Talking Shorthand…

Johnny-on-the-Spot … by John Foster …

Why do we use “lbs” for” pounds”?

It comes from the Latin word “libra”: which was a unit of weight in ancient Rome.

“Libra pondo” is “a pound by weight”.

Why “oz” for ounce?

It comes from the Medieval Italian word “onza”.

The Italian equivalent for the Latin word “uncia” which means “one-twelfth of a unit of weight and length.

So “lbs” and “oz” are just abbreviations.

An abbreviation is “a shortened form of a word of phrase in place of the whole word or phrase”.

There are also different types of abbreviations.

“Acronyms” such as “NATO” which is a word made from the first letters of other words”; therefore, “North Atlantic Treaty Organization”.

How about “SALT”?

“Strategic Arms Limitation Talks”.

How about “LASER”?

Easier than saying “light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation”.

We also have “initialisms” which are words made from the 1st letter of other words but are said separately like “FBI” for Federal Bureau of Investigation.

“BBQ” for “barbeque” and “BKFST” for “breakfast”.

How about some musical ones?

“CSNY” for “Crosby, Stills Nash and Young”.

“BTO” for “Bachman Turner Overdrive” with their big hit, “Takin’ Care of Business” or “TCB”.

“BS&T” for one of my favorite groups “Blood, Sweat and Tears”.

(“Spinning Wheel” might be my all-time favorite.)

“KFC” which used to stand for Kentucky Fried Chicken is an initialism that’s become the brand name since “frying” fell out of favor with food preparation in some circles.

“Contractions” are when we combine words and leave out a letter and toss in an apostrophe so “cannot” becomes “can’t” while “you are” turns into “you’re”.

We can’t forget “truncations”, also known as shortened forms or clippings, such as “math” for
“mathematics” and, “Sat” for “Saturday.

We have “symbols” and “numeronyms”.

Instead of “and”, we can use this “&”.

It’s known as the ampersand or the “and” sign’”.

For “pound” or “number”, shorten it to “#”.

“We use “B2B” as “business to business.

With texting and Facebook, abbreviations are seen even more.

How about “https”?

Pretty important if your looking for “safe websites.

It means “hypertext transfer protocol secure”.

That last word, “secure” is mighty important.

Folks refer to “wi-fi” all the time but some don’t know it’s short for “wireless fidelity.

My Dad was a music geek and he thought “hi-fi” or “high fidelity was the goal even before “stereo” or “quadraphonic”.

Don’t let “url” sneak by you.

That’s “uniform resource locator”.

There are several abbreviations that the “experts” believe we should all know.

There’s “RSVP”.

It’s French for “respondez s’il vous plait”.

In other words, “Please respond” so I know how many meatballs and finger sandwiches I have to prepare.

“ASAP” for “as soon as possible” but that doesn’t mean “never respond”.

“AM” and “PM” can make you 12 hours early or late if you don’t understand what they mean.

They’re both Latin.

“AM” for “ante meridiem” or “before midday” while “PM” is “post meridiem” for after midday./

These modern communicators say we need to know that “LMK” is short for “let me know”.

“BRB” is for “be right back”.

If you ever spent time in the military, you already knew about “DOB” for “date of birth”.

How about “CC” or “carbon copy”?

(Remember what a pain using carbon paper used to be?)

If the time to start is not known, it’s “TBA” or ‘to be announced”.

“ETA” is your “estimated time of arrival”.

These communication pros say we need to know “TGIF” is for “thank God it’s Friday!”

There’s also “FOMO” or “fear of missing out”.

If you see “IMO” that’s “in my opinion” and, of course, “N/A” is “not available”.

Now, if you have an alias, you can use “AKA” which is “also known as”.

We should also be familiar with “DIY”.

“Do it yourself”.

This one has been around long enough that I fondly remember my Father proudly saying he was a “do it yourself” man.

I’d ask him for a hand with something and he’d reply with, “Do it yourself!”

Those are the 15 English abbreviations we’re all supposed to know and use.

However, there are guidelines to follow when incorporating them in communications.

First, understand your audience.

Secondly, don’t overuse.

That’s followed by, “Don’t forget to personalize”.

Be creative but remain professional.

Finally, “KISS”.

(Keep it simple stupid!)

Let me muddy the water a bit.

Acronyms are always initialisms and abbreviations but not all initialisms are acronyms.

If it’s not in your DNA (deoxyrebonucleic acid) to join the game, get up[ a head of “STEAM” (science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics).

You’ll be able to respond with, “IYKYK”.