Cryptic crosswords often use abbreviations 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 numerals: for example the word "six" in the clue might be used to indicate the letters VI The name of a chemical element may be used to signify its symbol; e.g., W for tungsten The days of the week; e.g., TH for Thursday Country codes; e.g., "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 (for "circa"), or RE. "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-plate. "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 seaman. "Take" for R, abbreviation of the Latin word recipe, meaning "take".
Most abbreviations can be found in the Chambers Dictionary as this is the dictionary primarily used by crossword setters. However, some abbreviations may be found in other dictionaries, such as the Collins English Dictionary and Oxford English Dictionary.
A Aboard – SS, or a word inside the letters SS About – C or CA (circa) or RE Abstainer – TT (teetotaller) Academic – DD (doctor of divinity) or PROF Acceleration – G Accepted – A Account – AC Accountant – CA (chartered accountant) Ace – A or AI (A-1) Advert – AD African organisation – ANC (African National Congress) Afternoon – PM Against – V or VS (versus) Agent – REP (representative) Agricultural – AG Air conditioning – AC Airman – AC (aircraftsman), LAC (leading aircraftsman) or PO (pilot officer) Airmen – RAF (Royal Air Force) Alien – ET (extraterrestrial) Also known as – AKA Aluminium – AL (chemical symbol) Alumnus – OB (old boy) or OG (old girl) Ambassador – HE (his/her excellency) America – A, AM, US or USA (United States of America) American – GI (U.S. soldier) American ship – USS Amnesty – AI (Amnesty International) Anglican – CE (Church of England) Answer – A Arbiter – REF (referee) Archdeacon – VEN (Venerable) Area – A Army cop – MP (Military Policeman) Army corps – REME (Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (British army)) or RE (Royal Engineers) Arsenic – AS (chemical symbol) Article - A, AN (indefinite articles) or THE (definite article) Artificial intelligence – AI Artillery – RA (Royal Artillery) Artist – RA (Royal Academy) At – A (Similar to the @ symbol) At home – IN Atmosphere – AT Attorney – DA (District Attorney) or PA (Practicing Attorney) Australia – A, AUS or OZ (slang name for Australia) Avenue – AVE Award – OM (Order of Merit)
B Bachelor of Arts – BA Bachelor of Medicine – BM, MB Base – E (base of natural logarithms) or TEN (base of common logarithms) Basque nationalists – ETA Bearing – N, E, S, W, NE, NW, etc. (points of the compass) Beginner – L (for Learner) Bend – S or U (U-bend and S-bend) Bible – AV (King James bible Authorized Version) Bill – AC (account), IOU, TAB Bishop – B or RR (Right Reverend) or DD (Doctor of Divinity) Boat – SS (screw steamer) Bob – S (shilling) Book (or books) – B, NT (New Testament), OT (Old Testament), MS (Manuscript), GEN (Genesis), AV (King James bible Authorized Version) Bowled – B (Cricket scorecard) Boy – B Bridge player – N, E, S, W British – B Broadcaster – BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) By – X (multiplication) Byte – B
C Calcium – CA California – CA Cape – C Car – T (Model T), RR (Rolls-Royce) Cardinal – N, E, S, W, RED (a vivid shade of red, which may get its name from the cassocks worn by Catholic cardinals) 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) Champion – CH Charge – Q (Electric charge) Charged – ION Charlie – C (NATO phonetic alphabet) Chartered accountant – CA Check or Checkmark – V (Similar shape to a checkmark) Chief – CH Chlorine – CL (chemical symbol) Chromosome – X or Y Church – CH or CE (Church of England) or RC (Roman Catholic) Circa – C Circle – O (the letter O is a circle) City – NY (New York), LA (Los Angeles), or EC (postcode for City of London) Closed - TO (like a door) Club – Y (YMCA) Coin – P (penny), D (from the Latin denarius) or C (cent) – D or C would usually have "old" or "American" as well as "coin". College – C Cold – C Colonel – COL Colt – C Commander-In-Chief – CINC, CIC (less common) Commercial – AD Committee – COM Communist – RED, CHE (Che Guevara) Companion – CH (Order of the Companions of Honour) Company – CO Compare – CF (abbreviation of the Latin confer) Compass point – N, E, S, W (and other bearings) Computer – PC Concerning – RE Conservationists – NT (National Trust) Conservative – C, CON, TORY, BLUE Constable – PC (police constable) Constant – E, PI, K, C or G Contralto – C Copper – P (penny), D (denarius), CU (chemical symbol), PC (police constable) Corner – .SE, NW, NE, SW Councillor – CL, CLR, CLLR Court – CT Credit – CR Criminal – CON Cross – X Current – AC (alternating current), DC (direct current), I (electric current), AD (Anno Domini) or AMP (ampere) Current account – CA Cystic fibrosis – CF
D Date – D Daughter – D Dead or Died – D, DEC (deceased), EX, OB (abbreviation) Debts – IOUS (IOU) Deceased – D, DEC, EX Decoration – VC (Victoria Cross), GC (George Cross), MM (Military Medal) Degree – DEG, C (Celsius or Centigrade), F (Fahrenheit), BA (Bachelor of Arts), MA (Master of Arts). Democrat – D Departs – D Detective – DC (Detective Constable), DS (Detective Sergeant), DI (Detective Inspector) or PI (Private Investigator) Detective inspector – DI Detectives – CID (Criminal Investigation Department), YARD (Scotland Yard) Deutschmark – DM Dial - O Dictionary - OED (Oxford English Dictionary) Dinner jacket – DJ Direction – N, E, S, W (and other points of the compass) Director – D Disc – O (the letter O is round, like a disc), EP (extended play), LP (long play), CD (compact disc) Disease – TB (tuberculosis), ME (myalgic encephalomyelitis) Doctor – DOC, BM (Bachelor of Medicine), MB (Medicinae Baccalaureus), MD (Medicinae Doctor), MO (medical officer), NO (Dr. No), GP (General Practitioner), DR, WHO (Doctor Who) Doctor of Divinity – DD Donut – O Drama – NOH (Japanese drama Noh) Drama Company – REP Drip – IV (intravenous drip) Drug – C (cocaine), E, X (both short for ecstasy) or H (heroin) Drunk/Drunkard - sot (an old-fashioned work for drunkard) Dry – TT (teetotal) or AA (Alcoholics Anonymous) Duck – O (from the cricket score of 0) Ducks – OO Duke – D
E Each – EA Earl – E East – E East Germany – GDR (German Democratic Republic) Echo – E Economists – LSE (London School of Economics) Ecstasy – E or X (slang names for the drug) Editor – ED Egg – O (the letter O loosely resembles the shape of an egg) Elected – IN Electricity – AC (alternating current), DC (direct current) Eleven – II (II looks similar to 11), or XI (Roman numerals) End of war – VE (Victory in Europe, the end of World War II) Energy – E, J (joule) Engagement - GIG Engineer – CE (civil engineer), RE (Royal Engineer), REME (Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers) or ME (mechanical engineer) English – E, EN, ENG Escape – ESC Established – EST Estimated time of arrival – ETA Europe – EU (European Union), EC (European Community) European - E [for] Everyone - U ('Universal' BBFC rating) Excellent – AI (looks like 'A1' (first-class, first-rate, top-notch)) Exercise – PE (physical education), PT (physical training), TRAIN Extra – W (from the extra runs in cricket for a wide ball) Extra large – XL Extra terrestrial – ET
F Fahrenheit – F Father – DA, DAD, FR, PA Fellow – F Female – F Fifty – L (Roman numeral (lower case L)) Fighter (plane) – MIG (type of plane) Fine – F Firm – CO (company) Fish - Ling (an old-fashioned name for salted Atlantic cod, but can also refer to other fish such as common ling) Five – V (Roman numeral) Five hundred – D (Roman numeral) Fleet – RN (Royal Navy) Fliers – RAF (Royal Air Force) Flying bomb – VI (looks like V1) Following – F Football association – FA Football club – FC For example – EG (e.g., short for the Latin exempli gratia) Force – F, G (gravity), N (newton) Former – EX Four – IV (Roman Numeral) France – F Frenchman – M (Monsieur) Friend - PAL
G Game – RU (Rugby Union) Gangster/gang leader – AL (Al Capone) Gas – H (hydrogen), O (oxygen), N (nitrogen), CS (tear gas) Genetic code – DNA or RNA Georgia - GA (as in, the US state of Georgia) German submarine – U (U-boat) Germany – GER, D (Deutschland) Glasses – OO Gold – AU (chemical symbol), OR (in heraldry) Good – PI (pious) Good Man – S or ST (abbreviations for saint) Graduate – BA, MA (university degrees), BED (Bachelor of Education) Gram – G Grand – G, M (Roman numeral for 1000), K (kilo-) Grand prix – GP Group – GP Grunt – GI (General Infantryman) Gunners/Gunmen – RA (Royal Artillery) Gym – PE (Physical Education) or PT (Physical Training)
H Hand – N, E, S, W (Bridge hands) or L, R (left and right) Hard – H Hear – T (Position on hearing aid) Hectare – HA Helium – HE Henry – H Heroin – H Hesitation – ER Hire purchase – HP Hole – O Holy man – ST (saint) Home - IN (opposite of 'out') Home counties – SE (South East England) Honour – A, J, Q, K (honours in bridge) Honours – BA or MA (see Degree) Horse – G, GG (slang), H Hospital – H, SAN (short for Sanatorium) Hospital Department – AE (Accident & Emergency), ENT (Ear, Nose & Throat) Hour – H, HR House – HO Houses of Parliament – HP Hug - O (the symbol for a hug) Hundred – C (Roman numeral), TON Husband – H Hydrogen – H
I Iceland – IS (country code) Image – PIC Inch – IN Independent – I or IND Information technology – IT Initials – inits. Inspector – DI (Detective inspector) Intelligence – IQ Internet/internet provider – ISP (internet service provider) Iodine – I (chemical symbol) Ireland – IRE Irish Republican Army – IRA Iron – FE (chemical symbol) Island – IS or I Israel - IL Isle of Man – IOM
J Jack – J, TAR, AB (sailor) Jet – MIG (type of plane) Jolly – RM (Royal Marine) Journalist – ED (editor) Judge – J, REF Junction – T (T-junction) Junior – JR Japan – YEN
K Kelvin – K Kentucky – KY Key – A, B, C, D, E, F or G (musical keys), ALT, ESC, DEL (computer keyboard keys) Kick off – KO Kilo – K King – K, R (from the Latin rex), HM (His Majesty), or GR (George Rex), or CR (Charles Rex). Also BB (B.B. King, singer-songwriter) Kiss – X (the symbol for a kiss) Knave – J (Jack) Knight – K, KT, KBE (Knight Commander of the Order 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
L Labour – LAB Lake – L or LA Landlord - LETTER (somebody who lets property) Large – L, OS (oversize) Large number – C, D, M (Roman numerals) or K (kilo-) Last – Z (the last letter of the alphabet) Last month – ULT (ultimo) Latin – L or LAT Lawrence – DH (D. H. Lawrence) or TE (T. E. Lawrence) Lawyer – DA Lead – PB (chemical symbol) Learner – L Lecturer – L Left – L Leg – ON (cricket: 'on' side = leg side)