Crossword abbreviations

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.