List of Singapore abbreviations

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

You have new messages (last change).

This is a list of Singapore abbreviations commonly used in Singapore.

Contents

[edit] Overview

Abbreviations, especially acronyms, are often used by people in Singapore during conversation or in writings in English, Singlish and other languages. There are many abbreviations which became better known and more widely used than the full form of the words they represent. One of the best examples is the Kandang Kerbau Women's and Children's Hospital, which is often referred to as simply KK.

The most important category of Singapore abbreviations is that consisting of acronyms of government departments and public institutions. Among the earliest examples are PUB (Public Utility Board) and HDB (Housing Development Board). Abbreviations were especially important in the past when most Singaporeans were not educated in English, but instead spoke different languages of their own ethnicities. The use of acronyms facilitated communication among the population and in the public services where the main administrative language is English. Government departments have therefore promoted the use of these abbreviations especially through their publications in which these abbreviations are stated even in non-English material. Although the younger generation of Singaporeans are mostly educated in English, acronyms and abbreviations remain a major characteristic of Singlish or Singaporean English.

There are effort to maintain some consistency among the acronyms. Three-letter acronyms are often used for government institutions (PUB, HDB, CPF, MOH, CWO) and for expressways (AYE, PIE). Two-letter acronyms are used for polytechnics (SP, RP). To maintain this consistency, some abbreviations are not direct initialism; for example CTE is used for Central Expressway instead of CE, and NP is used for Ngee Ann Polytechnic instead of NAP. When the Nanyang Technological University (NTU) was established in 1991, its name was chosen instead of a better formed title Nanyang University of Technology because the latter would result in an acronym NUT, which is unsuitable for an educational institution.

Recently, there emerged a number of unconventional abbreviations, such as A*Star for Agency for Science, Technology and Research. Some abbreviations have become official pronouns such as SAFTI (Singapore Armed Forces Training Institute). When SAFTI was reorganised in 1995, it acquired the name SAFTI Military Institute, further abbreviated as SAFTI MI, which when fully expanded would form a rather awkward title Singapore Armed Forces Training Institute Military Institute.

[edit] Common abbreviations

The following are the abbreviations frequently used by Singaporeans who can usually understand most of them, with little or no context.

[edit] Abbreviations in the military

This is a list of abbreviations commonly used in the Singapore Armed Forces, including slang terms. They are often used in place of the expanded form of the words. Some abbreviations are similar to those used in other militaries.

[edit] People

Ranks and Appointments

  • 2IC - Second - in - Command
  • BC - Battery commander
  • BG - Brigadier General
  • BOS - Battalion Orderly Sergeant
  • BOS - Brigade Orderly Sergeant
  • BSM - Battery Sergeant Major
  • BSO - Battalion Signal Officer
  • CAO - Chief Armour Officer
  • CCO - Camp Commandant's Office
  • CDF - Chief of Defence Force
  • CDO - Company Duty Officer
  • CDS - Chief Defence Scientist
  • CMC - Chief of Medical Corps
  • CO - Commanding Officer
  • COA - Chief of Army
  • COS - Company Orderly Sergeant
  • CQMS - or "CQ" - Company Quartermaster Sergeant
  • CSM - Company Sergeant Major (unlike many other countries, sergeant majors are appointments, not ranks)
  • DDO - Divisional Duty Officer
  • DO - Duty Officer
  • DOS - Duty Orderly Sergeant
  • FDO - Field Duty Officer
  • FS - Fitness Specialist
  • MO - Medical Officer
  • NO - Nursing Officer
  • NCO - Non - Commissioned Officer - term now defunct in the SAF; replaced with "Specialist"
  • OC - Officer Commanding (Company Commander in other militaries)
  • PC - Platoon Commander
  • PS - Platoon Sergeant
  • PSO - Principal Staff Officer
  • PTI - Physical Training Instructor
  • QM - Quartermaster - usually a commissioned officer or a senior warrant officer
  • RQMS - Regimental Quartermaster Sergeant - usually a warrant officer in the SAF
  • RSM - Regimental Sergeant Major
  • SDO - School Duty Officer (use is limited to training schools)
  • WO - Warrant officer
  • WOSA - Warrant officers, specialists and airmen
  • WOSE - Warrant officers, specialists and enlistees
  • WOSPEC - Warrant officers and specialists

[edit] Units and organizations

  • BMTC - Basic Military Training Centre
  • CAD - Combined Arms Division
  • CDO - Singapore Commandos
  • DISCOM - Division Support Command
  • DSMB - Direct Support Maintenance Battalion
  • DS Med Bn - Direct Support Medical Battalion
  • DSSB - Direct Support Supply Battalion
  • DSTA - Defence Science Technology Agency
  • FCC - Fitness Conditioning Centre
  • FDS - Field Defence Squadron
  • GDS - Singapore Guards
  • JID - Joint Intelligence Directorate
  • JOPD - Joint Operations and Planning Directorate
  • MP - Military Police
  • MMI - Military Medicine Institute
  • NDU - Naval Diving Unit (Singapore)
  • OCS - Officer Cadet School
  • PDF - People’s Defence Force
  • RSAF - Republic of Singapore Air Force
  • RSN - Republic of Singapore Navy
  • SA - Singapore Artillery
  • SAF - Singapore Armed Forces
  • SAFMPC - Singapore Armed Forces Military Police Command
  • SAFRA - Singapore Armed Forces Reservists' Association (Note: The term "reservist" has generally been replaced by "Operationally Ready NSmen" but it is retained here for historical reasons
  • SCC - SAF Counselling Centre
  • SCE - Singapore Combat Engineers
  • SI - Signal Institute
  • SIB - Singapore Infantry Brigade
  • SIB - Special Investigation Branch
  • SIR - Singapore Infantry Regiment
  • SISPEC - School of Infantry Specialist
  • SMI - School of Military Intelligence
  • SMM - School of Military Medicine (reorganised as SMTI in 2006)
  • SMTI - SAF Medical Training Institute
  • SOC - School of Commandos
  • SOF - Special Operations Force
  • SPT - School of Physical Training

[edit] Places

[edit] Weapons, vehicles and equipment

  • A-veh - Heavy vehicle, such as an armoured vehicle
  • APC - Armoured personnel carrier
  • AVLB - Armoured Vehicle Launched Bridge
  • B-veh - Non-"A-veh" vehicles such as rovers and trucks
  • FAD - First aid dressing
  • FBO - Full Battle Order
  • FFR - A land rover that is Fitted for Radio
  • FH - 2000 - Field Howitzer 2000
  • GPMG - General Purpose Machine Gun - refers in particular to the FN MAG used in the SAF
  • LAW - Light Anti - tank Weapon
  • LBV - Load Bearing Vest
  • LST - Landing Ship Tank
  • MOP - Medic Operational Pouch (previously Medical Orderly Pouch)
  • SAR-21 - Refers to the SAR-21 assault rifle currently in service
  • SAW - Section Assault Weapon, usually refers to Ultimax 100
  • SBO - (previously Skeletal) Standard Battle Order (see also: FBO)
  • SSPH 1 - Singapore Self - Propelled Howitzer 1 Primus

[edit] Slang

  • LOBO - Left Out of Battle Order (referring to someone who is unoccupied)
  • NATO - No Action Talk Only
  • SBC - Simply Boh Chup, (adjective) indifferent, not caring. This is a borrowed acronym of Singapore Broadcasting Corporation.
  • WALI - Walk around, look important
  • ROC - Relak One Korner

[edit] Others

  • 11B - Short for SAF 11B, which is the military identity card.
  • 1206 - Short for SAF 1206 "twelve - O - six." Form to be signed to acknowledge deductions made to payroll for damaging or losing equipment, etc.
  • ACCT - Advanced Close Combat Training
  • AI - Armoured Infantry troopers
  • AOC - Advanced Obstacle Course
  • ATP - Advanced Trainfire Package
  • Attend B - Medical status that allows soldier to perform only light duties
  • Attend C - Medical status that exempts soldier from all duties
  • AWOL - Absent Without Official Leave
  • BAC - Battle Assault Course
  • BCCT - Basic Close Combat Training
  • BER - Beyond Economic Repair
  • BIC - Battle Inoculation Course
  • BMT - Basic Military Training
  • BRO - Battalion Routine Order
  • BTP - Basic Trainfire Package
  • BUA - Built - up area (see also FIBUA)
  • C3 - Command, control & communication, or C - cube
  • CBRE - Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Explosive Defence Group
  • CIS - Chartered Industries of Singapore
  • CMTL - Centralized Motor Transport Line
  • COC - Change of Command Parade
  • CP - Command Post
  • CRO - Company Routine Orders
  • CST - Combat Survival Training
  • DB - SAF Detention Barracks
  • DIV - Division
  • DOD - Date of disruption
  • FFF - Fit For Firing certification
  • FFI - Free From Injury (apocryphal: Fit for Instruction, or Fit for Infantry; the medical evaluation performed prior to training is referred to as an FFI)
  • FIBUA - Fighting in build up area
  • FO - (slang) Fall Out (euphemism) or Fuck Off
  • FO - Forward Observer who corrects artillery fire
  • FOFO - Fighting on fortified objectives
  • GLS - Ground Logistics Support
  • HCC - High Confidence Course
  • HMG - Heavy machine gun
  • IA - Immediate Action
  • IC - In Command /In Charge
  • ICCT - Intermediate Close Combat Training
  • ICT - In Camp Training (also simply known as in - camp)
  • IFC - Individual Field Craft
  • IFV - Infantry Fighting Vehicle
  • IMT - Individual Marksmanship Trainer
  • IPPT - Individual physical proficiency test
  • L/F - Live firing
  • LOA - Letter Of Authorization
  • ORD - Operationally Ready Date
  • SOC - Standard Obstacle Course
  • SOL - Stoppage of Leave

[edit] Abbreviations in transport

As in most other major cities, abbreviations are commonly used in transport related lexicon. The most prominent are the 3-letter abbreviation of the expressways; all, except one, end with the letter "E":

With the introduction of the Electronic Monitoring and Advisory System (EMAS) in 1998, LED signboards are installed along the expressways to display warning and other informational messages to road users. This leads to greater use of abbreviations, some of which are less common and not easily understood. Examples of abbreviations used in EMAS are:[1]

  • BEDOK NTH - Bedok North Road
  • BEDOK STH - Bedok South Road
  • CCK DR - Choa Chu Kang Drive
  • TOWN HALL - Jurong Town Hall Road
  • TP AVE 10 - Tampines Ave 10
  • LT - Left
  • RT - Right
  • AFT - After
  • BEF - Before
  • LN - Lane
  • SH - Shoulder

[edit] See also

[edit] Reference

  1. ^ EMAS - Automobile Association of Singapore

[edit] External links

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org../../../l/i/s/List_of_Singapore_abbreviations_e730.html"