User:Brequinda/page004

Use the EN DASH correctly in biographies
En dashes should be used to indicate the span of time between a beginning point and an endpoint. On Wikipedia this comes up a lot in biographies, so stop doing hyphens, m-dashes, space-ndash-spaces and whatever else you punctuationally kooky types like to do, and just succumb to my will, okay? Thanks. :)

Example: Napoléon Bonaparte (15 August 1769–5 May 1821) blah blah blah tried to take over the world...

En dash code: &amp;ndash; or &amp;#150;

English
include all accents on French words (but not anglicised French words such as cafe; exception: exposé, to avoid confusion with expose), and umlauts on German words. Do not use accents on other languages. take initial cap: Aids, Isa, Mori, Unison, Nato always lc: acting prime minister, acting committee chairman not adaption do not use a hyphen between an adverb and the adjective it modifies: a hotly disputed penalty, a constantly evolving newspaper, genetically modified food, etc. not airplane (in British English) to make worse, not to annoy use before or in advance of (unless talking about a race) plural aides-memoire being somewhere else; not synonymous with excuse is right; alright is not all right strictly, a choice between two courses of action; if there are more than two, option or choice may be preferred not amuck use in company names when the company does: Marks & Spencer, P&O plural analyses take action in expectation of, not synonymous with expect Plural nouns take a singular apostrophe (children's games, gentlemen's outfitter, old folk's home)
 * abscess
 * absorption
 * abysmal
 * abyss
 * accents
 * accommodate is so spelled
 * achilles heel, achilles tendon
 * acknowledgment not acknowledgement
 * acronyms
 * acting
 * adaptation
 * adverbs
 * aeroplane
 * affinity with or between, not to or for
 * aggravate
 * ahead of
 * aide-memoire
 * alibi
 * allot, allotted
 * all right
 * alternative
 * amok
 * ampersand
 * anaesthetic
 * analysis
 * analyst
 * annex verb annexe noun
 * anticipate
 * anticlimax
 * apostrophes

The possessive in words and names ending in s also takes the singular (Jones's, James's), but be guided by pronunciation and use the plural apostrophe where it helps: Mephistopheles' rather than Mephistopheles's

Use apostrophes in phrases such as 12 years' imprisonment and 200 hours' community service


 * its = belonging to it
 * it's = it is, it has
 * judgment not judgement

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application assembler someone who builds a Pos application from the components stored in the object repository. The assembler is also responsible for configuring and testing that the application is not DOA.

application builder tool for assembling and maintaining Pos applications. It supports a repository of application objects, and enables application assemblers to select and edit these objects. application builder set-up page

application developer someone who writes new components, in order to extend the functions provided by the application. The new components are added to the repository (From BeanStore Business Requirements glossary)

application developer environment (ADE) set of tools for developing new application components; see also application developer

ARTS Association for Retail Technology Standards

asp - Active server pages - a Windows improvement on C G I.

assisted sale (Dixons project)

audit trail (Dixons project) complete details of a previously recorded transaction, or transactions

AWT (Java) abstract windowing toolkit

=B=

back office system (Bos) a software product designed to manage data for a Pos system. see also BOS

Banking Information Control System (BICS) (Dixons project) a system to reconcile the declared bankings (by a branch) with actual value recorded by the banks.

bar code (Dixons project) a physical label attached to a product's packaging detailing key, core information. A bar code hierarchy can exist for all components that make up a physical package. E.g. a product may arrive at a warehouse as a pack of five in one box. See Barcodes.

Blob (acronym) binary large object

BOS see branch operating statement

Bos (acronym) see back office system

BPU (Dixons project acronym) see branch purchasing unit

branch (Dixons project) an outlet belonging to a particular chain with one or more associated sales channels.

branch invoice (BI) (Dixons project) consignment of branch stock products that are delivered to a branch from an external warehouse (e.g. national distribution centre or local distribution centre)

branch operating statement (BOS) (Dixons project) centrally produced report issued to all Managers at the end of each four-week period which outlines the performance of the branch against budgets

branch purchasing unit (BPU) (Dixons project) department in Stevenage responsible for ordering CSO products direct from the manufacturer

branch systems development program BSDP Dixons program into which various projects fall

brand (Dixons project) the 'badge' associated with a particular supplier or manufacturer that is used to identify their terms (usually products). Often the brand will be the name of the supplier or manufacturer.

British Retail Consortium (Dixons project)

brown goods (Dixons project) products such as TVs, VCRs, DVDs, hi-fis, personal stereos, etc.

BSDP (Dixons project acronym) see branch systems development program

=C=

CAB (Dixons project acronym) see customer advice bonus

cache noun pronunciation: k&#230;&#643; Etymology: French, from cacher to press, hide.
 * 1) a : a hiding place especially for concealing and preserving provisions or implements b : a secure place of storage
 * : something hidden or stored in a cache
 * : a computer memory with very short access time used for storage of frequently used instructions or data -- called also cache memory.

CAT (Dixons project) see central architecture team

CCTV (Dixons project) closed circuit television (not close circuit)

central architecture team (CAT) (Dixons project) Dixons team co-ordinating the design of all applications

C G I - Common Gateway Interface - scripts used to generate dynamic contenet on web pages

chain (Dixons project) a branded collection of sales channels with its own identity and target customer base, e.g. Dixons, PCW, Currys, The Link

channel (Dixons project) the medium through which items are marketed and sold to customers

Cincinnati - city in Ohio, USA

As we have an office there, it's worth getting it spelt correctly.

class path see Class path page

commit, committed, committing, committee Watch spelling

communications on-line (COOL) (Dixons project) an intranet system used to communicate information from head office to stores. Holds information relating to planograms, new products or services, new promotions, etc.

COOL (Dixons project acronym) see communications on-line

CoverPlan (Dixons project) service agreement to provide protection against theft, mechanical failure and electrical failure

credence

CSO (Dixons project) see customer special order

customer advice bonus (CAB) (Dixons project) incentives paid to sales people against sales of specific products usually sponsored by manufacturers

customer contact centre (call centre) (Dixons project) department based in Sheffield, providing after-sales telephone support to customers

customer counter (Dixons project) customer counter mechanism attached to the entrance to all stores. The customer data are used with the sales and staff figures (entered by the hour) to calculate a conversion rate per hour

customer display displays transaction information to the customer; for example, item prices; the payment due and the payment details entered into the Pos terminal (from the BeanStore Business Requirements glossary)

customer special order (CSO) (Dixons project) when a customer requires a product we do not normally stock, or can only get hold of by ordering direct from the manufacturer. A 100% CSO deposit is taken and the stock ordered via BPU.

customer world see Datafit Customer World

=D=

daily balance summary of all tenders received and given for the day for all tills

Darwin domain on a Dixons E10000

data are plural. There is overwhelming use of the word as a singular noun, though, particularly in computing contexts!

Datafit the company that became PCMS Datafit. Read some history here.

Datafit Customer World set of tools and techniquesfor constructing 'customer-facing' applications. These applications combine knowledge about the customer with knowledge about available products in order to give those customers automated advice about which products best meet their requirements. (from BeanStore Business Requirements glossary)

dialog, dialogue In computer programming contexts, the American spelling has now come to be associated with the particular form of user interface. However, in other contexts, e.g. when writing user prompts, the English spelling 'dialogue' should be used.

direct home delivery (Dixons project) products that are available (and delivered) directly from the manufacturer, and are recognised by our [Dixons'] system

discontinued line (Dixons project) set of items that is no longer to be sold throughout particular sales channels once the existing stock has been sold

DMA direct memory access

DNS - marries domain names to IP addresses. See Huntingdon DNS.

DSG Dixons Stores Group plc

dual pricing (Dixons project) the ability to charge different prices within the same channel, across different business units

dynamic contenet - web page content developed in real time

=E=

EAN European Article Numbering. A standard that describes the format to be used when numbering items in a store (from BeanStore Business Requirements glossary)

Ear "enterprise archive" - essentially a generic support packaging entire set of components (i.e. different War files and Jar files) of an application

Easylink (Dixons project) an in-store system used by customers, with assistance from staff, to select mobile phone tariffs and handsets based on a questionnaire completed by the customer

Easypay (Dixons project) A payment method for CoverPlan whereby the customer pays a £10 deposit per Coverplan purchased and then pays the remaining amount either by direct debit from his bank account or via his credit card account. The amount is split into 10 equal payments. Interest is not charged.

effectively not a synonym for in effect

"The Blair campaign was launched effectively in 1992" means the intended effect was achieved; "The Blair campaign was in effect launched in 1992" means this was not the official launch, but the event described did have the effect of launching it, whether intended or not.

The word 'effectively', often misused, is also overused, and can often be omitted.

EFT electronic funds transfer. Customers' accounts are adjusted at the point of sale; see also OLA (from BeanStore Business Requirements glossary)

e.g. The Guardian suggests no full points, on the ground of saving copy space, I presume. Using points is right, as this is an abbreviation. Better still, eliminate Latin and write 'for example' instead.

EJ see electronic journal

EJB Enterprise Java Bean - see the book referred to on the Java page

electronic journal (EJ) the electronic journal is a faithful record of all activity at the point of sale. It replaces a paper journal or audit roll. See virtual receipt (from BeanStore Business Requirements glossary)

email no hyphen (but e-commerce)

end of line stock products that are soon to be discontinued

Enterprise Order Management System (Dixons project) order management component to be used by all areas of the business; not yet developed

exchanged product (Dixons project) product that has been opened, possibly used and then subsequently returned by the customer due to a fault of change of mind. These need to be identified and highlighted to the customer at resale of the product

=F=

fat client a Pos terminal based on a computer with a hard disk and sufficient memory to store some PLU and transaction data. It gives the Pos terminal a greater degree of resilience and independence from the mid-office server than is possible with network computers

FGEP (Dixons project acronym) see fully guaranteed exchanged product

form of payment also known as 'payment media' method of paying for goods at the point of sale, such as cash, cheque or card

FTE (Dixons project acronym) full time equivalent member of staff

fully guaranteed exchanged product (FGEP) (Dixons project) there was no definition for this in the Requirements Link Pilot Project Glossary document

=G=

gambit an opening strategy that involves some sacrifice or concession; so to talk of an opening gambit is tautologous - an opening ploy might be better

gameplan

Great Britain England, Wales and Scotland. If you want to include Northern Ireland, use Britain or UK

greenfield site one that has not been built on before; one that has been built on before is a brownfield site

=H=

Halo (acronym from BeanStore Business Requirements) high amount lock out - the highest price at which an item can be sold. cf. Lalo

hand-held device (HHD) (Dixons project) portable computer gadget for doing stock takes, barcode scanning, etc.

HASAWA The Health And Safety At Work Act (1974). (Six further regulations came into force in 1993) See Health and Safety pages on PKB.

head office cheque refund method whereby a cheque is raised by Head Office for the value of the refund. Usually used where the original payment method was cheque, the transaction took place on a previous trading day or the funds for the cheque have not yet cleared.

held for audit (Dixons project) stock category for products that have a stock discrepancy, i.e. where the branch stock quantity held on the system is different to the physical stock quantity in the branch. The held for audit stock quantity is positive when the physical quantity is greater than the system quantity, or negative when the system quantity is greater than the physical quantity.

HHD (Dixons project acronym) see hand-held device

HTTP commands - Thse are head, get, post, put, delete, trace, options, connect.

=I=

IDE (acronym) integrated development environment

IMEI (Dixons project) Unique identifier for mobile phones and network identification

impaler as in, "Vlad the Impaler" - not impailer (which would imply he put his victims in a bucket.)

impractical possible in theory but not in reality

impracticable not workable; a plan that has been put into practice and has failed

inchoate just beginning or undeveloped, not chaotic or disorderly

infinitive, split "The English-speaking world may be divided into (1) those who neither know nor care what a split infinitive is; (2) those who do not know, but care very much; (3) those who know and condemn; (4) those who know and distinguish. Those who neither know nor care are the vast majority, and are happy folk, to be envied" HW Fowler, Modern English Usage, 1926

It is perfectly acceptable to sensibly split infinitives, though to always do so may sound inelegant - so use common sense. And remember George Bernard Shaw's reaction after an editor tinkered with his infinitives: "I don't care if he is made to go quickly, or to quickly go - but go he must!"

IRQ interrupt request

IRS (Dixons project) in-store repair shop Repair logging system for repairs brought into the branch (customers and stock) and overflows from the Service Centres, performed by Mastercare engineers. The IRS system also allows for the transfer of stock to and from the IRS.

issue log (Dixons project) all questions, change requests and reported difficulties in meeting customer requirements. The Project Manager will own this document

Itellium German distributor. See Karstadt project page.

=J=

J2EE The Java 2 Platform, Enterprise Edition This is a specification from Sun Microsystems to provide a platform-independent, portable, multi-user, secure, and standard enterprise-class platform for server-side deployments written in the Java language.

Jakarta Project manages all of the Java-specific projects owned by the Apache Software Foundation - Tomcat, ant, log4j error logging tool and Struts library.

Jar "Java archive" - a file format that enables you to bundle multiple files into a single archive file. Typically a Jar file will contain the class files and auxiliary resources associated with applets and application

JDBC (Java acronym) A tradename (by analogy with ODBC) - a standard interface for developing Java applications that can be run against any database management system supporting JDBC

JDK Java Development Kit

JMX Java Management Extension JMX is a J2EE API for monitoring a deployment. If your EJB server supports JMX, you can write an application that monitors your EJB server. Your application could set properties in your EJB server as well, such as modifying the current thread pool, redeploying an EJB component, and so on. If you wish to write an application that performs advanced monitoring or control over your EJB deployment, JMX is the way to go.

Joram a message queueing system in the BeanStore server

JPOS (BeanStore Business Requirements acronym) Java Pos. A JPOS interface and JPOS-to-OPOS bridge enable BeanStore (TM) applications to work with OPOS devices in a Microsoft (R) Windows (TM) 32-bit environment

JSP statements - these are enclosed by &lt; % and % &gt;

=K=

Karstadt one of the largest retailers in Germany

Kiosk (Dixons project) Customer self-service and information point.

KPIs (Dixons project) key performance indicators

=L=

Lalo (acronym from BeanStore Business Requirements) low amount lock out - the lowest price at which an item can be sold. cf. Halo

Lan (acronym) Local Area Network

lay - transitive verb do not confuse with lie to lay something, e.g. today I lay bricks; yesterday I laid bricks; I have laid bricks.

LDC (Dixons Project) Local Distribution Centre A warehouse where deliveries can be booked via the branch system within a specific geographical area, during the sales process. Holds white goods and certain brown goods such as large screen TVs and PCs. It is also possible to book a variety of delivery, collection and installation services via the LDC.

less/fewer less means less in quantity, e.g. less money fewer means smaller in number, e.g. fewer coins

liaison

licence noun; license verb

lie - intransitive verb do not confuse with lay to lie (i.e. to rest extended on the ground, a bed, etc, in a horizontal position) I lie on my bed; yesterday I lay on my bed; I have lain on my bed

linked product (Dixons project) Coverplan, essentials, services, offers.

log4j See the log4j documentation (in pdf format)

=M=

magnetic stripe reader (MSR)

mandate permission to remove funds from bank or credit accounts

mandatory pronunciation: 'm&#230;nd&#601;t&#601;ri in British English, with stress on the first syllable.

manoeuvre, manoeuvring

Mastercare (Dixons project) The service division of Dixons Stores Group

media plural of medium: the media are sex-obsessed, etc; but medium spiritualist; plural mediums. The great-grandparents of BeanStore invented a construct called "a media" (see payment media). This has become hard-wired into code and thinking together with the more deplorable plural "medias." This causes problems when the confusion overflows into the user interface.

meet, met not meet with, met with someone

message facade partitions logic for asynchronous use cases.

mileage

millenary, millennium, millennia

millinery women's apparel for the head

minimum plural minima

minuscule not miniscule

MLT A WTR TLA meaning main-line till (not a specialized till)

MSR(BeanStore Business Requirements acronym) see magnetic stripe reader

Multibuy (Dixons project) process allowing pre-defined discounts on certain products. Currently the Dixons computer system operates so that Multibuy attributes are set against the relevant product codes to allow automatic discount processing at the till should the criteria of the deal be met.

=N=

national currency unit(NCU)

national distribution centre (NDC) (Dixons project) warehouse, holding products to be distributed nationally

naught nothing; nought the figure 0

NCU (Dixons project acronym) see national currency unit

NDC (Dixons project acronym) see national distribution centre

next week use "on Tuesday, on Saturday" etc up to the end of the week you are writing in; for the following week, say "next Tuesday" etc; if necessary to clarify, include the date

NMP (Dixons project) the system used by the non-merchandising purchasing departments

no plural noes

none takes singular verb: none is, not none are

none the less

north north London, north-east England, the north-west: all lc

nucleus system third party stock audit system that is run on stock audit lap-top PCs. The system is used to record count information during a stock audit

=O=

OAS Oracle Application Server

OEM Oracle Enterprise Manager

OLA on-line authorisation of credit cards. Credit card transaction details are passed for authorisation to the company that processes card payments. Customers' accounts are not altered at this time; see also EFT

only should stand next to the word(s) qualified: I have only one ambition, not I only have one ambition

OO object oriented (not 'orientated') - as in 'object-oriented design' or 'object-oriented programming language'

outfit code a product code, which contains component codes, making up the outfit.

=P=

panel, panelled, panelling

PAR (Dixons acronym) personnel absence returns

parked (Dixons project) transaction that can be stored on the [Repos] system

Partmaster department within Mastercare, providing spare parts for both Mastercare and direct to customers

password

payback, payday, payout

payment media (from BeanStore Business Requirements) (also known as form of payment) a method of paying for goods at the point of sale, such as cash, cheque or card. See media.

PC Clinic (Dixons project) area within a PC World store, dealing with PC related service jobs

PC Service (Dixons project) service division dealing specifically with PC related products

PC World Business Centre (Dixons project) area within a PC World store dealing specifically with business customers. PC World Business Direct is the central telesales division dealing with business customers

PDA (Dixons project) personal digital assistance, i.e. an HHD.

PDT (Dixons project acronym) see portable data terminal

peak (Dixons project) period of the year during which sales volumes are at their highest (typically Oct-Jan)

per avoid. Use English! "She earns £30,000 a year" is better than "per year". If you must use it, the Latin preposition is followed by another Latin word, e.g. per capita, not per head. Exception: miles per hour, abbreviation mph.

percentage rises an increase from 3% to 5% is a 2 percentage point increase or a 2-point increase, not a 2% increase.

permissible

permanent employee (Dixons project) employee who is paid a fixed salary on a four-weekly basis

perpetual inventory (PI) (Dixons project) PDT stock audit, initiated by branch management and performed by branch staff

personnel absence returns (PAR) system to administer the capture of time and attendance related information for maintenance of the central Payroll and Personnel databases

persons no! They are people. (Can you imagine Barbra Streisand singing "Persons who need persons"?)

planogram diagram definition of the store layout of products

plaster of paris

PLU 1. price look-up unit - acronym. E.g. what's the PLU code for this stock item? Spell and pronounce in capitals. (Carelessness with this one leads to the word 'plus' appearing.) 2. (Dixons project) price look up file downloaded from the mainframe to the Repos system

portable data terminal (PDT) (Dixons project) another name for the hand-held device

Pos A BeanStore software product for retail outlets' point of sale; also a generic term for point of sale software (not to mention other things associated with point of sale, e.g. price labels)

postcode

PPI "primary Pos interaction" A Pos application object that delivers functionality such as item sale, total, or cash tender in response to an external event at a Pos terminal, for example when the operator presses a motor key.

prescribe, prescriptive to lay down a rule

prevaricate "to speak or act falsely with intent to deceive" (Collins); often confused with procrastinate, to put something off.

principal first in importance; principle standard of conduct

prodigal wasteful or extravagant, not a returned wanderer; the confusion arises from the biblical parable of the prodigal son

product merges (Dixons project) a process that occurs within the stock system to merge the stock of one product code onto the stock of another

profile a noun, not a verb

program computer; otherwise programme

proscribe, proscriptive 1 : To publish the name of as condemned to death with the property of the condemned forfeit to the state. 2 : To condemn or forbid as harmful or unlawful. do not confuse with prescribe, prescriptive.

PTF Priority temporary fix - a euphemistic acronym for a software patch. See the release section on the BeanStore page.

publicly not publically

purchase (says the Guardian style guide:)as a noun, perhaps, but use buy as a verb.

=Q=

QA - (acronym) quality assurance (used for department name in PCMS)

QAS Quick Address Software. See QAS PKWiki page.

Queen's College Oxford

Queens' College Cambridge

queueing not queuing

=R=

referral (Dixons project) status of a credit application, which has not been accepted immediately and is awaiting further checks from the credit provider

repair despatch summary (Dixons project) summary of products to be sent for repair

repair destination code (Dixons project) an attribute against each product code, indicating the return and repair policy

repos Abbreviation of 'repository' for the Oracle repository at Coventry. Do not confuse with Dixons "Repos"

Repos (Dixons project) current store system (incorporating sales and support functionality)

risk (Dixons project) anything that causes the project to end in such a way that it does not fully meet its identified targets and objectives

RITA (Dixons project acronym) retail in the airport - the DSG name for all branches trading in the duty free zones of airports

roundel (Dixons project) sticky label containing promotion and price information

=S=

Sainsbury's for the stores; the company's name is J Sainsbury plc

saleable

SALT transaction (Dixons project) a transaction where the incorrect stock location has been used, thereby causing a stock discrepancy

seasons spring, summer, autumn, winter - all lower case

seize not sieze

SEL (Dixons project acronym) see shelf edge label

self-assisted sale (Dixons project) sale not involving a meember of staff

services (Dixons project) set of transaction types where an actual product is not sold. E.g, Coverplan, delivery and installation services, mobile phone services, etc.

servlet a Java class used to extend capabilities that hosts applications access via a request - response programming model ( e. g. http request model).

session facade - Design pattern used to provide separate elements in MVC.

shelf edge label (SEL) (Dixons project) term for price tickets that each product is displayed with; includes deal and product information

Sku is an acronym for 'stock keeping unit'. There is a table in the BeanStore database called SKU for holding Skus. See also PLU.

skunk works small and usually isolated department or facility (as for engineering research and development) that functions with minimal supervision within a company or corporation. Etymology: from the Skonk Works, illicit distillery in the comic strip Li'l Abner by Al Capp Date: circa 1974

supersede not supercede

=T=

taglib - before using a custome tag in JSP, a page must specify the loacation of of the tag library description that define the tag.

TCPIP Transmission Control Protocol Internet Protocol

ticket (Dixons project) see shelf edge label

ticketing (Dixons project) shelf edge label containing product code, product description, product price and merchandising slogans

TIMS (Dixons project) training information management system

TLA three-letter acronym

Toad 'tool for Oracle application developers', a commercial database client application (also available as 'Free Toad'). Click to go to the Toad page

Tonga domain on a Dixons E10000

transaction number (Dixons project) a four-digit number that is assigned to a transaction. The transaction number is part of a composite key used to identify uniquely each transaction. The other parts of the composite key are the till/terminal number on which the transaction was performed, and the transaction date stamp. It is viewed by the store staff as a six-digit number

transfer (TN) (Dixons project) movement of a branch stock product from one DSG location to another

=U=

UAT (acronym) User Acceptance Testing

UML (acronym) Unified Modeling Language UML is the de facto standard methodology for illustrating software engineering concepts in an unambiguous way. If you don't know UML, pick up a copy of The Unified Modeling Language User Guide (Addison-Wesley, ISBN 0201571684), which illustrates how to use UML in your everyday software effectively. UML Is a highly important achievement in OO methodology.

URL Uniform Resource Locator The "address" or location of a Web site or other Internet service, e.g. http://www.pcmsgroup.com.

use case (Dixons project) a specification which relates to business requirements and describes procedurally the behaviour of one aspect of required functionality.

complete course of events initiated by a [user of the future system] and [of] the interaction between [the user] and the system.

Jacobson, 1992. Object-Oriented Software Engineering: A Use Case Driven Approach, Addison-Wesley, Wokingham (England). p. 154

=V=

VBS Vision BeanStore

virtual receipt (Dixons project) receipt for goods or services displayed on the system screen awaiting confirmation of a transaction. This is the Dixons name for what BeanStore historically has called the electronic journal

virtual warehouse (Dixons project) deliveries direct from the manufacturer using the DSG charging mechanism

virtual machine (VM) Java application that runs Java code while on top of the operating system and thus keeps the application O.S. independent

Vision Maintenance See the Vision Maintenance page

VM An acronym meaning one of the following:

* Vision Maintenance * Virtual Machine * Virtual Memory

VNC See Virtual Network Computing.

Vodafone (Dixons project) not Vodaphone or vodafone

=W=

W 3 C World wide web consortioum - sets standards for internet.

Wan (acronym) Wide Area Network

War (acronym) "web archive" file, essentially a generic support for packaging web applications, see also Ear

whereabouts singular: her whereabouts is not known

white goods (Dixons project) products such as washing machines, fridge freezers, vacuum cleaners, kettles, etc.

winter

withhold

wits' end

world championship

World Cup (football, cricket, rugby)

write off (Dixons project) remove branch stock from the stock file. Branch managers write off stock.

WTR Abbreviation for "Waitrose"

=X=

=Y=

Yellow Pages TM

Yorkshire North Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire but east Yorkshire

yorkshire pudding, yorkshire terrier

yours no apostrophe

=Z=

zero plural zeros

Z-read reconciliation on an individual till basis, rather than across the store

=References= -->
 * The Guardian's style guide (version downloaded was the June 2001 revision)
 * Merriam-Webster on-line (American English) dictionary
 * The Cambridge Dictionaries On-line (British English)
 * Microsoft Word's spell-checker
 * BeanStore Business Requirements document
 * the Oxford English Dictionary
 * R. L. Trask's Penguin guide to punctuation
 * Eats, Shoots & Leaves (Lynne Truss )
 * Mind The Gaffe (R. L. Trask)