Crossword abbreviations

Uncommon card · No. 113530

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...

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