ab

slang To rappel down from a mountain-climbing route. "Ab" is a shortening of "abseil," a largely British term meaning "rappel." Primarily heard in UK. The climb itself is very challenging and fun, but there's nothing to do once you reach the top, so I usually just ab off straight away when I finish the climb. I don't like the look of those storm clouds. We'd better start abbing off. A: "I've been recovering from an injury, so I haven't been mountain climbing in quite a while." B: "We can ab off at any point if it gets to be too much."

A five-dollar bill (which features a picture of Abraham Lincoln). We were pretty disappointed when Dad only gave us a few abes for cleaning out the whole garage. Do you have an abe I can give this guy as a tip? I can still get away with promising my son an abe in exchange for most chores around the house—wonder how long that will last.

A nickname for US President Abraham Lincoln. A: "Honest Abe was, what, the 19th President of the United States?" B: "No, 16th." Why was he known as Honest Abe? Did he get that nickname as president or when he was a lawyer beforehand? A: "Did you remember when Honest Abe gave the Gettysburg Address?" B: "No, that's one test question I definitely got wrong."

A slogan of the US Air Force. This Latin phrase translates to "one from on high." Since its inception, the Air Force has used a variety of slogans, including "uno ab alto."