Tuesday 9 June 2009

U V W X Y Z



U

UAF = Unite Against Fascism, sworn enemies of EDF = English Defence League and BNP
UBI = Unexplained Beer Injury [commonly used on doctors' notes - from The Guardian: Medical Shorthand 8.2.08]
UAW = United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America (from Julien Temple's Requiem to Detroit)
UBT = Unique Buying Tribe (from Zag by Marty Neumeier)
UCH = University College Hospital (where the Enfants Terribles were born) - so a potential life journey: UCH to UCS to UCL
UCL = University College London (home of the Slade)
UCS = University College School
UFC = Ultimate Fighting Championship - see MMA
UKA = UK Athletics
ULR = Union Learning Rep
UNV = United Nations Volunteers {courtesy of Practical Psychologist}
UOR = Urgent Operational Requirement = MOD's accelerated procurement process (much criticised by the PAC = Public Accounts Committee)
UPI = United Press International (news agency)
URL = Uniform Resource Locator [not a directory of army tailors but the most oft used TLA of which no-one cares about the long form]
USC = University of Spoiled Children (aka University of Southern California) {Less than Zero, Bret Easton Ellis}
USD = University of San Diego
UTC
= Co-ordinated Universal Time - a time standard based on International Atomic Time (TAI) and I think it's the same as GMT, indeed looks to me like a dastardly Francophone plot to oust dear old Greenwhich {courtesy of Atto}
= The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
UUC = University of Ulster at Coleraine {courtesy of alumnus Practical Psychologist}
UWV = University of West Virginia {Indignation, Philip Roth}
UBL = Usama bin Laden 
UCL = University College, London
UCO = Undercover Officer (In the Line of Duty)
UPF = Ultra-passionate Fans
UTC = Ulster Tyre Co. (Letterkenny)
UWO = Unexplained Wealth Order 

V

VAC = Village Activities Committee {John Updike, Rabbit at Rest}
VBM = Vision Balls Money {the keys to successful property development according to Ian Lerner, redeveloper of the Black Cat Building, Mornington Crescent}
VBV = Verified By Visa
VDC = Vietnam Day Committee (Paterfamilias - Jane Kramer) VLV = Voice of the Listener & Viewer
VFM = Value for Money {courtesy of Paul Deane at Aardman}
VMAs = MTV Video Music Awards
VoA = Voice of America {courtesy of Mike Stewart}
VOC = voice of the customer
VOR = Visual Omni-range (aviation)
VPN = Virtual Private Network

VPS = Violent Passion Surrogate (from Brave New World, Aldous Huxley: "We flood the whole system with adrenalin. It's the complete physiological equivalent of fear and rage. All the tonic effects of murdering Desdemona and being murdered by Othello, without any of the inconveniences."

VPT = Very Personal Trainer {Gym Box, location for Body Shop (w/t)}
VPU = vision processing unit
VTT = Velo Tout Terrain, mountain bike [learnt in Ondres, Les Landes]
VBW = Very Best Wishes {Spring, Ali Smith}
VCU = Vought Comic Universe (The Boys)
VFW = Very Few Whites {The Enforcer}
VOA = Voice of America (radio)
VMI = Virginia Military Institute {RBG}
VRN = Vehicle Registration Number (copspeak)
VSC = Vietnam solidarity campaign 

W

WAGS = Wives & Girlfriends (football - see HABs above)
WBA = West Bromwich Albion FC
WBL = Work-based Learning
WCL = Web Component Library {courtesy Channel 4 New Media}
WHL = White Hart Lane, home of Spurs
WFK = Who fucking knows? {courtesy of Louby - "I made it up just for you."}
WEA = Workers' Educational Association
WFM = Whole Food market
WFH = Working from home {courtesy of Mark Sheldon}
WFT = Working from Toilet (courtesy of Sarah Rogers)
WIA = World in Action (Granada TV)
WIP = Working in Pants / Working in Pyjamas
WIP = Work in Progress {courtesy of Charlie Martin of Airlock}
WKM = Wiener Kunstmaterialen {Waiting for Sunrise, William Boyd}
WOM = Word of mouth
WoW = World of Warcraft
WPP = Witness Protection Program (spotted in The Bloomsday Dead, Adrian McKinty)
WRL = Work-related Learning {Skillset}
WRU = Welsh Rugby Union
WTC = World Trade Centre {as in Man on Wire}
WTF = What the fuck! or WFH = Working from Home {courtesy of Louby}
WTG = Way to go! {courtesy of Dhamaka}
WTS = Want To Sell {courtesy of Moblogger Puddlepuff}
WTB = Want To Buy
WTT = Want To Trade
WtW = Wall to Wall (TV production co.) {courtesy of Claire Hungate, Shed}
WWE = World Wrestling Entertainment
WWF = Words with Friends
WBC = Westboro Baptist Church {How to Think}
WBR = World Bicycle Relief (charity)
WEC = Wireless Experimental Centre (India) (Secret Days Code-breaking in Bletchley Park)
WFH = Working from Home (Corona 2020)
WMG = Warner Music Group
WMP = Wife of Member of Parliament {Charles Dickens, Our Mutual Friend}
WOW = Walking On Water (cafe, San Diego) {Year of the Monkey, Patti Smith}
WRP = workers’ revolutionary party
WWE= world wrestling entertainment
WCW = world championship wrestling 

X

YPU = Yale Political Union
XRF = X-ray florescence {courtesy of Practical Psychologist}

Y

YBA = Young British Artist(s) like Marc Quinn
YIF = yours in friendship "and is used to sign off emails in groups like Ladies Circle and Girlguiding UK" {courtesy of Technokitten}
YMO = Yellow Magic Orchestra {courtesy of Practical Psychologist}
YoY = Year on year
YSL = Yves Saint Laurent

Z

ZPL = Zero-error Probabilistic Logarithmic space {courtesy of Mat} (not too useful in my world but I think with Z it's probably a case of beggars can't be choosers)
ZSL = Zoological Society of London (of which Darwin was an early Fellow - to mark a great visit to the Zoo today 5.i.10)
ZTT = Zang Tumb Tuum {courtesy of Technokitten}

2IC = Second in Command {Apthorpe in Evelyn Waugh's Men at Arm}

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