Question

what is the latin abbbreviations for speak at will, and the rest, against, afterthought, and others, take this, and which see?

what is the meaning of the latin words ad lib, vs, cf, and q.v.

Answer 1

ad lib. is short for ad libitum meaning at will (more or less)

et alia, shortened to et al. (et = and, alia = others)

versus (against) gets cut to vs. (why is abbreviation such a long word? :-)

Quod (which) vide (see) gets shortened to q.v.

cf., short for confer, means compare

et (and) cetera (others) is commonly shortened to etc.

I suspect that whoever thought this up intended afterthought as the clue for P. S. Post Scriptum which actually means written after rather than thought after

Answer 2

1. Ad libitum is Latin for "at [one's] pleasure"; often shortened to "ad lib"

2. From Latin versus (“‘against, turned’”), past participle of vertere

3. cf., an abbreviation for the Latin word confer, meaning "compare" or "consult"

4. The abbreviation q.v. stands for the Latin phrase quod vide 'which see'. It is used to direct a reader to another part of a book or article for further information.

Sra