Acronyms old and new

As with jargon, there’s no problem if everybody else knows what you mean. For example, in the United Kingdom (UK) you can use the acronyms UK, EU and USA without worrying too much about misunderstandings.

But if I refer to an MVP, do I mean Most Valued Player or Minimal Viable Product?

To give a government example, what if somebody told you the CoE have contacted the MoS about the ICC meeting?

Is this the Council of Europe writing to your Minister of State about the International Criminal Court?

Or has the Church of England just contacted the Mail on Sunday about the International Cricket Council?

• business acronyms: BAU, AOB, fyi
• Government acronyms: SoS, PO, DWP, MoD, DLUHC [UK examples]
• 21st century acronyms: lol, tl;dr, imho, tbh, iirc, afaik

The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) was established in 1927. The BBC now has over 20,000 staff. It also owns the company BBC Worldwide, which sells BBC programmes around the world..

And for 21st century acronyms – which can look silly spelt out in full – maybe save them for social media and messaging, unless you’re very confident of your audience.

In the next step we’ll ask you to look at common acronyms in your organisation.

Are there any acronyms that have tripped you up in the past? – are there any you are still confused about, or can never seem to remember? – do comment below.