Abreviations

Adult Staff The Staff Mess
1

Hi New to site and a long time since I was last in cadets. Could anyone provide an appendix of abbreviations so I can keep up thanks

2

Very unlikely! I think a lot of people just make them up as they go along.

People really ought to do it properly and write it in full the first time followed by the abbreviation in brackets, but it seems to be a service thing to try to win the game by using more abbreviations than anyone else.

3

I guess if you just post in this thread when you find abbreviations, and then we can decode them for you?

4

Couple that used to be used a lot, but its been so long since I used them I have forgotten what they stand for - anyone help me out?

GIC
VGS

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5

I was bored (& yes, I know what the aBBreviations are! :sunglasses:):

GIC

VGS

6

They are carefully stored and cherished in the hope that they may one day be needed again.

7

In the rotunda, perchance?

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8

Just to be a right pedant. But those are acronyms.

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9

Negative, these aren’t acronyms, since they are not pronounced as if they were words.

You are in excellent company, since many people in the world disagree with the dictionary definition (including 99% of the broader RAF).

But: they’re all wrong, and the dictionary is right.

Unless somewhere in Cadetdom, unbeknown to me, we do literally now say “JyiCee” and “Veejis” as words… opposed to conventionally-stating Gee Aye See and Vee Gee Ess?

Acronym
ˈakrənɪm

“an abbreviation formed from the initial letters of other words and pronounced as a word (e.g. ASCII, NASA, NATO, SCUBA, LASER, FIFA, FOD ).”

(As opposed to abbreviations or initialisms, such as RAF, BBC, CAA, MoD…and, um, GIC/VGS…unless I’m totally behind the curve?)

10

I tend to treat “RAF” as an acronym. Always have.
(I know it irritates some of the RAF types)

11

TLAs… :wink:

12

What?? By pronouncing the abbreviation Arr Ay Eff as if it were an acronym, as in ‘Rrahff’?

Good grief…you dice with danger. The only acceptable compounds wherein that approach may be considered acceptable, include: Rafair (the toy tac callsign, as in Ascot); RAFARS (the radio people); RAFA (the Royal Air Forces Association).

Elsewise…doom awaits!!

13

It was very common when I grew up with the raff…

14

Mostly I say Vee Gee Ess and Gee Aye See. I have occasionally said Gick, but never Veejis???

15

Which of the following do you use for Flight Sergeant?
Flt Sgt
F/Sgt
Fl/Sgt
F/S
FS
I have seen all of the above coming from various sources, Only one is correct.

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16

I would have said FS first, then Flt Sgt second. The rest are all useless.

17

I used to teach Service Writing at DIOT, so will open another bag of popcorn & wait for the guesses! :wink:

18

FS would be correct?

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19

FS Sgt or Cpl is my way. JSP101

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20

When they first binned the very descriptive term AEG (Air Experience Gliding), it first became Glider Induction Training and rapidly became shortened to Git as in “Where are the gits?” or “How many gits today?”. Someone (don’t you always wonder who “someone” is?) thought this unacceptable and GIC was born.

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