y
Year – YR
Yellow – OR (heraldic term)
Yen – Y (as in currency)
You – U
Examples
1] Establishment play for time beset by independent people (12). Use STALL for play for time. I as the abbreviation for independent. Use NATION for people. Anagram of STALLINATION. The answer is “installation”.
2] Area in shade will be soil (5). Use the abbreviation A for area, and TINT for shade. Anagram of ATINT for the answer, “taint”.
3] Full of regret about church magic (7). Use SORRY for full of regret. Insert the abbreviation for church, CE (Church of England) in SORRY. Answer is “sorcery”.
4] Decline work under medical profession (4). Use the abbreviation OP for work, being short for the Latin “Opus”, or musical work. Use DR for doctor (medical profession). The anagram OPDR gives the answer “drop”.
5] Model I love in play (7). Start with I and the abbreviation O for love. Add to a synonym for play, to construct the anagram, IODRAMA. The answer is “diorama”.
Back to Top
By Nigel Benetton
Last updated: Monday, 21st March 2022