UKH

Just thinking about routes which are commonly know by their abbreviated names - either part of the full name or an actual abbreviations. I suspect these fall into three categories: 1 - well known classics; 2 - local classics (not necessarily great routes but regularly done); and 3 - routes with very long names. There must be loads but I can’t think of many off hand.

1 - Prophesy, Lord, The Corner (not to be confused with the route actually called The Corner…), The Dervish, Conan, Dream / DOWH, Darkinbad, Beast, Rockers (do people use this and perhaps one for the third category as not very well known?), Mortlock’s.

Dream is interesting in that it’s used to refer to two different classic routes but hardly anyone does or refers to the original Dream which forms part of one of those two routes; plus there are two reasonably / vaguely known other routes with longish names which include Dream but as far as I know no one refers to them as Dream…

2 - Consenting. Must be loads of obscure local routes in this  category. Probably Krapp’s?

3 - Clive Coolhead, Mohammed / Mohammed the Mad Monk.

NTBTA springs to mind

Not to be Taken Away (f6C)

Category 4 - routes that are an abbreviation, e.g. WYSIWYG (7b+)

'Hamish Teddy's Excellent Adventure' at Dunkeld, Upper Cave is usually just known as 'Ted's'.

Hamish Teddy's Excellent Adventure (7b+)

A matched pair:

Bludgers Revelation (HVS 5a)

Bludger's

Lecher's Superstition (E2 5c)

Lecher's

Tons of routes are abbreviated to make chat easier. Not that many are initialised I don't think, at least to the extent that folk would immediately recognise them. There's DOWH as you say, also TPS.

You forgot TPS - which is ABA; abbreviated by argument 

Damn, beaten by less than a minute 

I've more often heard it referred to as 'Hamish Ted's', but it's certainly a good example.

I wonder if the more times you do or try a route,  the more curt the abbreviation!

Indecent 

Some are only shortened a little, such as Agag's (groove) or Point five (gully).

If you shorten some, you lose some of the fun, such as shortening "Shit happens" to SH, although it would allow discussion in more polite company, in that particular case.

Similarly, Botterill's, or Jones' Direct, Hargreave's, or Scrattling.

What about CB? I find that one a bit annoying.

Add Shib to make it a trio.

When I climbed The Dream in the Great Zawn in 1980 the final crack above the little roof (where Liberator goes right) was covered in lichen and the crack wasn't visible. Only after frigging about trying to go slightly left did I spot it. It was a fitting finale to the route but did not have the wow factor that the Liberator finish has but it is still worthwhile.

Yeah was thinking of WYSIWYG. Any other actual abbreviations out there?

From Classic Rock (though I first heard this story from my father who knew Macphee personally) :-

"The crux moves of Moss Ghyll Grooves (VS 4c) were considered irreversible before, in 1928, a party comprising L H Pollitt, H G Knight and G G Macphee made the first descent, with Macphee leading from the rear. The chief motivation was Macphee's desire to make the succinct entry MGG ↓ GGM in the Brackenclose log book."

Of course.

Do people commonly refer to Overnite? I’ve seen that but perhaps a Malham regular could confirm. 

Think The Dream has a slightly different start as well? That final crack is definitely visible but not well travelled. One for the crag connoisseur. 

NMWSBW used to be used for Not Much Weak Stack Battered or What? (E4 6b)

And CB of course

GMB (E5 6a)

It stands for George Mackay Brown, a celebrated author from Orkney, who died shortly before we climbed the route.

All the locals call W (HVS 5a) 'W'

WOGS at Chudleigh, if you believe that tale. 

I presume M.G.C. (E2 5c) but wouldn't be able to tell you what it stands for.

Manchester Gritstone Club

Isn't P.M.C.1  https://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/crags/curbar_edge-21/pmc1-11076 short for something mountaineering club 1 ?

Polaris, according to the guidebook.

Yes, always Overnite.

At the same crag there's The Oak (Austrian Oak) and Baboo (Baboo-Baboo). I think McClure said when he named Fixation that he went for one-word names because anything longer would inevitably be abbreviated anyway.

Also, Frankie (Frankie Comes to Kilnsey).

Lord of the Flies (E6 6a) often gets shortened to 'Lord'

Not To Be Abbreviated Away?

In my 'new' 1982 Stanage/Millstone guide, it describes the route as "Not Half Weak Stack Battered or What".  Something seems to be amiss, somewhere.  I notice the UKC logbook also refers to it using "Much".  Can anyone with an even older guide enlighten us as to its true name?

NIAD, albeit this also states how fast (to an extent) you climbed it… or try to climb.

for Roaches aficionado's its known simply as Mauds (Garden) and one from Classic rock WotW for Will o' the Wisp at Craig Cywarch

Also the Corner & the Gates nearby..

Crags also incl. Cloggy, the Moch, and locally we have Chudders!

Wasn't it an Andy Barker route? In which case the 82 guide is probably the first it was in. He went through a phase of nonsensical names.

I certainly remember it as 'Half' from around the time it was done.

What about The Whoremistress (E4 6a) - originally "The Whoremistresess' Clitoris Warner" - but I believe the SMC were unimpressed.

DRI (E6 6a)

An apt name.

In Australia?

'Punks' for Punks In The Gym, Mt Arapiles

'Angels' for Where Angels Fear To Tread, Mt Buffalo

'Ozy' for Ozymandias Direct, Mt Buffalo

'Flight' for Flight of the Phoenix, Warrumbungles

'The Tote' for The Totem Pole, Tasmania, whichever route

'The Blade' for the Blade Ridge/NW Face Route on Federation Peak, Tasmania

and I've heard a few abbreviations for this one, not surprisingly: https://www.thecrag.com/en/climbing/australia/nowra/the-grotto-cliffline/ro... 

TIFS (E6 6b)

A nice warm fuzzy feeling for the first person to name what this stands for.

Empire at Ansteys

Has "One Step" for One Step in the Clouds been mentioned? https://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/crags/craig_bwlch_y_moch_tremadog-221/#o...

Two ready abbreviated  North Wales routes, W.O.B. (while others bathed) and LMH (Lady Margaret Hall)

Trump is fecking stupid?

Ha, that would probably be better!

Is it a play on the names of the first ascensionists, Ian Taylor and Tess Fryer?

That made me think of GBH (E2 5c)

LBJ

Odd one that. I've used "LBJ" as short for Little Brown Jug at Bosigran. But "LBJ" is (as you probably know) the correct guidebook name for a similarly good (but shorter) VS at Craig Coetan. In the latter case I'd presumed it referred to the US President.

Martin

Ivy Sep.

Little Cham.

Places:

Cham.

Dollies

The valley

Eldo(?)

FATD on Millstone. Various opinions on what it is an abbreviation of. (F..k All To Do is the popular one, because the first ascensionist was bored and someone asked their problem. They then got up and lead it!)

Can't believe no one's mentioned 3PS...

TPS was mentioned above. I think that’s more common. 

Doh! I searched "3PS" before replying, didn't think of that. Any idea what grade it is though?

Hard Very Severe. Bit of a mouthful, I know; if only there was some sort of contracted form!

I was going to say The Invisible Fist for The Invisible Fist (26), but it's actual name is The Invisible Fist Of Professor Hidditch Smidditch

I have been wondering about MPP (HVS 5a) on Dinas Mot in the Pass for decades. What does MPP stand for??

Thought it was 'micro-pecision product'; like a rurp.

FBD, is a classic one.

Camera.

As is CMC slab...

There’s also the Mot and the Cromlech of course.

Thanks for that! Good to know 

Nope, and actually Pedro50 got 2 of the words right. TIFS - This Is F**king Scotland.

I believe it's a retort to those complaining about rain, greasy conditions etc - "This is f**king Scotland, mate" 

Ha. Brilliant. Thanks for that.