List of abbreviations

This is an incomplete list of the most common abbreviations and shortenings often found in cryptics. Most are from The Chambers Dictionary, though a minority have been added as per vox populi usage. Please note that the criterion for entry into the main list is that it must be an abbreviation, shortening or synonym which is at most three letter and occurs with relative frequency in any of the major British cryptics.

=           Indicating word to abbreviation             =

A

 * About: re, on, c, ca
 * Account: ac
 * Accountant: ca
 * Ace: a
 * Afternoon: pm
 * All: a
 * Alpha: a
 * Ancient city: Ur
 * Are: a
 * Area: a
 * Article: a, an, the
 * Artist(s): ra
 * At home: in

B

 * Bachelor: ba, b
 * Bearing: any compass point
 * Beginner: L
 * Big: os
 * Bill: ac, ad
 * Billion(s): b, bn
 * Bishop: b, rr
 * Black: b
 * Book: b, ot, nt
 * Books: ot, nt
 * Born: b
 * Bravo: b
 * British: b

C

 * Catholic: c
 * Caught: c
 * Celsius: C
 * Century: c
 * Chapter: c, ch
 * Charlie: c
 * Christ: X
 * Church: ce, ch
 * Circa: c, ca
 * Circle: o
 * City: NY, LA, EC
 * Club(s): c
 * Cocaine: c
 * Cold: c
 * Companion: ch
 * Company: co
 * Conservative: c
 * Copper: p, d, pc, cu
 * Court: ct
 * Credit: cr
 * Current: ac, dc, i, in

D

 * Daughter: d
 * Day: d
 * Dead: d
 * Delta: d
 * Democrat: d
 * Density: d
 * Diamond(s): d
 * Died: d
 * Direction: any compass point
 * Doctor: dr, doc, mo, gp
 * Drug: c, e, h
 * Dry: tt
 * Duck: o
 * Duke: d

E

 * Each: ea
 * Earl: e
 * East: e
 * Echo: e
 * Ecstasy: e
 * Editor: ed
 * Electronic: e
 * Eleven: xi
 * Energy: e
 * Engineer: ce, re
 * English: e
 * Excellent: A1
 * Exercise: PE
 * Extra terrestrial: ET

F

 * Fahrenheit: F
 * Farthing: f
 * Fashionable: in
 * Father: pa, pop, dad
 * Fifty: L
 * Film: any film, though often ET or Kes
 * Fine: f
 * First class: A1
 * Five: V
 * Following: f
 * For example: eg
 * Former: ex
 * Four: IV
 * Forte: f
 * Foxtrot: f

G

 * Good: g
 * Good man: st
 * Gold: au, or
 * Golf: g
 * Grand: g, k, m

H

 * Hard: h
 * Heart(s): h
 * Heroin: h
 * Holy man: st
 * Hospital: h
 * Hot: h
 * Hotel: h
 * Hour: h, hr
 * Hundred: c
 * Husband: h

I

 * India: i
 * Information: gen
 * Iron: fe
 * Island: i

J

 * Jack: ab, os, tar
 * Journalist: ed
 * Juliet: j

K

 * Key: A, B, C, D, E, F, G
 * Kilo: k
 * King: k, r, er, any king
 * Kiss: x
 * Knight: n

L

 * Lake: l, any lake
 * Latin: l
 * Lead: pb
 * Learner: L
 * Left: l
 * Liberal: l
 * Lima: l
 * Line: l
 * Lines: ll
 * Loud: f, ff
 * Love: o

M

 * Maiden: m
 * Male: m
 * Mark: m
 * Married: m
 * Mass: m
 * Medal: vc, obe, om, gc, etc.
 * Member: arm, leg, mp
 * Mike: m
 * Mile(s): m, mi
 * Million(s): m
 * Minute(s): m
 * Monarch: see king and queen.

N

 * Name: n
 * Nazis: SS
 * New: n
 * None: o
 * Noon: n, m
 * North: n
 * Note: nb, A, B, C, D, E, F, G
 * Nothing: o
 * November: n, Nov
 * Number: n, no, any Roman numeral

O

 * Old: o
 * Old city: ur
 * One: I, a, an
 * Operation: op
 * Oscar: o

P

 * Page: p
 * Pages: pp
 * Papa: p
 * Parking: p
 * Party: do, lab, lib, con
 * Pawn: p
 * Pence, penny: p, d
 * Piano: p
 * Point: any compass point
 * Pound(s): l, lb
 * Power: p
 * Pressure: p
 * Priest: p

Q

 * Quarter: n, e, s, w
 * Quebec: q
 * Queen: q, r, hm, er, any queen
 * Question: q, qu
 * Quiet: sh, p, pp
 * Quietly: p, pp

R

 * Railway: ry
 * Recipe: r
 * Record: cd, lp, ep, log
 * Right: r
 * River: r
 * Road: rd, ai, mi
 * Romeo: r
 * Rook: r
 * Run(s): r

S

 * Sailor: tar, ab, os
 * Saint: st
 * Say: eg
 * Second: s
 * See: v
 * Setter: i, me, gel
 * Shilling: s
 * Sierra: s
 * Sign of error: x
 * Silver: ag
 * Soft(ly): p, pp
 * Soldier: gi, rm
 * Soldiers: men, or
 * Son(s): s
 * South: s
 * Spade(s): s
 * Square: s
 * State: any US state
 * Street: st, rd, way, ave
 * Student: L
 * Succeeded: s

T

 * Take: r
 * Tango: t
 * Tar: see sailor.
 * Tax: VAT
 * Teachers: NUT
 * Team: XI
 * Temperature: t
 * Tense: t
 * That is, that's: ie
 * Thousand: k, m
 * Time: t
 * Times: tt, by, x
 * Ten: X

U

 * Uniform: u
 * University: u, ou, any university
 * Unknown: x, y, z
 * Upper class: u

V

 * Variable: see unknown.
 * Versus: v, vs
 * Very: v
 * Victor: v
 * Victory: v
 * Volunteers: ta

W

 * Way: see street.
 * Week: w
 * West: w
 * Whiskey: w
 * Wide: w
 * Wife: w
 * With: w
 * Without: wo
 * Women('s): w
 * Won: w
 * Work: op
 * Worker: ant, bee
 * Working: on

X

 * X-ray: x

Y

 * Yankee: y
 * Year: y, yr

Z

 * Zero: o
 * Zulu: z