strathspey@strathspey.org:44552

ninian-uk

Re: QC/KC - was Emcee

March 8, 2006, 10:01 a.m. (Message 44552)

Sylvia wrote... "> QC to means quality control.  Where does the K come in?
> Sylvia Miskoe, Concord, NH USA"

QC = Queen's Counsel (if the monarch is a Queen)
KC = King's Counsel (if the monarch is a King)

"A member of the English or Scottish bar.... A practising barrister or 
advocate of 10 years' standing may apply to become a Queen's Counsel (or 
'take silk', a reference to the gowns they wear). New appointments, made on 
the recommendation of the Lord Chancellor, are announced annually on Maundy 
Thursday." (Cambridge Encyclopaedia, 4th edition, 2000)

KC also stands for Kennel Club (well, we've just had Crufts dog show, so 
that one came to my mind).

This is an instance of where I was floored by Sylvia's definition of QC as 
'quality control', a definition I haven't seen used. Other examples are the 
use of PC, which can mean Police Constable, politically correct, Privy 
Counsellor and personal computer: PCC can stand for Press Complaints 
Commission, Parochial Church Council and Penge/Pittenweem Cricket Club, plus 
another I've forgotten since I started typing... another senior moment :~(

While we all assume that MC stands for Master of Ceremonies, it can also 
mean Member of Congress (USA), midheaven (astrological), Military Cross or 
music cassette; it is also the international abbreviation for Monaco.

Everything depends on the context.

David (and I promise I haven't been colluding with <pedantic> Fiona in 
nearby Bristol!)
Berkeley, Gloucestershire, UK