Abbreviations

Status
Not open for further replies.

charlie b

Moderator
Staff member
Location
Lockport, IL
Occupation
Semi-Retired Electrical Engineer
Here is an initial list of abbreviations that are frequently used on this Forum. Please feel free to add others or to correct the ones shown below. When we get a more nearly "complete" list, I will see what I can do to get it posted in a place that can be easily seen and read at any time.

AFCI ? Arc Fault Circuit Interrupter
AHJ ? Authority Having Jurisdiction
AIC ? Amps Interrupting Capacity
CB ? Circuit Breaker
DIY ? Do It Yourself
EC ? Electrical Contractor
EGC ? Equipment Grounding Conductor
FLA ? Full Load Amps
GC ? General Contractor
GEC ? Grounding Electrode Conductor
GFCI ? Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter
GFI ? Ground Fault Interrupter
HO ? Home Owner
HT ? Home Theater
HVAC ? Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning
IMHO ? In My Humble Opinion
IMO ? In My Opinion (used by those who are not humble)
LMAO ? Laughing Myself Silly (or words to that effect)
LOL ? Laughing Out Loud
LRA ? Locked Rotor Amps
MCB ? Main Circuit Breaker
MCC ? Motor Control Center
MLO ? Main Lugs Only
MWBC ? Multi Wire Branch Circuit
NEC ? National Electrical Code
NETA ? National Electrical Testing Association
NFPA ? National Fire Protection Association
OCP ? Overcurrent Protection
OCPD ? Overcurrent Protection Device
OP ? Original Poster (i.e., the person who started the thread)
OTOH ? On the Other Hand
POCO ? Power Company
PPE ? Personal Protection Equipment
ROTFL ? Roll on the Floor Laughing
SA ? Small Appliance (as in "SA Branch Circuit")
UL ? Underwriter's Laboratory
WAG ? Wild Guess (I forgot what the "A" word is)
 
I don't know how detailed you want to make this list Charlie, but you might add conduit types, like EMT and RGS and LFMC....

You could title your list "TLA's and FLA's", but then you would have to add "Three Letter Acronyms" and "Four Letter Acronyms" to your list :)
 
Good stuff! Thank you. Perhaps the best place for this would be FAQ, for easy reference... along with...

1) DIY questions policy
2) Sideways up 5-15 receptacle mounting
3) How-to pictures (yes, there's already "Can I post images")
 
Re: Abbreviations

charlie b said:
Here is an initial list of abbreviations that are frequently used on this Forum. ...

A few humble additions, sir:

BTW: by the way
FWIW: for what(ever) it's worth
YMMV: your mileage may vary


FWIW, ;)
 
steve66 said:
I don't know how detailed you want to make this list Charlie, but you might add conduit types, like EMT and RGS and LFMC....

You could title your list "TLA's and FLA's", but then you would have to add "Three Letter Acronyms" and "Four Letter Acronyms" to your list :)
Conduit types were added to the 2002 NEC, look in the index and you'll see the abbreviations. But they can still be added to our list
 
My boss's boss, (maintainance director) was asking me one day if I had checked the VFD to make sure it was ok. Well, I've known him since second grade, so I played around a little and said VFD, What is that? He said you know that control thingy..... got a good laugh. A lot of people use ancronyms and don't even know what they mean!
 
hockeyoligist2 said:
A lot of people use ancronyms and don't even know what they mean!

Yep. For instance, you might be surprised how many people don't know what SNAFU is acronymous for. I even heard my decent, god-fearing mother in law use it once, poor lady didn't have a clue. :)
 
The dictionary I keep at my desk says it means "Situation Normal, All Fouled Up." I seem to have a vague memory about their being another word for one of the letters, but I don't recall exactly which letter. :wink: 8)
 
I seem to have my boss always tell me to make sure I understand that HE is the HMFIC and I darn well better remember it :roll:
 
We could certainly let our imaginations (and our senses of humor) run rampant. We could place everything from "TGIF" to "POETS-day" to "LSMFT" on the list.

But my intent was to limit this particular list to the abbreviations most commonly used on this Forum. I wanted a new member to see a comment that "I will PM the OP and say it's an AHJ call," and not decide to seek assistance elsewhere.
 
That's scary, Charlie

A young fellow like you with short term memory loss.

WAG ? Wild Guess (I forgot what the "A" word is)

I'll give you a hint though: It starts with "A" :p :p
 
dlhoule said:
A young fellow like you with short term memory loss.
Thank you for the compliment. But perhaps I'm not that young. After all, I am old enough to remember what "LSMFT" means. :lol: :lol:

Also, my experiences with memory loss are not "short term." Once I've forgotten it, it stays forgotten for a long time. :wink:
 
hockeyoligist2 said:
petersonra said:
http://www.gaarde.org/acronyms/

my favorite

ACRONYM
Abbreviated Coded Rendition Of Name Yielding Meaning

Doesn't have PLC (programmable logic controller) and PM doesn't say preventive maintenance! :D

PM?
I thought this was a PM ~
icon_pm.gif
 
I thought PM meant after lunch. But my real confusion is whether Noon is AM or PM :?: :?: :?:
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top