A promise from the writer to reply to everyone who writes back.
| Type | Modern shorthand and terms |
|---|---|
| Category | Reply and contact |
| Usage | dated |
| Stands for | All letters answered |
ALA belongs to the era of print personals answered by mail, when replying cost a stamp and an evening. We have not found a reliable date for its first use. Its spirit is old: nineteenth-century writers sometimes promised that all answers would be treated in confidence, and ALA made a different promise, that every letter would get a reply. Some writers used WAA, will answer all, for the same promise.
Know a term we are missing? Suggest one.
How this fits into 170 years of personal ad shorthand: From Object Matrimony to LTR: How Personal Ads Learned to Talk in Code.
All dictionary entries · The Personals Archive · How to write a personal ad
The form is still open. Say who you are, what you want, and who it is for, and choose exactly who can see it. Free on iOS and Android.