World War II abbreviations
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
World War II was made a nightmare for those taking part by the habit of contracting all official names into initials which formed words easily remembered but seldom understood.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “World War II abbreviations” mean?
World War II was made a nightmare for those taking part by the habit of contracting all official names into initials which formed words easily remembered but seldom understood.
Is “World War II abbreviations” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.