Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

BMO · Joined: 19 Feb 2004 Posts: 705

A is for apple, V is for victory. Is this the same as:

A represents apples, and V represents victory?

Thanks.

bmo

pugachevV · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Posts: 2295

Yes it means that.
There is a phonetic alphabet in use by the military (NATO) and radio amateurs that uses words to confirm the spelling of unusual names etc., to remove all ambiguity.
If you want to spell dog, using the phonetic alphabet, you say, "Delta, Oscar, Golf." The person on the receiving end takes the first letter of each of those words and uses them to spell the word.

The phonetic alphabet currently in use is: Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, Delta, Echo, Foxtrot, Golf, Hotel, India, Juliet, Kilo, Lima, Mike, November, Oscar, Papa, Quebec, Romeo, Sierra, Tango, Uniform, Victor, Whiskey, X-ray, Zulu.

BMO · Joined: 19 Feb 2004 Posts: 705

Thanks a lot. This is very helful. For those who like to know what Y is, it is Yankee, I saw it in some website using info given here by pugachevV.

bmo

Blossom · Joined: 30 May 2005 Posts: 291 Location: Beijing China

Ah! But I am told A for 'orses, V for La france. (LOL)

Does anyone know this old joke alphabet?

Bob S. · Joined: 29 Apr 2004 Posts: 1767 Location: So. Cal

Blossom · Joined: 30 May 2005 Posts: 291 Location: Beijing China

My English teacher taught me this alphabet many years ago when we were talking about pronunciation.

A for 'orses
B for mutton

F for vesence
I for Novello
J for oranges
K for Ances
L for leather
M for sis
N for Bonnie Annie Laurie (song)
O for the garden wall

Q for a rail ticket
R for mo

U for ates
V for la France
W for quits
X for breakfast
Y for sweetheart

I remember these very well. They amused me.

Vin21 · Joined: 18 Jul 2005 Posts: 132

This is my fist time I know *beep* Alphabet,I found this,it's really interesting.

---------------------------------
A for Horses (Hay for Horses) A for ism (aphorism) A for gardener (Ava Gardner, film star)

B for mutton (Beef or Mutton) B for my time (Before my time) B for tea (beef tea) B for dinner (beef for dinner)

C for islanders (Seaforth Highlanders) C for yourself (See for yourself); C for Sailors (sea for sailors) C for ships, C for miles (see for miles) C for looking (see for looking)

D for ential (deferential/differential) D for dumb (deaf or dumb) D for Kate - defecate) D for n' baker (Diefenbaker, Canadian prime minister) D for rent (different)

E for brick (heave a brick) E for Adam (Eve or Adam) E for Gabor (Eva Gabor) E for Ning Standard (Evening Standard) E for you or me (either you or me) E for Braun (Eva Braun) E for knocks you rotten (Ether...) or E for Gas (Ether gas)

F for vescence (effervescence) F for lump (efferlump)

G for police (chief of police), G for get it (Gee, forget it!) G for screepers (Geefers creepers, where d'you get those peepers) G for take (give or take) G for Staff (chief of staff) G for Sis (g-forces) or G for horse (G-force)

H for respect (age for respect) H for retirement (age for retirement) H for it (Hate you for it plus other variations on Hate you eg what ya done to me, for your feets too big (popular song of the 1940s) H for weight (Age for weight) H for teen (Age 14) H before beauty; (age before beauty) H for consent (age of consent) H for love (ache for love) H for himself (each for himself) H cheer for the winner(A cheer for the winner)

I for Novello (Ivor Novello - actor composer playwright of the 1930s) I for looting (High Faluting) I for an I (eye for an eye) I for get/got (I for get/forgot) I for nate (hyphernate) I for a needle (Eye for a needle) I for no (Ivanhoe) I for the Girls (eye for the girls) I for idea (I've an idea) I for tower (Eiffel Tower) I for idea/nasty cold (I've an idea/a nasty cold) I for a lovely bunch of coconuts I for crush (I've a crush on you) I for pain (I've a pain)

J for oranges (jaffa oranges) J for dollar to spare (Do you have a dollar...)

K for answers (Kay Francis, American film star of the 1930s and 40s) K for oranges/limes (Kaffir oranges/limes) K for teria (cafeteria) K for a cuppa (Care for a cuppa) K for Kraal (Kaffir Kraal - now politically incorrect) K for warriors (Kaffir warriors - Zulu army) K for coffee (Cafe for coffee) K for butter (Copha butter) K for Corn (Kaffir Corn) K for Restaurant (Cafe or Restaurant) K for the door (key for the door) K for dates (Kaifa)

L for leather (Hell for leather)

M for sis (emphasis) M for sema (emphysema) M forces (armed forces)

N for a dig (Infra dig/ In for a dig - ie. bat at cricket) N for lope (envelope) N for eggs (Hen for eggs) N for mation (information) N for end (end-for-end) N for a penny (In for a penny...) N for it (In for it) N for pasha (Enver Pasha, a Turkish leader) N forcement (enforcement), N for red (infrared) N for terrible (enfant terrible)

O for the garden wall (Over the garden wall) O for my dead body/ O for goodness sake//O for the wings of a dove/O for the moon, O for crying out loud! O for there, O for goldmine (Ophir goldmine) O for come (overcome) O for the fence is out (Over the fence...backyard cricket term) O for an Osram; O for a nice cold beer

P for relief (Pee for relief) also P for a penny, P for yourself, P for a whistle, P for cake (Piece of Cake) P forty two (An American fighter)

Q for rations/the flicks/for fish and chips/for tickets/for a bus (Queue for..) Q for billiards (cue for billiards) Q for ills (Cure for ills) Q for a song (cue for a song)

R for mo (Half a mo') R for Bitter (half of bitter) R for skey/Daley/Murray (Arthur Askey, comedian/Arthur Daley/Arthur Murray) R for loaf (Half a loaf)

S for Williams (Esther Williams, aquatic film star) S for you (As for you/it's for you) S for anto (esperanto) S for mation (a flying formation) S for As You Go (As Far As You Go) S we have no bananas (yes, we have no bananas)

T for two (Tea for two) T for eating (Teeth for eating) T for Gums (Teeth or Gums) T for dentures (Teeth or dentures)

U for me (You for me) U for mism (euphemism) U for ear (euphoria) U for Fox (Uffa Fox, British yachtsman and boat-builder) U for films ( UFA films- a German film company) U for knee (euphony) U for age (youth or age) U for got (You forgot) U for Joyce (Yootha Joyce) U for ram (Ewe for ram) U for nasia (Euthenasia)

V for La France (Viva La France) V for l'amore (Vive l' amore) V for Espana! (Viva Espana!) V for Victory

W for a bob (I'll double you on a pushbike for a shilling) W for nothing/quits/ two hearts/trumps (Double you for nothing, quits etc - betting, gambling or poker terms) W for tune (Double Your Fortune - an old gameshow) W for cards, Could be updated to W for president

X for breakfast (Eggs for breakfast

Y for mistress (Wife or mistress) also Y for husband/girlfriend/lover/kids, Y for Christ's sake/God's sake/goodness sake?Y for runts (Y-fronts) Y for thin (wafer thin) Y for and wherefore

Z for breeze (Zephyr breeze) Z for motor car (Ford Zephyr); Z for his hat (His head for his hat)Z for the doctor (zend for the doctor)

Blossom · Joined: 30 May 2005 Posts: 291 Location: Beijing China

Nice one Vin.

Very superior. You should have been my teacher.

Vin21 · Joined: 18 Jul 2005 Posts: 132

Thanks Blossom!

iitimone7 · Joined: 09 Aug 2005 Posts: 400 Location: Indiana, USA

...i've never seen this before!! awesome! iitimone7