thumbnail

Three-Letter Acronyms #2

Guess these common three letter acronyms and initialisms.
Quiz by Quizmaster
Rate:
Last updated: December 21, 2019
You have not attempted this quiz yet.
First submittedApril 10, 2014
Times taken41,814
Average score54.2%
Rating4.08
4:00
Enter answer here
0
 / 24 guessed
The quiz is paused. You have remaining.
Scoring
You scored / = %
This beats or equals % of test takers also scored 100%
The average score is
Your high score is
Your fastest time is
Keep scrolling down for answers and more stats ...
Hint
Answer
LBJ's predecessor
JFK
Cash machine
ATM
Company president
CEO
Tape format that conquered Betamax
VHS
Network on which Doctor Who airs
BBC
Software for draftsmen
CAD
U.S. agency exposed by Snowden
NSA
Place between the Koreas
DMZ
Chip that is the "brain" of a computer
CPU
Effective insecticide
DDT
Currency code for the UK
GBP
Dynamite alternative
TNT
Hint
Answer
E.T.'s ship?
UFO
Promissary note
IOU
Hoppy type of beer
IPA
I will return shortly
BRB
Person captured by the enemy
POW
Bested the Luftwaffe in the Battle of Britain
RAF
Bounty, Beagle, or Pinafore, e.g.
HMS
Magic Johnson's affliction
HIV
Letters at the end of a logical proof
QED
Band with Axl Rose and Slash
GNR
Businessperson's degree (U.S.)
MBA
Angel dust
PCP
+12
Level 75
Jul 23, 2014
If we know it is E.T.'s ship, how can it be unidentified? Just thinking out loud.
+1
Level 74
Dec 22, 2015
exactly!
+3
Level 66
Mar 9, 2015
I'm urprised so few people knew QED. Take a math class!
+7
Level 77
Feb 20, 2016
I have a degree in engineering...I've taken plenty of math classes...never came across QED. Is it a programming thing?
+1
Level 74
Mar 22, 2016
Stands for "Quod erat demonstrandum" - a latin phrase that means something like "that which was to be proved", although my high school maths teacher said it was "quite easily done"
+4
Level 50
Apr 21, 2016
Nope. I don't think QED is commonly used these days. I've heard of it, but I've never seen it used academically or professionally.
+3
Level 72
Apr 26, 2016
How is that possible. I see it everywhere where there is anyone proving anything mathematically. I'm not sure how anyone could get through an engineering degree without at least coming across this. Where are you from?
+4
Level 82
May 16, 2016
QED is never used (any more) in published mathematics. Using a small square to indicate the end of a proof has been completely standard for many years now.
+3
Level 63
Jul 19, 2016
@phalocrocorax

The small square literally stands for QED, we just use the symbol for shorthand it isn't a replacement.

+1
Level 80
Dec 21, 2016
I have a degree in engineering too and we used QED in mathematics and science.
+1
Level 88
Sep 6, 2018
So that's what the [] at the end of National Geographic articles means?
+1
Level 74
Apr 29, 2021
That's the National Geographic logo...
+1
Level 86
Sep 9, 2023
Always appreciate Isle's sarcasm!!
+2
Level 83
May 24, 2016
... or a Latin lesson...
+1
Level 56
Jul 19, 2016
I missed it because in Estonian, MOTT (mida oligi tarvis tõestada) is used and I've only gone to school in Estonia.
+2
Level 47
Jul 19, 2016
We don't use this in my country. I have known Q.E.D. because it is a manga name mentioned once in mathematical magazine.
+1
Level 88
Sep 21, 2019
That's why QED was misinterpreted instead of SOS by the Titanic. The Californian thought they were proving that the angle of a ship could actually stand that high.
+2
Level 74
Dec 22, 2015
OK, I'm from the UK and started typing any TLAs for US TV networks I could think of (and plenty made up) for the Dr Who one. Facepalm!
+1
Level 75
Jul 19, 2016
Me too... should I also facepalm?
+1
Level 60
Jul 19, 2016
And me sigh.
+3
Level 56
Nov 11, 2020
Maybe it's the use of the word "network" instead of "broadcaster"?
+2
Level 75
Feb 24, 2016
Another acronym quiz where the answers aren't acronyms...
+1
Level 69
Jun 26, 2016
Which ones do you feel are not acronyms?
+7
Level 69
Jul 19, 2016
Roleybob's being pedantic about acronyms versus initialisations (unless he's one of those who plague this site and like to erroneously argue for 'abbreviations').

These answers are technically not acronyms because the three letters don't make a new word. Examples of true acronyms are 'Agents of SHIELD', 'Enter your PIN' or 'I work for NASA'. Technically, when you say each letter individually, they're initialisations. I say *technically* because English evolves - it's not like French which is officially governed. I like to use the word 'moot' as an example: everyone uses it to mean the opposite of what it actually means (a redundant point, instead of worthy of debate), progressively changing the actual definition.

People like Roleybob just like to troll to make themselves feel smarter than other jetpunkers.

+2
Level 82
Jul 19, 2016
Right. He's not trolling. If you overreact and get angry to such a comment, that's completely on you. There was nothing about what he said that should have provoked any normal person. And if you feel so insecure about your own intelligence that you feel other people making observations are bragging or trying to make themselves feel smart, that's also on you.
+8
Level 71
Jul 19, 2016
I like the way that other pedants come to the aid of pedants when they are accused of being pedantic. It's one of the amusements I find when doing Jetpunk. Being correct does not negate the act of pedantry rather it enhances it.
+4
Level 75
Feb 2, 2017
Until I started using this site I didn't even know the meaning of the word pedant. Then I realized I am one. I don't have a problem with nitpicking as long as it isn't too annoying. It keeps us on the straight and narrow.
+3
Level 88
Sep 6, 2018
The OP is being a DB.
+1
Level 75
Nov 1, 2018
Nice
+4
Level 84
Jul 19, 2016
Can I add to the pedantry (or perceived pedantry)? A "company president" can be but often is not the CEO. "Company head" or "Company leader" or "Top person in a company" would be a bit more accurate.
+3
Level 88
Sep 1, 2016
This is absolutely correct. Typically, President and CEO are separate positions. Company leader would be a good clue.
+2
Level 45
Nov 2, 2016
This is right. CEO is the chief executive. President usually is a role on the board of directors. They can be the same, but are often different. When they are the same person, the titles are usually separated, "President and CEO" - signifying further that they are not the same.
+1
Level 37
Jan 19, 2017
That's the problem with the English language; it is constantly "evolving" instead of remaining static. It is my second language and now, after almost 30 years, I am finding that words and phrases which I was taught are becoming obsolete. Ex: I was taught that when one is indoors the surface beneath your feet is called the "floor", whilst outside the correct term is "ground". Also,

I seldom hear the term "fewer than" used anymore. It has almost universally been replaced by "less than". WHY?

+1
Level 68
Feb 2, 2017
Constant evolution isn't a "problem" unique to the English language. This is a natural feature of all languages. Usage changes. New generations bend the existing language. In formal usage, there is still a distinction between using "fewer than" for countable objects and "less than" for uncountable objects. Theoretically, one should still say things like "I have fewer dollars than I used to," but "I have less money than I used to." This distinction has mostly disappeared in casual usage, and it is even losing ground in edited writing. I used to lament over this abuse of the language. It grates on my ears, but then I had to admit I was just being stodgy. The distinction doesn't really serve any useful purpose. Regarding "ground" vs "floor," you are still generally correct. What is the "incorrect" usage that you are referring to?
+2
Level 62
Jul 19, 2016
A BBA (bachelor of business administration) is also business person's degree in the US.
+1
Level 45
Jul 20, 2016
This always gets me, but the proper spelling is Promissory note with 2 Os and no As
+1
Level 76
Feb 23, 2018
Would you consider accepting MAC for "Cash machine?" It was a name brand in the Philly area that stood for Money Access Center, and as the first widespread ATMs in the area back in the '80s it became a generic term that lasted at least until the early 2000s, and still hangs on a little now (though admittedly not much). When I left central Jersey to go to college in '99, I had to retrain myself to say "ATM" instead of "MAC machine."
+3
Level 88
Sep 7, 2018
In other words....you know full well the general term in the other 99% of the country was ATM and your local company's copyrighted term has been dead even in that 1 tiny area for most of this century now, correct?
+1
Level 39
Mar 26, 2018
ander217 you are my type of person. Your comments generally gibe with the way I think
+1
Level 79
Mar 10, 2019
Aaaarrgghh I missed out the Doctor Who question, otherwise I wouldn't got it straight away!
+3
Level 56
Nov 11, 2020
PCP. I am very innocent, it seems. I thought Angel dust must be some kind of candy floss or something.
+1
Level 44
Dec 17, 2020
First thing I thought was glitter 😂🤦
+2
Level 74
Apr 29, 2021
I misread the clue as "Magic Johnson affiliation" and spent 30+ seconds thinking after trying LAL for Los Angeles Lakers.
+1
Level 75
Mar 21, 2023
HIV is the name of the virus, not the affliction, which is AIDS. It's similar with SARS-CoV2 and COVID-19. Maybe the answer can be rephrased to "Virus causing Magic Johnson's affliction"?