12 Useful Abbreviations in English

Hi, there! Imagine you’re at a restaurant and you hear this:

– I’ll have a BLT.
– ASPA or PDQ?

Or suppose your American friend texts you this: 143.

Pretty crazy, hu? Not really. That’s why I’d like to share with you guys something so common here: abbreviations. This is highly used at work, ads (advertisement signs), blogs, text messages (torpedos), usually in a casual conversation context. It can be hard to understand the full meaning of a phrase if you’re not familiar with. Some of these abbreviations you’re probably already used to seeing around… Oh, one more thing, you need to read it letter by letter (or number by number), don’t try make it a new word. So, let’s get to know some of them, shall we?

1. 143: I love you. I explain: I (1 letter) love (4 letters) you (3 letters)
2. AKA: Also known as
   You can use this one to explain a nickname.
   Ex: EnglishExperts website aka (you read “ei-kei-ei” or “also known as”) EE is awesome!
3. ASAP: As soon as possible
   Ex. Please, this report needs to be done asap!
4. BLT: Bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwich
5. DIY: Do it yourself
   You’ll find a lot of diy stuff on my website.
   Ex: This is a diy project. My diy mirror.
6. FYI: For your information
7. LOL: Laugh out loud
   It would be like someone is laughing really hard (gargalhada).
8. OBO: Or best offer
   Craigslist has tons of “obo”.
   Ex: I’m selling this crib (berço) for U$100 obo.
   For sale: dresser (cômoda) and mirror. Cash and pick up only. U$ 150.00 obo for both.
9. PDQ: Pretty darn quick
10. R.I.P.: Rest in peace (Halloween tombstones)
11. TLC: Tender loving care
    You’ll find this one for everything that needs “tender loving care”. Ex:
    1- When I took Sophie (my cute dog) to the vet because I thought she was sick, the vet said “oh, Sophie is fine, she just needs a little bit of TLC”.
    2- On Real Estate (corretora de imóveis) listings, I mean, let’s suppose you read an ad (anúncio) from a house that’s seen better days. So usually the realtor writes “This house needs a bit of TLC but has tons of potential”.
12. TGIF: – Thank God it’s Friday! WooHooo
    TGI Friday’s is a restaurant too.

Hope you had some fun with this post! See ya!

Sobre a Autora: Andrea Faber é leitora do EE desde 2008, mora atualmente em Chicago e mantém um ótimo site de decoração, o Staged Casa.