| N |
North; Northern; Norway; Norwegian |
| n |
name; near; negative; nephew; new; noon; north; northern; noun; number; neutral; neuter; normal |
| NA |
North America |
| n/a |
not applicable; not available |
| NAACP |
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People |
| Naafa |
North American Association for Fatness Acceptance |
| NAAFI |
Navy, Army and Air Force Institutes (also Naafi, Naffy) |
| NAB |
National Assistance Board; National Association of Broadcasters |
| NAC |
National Advisory/Anglers’/Archives Council |
| NACF |
National Art Collections Fund |
| NACRO |
National Association for the Care and Resettlement of Offenders |
| nad |
no appreciable difference; nothing abnormal detected |
| NAfr |
North Africa |
| NAFTA |
New Zealand and Australia Free Trade Agreement |
| NAGS |
National Allotments and Gardens Society |
| NAHA |
National Association of Health Authorities |
| NAI |
nonaccidental injury |
| NAI register |
national register of children considered to be at risk of abuse and injury from parents or guardians |
| NALGO |
National and Local Government Officers’ Association |
| NAMH |
National Association for Mental Health |
| NAO |
National Audit Office |
| NAPF |
National Association of Pension Funds |
| NAPO |
National Association of Property Owners |
| nar |
narrow |
| NAS |
Noise Abatement Society |
| NASA |
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (US) |
| NASEN |
National Association for Special Educational Needs |
| NAS/UWT |
National Association of Schoolmasters/Union of Women Teachers |
| nat |
native; natural; national; nationalist |
| NATCS |
National Air Traffic Control Service |
| NATE |
National Association for the Teaching of English |
| NATFHE |
National Association of Teachers in Further and Higher Education |
| NATO |
North Atlantic Treaty Organisation |
| NATSOPA |
Former National Society of Operative Printers and Assistants |
| NATTKE |
Former National Association of Theatrical, Television and Kine Employees |
| NatWest |
National Westminster Bank |
| NAV |
net asset value |
| nav |
naval; navigable; navigation (also navig) |
| Nazi |
Nationahozialisten = German National Socialist Party member |
| NB, nb |
nota bene = note well; no ball (cricket) |
| NBA |
Net Book Agreement (former); National Boxing/ Basketball Association (US) |
| NBC |
National Broadcasting Company (US) |
| NBG, nbg |
no bloody good |
| NC |
National Curriculum |
| nc, n/c |
no charge |
| NCA |
National Cricket Association |
| NCB |
National Coal Board; no claim bonus |
| NCC |
Nature Conservancy Council |
| NCCL |
National Council for Civil Liberties |
| NCCVD |
National Council for Combating Venereal Diseases |
| NCO |
non-commissioned officer |
| NCP |
National Country Party (Australia) |
| NCR |
National Cash Register Company; no carbon/ copy required |
| NCU |
National Cyclists’ Union |
| NCVO |
National Council for Voluntary Organisations |
| nd |
no date (undated); not drawn; no decision |
| NDA |
National Dairymens’ Association |
| NDE |
near-death experience |
| Ndl |
Netherlands (also Neth) |
| NDP |
net domestic product |
| NDT |
non-destructive testing |
| nee |
nee = French for born (ie, Mrs Joan Smith, nee Jones, indicates that Mrs Smith’s maiden name was Jones) |
| NEA |
North East Airlines (US) |
| NEB |
National Enterprise Board; New English Bible |
| NEC |
Nippon Electrical Company (Japan) |
| NEDC |
National Economic Development Council (also Neddy, both now defunct) |
| ne’er |
never |
| neg |
negative |
| Neg |
Negro |
| nem con |
nemine contradicente = no contradictions; unanimous |
| NERC |
Natural Environment Research Council |
| NESB |
non-English speaking background (applied to some foreign immigrants in Australia) |
| NESTOR |
NEutron Source Thermal reactOR |
| net |
after all deductions (also nett) |
| Neth |
Netherlands |
| new |
neurological |
| neut |
neutral; neuter |
| NF |
National Front |
| N/f, n/f |
no funds |
| NFA |
National Federation of Anglers |
| NFL |
National Football League (US and Canada) |
| NFS |
National Fire Service; not for sale |
| NFT |
National Film Theatre, London |
| NFU |
National Farmers’ Union |
| NFUW |
National Farmers’ Union of Wales |
| NFWI |
National Federation of Womens’ Institutes |
| NFYFC |
National Federation of Young Farmers’ Clubs |
| NG |
New Guinea; National Guard (US) |
| ng |
no good; narrow gauge (railway) |
| NGA |
National Graphical Association |
| NGC |
New General Catalogue (of nebulae, galaxies and star clusters) |
| NGk |
New Greek |
| NGL |
natural gas liquids |
| NGO |
non-governmental organisation |
| NGS |
National Geographic Society |
| NHI |
National Health Insurance |
| NHK |
Nippon Hoso Kyokai = Japan Broadcasting Corporation |
| NHS |
National Health Service |
| NI |
National Insurance; Northern Ireland; News International |
| NIC |
newly industrialised country; national insurance contribution |
| NICAM |
near-instantaneous companding audio multiplex system (digital recording) |
| NIHE |
National Institute for Higher Education |
| NII |
nuclear installations inspectorate |
| NINA |
no Irish need apply |
| Nimby |
not in my backyard! |
| NIRC |
National Industrial Relations Court |
| N Ire |
Northern Ireland (also N Ir) |
| NIREX |
Nuclear Industry Radioactive Waste Disposal Executive |
| NJ |
nose job; New Jersey |
| NKr |
krone (Norwegian currency unit) |
| NKGB |
Narodny komissariat gosudar stvennoye bezopasnosti - People’s Commissariat of State Security (1943–46) |
| NKVD |
Narodny komissariat vnutrennikh del = People’s Commissariat of Internal Affairs (Soviet police 1934–46) |
| NL |
New Latin; no liability (Australia); Netherlands |
| NLF |
National Liberation Front |
| NLS |
National Library of Scotland |
| nlt |
not less than; not later than (nmt = not more than) |
| NLW |
National Library of Wales |
| nm |
nanometre; nautical mile |
| NMGC |
National Marriage Guidance Council |
| NMHA |
National Mental Health Association |
| NMR |
nuclear magnetic resonance scanner |
| NMU |
National Maritime Union |
| NNP |
net national product |
| no |
number (nos = numbers); north; northern; not out (cricket) |
| Nol |
No 1, Apsley House, Piccadilly, London, former home of the Duke of Wellington |
| No10 |
No 10, Downing Street, London, the British Prime Minister’s residence |
| nol pros |
nolle prosequi = abandonment of court action by plaintiff in civil cases (also nolle pros) |
| nom |
nomenclature; nominated; nominal |
| non res |
non-resident |
| non seq |
non sequitur = it does not follow, ie, a statement or conclusion that does not logically follow from what preceded |
| non-U |
not upper class |
| NOP |
National Opinion Poll |
| Nor |
Norway; Norwegian |
| Norm |
Norman |
| norm |
normal |
| Northants |
Northamptonshire |
| Northmb |
Northumberland |
| NORWEB |
Former North Western Electricity Board |
The answer to each of these questions is a single initial or letter from the first half of the alphabet. For answers see here.
| nos |
numbers |
| Notts |
Nottinghamshire |
| Nov |
November |
| NoW |
News of the World (Sunday newspaper) |
| NP |
Notary Public; neuropsychiatry; noun phrase |
| np |
new pence (Britain’s decimal coinage introduced in 1971); new paragraph (printing); nickel plated |
| n/p |
net proceeds (also np) |
| NPA |
National Pigeon Association; Newspaper Publishers’ Association |
| NPD |
new product development |
| NPFA |
National Playing Fields Association |
| NPK |
nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium fertiliser |
| NPL |
National Physical Laboratory |
| NPV |
net present value; no par value |
| NQU |
not quite us (social status observation) |
| nr |
near |
| NRA |
National Rifle Association |
| NRC |
Nuclear Research Council |
| NRCA |
National Retail Credit Association |
| NRF |
National Relief Fund |
| NRFL |
Northern Rugby Football League |
| NRS |
National Readership Survey |
| NRV |
net realisable value |
| NS |
Nova Scotia; nuclear ship; not satisfactory |
| NSA |
National Skating Association |
| NSAED |
non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug |
| NSB |
National Savings Bank |
| NSC |
National Safety Council |
| nsf |
not sufficient funds (also n/s, n/s/f) |
| NSFGB |
National Ski Federation of Great Britain |
| NSG |
nonstatutory guidelines (education: National Curriculum) |
| NSPCC |
National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children |
| NSU |
non-specific urethritis |
| NSW |
New South Wales |
| NT |
National Theatre, London; National Trust; Northern Territory (Australia); New Testament |
| Nth |
North; Northern |
| NTP |
normal temperature and pressure (meteorological) |
| NTS |
National Trust for Scotland |
| NTSC |
National Television System Committee (US body controlling colour television standards) |
| NTV |
Nippon Television |
| nt wt |
net weight |
| NUAAW |
National Union of Agricultural and Allied Workers |
| NUJ |
National Union of Journalists |
| num |
numerical; numeral; number |
| numis |
numismatics |
| NUM |
National Union of Mineworkers |
| NUPE |
National Union of Public Employees |
| NUR |
National Union of Railwaymen |
| NURA |
National Union of Ratepayers’ Associations |
| NUS |
National Union of Students/Seamen |