︎DNF
adj.— «The worst finish has been dropped in computing the standing in classes that have completed five or more races): dns–did not start; pms–premature start; dnc–did not compete; dnf did not finish.» —“Winds helpful to U.S. sailor in CORK event” Globe and Mail (Toronto, Can.) Aug. 30, 1978. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
Old. Elderly. Senior. Why are we so uncomfortable when we talk about reaching a certain point in life? An 82-year-old seeks a more positive term to describe how she feels about her age. And: a linguist helps solve a famous kidnapping case, using the...
Mark in Bismarck, North Dakota, spent years as a sailor, and wonders about the term sea painter, meaning “a rope attached to a lifeboat.” Why painter? The word may derive from Middle French pendeur meaning “a kind of rope that...