Dictionary of Acronyms
Categories:
Aviation Industry
| Acronym | Meaning |
|---|---|
| APOA | Airline Pilots and Owners Association |
| ELT | Emergency Locator Transmitter |
| PRS | Precision Radar Monitoring (system) |
| QANTAS | Queensland And Northern Territories Aerial services |
| TWA | Trans World Airlines |
| LIAT | Luggage In Another Town / Leeward Islands Air Transport |
Business Jargon
| Acronym | Meaning |
|---|---|
| BAU | Business As Usual |
| COB | Close of Business |
| EOD | End of Day |
| EOP | End of Play |
| FMCG | Fast Moving Consumer Goods |
| KPI | Key Performance Indicator |
| NRN | No Reply Necessary |
| NSFW | Not Safe For Work |
| OBR | The Office for Budget Responsibility (a non-departmental public body funded by the UK Treasury, that the UK government established to provide independent economic forecasts and independent analysis of the public finances. |
| ONS | Office for National Statistics |
| OOO | Out of Office |
| OSINT | Open source intelligence – data used by the public to analyse a load of things like flight movements and missile silos (Chinese). |
| RPI | Retail Price Index (measure of inflation) |
| RPIX | Retail Prices Index Excluding Mortgage Interest Payments (UK) |
| TWAT | Someone who works ‘Tuesday, Wednesday And Thursday’. |
| WFH | Working from Home |
Corporate / Company names
| Acronym | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 3i | Investors In Industry |
| 3M | Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company |
| AAMI | Australian Automotive Motor Insurance |
| AAP | Associated Architects Partnerships |
| ABN | Algemene Bank Nederlands |
| AMP | Australian Mutual Provident (Society) |
| AMRO | Amsterdam-Rotterdam |
| ANZ | Australia and New Zealand Banking Corporation |
| AT&T | American Telephone & Telegraph |
| AUDI | Auto Union Deutsche Industries |
| AWB | Australian Wheat Board |
| BA | British Airways |
| BAE | British Aerospace |
| BBC | British Broadcasting Corporation |
| BCG | Boston Consulting Group |
| BHP | Broken Hill Proprietary Ltd |
| BMC | British Motor Corporation |
| BMW | Bayerische Motoren Werke |
| BRIT | Benfield and Rea Brothers Investment Trust |
| BT | British Telecom/Bankers Trust |
| BTR | British Tough Rubber |
| BZW | Barclays de Zoete Wedd |
| CBA | Commonwealth Bank of Australia |
| CCO | Chief Commercial Officer |
| CEO | Chief Executive Officer |
| CFO | Chief Financial Officer |
| CIBC | Canadian International Banking Corporation |
| CIO | Chief Investment Officer |
| CMB | Carnaud Metal Box |
| CML | Coles Myer Ltd |
| CMO | Chief Marketing Officer / Chief Medical Officer |
| COO | Chief Operating Officer |
| CSFB | Credit Suisse First Boston |
| CSG | Corporate Services Group |
| CTO | Chief Technical Officer |
| CVC | Citibank Venture Capital |
| DMG | Deutsche Morgan Grenfell |
| EMAP | East Midlands Allied Press |
| EY | Ernst & Young |
| FIAT | Fabbrica Italiana Automobile Torino |
| GIO | Government Insurance Office |
| GPB | Grant Pearson Brown (Consulting Ltd) |
| GSK | GlaxoSmithKline |
| HSBC | HongKong Shanghai Banking Corporation |
| IBM | International Business Machines |
| ICI | Imperial Chemicals Industry |
| ITV | Independent Television |
| KPMG | Klynveld Peat Marwick Goerdeler (1987) |
| MGB | 1. Myer Grace Brothers 2. Morris Garages ‘B’ |
| MLC | 1. Meat & Livestock Commission 2. Methodist Ladies’ College |
| MMI | Money Management International |
| MNC | Multi-National Corporation |
| NED | Non-Executive Director |
| NRMA | National Road and Motorist Association |
| P&O | Peninsular & Oriental |
| PAT | Portable Appliance Testing |
| Psion | Potter Scientific Instruments On |
| PwC | Price Waterhouse Coopers |
| QANTAS | Queensland and Northern Territories Aerial Services |
| SAS | Scandinavian Air Services |
| SBC | Swiss Banking Corporation |
| TGIF | Thank God It’s Friday! |
| TNT | Tri Nitro Toluene – an explosive |
| UBS | Union/United Bank of Switzerland (now neither) |
| UPS | United Parcel Service |
| VW | Volks Wagen |
Countries and International Bodies
| Name | Meaning |
|---|---|
| ANT | Netherlands Antilles |
| APAC | Asia-Pacific |
| ARE | United Arab Emirates |
| ASEAN | Association of Southeast Asian Nations |
| ATF | French Southern Territories |
| AUS | Australia |
| AUT | Austria |
| AZ | Arizona |
| AZE | Azerbaijan |
| BDI | Burundi |
| BEL | Belgium |
| BEN | Benin |
| BES | Bonaire, Saint Eustatius and Saba |
| BFA | Burkina Faso |
| BGD | Bangladesh |
| BGR | Bulgaria |
| BHR | Bahrain |
| BHS | Bahamas |
| BIH | Bosnia and Herzegovina |
| BLM | Saint Barthelemy |
| BLR | Belarus |
| BLZ | Belize |
| BMU | Bermuda |
| BOL | Bolivia |
| BRA | Brazil |
| BRB | Barbados |
| BRN | Brunei |
| BTN | Bhutan |
| BVT | Bouvet Island |
| BWA | Botswana |
| CA | California |
| CAF | Central African Republic |
| CAN | Canada |
| CCK | Cocos Islands |
| CHE | Switzerland |
| CHL | Chile |
| CHN | China |
| CIV | Ivory Coast |
| CMR | Cameroon |
| COD | Democratic Republic of the Congo |
| COG | Republic of the Congo |
| COK | Cook Islands |
| COL | Colombia |
| COM | Comoros |
| COP-x | xth Session of the Conference of Parties |
| CPV | Cape Verde |
| CRI | Costa Rica |
| CUB | Cuba |
| CUW | Curacao |
| CXR | Christmas Island |
| CYM | Cayman Islands |
| CYP | Cyprus |
| CZE | Czech Republic |
| DC | District of Columbia |
| DESA | (UN) Department of Economic & Social Affairs |
| DEU | Germany |
| DJI | Djibouti |
| DMA | Dominica |
| DNK | Denmark |
| DOM | Dominican Republic |
| DRC | Democratic Republic of the Congo |
| ECU | Ecuador |
| EFTA | European Free Trade Association |
| EGY | Egypt |
| ERI | Eritrea |
| ESH | Western Sahara |
| ESP | Spain |
| EST | Estonia |
| ETH | Ethiopia |
| FIN | Finland |
| FISA | Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (USA) |
| FJI | Fiji |
| FL | Florida |
| FLK | Falkland Islands |
| FRA | France |
| FRO | Faroe Islands |
| FSM | Micronesia |
| GA | Georgia |
| GAB | Gabon |
| GATT | General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade |
| GBR | Great Britian |
| GEO | Georgia |
| GGY | Guernsey |
| GHA | Ghana |
| GIB | Gibraltar |
| GIN | Guinea |
| GLP | Guadeloupe |
| GMB | Gambia |
| GNB | Guinea-Bissau |
| GNQ | Equatorial Guinea |
| GRC | Greece |
| GRD | Grenada |
| GRL | Greenland |
| GTM | Guatemala |
| GUF | French Guiana |
| GUM | Guam |
| GUY | Guyana |
| HFEA | Human Fertilisation & Embryology Authority |
| HKG | Hong Kong |
| HMD | Heard Island and McDonald Islands |
| HND | Honduras |
| HRV | Croatia |
| HTI | Haiti |
| HUN | Hungary |
| ICJ | International Court of Justice |
| IDN | Indonesia |
| IL | Illinois |
| IMF | International Monetary Fund |
| IMN | Isle of Man |
| IND | India |
| INTERPOL | International Crime Police Organization |
| IOT | British Indian Ocean Territory |
| IRL | Ireland |
| IRN | Iran |
| IRQ | Iraq |
| IRS | Internal Revenue Service (USA) |
| ISL | Iceland |
| ISR | Israel |
| ITA | Italy |
| JAM | Jamaica |
| JEY | Jersey |
| JOR | Jordan |
| JPN | Japan |
| KAZ | Kazakhstan |
| KEN | Kenya |
| KGZ | Kyrgyzstan |
| KHM | Cambodia |
| KIR | Kiribati |
| KNA | Saint Kitts and Nevis |
| KOR | South Korea |
| KWT | Kuwait |
| KY | Kentucky |
| LA | Louisiana |
| LAO | Laos |
| LBN | Lebanon |
| LBR | Liberia |
| LBY | Libya |
| LCA | Saint Lucia |
| LIE | Liechtenstein |
| LKA | Sri Lanka |
| LSO | Lesotho |
| LTU | Lithuania |
| LUX | Luxembourg |
| LVA | Latvia |
| MAC | Macao |
| MAF | Saint Martin |
| MAR | Morocco |
| MCO | Monaco |
| MDA | Moldova |
| MDG | Madagascar |
| MDV | Maldives |
| MEX | Mexico |
| MHL | Marshall Islands |
| MKD | Macedonia |
| MLI | Mali |
| MLT | Malta |
| MMR | Myanmar |
| MNE | Montenegro |
| MNG | Mongolia |
| MNP | Northern Mariana Islands |
| MOZ | Mozambique |
| MRT | Mauritania |
| MSR | Montserrat |
| MTQ | Martinique |
| MUS | Mauritius |
| MWI | Malawi |
| MYS | Malaysia |
| MYT | Mayotte |
| NAFTA | North American Free Trade Agreement |
| NAM | Namibia |
| NASA | National Aeronautics and Space Administration |
| NATO | North Atlantic Treaty Organization |
| NC | North Carolina |
| NCL | New Caledonia |
| ND | North Dakota |
| NER | Niger |
| NFK | Norfolk Island |
| NGA | Nigeria |
| NIC | Nicaragua |
| NIU | Niue |
| NJ | New Jersey |
| NLD | Netherlands |
| NOR | Norway |
| NPL | Nepal |
| NRU | Nauru |
| NY | New York |
| NZL | New Zealand |
| OMN | Oman |
| OPEC | Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries |
| OSHA | Occupational Safety and Health Administration |
| PAK | Pakistan |
| PAN | Panama |
| PCN | Pitcairn |
| PER | Peru |
| PHL | Philippines |
| PLW | Palau |
| PNG | Papua New Guinea |
| POL | Poland |
| PRI | Puerto Rico |
| PRK | North Korea |
| PRT | Portugal |
| PRY | Paraguay |
| PSE | Palestinian Territory |
| PYF | French Polynesia |
| QAT | Qatar |
| REU | Reunion |
| RI | Rhode Island |
| ROU | Romania |
| RUS | Russia |
| RWA | Rwanda |
| SA | South Africa/Saudi Arabia |
| SAU | Saudi Arabia |
| SCG | Serbia and Montenegro |
| SDN | Sudan |
| SEN | Senegal |
| SGP | Singapore |
| SGS | South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands |
| SHN | Saint Helena |
| SJM | Svalbard and Jan Mayen |
| SLB | Solomon Islands |
| SLE | Sierra Leone |
| SLV | El Salvador |
| SMR | San Marino |
| SOM | Somalia |
| SPM | Saint Pierre and Miquelon |
| SRB | Serbia |
| SSD | South Sudan |
| STP | Sao Tome and Principe |
| SUR | Suriname |
| SVK | Slovakia |
| SVN | Slovenia |
| SWE | Sweden |
| SWZ | Swaziland |
| SXM | Sint Maarten |
| SYC | Seychelles |
| SYR | Syria |
| TCA | Turks and Caicos Islands |
| TCD | Chad |
| TGO | Togo |
| THA | Thailand |
| TJK | Tajikistan |
| TKL | Tokelau |
| TKM | Turkmenistan |
| TLS | East Timor |
| TON | Tonga |
| TTO | Trinidad and Tobago |
| TUN | Tunisia |
| TUR | Turkey |
| TUV | Tuvalu |
| TWN | Taiwan |
| TX | Texas |
| TZA | Tanzania |
| UAE | United Arab Emirates |
| UGA | Uganda |
| UKR | United Kingdom |
| UKR | Ukraine |
| UMI | United States Minor Outlying Islands |
| UN | United Nations |
| UNESCO | United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization |
| UNHCR | UN High Commissioner for Refugees |
| UNICEF | United Nations Children’s Fund |
| URY | Uruguay |
| USA | United States |
| UZB | Uzbekistan |
| VAT | Vatican |
| VCT | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines |
| VEN | Venezuela |
| VGB | British Virgin Islands |
| VIR | U.S. Virgin Islands |
| VNM | Vietnam |
| VUT | Vanuatu |
| WHO | World Health Organization |
| WLF | Wallis and Futuna |
| WSM | Samoa |
| WTO | World Trade Organization |
| WWF | World Wildlife Fund |
| XXK | Kosovo |
| YEM | Yemen |
| YMCA | Young Men’s Christian Association |
| ZAF | South Africa |
| ZMB | Zambia |
| ZWE | Zimbabwe |
Currencies
| Name | Meaning |
|---|---|
| AUD | Australia Dollar |
| GBP | Great Britain Pound |
| EUR | Euro |
| JPY | Japan Yen |
| CHF | Switzerland Franc |
| USD | USA Dollar |
| AFN | Afghanistan Afghani |
| ALL | Albania Lek |
| DZD | Algeria Dinar |
| AOA | Angola Kwanza |
| ARS | Argentina Peso |
| AMD | Armenia Dram |
| AWG | Aruba Florin |
| AUD | Australia Dollar |
| ATS (EURO) | Austria Schilling |
| BEF (EURO) | Belgium Franc |
| AZN | Azerbaijan New Manat |
| BSD | Bahamas Dollar |
| BHD | Bahrain Dinar |
| BDT | Bangladesh Taka |
| BBD | Barbados Dollar |
| BYR | Belarus Ruble |
| BZD | Belize Dollar |
| BMD | Bermuda Dollar |
| BTN | Bhutan Ngultrum |
| BOB | Bolivia Boliviano |
| BAM | Bosnia Mark |
| BWP | Botswana Pula |
| BRL | Brazil Real |
| GBP | Great Britain Pound |
| BND | Brunei Dollar |
| BGN | Bulgaria Lev |
| BIF | Burundi Franc |
| XOF | CFA Franc BCEAO |
| XAF | CFA Franc BEAC |
| XPF | CFP Franc |
| KHR | Cambodia Riel |
| CAD | Canada Dollar |
| CVE | Cape Verde Escudo |
| KYD | Cayman Islands Dollar |
| CLP | Chili Peso |
| CNY | China Yuan/Renminbi |
| COP | Colombia Peso |
| KMF | Comoros Franc |
| CDF | Congo Franc |
| CRC | Costa Rica Colon |
| HRK | Croatia Kuna |
| CUC | Cuba Convertible Peso |
| CUP | Cuba Peso |
| CYP (EURO) | Cyprus Pound |
| CZK | Czech Koruna |
| DKK | Denmark Krone |
| DJF | Djibouti Franc |
| DOP | Dominican Republich Peso |
| XCD | East Caribbean Dollar |
| EGP | Egypt Pound |
| SVC | El Salvador Colon |
| EEK (EURO) | Estonia Kroon |
| ETB | Ethiopia Birr |
| EUR | Euro |
| FKP | Falkland Islands Pound |
| FIM (EURO) | Finland Markka |
| FJD | Fiji Dollar |
| GMD | Gambia Dalasi |
| GEL | Georgia Lari |
| DMK (EURO) | Germany Mark |
| GHS | Ghana New Cedi |
| GIP | Gibraltar Pound |
| GRD (EURO) | Greece Drachma |
| GTQ | Guatemala Quetzal |
| GNF | Guinea Franc |
| GYD | Guyana Dollar |
| HTG | Haiti Gourde |
| HNL | Honduras Lempira |
| HKD | Hong Kong Dollar |
| HUF | Hungary Forint |
| ISK | Iceland Krona |
| INR | India Rupee |
| IDR | Indonesia Rupiah |
| IRR | Iran Rial |
| IQD | Iraq Dinar |
| IED (EURO) | Ireland Pound |
| ILS | Israel New Shekel |
| ITL (EURO) | Italy Lira |
| JMD | Jamaica Dollar |
| JPY | Japan Yen |
| JOD | Jordan Dinar |
| KZT | Kazakhstan Tenge |
| KES | Kenya Shilling |
| KWD | Kuwait Dinar |
| KGS | Kyrgyzstan Som |
| LAK | Laos Kip |
| LVL (EURO) | Latvia Lats |
| LBP | Lebanon Pound |
| LSL | Lesotho Loti |
| LRD | Liberia Dollar |
| LYD | Libya Dinar |
| LTL (EURO) | Lithuania Litas |
| LUF (EURO) | Luxembourg Franc |
| MOP | Macau Pataca |
| MKD | Macedonia Denar |
| MGA | Malagasy Ariary |
| MWK | Malawi Kwacha |
| MYR | Malaysia Ringgit |
| MVR | Maldives Rufiyaa |
| MTL (EURO) | Malta Lira |
| MRO | Mauritania Ouguiya |
| MUR | Mauritius Rupee |
| MXN | Mexico Peso |
| MDL | Moldova Leu |
| MNT | Mongolia Tugrik |
| MAD | Morocco Dirham |
| MZN | Mozambique New Metical |
| MMK | Myanmar Kyat |
| ANG | NL Antilles Guilder |
| NAD | Namibia Dollar |
| NPR | Nepal Rupee |
| NLG (EURO) | Netherlands Guilder |
| NZD | New Zealand Dollar |
| NIO | Nicaragua Cordoba Oro |
| NGN | Nigeria Naira |
| KPW | North Korea Won |
| NOK | Norway Kroner |
| OMR | Oman Rial |
| PKR | Pakistan Rupee |
| PAB | Panama Balboa |
| PGK | Papua New Guinea Kina |
| PYG | Paraguay Guarani |
| PEN | Peru Nuevo Sol |
| PHP | Philippines Peso |
| PLN | Poland Zloty |
| PTE (EURO) | Portugal Escudo |
| QAR | Qatar Rial |
| RON | Romania New Lei |
| RUB | Russia Rouble |
| RWF | Rwanda Franc |
| WST | Samoa Tala |
| STD | Sao Tome/Principe Dobra |
| SAR | Saudi Arabia Riyal |
| RSD | Serbia Dinar |
| SCR | Seychelles Rupee |
| SLL | Sierra Leone Leone |
| SGD | Singapore Dollar |
| SKK (EURO) | Slovakia Koruna |
| SIT (EURO) | Slovenia Tolar |
| SBD | Solomon Islands Dollar |
| SOS | Somali Shilling |
| ZAR | South Africa Rand |
| KRW | South Korea Won |
| ESP (EURO) | Spain Peseta |
| LKR | Sri Lanka Rupee |
| SHP | St Helena Pound |
| SDG | Sudan Pound |
| SRD | Suriname Dollar |
| SZL | Swaziland Lilangeni |
| SEK | Sweden Krona |
| CHF | Switzerland Franc |
| SYP | Syria Pound |
| TWD | Taiwan Dollar |
| TZS | Tanzania Shilling |
| THB | Thailand Baht |
| TOP | Tonga Pa’anga |
| TTD | Trinidad/Tobago Dollar |
| TND | Tunisia Dinar |
| TRY | Turkish New Lira |
| TMM | Turkmenistan Manat |
| USD | USA Dollar |
| UGX | Uganda Shilling |
| UAH | Ukraine Hryvnia |
| UYU | Uruguay Peso |
| AED | United Arab Emirates Dirham |
| VUV | Vanuatu Vatu |
| VEB | Venezuela Bolivar |
| VND | Vietnam Dong |
| YER | Yemen Rial |
| ZMK | Zambia Kwacha |
| ZWD | Zimbabwe Dollar |
Education
| Acronym | Meaning |
|---|---|
| ASYE | Assessed and Supported Year in Employment |
| BA | Bachelor of Arts |
| BEng | Bachelor of Engineering |
| BSc | Bachelor of Science |
| BTEC | BusinEss and Technology Education Council |
| CPE | Common Professional Examination in Law |
| GDL | Graduate Diploma in Law |
| LLB | Bachelor of Law |
| LLM | Master of Laws |
| LPC | Legal Practice Course |
| MSc | Master of Science |
| PGCE | Postgraduate Certificate in Education |
| PhD | Doctor of Philosophy |
Electronics and Technology
| Acronym | Meaning |
|---|---|
| AC | Alternating Current |
| AGP | Accelerated Graphics Port (Fujitsu) |
| AIT | Advanced Intelligent Tape (Sony) |
| AME | Advanced Metal Evaporated (Sony) |
| AMR | Audio Modem Riser (Fujitsu) |
| BIOS | Basic Input/Output System |
| CCD | Charged Couled Device |
| CD | Compact Disc |
| CD-DA | Compact Disc-Digital Audio (Sony) |
| CDMA | Code Division Multiple Access |
| CD-R | Compact Disc-Recordable |
| CD-ROM | Compact Disc-Read Only Memory |
| CD-ROM | (Computer Disc) Read Only Memory |
| CD-RW | Compact Disc-Re-Writer |
| CGI | Common Gateway Interface |
| CNR | Communication and Networking Riser (Slot) |
| CPU | Central Processing Unit |
| CRM | Customer Relationship Management |
| DAO | Disco At Once |
| DAT | Digital Audio Tape |
| DC | Direct Current |
| DCR | Data Connection Resource |
| DDC | Display Data Channel (Sony) |
| DDR-SDRAM | Double Data Rate-Synchronous DRAM |
| DDS | Digital Data Storage (Sony) |
| DIMM | Dual In-line Memory Module |
| DMA | Direct memory Access |
| DSC | Digital Signal Processing (Sony) |
| DVD | Digital Video (or Versatile) Disk |
| DVD | Digital Video Disc |
| EIDE | Enhanced IDE |
| ERP | Enterprise resource Planning; My Mum’s initials |
| FAQ | Frequently asked questions |
| FAT | File Attribution Table |
| FTP | File Transfer Protocol |
| GIF | Graphics Interchange Format |
| HDD | Hard Disc Drive |
| HTML | Hypertext Mark-up Language |
| IDE | Integrated Development Environment |
| IP | Internet Protocol |
| IRC | Internet Relay Chat |
| ISP | Internet Service Provider |
| JPEG | Joint Photographic Experts Group |
| LCD | Liquid Crystal Display |
| MIC | Memory in Cassette (Sony) |
| MIDI | Musical Instrument Digital Interface |
| MIME | Multi-purpose Internet Mail Extensions |
| MO | Magneto Optical (Sony) |
| MP3 | MPEG Audio Layer 3 |
| MPEG | Motion Picture Experts Group |
| MTBF | Mean Time Between Failures |
| PC | Personal Computer |
| PCMCIA | Personal Computer Memory Card International Association |
| PDA | Personal Digital Assistant |
| POP | 1. Point of Presence; 2. Post Office Protocol |
| PPP | Point-to-Point Protocol |
| RAM | Random Access Memory |
| RBG | Red Blue Green (Big Screen Projector) |
| ROM | Read Only Memory |
| SAO | Session At Once |
| SAP | Systeme Anwendungen Produkte (or in English ‘Systems Applications Products’) |
| SCSI | Small Computer Systems Interface |
| SET | Secure Electronic Transaction |
| SFA | Sales Force Automation |
| SIM | Subscriber Information/ Identity Modules (there are several definitions) |
| SLIP | Serial Line Internet Protocol |
| SMTP | Simple Mail Transport Protocol |
| TAO | Track At Once |
| TCP | Transmission Control Protocol |
| TV | Television |
| URL | Uniform/Universal Resource Locator (eg. www.gpb.eu) |
| VCR | Video Cassette Recorder |
| VDU | Visual Display Unit |
| VDU | Visual Display Unit |
| VON | Voice on Net (Internet) |
| VRML | Virtual Reality Modelling Language |
| WAN | Wide Area Network |
| WWW | World Wide Web |
| XML | Extensible Mark-up Language |
Environmental and Governance
| Acronym | Meaning |
|---|---|
| ESG | Environmental, Social and Governance |
| SDG | Social Development Goal(s), officially known as: Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development |
| UNPRI | United Nations’ Principles for Responsible Investment |
Financial Services / Banking
| Acronym | Meaning |
|---|---|
| AD | Admission Document |
| ADR | American Depository Receipt |
| AIM | Alternative Investment Market |
| ASC | Australian Securities Commission |
| ASCPA | Australian Society of Certified Practising Accountants |
| ASIC | Australian Securities and Investment Commission |
| ASX | Australian Stock Exchange |
| ATM | Automated Teller Machine |
| AUM | Asset Under Management |
| BACS | Bankers Automated Clearing Services |
| BRW | Business Review Weekly |
| CAGR | Compound Annual Growth Rate |
| CHAPS | Clearing House Automated Payments System |
| CPI | Consumer Price Index |
| CRB | Commodity Research Bureau |
| DCF | Discounted Cash Flow |
| DM | Developed Markets |
| DPI | Distribution to Paid-In Capital |
| EBITDA | Earnings Before Interest, Depreciation and Amortisation |
| EBITDAC | Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Interest, Depreciation, Amortisation and Coronavirus |
| EBITDAE | Earnings Before Interest, Depreciation, Amortisation and Exceptional items |
| EBITDAR | Earnings Before Interest, Depreciation, Amortisation and Rent (and/or Restructuring) costs |
| EBITDARM | Earnings Before Interest, Depreciation, Amortisation, Rent (and/or Restructuring) costs and Management fees |
| EM | Emerging Markets |
| EPS | Earning per share |
| FOMC | Federal Open Markets Committee (USA) |
| FP&A | Financial Planning and Analysis |
| FTSE | Financial Times Stock Exchange |
| GC | Growth Capital |
| GII | Global Innovation Index |
| GM | Gross Margin |
| IBAN | International Bank Account Number |
| IC | Investment Committee |
| ICA | Institute of Chartered Accountants |
| ICAA | Institute of Chartered Accountants of Australia |
| IM | Investment Memorandum |
| IMF | International Monetary Fund |
| IPO | Initial Public offering |
| IRR | Internal Rate of Return |
| LBO | Levered Buy-Out |
| LBS | London Business School |
| LDC | Lesser Developed Countries/Local District Councils |
| LEPO | Low Exercise Price Option |
| LSE | London Stock Exchange/London School of Economics |
| M&A | Mergers & Acquisitions |
| MBA | Master of Business Administration |
| MBI | Management Buy-In |
| MBO | Management Buy-Out |
| MM | Money Multiple (popular in Private Equity) |
| NASDAQ | National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotation |
| NYSE | New York Stock Exchange |
| OECD | Organisation for Economic Co-operation & Development |
| PAT | Profit After Tax |
| PAYE | Pay As You Earn |
| PBT | Profit before Tax |
| PE | Private Equity |
| PER | Price Earnings Ratio |
| PFI | Private Finance Initiative |
| PIN | Personal Identification Number |
| PPM | Private Placement Memorandum (also Parts per Million in Science) |
| PPP | Public Private Partnerships |
| R&D | Research & Development |
| ROI | Return on Investment |
| SDGs | Sustainable Development Goals |
| SFE | Sydney Futures Exchange |
| SME | Small and Medium Enterprises |
| SOP | Standard Operating Procedure |
| SPAC | Special Purpose Acquisition Company |
| SPI | The Society for Practitioners of Insolvency (in London) |
| USM | Unlisted Securities Market |
| VC | Venture Capital |
| WACC | Weighted Average Cost of Capital |
Government and Tax
| Acronym | Meaning |
|---|---|
| AAF | Advance Australia Fair (The National Anthem) |
| ABC | Audit Bureau of Circulation |
| ACCC | Australian Competition & Consumer Commission |
| ADR | Australian Design Rules |
| ATO | Australian Tax Office |
| ATSIC | Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders Commission |
| CASA | Civil Aviation Safety Authority |
| CSIRO | Commonwealth Science Institute Research Organisation |
| DOE | Department of Employment, Duke of Edinburgh |
| DSA | Driving Standards Agency |
| DWP | Department of Work & Pensions |
| EA | Environment Agency (The) |
| EEO | Equal Employment Opportunities |
| EPA | Environmental Protection Agency |
| ETP | Eligible Termination Payment |
| GG | Governor General, Horse |
| FAC | Federal Airports Corporation |
| ICAC | Independent Commission Against Corruption |
| ORTA | Olympic Roads and Transport Authority |
| NAO | National Audit Office (The) |
| NSW | New South Wales |
| NT | Northern Territories |
| PA | Passport Agency (The) |
| PAYE | Pay As You Earn |
| PC | (The Australian) Productivity Commission, Political Correctness |
| SA | South Australia |
| SOCOG | Sydney Olympic Committee for the Olympic Games |
| SPOC | Sydney Paralympic Organising Committee |
| WA | West Australia |
Humorous / Rude / Offensive
| Acronym | Meaning |
|---|---|
| ACRONYM | A Clever Ruse Of Nudging Your Memory |
| ALITALIA | Always late In Take-off, Always Late In Arrival |
| Absolutely Luscious Italian Tarts Attending Lovingly In Airlines | |
| Aircraft Lands In Turin, All Luggage In Amsterdam | |
| COPS | Chronic Old Person’s Disease |
| CML | Career Limiting Move |
| DELTA | Doesn’t Ever Leave The Airport |
| Don’t expect luggage to arrive | |
| DIET | Do I Eat Today |
| DINKIE | Dual Income, no kids (1980s) |
| EMAP | Every Meeting a Party / Every Manager’s a Poof |
| FIAT | Fix It Again Tony |
| HNG | Hi ‘n Goodbye (Sleepless in Seattle) |
| IBERIA | In-flight Breakfast Experience Really Is Awful |
| IMHO | In my humble opinion |
| JPF | Judean People’s Front (Life of Brian) |
| LUFTHANSA | Lets U Fondle The Hostesses And Nobody Says Anything |
| MFEO | Made for Each Other (Sleepless in Seattle) |
| MFI | Made for Idiots; Must Find Instructions |
| OMG | Oh my God |
| OLYMPIC | Onassis Likes Your Money Paid In Cash |
| PORSCHE | Proof Of Rich Spoiled Children Having Everything |
| S.H.I.T. | Ship High In Transit |
| STFU | Shut The F*** Up |
| TLA | Three Letter Acronym |
| VBG | Very Big Grin |
| VOLVO | Very Odd Looking Vehicular Object/Owner; Violation Of Law: Vehicular Obesity |
| WAA | Weird and Awkward |
| WOG | Western Oriental Gentleman |
| WTF | What the F*** |
| WYSIWYG | What You See Is What You Get |
| YUPPIE | Young Upwardly-mobile Professional Person (1980s) |
| The Andersen/Enron subsection (2002): | |
| EBITDA | Earnings Before I Tricked The Dumb Auditor |
| EBIT | Earnings Before Irregularities and Tampering |
| CEO | Chief Embezzlement Officer |
| CFO | Corporate Fraud Officer |
| NAV | Normal Andersen Valuation |
| EPS | Eventual Prison Sentence |
Journalism
| Acronym | Meaning |
|---|---|
| ABC | Australian Broadcasting Corporation |
| SMH | Sydney Morning Herald |
| AFR | Australian Financial Review |
Motoring
| Acronym | Meaning |
|---|---|
| AA | (The) Automobile Association |
| ABS | Anti-lock Braking System |
| ASR | Anti Slip Regulation |
| ATC | Air Traffic Control |
| AUDI | Auto Union Deutsche Industries? |
| BAR | British American Racing (GP team) |
| BMW | Bayerische Motoren Werke (Bavarian Motor Works) |
| CATS | Computer Active Technology Suspension |
| DS | Data Server |
| ESP | Electronic Stability Programme |
| GM | General Motors |
| HSV | Holden Special Vehicles |
| MGB | Morris Garages ‘B’ |
| MPFI | Multi Point Fuel Injection |
| RAC | (The) Royal Automobile Club |
| RACV | (The) Royal Automobile Club of Victoria |
| RACQ | (The) Royal Automobile Club of Queensland |
| SRS | Supplementary Restraint System |
Music
| Acronym | Meaning |
|---|---|
| AIM | Australian Institute of Music / Association of Independent Music |
| MP3 | MPEG Audio Layer 3 |
| MPEG | Moving Pictures Experts Group |
| WAV | Waveform Audio File |
Pharmaceutical / Medical
| Acronym | Meaning |
|---|---|
| ACL | Anterior Cruciate Ligament (in knee operations) |
| AIDS | Auto Immune Deficiency Syndrome |
| ARV | Anti retro viral (drug) |
| BCG | Bacillus Calmette–Guérin (a vaccine) |
| BSL | Blood Sugar Level |
| CMC | Chemical Manufacturing Controls |
| COVID | Corona Virus disease |
| DNA | Deoxy-ribo Nucleic Acid |
| ECG | Electro Cardiogram |
| EEG | Electro Encephalogram |
| EPO | Erythropoietin (Synthetic Hormone used by athletes) |
| FDA | Federal Drug Administation |
| FRCP | Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians |
| FRCS | Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons |
| HbA1c | Haemoglobin, glycosated, type Adult 1c (type 1c makes up about 2/3rds of hemoglobin with glucose attached; measures sugar levels in blood) |
| HDL | High Density Lipoprotein |
| HIV | Human Immune-deficiency Virus |
| IVF | In Vitro Fertilisation |
| LDL | Low Density Lipoprotein |
| MD | Doctor of Medicine |
| NHS | National Health Service |
| RNA | Ribo Nucleic Acid |
| TB | Tubercolosis |
Presenting & Public Speaking
| Acronym | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 6 Ps | Piss Poor Preparation leads to Piss Poor Presentation. |
Procter and Gamble
| Acronym | Meaning |
|---|---|
| CBD | Customer Business Development |
| NOS | Net Outside Sales |
| MDO | Market Development Organisation |
| GBU | Global Business Unit |
| VR | Virtual Reality |
| GBP | Global Business Plan |
| DOPAT | Direct Operational Profit After Tax |
| CRM | Client Relationship Management |
| ERM | Enterprise Relationship Management |
| GBS | Global Business Service |
| BHAG | Big Hairy Arsed Goals |
| SEWP | Standard Enterprise Workstation Platform |
| P3P | Platform for Privacy Preferences |
| TDC | Total Delivered Cost |
| SKU | Stock Keeping Units (Retailese) |
| SSKU | Standard Stock Keeping Unit |
| WOM | Word of Mouth |
| EBITDA | Earnings Before Interest, Tax, Depreciation, and Amortisation |
| ALITALIA | Always Late In Takeoff, Always Late In Arrivals |
| SABENA | Such A Bad Experience Never Again |
| QUANTAS | Queensland And Northern Territories Aerial Services |
Science and Engineering
| Acronym | Meaning |
|---|---|
| AI | Artificial Intelligence |
| AR | Augmented Reality |
| ECSO | European Cyber Security Organization |
| ESG | Environmental Social & Governance |
| EV | Electric Vehicle |
| Gb | Gigabytes |
| HOMER | (the 5 steps in Scientific method) Hypothesize, Operationalise, Measure, Evaluate, Replicate/revise/report |
| ICT | Information and Communications Technology |
| IoT | Internet of Things |
| IP | Intellectual Property |
| LASER | Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation |
| LED | Light-Emitting Diode |
| LED | Light Emitting Diode |
| Mb | Megabytes |
| ML | Machine Learning |
| OLED | Organic Light-Emitting Diode |
| PV | Photo Voltaic (e.g. solar panels) |
| RADAR | RAdio Detection And Ranging |
| RFID | Radio Frequence Identification |
| SaaS | Software-as-a-Service |
| SI Units | Standard International units ( e.g. metres, seconds, ampere, Kelvin, kilograms) |
| TASER | Thomas A Swift Electric Rifle |
| Tb | Terabytes |
Social / Cultural
| Acronym | Meaning |
|---|---|
| ABC | Always Be Changing/Always Be Closing/Active Body Control/American Born Chinese/Automatic Brightness Control/Alpha Bravo Charlie/Anything But Chardonnay |
| ASAP | As Soon As Possible |
| ATQ | Answer The Question |
| BAE | Before Anyone Else |
| BBQ | Barbe et Cue (generic French for Head to tail) |
| BF / GF | Boyfriend / Girlfriend |
| BFF | Best Friends Forever |
| BFFL | Best Friends For Life |
| BFN | Bye For Now |
| BRB | Be Right Back |
| BTW | By The Way |
| CBD | Central Business District/Convention On Biological Diversity |
| CRAFT | Can’t Remember A F****** Thing |
| DIY | Do It Yourself |
| DM | Direct Message |
| DP | Display Picture |
| E.G. | Exempli Gratia (Latin, Meaning ‘For Example’) |
| FAQ | Frequently Asked Questions |
| FTW | For The Win |
| FYI | For Your Information |
| G2G | Got To Go |
| HMU | Hit Me Up |
| I.E. | Id Est (Latin, Meaning ‘That Is’) |
| IDC | I Don’t Care |
| IDK | I Don’t Know |
| IFYP | I Feel Your Pain |
| ILY | I Love You |
| IMO | In My Opinion |
| IMU | I Miss You |
| IRL | In Real Life |
| JK | Just Kidding |
| LGBTQIAUCP | Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer/Questioning, Intersex, Asexual, Unsure, Curious, Pansexual |
| LMAO | Laugh My A** Off |
| LMK | Let Me Know |
| LOL | Laugh Out Loud |
| NSFW | Not Safe For Work |
| NWM | No Worries Mate |
| OMW | On My Way |
| OOTD | Outfit Of The Day |
| PDQ | Pretty Damn Quick |
| QED | Quad Erat Demonstrandum (Rhus It Has Been Shown) |
| QOTD | Quote Of The Day |
| RN | Right Now |
| ROFL | Roll On The Floor Laughing |
| SMH | Shake My Head |
| SOS | Save Our Souls |
| SPAM | Special Processed American Meat” Or “Spiced Ham |
| SWAT | Special Weapons And Tactics Unit |
| TBA | To Be Arranged/Announced |
| TBH | To Be Honest |
| TFW | That Feeling When |
| TOWIE | The Only Way Is Essex |
| TTYL | Talk To You Later |
| TWA | Tiny Winy Afro |
| WCB | Will Call Back |
| WUB | Water Under (The) Bridge |
| WYSIWYG | What You See Is What You Get |
| ZOPA | Zone Of Possible Agreement |
Sports & Olympics
| Acroynym | Meaning |
|---|---|
| AIS | Australian Institute of Sport |
| AOC | Australian Olympic Committee |
| ARFL | Australian Rules Football League |
| CUBC | Cambridge University Boat Club |
| FIA | Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile |
| FIE | Federation Internationale d’Escrime (Fencing) |
| FIFA | Fédération Internationale de Football Association |
| FISA | Fédération Internationale des Sociétés d’Aviron |
| FITA | Federation Internationale de Tir a l’Arc (Archery) |
| GDBO | God Damn Bloody Oxford |
| HRR | Henley Royal Regatta |
| IAAF | International Amateur Athletics Federation |
| IAAF | International Association of Athletics Federations |
| IOC | International Olympic Committee |
| MCG | Melbourne Cricket Ground |
| NOC | National Olympic Committee |
| NRA | National Rifle Association (USA) |
| OCA | Olympic Co-ordination Authority |
| OUBC | Oxford University Boat Club |
| PFD | Personal Floatation Device (life-jacket) – NSW Waterways Auth. |
| PTM | Putney to Mortlake |
| SCG | Sydney Cricket Ground |
| SCUBA | Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus |
| SOBO | Sydney Olympic Broadcasting Organisation |
| SOCOG | Sydney Organising Committee for the Olympic Games |
| SOCOG (2) | Some Olympic Chiefs, Other Grovellers |
| SPOC | Sydney Paralympic Organising Committee |
| UIT | Union Internationale de Tir (Shooting) |
| WADA | World Anti-Doping Agency |
| xOCOG | [City} Organising Committee of the Olympic Games |
Telecommunications
| Acroynmn | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 3G | Third generation mobile phone / communications services |
| 4G | Forth generation communications systems |
| 5G | Fifth generation communications systems |
| ADSL | Asynchronous Digital Subscriber Line |
| ASP | Application Service Provider |
| ATM | Asynchronous Transfer Mode |
| CIT | Computer Integrated Telephony |
| CRM | Customer Relations Management |
| EAI | Enterprise Integration Application |
| ERP | Enterprise Resource Planning |
| GPRS | General Packet radio system |
| GSM | Global System for Mobile Communications |
| ISDN | Integrated Services Digital Network |
| PSTN | Public Switched Telephone Network |
| WAP | Wireless Application Protocol |
| WML | Wireless Markup Language |
| MVNO | Mobile Virtual Network Operator |
| UMTS | Universal Mobile Telecommunications Systems (see also 3G) |
Telsta
| Acronym | Meaning |
|---|---|
| B&G | Business & Government |
| B& I | Business & International |
| C&C | Commercial & Consumer |
| CDMA | Code Division Multiple Access |
| CLS3 | (The first) Corporate LAN Standard (Based on Windows 3.1) |
| CLS4 | (The 2nd) Corporate LAN Standard |
| CMO | Customer Mode o f Operation |
| CSG | Customer Service Guarantee |
| DMO | Date Mode of Operation |
| EEO | Equal Employment Opportunities |
| GMD | Group Managing Director |
| FMO | Future Mode of Operation |
| NTG | Network Technology Group |
| PICM | Performance Improvement & Conduct Model |
| PRDP | Performance Review and Development Process |
| TOP | Telstra Operating Principle (see also SOP) |
| USO | Universal Service Obligation |
| VON | Voice on Net (Internet) |
Transport
| Acronym | Meaning |
|---|---|
| CIS | Customer Information System (see also RJIS) |
| CCTV | Close Circuit Television |
| LED | Liquid Electric Digital (display) |
| LGW | London Glasgow Western |
| LNER | London North Eastern Railway |
| LICC | Local Information Control Centre |
| RJIS | Real-time Journey Information System (see also CIS) |
| SWT | South West Trains |
| TFL | Transport For London |
| RTTI | Real Time Transport/Train Information |
| TIS | Ticketing Issuing System |
| TOC | Train Operating Company |
| TOM | Ticket Office Machine |
| DLR | Docklands Light Railway |
