Abbreviations

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. Abbreviations

[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”.

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By Nigel Benetton

Last updated: Monday, 21st March 2022