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 now.

AIDS

- Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome - a disease of the immune system

Recently the number of AIDS patients has been increasing rapidly in many countries.

AM

- Amplitude Modulation - a type of radio frequency

We don't listen to AM radio much because we don't like the songs that they play.

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

He said that he was feeling AOK even after the truck had hit him.

APB

- All Point's Bulletin - used by the police when looking for a criminal

The police put out an APB on the men who had robbed the bank.

ASAP

- As Soon As Possible

Please finish the first draft of the letter and give it to me ASAP.

AWOL

- Absent Without Leave - often used in the military

The military police were searching the area for the soldier who had gone AWOL.

BA

- Bachelor of Arts - from a university

My brother has 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 small 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, Lettuce, 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 has just 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 next week and told everyone that it was BYOB.

CA

- Chartered Accountant

We went to see a CA in order to get our income tax finished on time.

CEO

- Chief Executive Officer

My uncle was the CEO of a large computer company.

CIA

- Central Intelligence Agency - US spy and security organization

The CIA was involved in the efforts to free the hostage air force pilot.

C/O

- Care Of - used when you want to send something to someone at the address of another person

I didn't know my friend's address so I sent a letter to him C/O another friend of mine.

COD

- Cash On Delivery - used when a delivery person receives cash when they deliver something

I decided to send away for some video cassettes and the company said that they would send them to me COD.

CPA

- Certified Public Accountant

The woman in our accounting department has been studying for her CPA exams for three months.

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 - main constituent of the chromosomes of all organisms

The large university project 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.

ECG

- Electrocardiogram - an electronic test of a person's heart

My father was asked to take an ECG test by his doctor.

eg

- Exempli Gratia - Latin for example

The company has hundreds of small factories around the world - eg Italy, Mexico, Thailand and Korea.

ER

- Emergency Room - the place in a hospital which deals with emergency situations

The victims of the accident were quickly taken to the ER.

ESL

- English as a Second Language

The ESL classes at the college have been held for almost ten years now.

ESP

- Extrasensory Perception

The movie was about a small boy who had the ability of ESP.

ETA

- Estimated Time of Arrival

What will your ETA be when you return home next month?

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.

GI

- Government Issue - stamped on US military equipment and often means US soldier

The man went to the store and bought a GI Joe doll for his son.

GMT

- Greenwich Mean Time - a place in England 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 country that I visited last year 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.

HIV

- Human Immunodeficiency Virus

The rate of HIV infection among drug users is very high.

HQ

- Headquarters

The HQ of the company is located in a small town in Korea.

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 saying that you owe money to someone

I gave my friend an IOU when I bought his stereo.

IQ

- Intelligence Quotient - a measure of a person's intelligence

The IQ of the new student is very high.

JP

- Justice of the Peace

They went to a JP when they decided to get married.

KO

- Knockout

The boxer won the match in the fifth round by a KO.

LLB

- Bachelor of Laws

My brother received his LLB and will begin to practice law next week.

LP

- Long-Playing Record

I recently decided to give all of my old LPs to a charity.

LPG

- Liquid Petroleum Gas

The truck carrying LPG was in an accident on the highway last night.

MA

- Master of Arts

My cousin's wife has recently decided to study for her MA in economics.

MIA

- Missing In Action

According to some people in the United States there are still some MIA soldiers in Vietnam.

MC

- Master of Ceremonies

My cousin was the MC for my sister's wedding.

MD

- Doctor of Medicine

She received her MD when she was 26 years old and has been practicing medicine since then.

MP

- Member of Parliament - used in the United Kingdom and Canada etc

There were several MPs at the restaurant where we had dinner.

MSc

- Master of Science

The woman has an MSc in computer science and has been able to find a job easily.

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.

OAP

- Old Age Pensioner

At first I could not understand why I couldn't get the discount that was for OAPs only. Later I realized it was for senior citizens.

OAU

- Organization of African Unity

The OAU is working very hard to promote free trade between its various countries.

OD

- Overdose - on drugs

The man was died because of a drug OD.

OR

- Operating Room - in a hospital

Before entering the OR the doctors carefully washed their hands.

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 had a very strict 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.

PE

- Physical Education

My PE class was held indoors during the winter months.

Phd

- Doctor of Philosophy

After receiving his Phd in history my friend was able to get 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.

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 easily 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 main part of 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 last page of my essay to make sure that the professor would look at the last page.

RCMP

- Royal Canadian Mounted Police - Canada's national police force

The movie was about the RCMP and it took place in northern Canada.

RIP

- Rest In Peace - used when talking about someone who is dead or sometimes written on a gravestone

At the end of the movie RIP was written on the gravestone of the main character who had been killed.

RSVP

- Respondez S'il Vous Plait - French for please reply

The invitation said RSVP so I quickly sent off a note to say that I would be able to attend the party.

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

- international code signal of distress, call for help

The sinking ship had been sending out an SOS signal but still nobody was able to come to their rescue.

TA

- Teaching Assistant

After leaving university he was able to get a job as a TA at the junior college.

TB

- Tuberculosis

For various reasons the number of TB cases has been increasing around the world recently.

TBA

- To Be Announced - used when something will be announced later

I looked in the television guide to see what the 7:00 movie would be but it only said TBA.

TGIF

- Thank Goodness (God) It's Friday

The restaurant had a large TGIF sign on the door and all drinks were half price.

TKO

- Technical Knockout

Although the boxer didn't seem to win the fight he was awarded a TKO and won the boxing match.

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 and bought several rolls of TP.

UFO

- Unidentified Flying Object

The number of UFO sightings has increased dramatically recently.

UV

- Ultraviolet - a type of light ray

We used lots of sunscreen in order to protect ourselves from UV rays.

VCR

- Video Cassette Recorder

We bought a new VCR after our old one began to have problems.

VDU

- Video Display Unit

The VDU at work was beginning to cause problems with my eyes so I went to an eye doctor.

VHF

- Very High Frequency

The television wasn't working because of a problem with the VHF connection.

VIP

- Very Important Person

The football player was given the VIP treatment when he went to visit his hometown.

VP

- Vice-President

After serving faithfully as vice-president for many years my father was appointed to the position of company president.

VTR

- Video Tape Recorder

The VTR in the classroom was missing because someone was using it for a meeting.

WC

- Water Closet - toilet

As soon as we entered the park we went directly to the sign that said WC.