Monday, October 17, 2011

What does that Abbreviation stand for ?

While driving to Thermopolis, WY for a short family vacation in some fun hot springs, I noticed that certain abbreviations are used in many different areas and you really need a frame of reference or context to understand what they are abbreviated for.

Here are the few examples I thought of while driving, but feel free to add your own in the comments section below:
 - Dr
    -- This can signify status and a title based on education ... Doctor
    -- This can indicate a type of street or road ... Drive
 - St
    -- This is often part of an address ... Street
    -- This can be a title for a revered religious person ... Saint
    -- This also refers to a college or geographic location ... State
 - Ft
    -- This recognizes an additional, special voice on a song ... Featuring
    -- This can signify a place of strength or military establishment ... Fort
    -- This is often a term of measurement ... Foot or Feet
 - BA
    -- This is a type of degree you can earn in college ... Bachelor of the Arts
    -- This represents a hitter's prowess in baseball ... Batting Average
 - E
    -- An indication of direction relative to some fixed point ... East
    -- This can suggest the level of difficulty of a game, climb, etc. ... Easy
    -- This single letter reminds you that it's time to fill the tank ... Empty

And lastly, I have to mention (and this is for my mom!) that one abbreviation in particular has NEVER made sense to me:
How does "Pound" become Lb ?!
There's no L or B in the word anywhere!  So of course I would pronounce this as "Lib" when I was 5 years old!  :)
...

1 comment:

  1. Great observations, especially about the abbreviation for "pound" - why is it abbreviated as "lb"? What the heck?!

    Here's another abbreviation for your list:
    PA - abbreviation for the state of Pennsylvania, and stands for Physician's Assistant...

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