IDIOM CONNECTION
Initials - Meanings and Quizzes
Initials Quiz #1
Quiz 1 - Choose the correct idiom to replace the expression in the brackets. Check your score at the bottom. Click on the idiom for the definition.
Your score is: ___ out of 5
Initials Quiz #2
Quiz 2 - Choose the correct idiom to replace the expression in the brackets. Check your score at the bottom. Click on the idiom for the definition.
Your score is: ___ out of 5
Initials Quiz #3
Quiz 3 - Choose the correct idiom to replace the expression in the brackets. Check your score at the bottom. Click on the idiom for the definition.
Your score is: ___ out of 5
Initials Quiz #4
Quiz 4 - Choose the correct idiom to replace the expression in the brackets. Check your score at the bottom. Click on the idiom for the definition.
Your score is: ___ out of 5
Initials Quiz #5
Quiz 5 - Choose the correct idiom to replace the expression in the brackets. Check your score at the bottom. Click on the idiom for the definition.
Your score is: ___ out of 5
A Initials
AA
- Alcoholic's Anonymous - a group that helps people recover from alcohol abuse
My boss has been going to AA meetings for over a year.
AD
- Anno Domini - used to mark time that comes after the commonly accepted beginning of the Christian era
The ancient city was founded in 125 AD.
AGM
- Annual General Meeting - the annual meeting of an organization
My sister attended the AGM of the condominium owners last night.
AI
- Artificial Intelligence - used for robots etc.
Several professors at our university have been researching AI for many years.
AIDS
- Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome - a disease of the immune system
Recently, the number of AIDS patients has been increasing rapidly in many countries.
aka
- also known as
We went to see James Smith, aka "The Bulldozer," wrestle.
AM
- Amplitude Modulation - a type of radio frequency
We do not listen to AM radio much because we do not like the songs that they play.
AM
- Ante Meridiem - the Latin which means before noon
AOB
- Any Other Business - used in meetings etc.
The organizer of the meeting wrote AOB at the bottom of the meeting information
sheet.
AOK
- great, doing well
The man said that he was feeling AOK after the accident.
APB
- All Point's Bulletin - used by the police when looking for a criminal
The police put out an APB on the man who robbed the bank.
ASAP
- As Soon As Possible
I want to finish the first draft of the letter ASAP.
ATM
- automated teller machine
I went to the ATM to get some money.
AWOL
- Absent Without Leave - often used in the military
The military police were searching for the soldier who had gone AWOL.
B Initials
BA
- Bachelor of Arts - from a university
The man received a BA in economics from his university.
B & B
- Bed and Breakfast - a small inn or hotel that serves breakfast
My sister wants to open a B & B when she quits her job.
B & E
- Break and Enter - a criminal act of breaking into a house or building to steal something
When I was going to university there was a B & E in my apartment.
BLT
- Bacon and Lettuce and Tomato - a type of sandwich
We went into the restaurant and ordered a BLT sandwich.
BO
- Body Odor - smell of sweat from the human body
The BO from the man in the elevator was very bad.
BS
- Bullshit - lies or other information that is false
We heard a lot of BS at the meeting last night which nobody believed.
BSc
- Bachelor of Science - from a university
My cousin received a BSc in computer science from his university.
BYOB
- Bring Your Own Bottle - used for a party or dinner where each person must bring something to drink
I decided to have a dinner party at my house and told everyone that it was BYOB.
C Initials
CA
- Chartered Accountant
We went to see a CA to get our income tax finished on time.
cc
- send a copy to someone - cc means carbon copy
I had to cc the email to my boss.
CD
- Compact Disc
CDs are becoming less popular now.
CEO
- Chief Executive Officer
My uncle was the CEO of a large computer company.
CFO
- Chief Financial Officer
I have an appointment to meet the CFO of the company.
CIA
- Central Intelligence Agency - US spy and security organization
The CIA was involved in the efforts to free the kidnapped air force pilot.
C/O
- Care Of - used when you want to send something to someone at the address of another person
I did not know my friend's address so I sent a letter to him C/O another friend of ours.
COD
- Cash On Delivery - used when a delivery person receives cash when they deliver something
I decided to send away for some books and the company said that they would send them COD.
CPA
- Certified Public Accountant
The woman in our accounting department has been studying for her CPA exams for three months.
D Initials
DA
- district attorney
The office of the DA will make a statement about the murder soon.
DIY
- Do-It-Yourself
I went to a DIY store and bought the materials to build a bed.
DJ
- Disc Jockey
My cousin worked in the summer as a disc jockey while he was going to university.
DNA
- Deoxyribonucleic Acid - the main constituent of the chromosomes of all organisms
My university has spent a lot of money in the study of DNA.
DUI
- Driving Under the Influence
The man was sent to jail for several months on a charge of DUI.
DVD
- Digital Video Disc
The use of DVDs is still very popular.
E Initials
ECG
- Electrocardiogram - an electronic test of a person's heart
My father was asked to take an ECG by his doctor.
e.g.
- Exempli Gratia - the Latin which means for example
The company has many factories around the world - e.g. Italy, Mexico, Thailand and Korea.
ER
- Emergency Room - the place in a hospital which deals with emergency situations
The victims of the accident were taken to the ER.
ESL
- English as a Second Language
The ESL classes at the college have been offered for almost ten years now.
ESP
- Extrasensory Perception
The movie was about a young boy who had the ability of ESP.
ETA
- Estimated Time of Arrival
"What will your ETA be when you return home next month?"
F Initials
FAQ
- frequently asked questions
The website had much information in the FAQ section.
FBI
- Federal Bureau of Investigation
The killers were found in a nationwide search by the FBI.
FM
- Frequency Modulation - a type of radio signal
The radio station that we listen to regularly is an FM station.
FYI
- For Your Information
I wrote FYI on the information bulletin and sent it to the other members of the staff.
G Initials
GI
- Government Issue - stamped on US military equipment - GI is also used to mean a US soldier
The man went to the store and bought a GI Joe doll for his son.
GMT
- Greenwich Mean Time - Greenwich is a place in England which is used as the standard for time around the world
The rocket will be launched at 10:00 AM tomorrow GMT.
GNP
- Gross National Product - the total value of goods and services produced by a country in one year
The GNP of the small country has been decreasing for several years.
GP
- General Practitioner - a general doctor
I went to see a GP when I broke my leg last summer.
H Initials
HIV
- Human Immunodeficiency Virus
The rate of HIV infection among drug users is very high.
HMO
- health maintenance organization
The man had to speak to his HMO about his medical bills.
HQ
- Headquarters
The HQ of our company is located in a small town.
HR
- Human Resources (Department)
I must talk to HR about the mistake on my pay check.
I Initials
i.e.
- id est - from Latin with the meaning of "that is to say" or "in other words"
The meeting starts at 8:00 PM - i.e. we cannot be late.
IMF
- International Monetary Fund - an international agency that works to stabilize currencies etc.
The IMF imposed very strict currency guidelines that many people were opposed to.
IOU
- I Owe You - a signed paper stating that you promise to pay a debt
I gave my friend an IOU when I bought his television.
IQ
- Intelligence Quotient - a measure of a person's intelligence
The IQ of the new student is very high.
J Initials
JP
- Justice of the Peace (a person in the court/justice system who can do some minor duties and perform marriages etc.)
The young couple went to a JP when they decided to get married.
K Initials
KO
- Knockout
The boxer won the match in the fifth round by a KO.
L Initials
LLB
- Bachelor of Laws
My cousin received his LLB and will begin to practice law soon.
LP
- Long-Playing Record
Recently, LP records are becoming more popular.
LPG
- Liquid Petroleum Gas
The truck carrying LPG was in an accident on the highway last night.
M Initials
MA
- Master of Arts
My cousin's wife has recently decided to study for her MA in economics.
MC
- Master of Ceremonies
My cousin was the MC for my sister's wedding.
MD
- Doctor of Medicine
The woman received her MD when she was 26 years old and has been practicing medicine since then.
MIA
- Missing In Action
There are several MIA soldiers in the small country.
MO
- modus operandi - the way that a person works
The MO of the criminal was very difficult to understand.
MP
- Member of Parliament - used in the United Kingdom and Canada etc.
There were several MPs at the restaurant where we had dinner.
MP3
- MPEG-1 audio layer 3 - a method to compress digital audio
The students listened to their MP3 players as they worked in the computer lab.
MSc
- Master of Science
The woman has an MSc in computer science and she found a job easily.
N Initials
N/A
- not applicable (often found on a survey or questionnaire)
I wrote down N/A for many questions on the survey.
NASA
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration - the US space organization
According to a spokesperson for NASA the rocket will be launched next week.
NATO
- North Atlantic Treaty Organization
The members of NATO are gathering for an important meeting next month in Brussels.
NB
- Nota Bene - Latin for take notice or note well
Our teacher told us to memorize the information in our text that is marked NB.
NRA
- National Rifle Association
The NRA had a big meeting recently.
O Initials
OAP
- Old Age Pensioner
At first, I thought that I could get the OAP discount. Later, I realized it was for senior citizens only.
OAU
- Organization of African Unity
The OAU is working very hard to promote free trade between its various countries.
OBO
- or best offer
The piano is being sold for $300 obo.
OD
- Overdose - on drugs
The man died because of a drug OD.
OR
- Operating Room - in a hospital
Before entering the OR the doctors carefully washed their hands.
OT
- overtime
I have to work some OT this weekend.
P Initials
PA
- Public Address (System)
Every morning the children listened to the latest school information over the PA.
PC
- Politically Correct - language that is not harmful or insulting to others
The university has a policy that says that all material published in the school newspaper must be PC.
PC
- Personal Computer
The PC industry has been growing rapidly in recent years.
P.E.
- Physical Education
My P.E. class is held indoors during the winter months.
Phd
- Doctor of Philosophy
After receiving his Phd in history my friend got a job at a university.
PLO
- Please Leave On - used when you want to leave something on a blackboard or whiteboard
Although the teacher wrote PLO on the blackboard, the information was erased during the lunch break.
PM
- Post Meridiem - Latin for after noon
The meeting started at exactly 1:00 PM.
PO
- post office
I went to the PO to get a package.
POW
- Prisoner of War
The negotiations regarding POWs continued for many years after the Vietnam war.
PR
- Public Relations
With good PR the politician was able to gain the support of many people.
PS
- Postscript - written at the end of a letter when you want to add some extra information
After finishing the letter, I wrote PS to include something very important that I had forgotten.
PTA
- Parent-Teacher Association
We got home late last night after attending our son's PTA meeting.
PTO
- Please Turn Over - written on a piece of paper to tell someone to look at the other side
I wrote PTO on the letter to make sure that my friend looked at the other side.
PVR
- Personal Video Recorder - a recording device that you can record TV programs with
The hard drive of our PVR is full so we cannot record any more TV shows until we delete something.
R Initials
RCMP
- Royal Canadian Mounted Police - Canada's national police force
The movie was about the RCMP and it took place in northern Canada.
RIP
- Requiescat In Pace (from the Latin) or Rest In Peace- used when talking about someone who is dead and sometimes written on a gravestone
At the end of the movie RIP was written on the gravestone of the character who had been killed.
RN
- registered nurse
RSVP
- Repondez S'il Vous Plait - the French which means please reply
The invitation said RSVP so I sent a note to say that I would attend the party.
S Initials
SOB
- Son Of a Bitch - a swear word used in anger or when you want to insult someone
The man called me a SOB when I drove in front of him in the parking lot.
SOS
- this does not refer to any words but is the international code (Morse code) that is used as a signal of distress, a call for help
The sinking ship sent out an SOS signal but nobody came to their rescue.
SPCA
- Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
The man called the SPCA to tell them about the poor treatment of the dog.
T Initials
TA
- Teaching Assistant
After leaving university, my friend was able to get a job as a TA at the junior college.
TB
- Tuberculosis
The number of TB cases has been increasing around the world recently.
TBA
- To Be Announced - used when something will be announced at a later time
I looked in the television guide to see what the 7:00 movie would be but it said TBA.
TGIF
- Thank Goodness It's Friday
The restaurant has a large TGIF sign on the door and all drinks are half price.
TKO
- Technical Knockout
The boxer won the fight with a TKO.
TLC
- Tender Loving Care
With lots of TLC the house plants did very well under my sister's care.
TP
- Toilet Paper
I went to the store to buy some TP.
U Initials
UFO
- Unidentified Flying Object
The number of UFO sightings has increased dramatically recently.
UPS
- United Parcel Service
My friend will send the package by UPS.
UV
- Ultraviolet - a type of light ray
We used sunscreen in order to protect ourselves from UV rays.
V Initials
VCR
- Video Cassette Recorder
The electronics store does not sell VCR's anymore.
VDU
- Video Display Unit
The VDU was beginning to cause problems with my eyes so I went to an eye doctor.
VHF
- Very High Frequency
The television was not working because of a problem with the VHF connection.
VIP
- Very Important Person
The football player was given the VIP treatment when he visited his hometown.
VP
- Vice President
After serving as vice president for many years the man was appointed company president.
VTR
- Video Tape Recorder
We stopped using the VTR in the classroom several years ago.
W Initials
WC
- Water Closet - toilet
When we entered the park we went directly to the sign that said WC.
Y Initials
YMCA
- Young Men's Christian Association
The English classes at the YMCA were recommended to the students last year.
YWCA
- Young Women's Christian Association
My friend stayed at the YWCA when she visited New York City last summer.