Dictionary of Naval Abbreviations

Book excerpt: Most professions have their own languages, and the U.S. Navy with its labored acronyms is certainly no exception. Those in and out of the naval profession will find this dictionary an essential tool in deciphering their unique language, which has its origins in the days of sail and continues to mutate in the ever-growing vocabulary of technology. For this completely revised and fully updated edition, Deborah Cutler and Thomas Cutler identify and clearly define a vast array of acronyms and abbreviations that can make documents and conversations with naval professionals so bewildering. Highly qualified NAVSPEAK linguists, the Cutlers have built upon the original work, culling, adding, and bringing the entries up to date for the twenty-first century. Official abbreviations like NGA are included as well as such colorful, unofficial vocabulary as SNAFU. Helpful notations of word origins for the very old and very new make definitions even clearer.