Word of the day, 6th March 2015

“What does ‘TBA’ mean?” I was asked.
So the word for today is not a word, but a few related TLAs.

TLA = “Three Letter Acronym”.

Acronym /ˈakrənɪm/ (noun)
an abbreviation formed from the initial letters of other words
(e.g. HEPA, IKEA, LASER; HTTP, TVM, BRB).

TBA = To Be Arranged
TBD = To Be Decided
TBC = To Be Confirmed

You would usually see these particular acronyms in an advert or invitation to an event or meeting, when some of the details are not yet known by the organiser – perhaps because they are giving advance notice about the event.

They are usually written down; they are rarely spoken in this form.

For example, if someone has planned a party, but has not yet been able to book a venue for it, you might see “Venue: TBA”

All three of these basically mean the same thing to the reader (something is not known) and people often use them interchangeably, though there is a subtle difference that may or may not be implied by the writer of the advert / organiser of the event (depending on whether they use them correctly).

TBA quite literally means that the organiser still needs to arrange something, probably with a third party, (the venue, for example), which is why they don’t know yet.

TBD implies that it is the organiser who needs to decide (perhaps internally within the company).  Maybe they have a choice of venue or days, for example.

TBC is usually accompanied by some information – for example, a time: 7pm TBC.
In other words the organiser has decided (more or less) on the details (that they want) but this might change depending on circumstances.  Perhaps this is the time or place they want, but there is some uncertainty about whether they will be able to book it.

So, with that, I shall say that the word for Saturday is TBD.
How long I continue this “Word for the Day“, and whether it can remain in this format, is TBC.  I am not sure I can continue to expend so much effort on it.  🙁

Anyway, that leaves me with a “bonus word” for you:

expend /ɛkˈspɛnd/
– to spend or use up (a resource such as money or energy).

Have a good day. 🙂