BRITISH TO AMERICAN ENGLISH

 Accumulator (automotive) = battery, car battery

 Alsatian (dog) = German shepherd
 Articulated lorry = tractor-trailer (truck), a "semi"
 Ass = donkey; U.S. ass = G.B. "arse," i.e. one's backside (in addition to normal
"donkey")
 Athletics (an ... meet) = track and field
 Backlog = log-jam, pile-up (of business orders, for example). U.S. backlog =
comfortable reserve of orders -- difference between the two is in opposite
interpretation or connotation of same basic situation.
 Bank holiday = holiday
 Bap = bun, hamburger bun, hamburger roll
 Mrs. Beeton = Fanny Farmer (standard cooking, household reference book)
 Bespoke = custom-tailored, tailor-made
 Big Dipper = roller coaster (at a "Fun-Fair" = "Amusement Park"
 Bilberry = blueberry
 "Bird" = "chick"
 Biro = Papermate (ball-point pen trade name which equals "generic" name)
 Biscuit = cookie (U.S. "biscuit" is a baked bread, "bap," "scone"
 Blancmange = vanilla pudding
 Block, block of flats = apartment building (U.S. term "block" [city block]
unknown as such in British English, though usually understandable.
 "Bomb" (theater terminology) = a "hit," a great success. U.S. "bomb" = G.B.
failure, critical disaster, i.e. the two are exact opposites in sentences like "The
play was a bomb!"
 Boiler suit = overalls
 Bonnet (automotive) = hood (of a car...)
 Boot (automotive) = trunk (of a car...)
 Bottom drawer = hope chest
 Bowler (hat) = derby (special connotations & different pronunc.)
 Braces = suspenders; U.S. suspenders = G.B. garters, stocking fasteners
 Brambleberry = blackberry
 Bottom of the street = end of the street
 Box (TV) = Tube (both slang, colloquial terms)
 Bull = "mickey mouse" (unnecessary military drill); U.S. bull = G.B. cock
 Bum = ass, rectum; U.S. bum = G.B. tramp, derelict
 Bun in the oven = pregnant, eating for two
 Call box = (tele)phone booth
 Camp bed = cot; U.S. cot = G.B. baby bed
 Car park = parking lot
 Caretaker (for a building) = janitor (not same as "vahtimestari")
 Carriage (railway) = railroad car, subway car
 Carrier bag = shopping bag
 Caucus = permanent group in a political party; U.S. caucus = G.B. ad hoc
planning meeting of a group in a political party
 Central reservation = median strip (between halves of a divided highway)
 Charge sheet = police record
 Chemist (drugstore) = druggist
 Chips = french fries; U.S. chips often = dried buffalo, cow dung (other cases, i.e.
poker chips, wood chips, the same)
 Chucker-out = bouncer (doorman or "enforcer" in a bar/restaurant
 "In the City" = "on Wall Street" (in main financial district)
 City editor = financial editor; U.S. city editor = G.B. "community news editor"
 Cloakroom = toilet; U.S. cloakroom = clothes closet, garment storage area
 Coach = intercity bus
 Combinations = union suit (colloquial for long underwear)
 Comforter = scarf; U.S. comforter = heavy quilt, blanket
 Compére = Master of ceremonies, M.C. (of TV game show, etc.)
 Constable = (police) officer
 "To cop" = "to get" something unpleasant, i.e. "to cop a 15-pound fine." U.S. "to
cop" = to plead guilty to a lesser charge in order to avoid prosecution &
probable conviction on a more serious charge ("to cop a plea" = "plea-
bargaining")
 Corn = all grain crops; U.S. corn = G.B. "maize" only.
 Costermonger = pushcart seller
 (Sent to) Coventry = ostracized
 Crisps = potato chips
 Cupboard = closet; U.S. closet = G.B. w.c., or toilet
 Davenport = antique folding writing desk; U.S. davenport = large sofa, often
which folds out into a bed at night.
 Deposit account = savings account
 Dinner jacket = tuxedo ("black tie" formal dress)
 Dormitory = bedroom; U.S. dormitory = G.B. residence hall
 Dresser = kitchen sideboard; U.S. dresser = bedroom drawers, vanity
 "Duck" = "goose egg" (a zero on the scoreboard of a sports match)
 Dumb = mute; U.S. dumb usually means "stupid" rather than "mute," which is a
secondary meaning in U.S. usage.
 Dustbin = garbage can, ashcan (exterior waste-disposal unit)
 Dynamo (automotive) = generator (within automobile engine)
 Earth wire = ground wire (in electricity, electronics)
 Elastic band = rubber band
 To Enjoin = to compel, to legally force; U.S. enjoin = to legally forbid -- i.e. same
term in same general contextual usage has precisely the opposite meaning
 Ex-serviceman = veteran; U.S. veteran = G.B. old ex-serviceman; (U.S. term has
no special age connotation, only that the person have had prior military
experience sometime)
 Fag = (a) cigarette; (b) public-school underclass "servant"; U.S. fag = low-slang
term for male homosexual.
 Fanny = vagina (vulgar usage); U.S. fanny = light euphemism for "backside,"
either male or female.
 First floor = second floor, etc. (Britain walks in ground floor, goes up 1 set of
stairs to first floor; U.S. ground floor and first floor are the same.
 Fish slice = pancake turner, spatula (kitchen tool); U.S. spatula = G.B. tongue
depressor (medical instrument)
 Fitted carpet = wall-to-wall carpeting
 Flan = pie, fruit pie
 Flannel = washcloth; U.S. flannel = heavy warm cotton fabric; "flannels" would
be long underwear made from such heavy warm fabric.
 Flat = apartment; U.S. flat = tenement flat = poor-standard slum apartment.
 Flick knife = switch-blade knife, a switchblade
 Flyover = overpass (as in a bridge over a road); U.S. flyover = airplane passing
over a certain place, as in military parade "flyovers"; verb is "to overfly."
 Form (school) = grade [i.e. first form = first grade in school]
 Garden = yard; U.S. garden = vegetable garden, fljower garden, i.e. area of
special cultivation. U.S. yard = G.B. paved area (lorry yards)
 Goods (car, train) = freight; U.S. goods = supplies, commercial stock
 Grind = sexual intercourse; U.S. grind = slang for "hard (routine) work."
 Haberdasher = notions seller; U.S. haberdasher = men's clothing seller
 To Hack = to (deliberately) kick; U.S. to hack = to chop, cut viciously.
 High street = Main street
 To Hire = to rent (in most cases); U.S. to hire = to employ Hire-purchase = (the
"never-never") = installment plan
 Hoarding = billboard (large advertising sign alongside road)
 Hold up = traffic jam; U.S. holdup = robbery at gunpoint.
 Homely = home-loving, domestic, pleasant; U.S. homely = plain- looking
(female), therefore often "left" at home.
 To Hoover = to vacuum (carpets, etc.) "Hoover" in the U.S. is a brand name only,
never used as a verb.
 Inland = internal, domestic (Inland Revenue = Internal Revenue)
 Inverted commas = quotation marks (GB = 'xx'; USA = "xx")
 Inquiry agent = private detective
 Jelly = Jello (deriving from brand name Jell-O, gelatin dessert)
 "On the job" = having sexual intercourse; U.s. "on the job" = while working,
learning, i.e. "on the job training."
 Joint = pot roast; U.S. "joint" = marijuana cigarette
 Juggernaut lorry = a very large truck, an overlong truck, a "double semi" truck
 Jumble sale = rummage sale
 Jumper = light pullover (sweater); U.S. jumber = type of knee- length woman's
dress worn over blouse or sweater
 Kirby grips = bobby pins (to fasten long hair ...)
 A Knock-up = (tennis) to warm up, to volley a few, to practice-volley
 To Knock up = to awaken, call early in the morning; U.S. "to knock up" is
colloquial for "to impregnate"
 Lacquer = hairspray; U.S. lacquer = wood varnish, shellac (high-gloss), i.e.
protective decorative wood coating
 Ladder = (in women's stockings" = a runner, a run
 Lay-by = (beside a road) = a pull-off, a rest area.
 Left-luggage office = check room, baggage check (room)
 Level crossing = railroad crossing.
 Lift = elevator
 Lip balm = chapstick
 Logic-chopping = splitting hairs, hair-splitting
 Long jump (in athletics) = broad jump (in track and field)
 Lorry = truck
 Loud-hailer = bullhorn, amplified megaphone
 Lucky dip = grab bag (children's party game or activity ...)
 Lumber room = spare room, storage room (in a home)
 Mackintosh = raincoat, overcoat, trenchcoat
 Mains = ordinary built-in home electrical network (no special word as
equivalent in U.S.)
 Market garden = truck farm
 Marrow (vegetable) = squash, gourd
 Mason = stoneworker; U.S. mason can be stone- or brickworker
 Marriage lines = marriage certificate
 Mean = stingy, tight with money; U.S. "mean" normally means nasty, spiteful,
ill-meaning in action toward another
 Mess kit = formal military dress for ceremonial dining; U.S. mess kit = army or
boy scout utensils for cooking or eating a meal on the trail.
 Minced meat = hamburger meat, ground beef; U.S. mincemeat = sweet, spicy
ground meat/fruit/nut combination used for making pies, especially around
Thanksgiving/Christmas
 Mineral water = any carbonated soft drink; U.S. mineral water = bottled natural
water (containing normal minerals) from spring or health spa, Perrier water,
etc.
 Mistress = teacher in girls' school; U.S. mistress = lover (extramarital)
 Mob = gang, group (neutral); U.S. mob = angry crowd; "the mob" = Mafia
 Motorist, motoring = driver, driving
 Music Hall = vaudeville (generic entertainment type/place name)
 Nappy = diaper (for infants not toilet-trained)
 A Neat drink = a straight drink, i.e. "give me a straight whiskey" = whiskey
without water or other additives
 Nervy = nervous, jumpy; U.S. nervy = bold, impertinent, i.e. nearly the opposite
of the British usage
 Night club = private membership club; U.S. nightclubs are public (commercial)
entertainment places
 Number plate = license plate (on automobiles)
 Off-license = liquor store
 Old boy (girl) = alumni, alumnus, alumna [of a school]
 Pantechnicon = moving van
 Panda car = police patrol car, police cruiser
 Patience (card game) = Solitaire
 Pecker (keep your pecker up) = keep your chin up; U.S. pecker = penis
 Pram (peramulator) = baby carriage, baby buggy, stroller, walker
 Petrol = gasoline, gas (to go in automobiles, airplane, etc.)
 Pie = meat pie; U.S. pie is always a fruit or fruit-derived pie, unless "a meat pie"
is specifically indicated
 Pillar-box = mailbox, post office box, letter box, letter drop
 Pissed (he was really...) = drunk; U.S. "pissed = angry, upset
 Pitch (soccer) = field (football) [GB "football" = US "soccer"]
 Plimsolls = sneakers, tennis shoes, gym shoes
 Point = electric outlet, railroad switch (depending on context)
 Polka dots = chocolate chips (food product for baking)
 Prawn = shrimp
 Prom, prom concert = music concerts where most of the audience is standing;
U.S. prom = dance, semi-formal, especially at end of year in high schools,
colleges
 Rates = local, municipal property taxes
 Redundant = laid off (from a job); U.S. redundant = superfluous (no connotation
of connection with jobs at all)
 Return ticket = round-trip ticket
 Ringway = circular road (around a city), bypass
 Rise = raise in salary
 To Roger = to "screw," have sex with; to exploit, take advantage of, to use
 Roll neck (pullover) = turtleneck (sweater).
 Roundabout = traffic circle
 Rubber = eraser; U.S. rubber = condom, prophylactic device
 Saloon = "sedan" car (automobile); US saloon = western-style bar
 Saloon bar = one section of an English pub
 Sanitary towel = sanitary napkin, feminine hygienic item
 A good screw = a good salary; U.S. "good screw" equals good "fuck" or good
sexual experience
 To Screw = to cajole, persuade, extract money from; U.S. "to screw" = to have
sex with, fornicate
 Season ticket = commuter (train, bus) ticket; U.S. season ticket is card or ticket
of paid admission to all home games in one season of a particular sports team
 To Second to = to temporarily loan staff to another job or unit
 Sellotape = Scotch tape (both brand names now used as "generics"
 "Semi" = duplex, duplex house; U.S. "semi" = tractor-trailer truck rig
 Seminary = Roman Catholic seminary only; U.S. Seminary can be ANY religion,
i.e. Lutheran, Methodist seminaries
 Sherbet = powdered, fruit-flavored candy; U.S. sherbet = G.B. sorbet
(pronounced "soorbay")
 Shorthand-typist = stenographer
 To shy = to throw something (he shied a rock at the stray dog...)
 Sideboards = sideburns (in a hairstyle)
 Single = one-way ticket; U.S. "single" in context would mean "only one" as
opposed to "several" tickets
 To Snog = to neck (i.e. kissing, hugging, etc., esp teenagers)
 Spinster = any unmarried woman; U.S. spinster is always OLD unmarried
woman
 Standard lamp = floor lamp (as opposed to table or wall lamp)
 S.T.D. (subscriber trunk dialling) = direct distance dialling [on the telephone, as
opposed to dialling through operator]
 Steps = ladder; U.S. "steps" always would mean staircase, built- in stairway or
staircase
 To stream (pupils in a school) = to track (streaming = tracking)
 Stroke (punctuation) = diagonal, slash
 To Stuff = to fornicate, have sex with; U.S. "I'm stuffed..." = to be comfortably,
pleasantly full of food, satiated
 Sub-editor = copy reader or rewrite person, in journalism
 Subs = dues, as in union dues, etc.
 Subway = underground walking passage, underpass, pedestrian tunnel; U.S.
subway = G.B. "underground," i.e. underground railway system for public
transportation
 Superannuation scheme = retirement pension plan
 Supply teacher = substitute teacher
 Supertax = surtax
 Surgery = a doctor's office, office hours, reception time; U.S. "surgery" refers to
"surgeon" operating on a patient
 Suspenders = garters, for socks or stockings only; U.S. suspenders = G.B. braces,
for holding up trousers
 Sweet = dessert, or piece of candy
 Sweetshop = candy store
 To Table (parliamentary procedure, conference terminology) = to put on
agenda for immediate handling; U.S. "to table" = to put aside [indefinitely], to
delay further handling
 Tannoy = public address (p.a.) amplification system
 Teat = baby bottle nipple; US teat = GB nipple = breast nipple
 Terrace house = row house, garden apartment, town house
 Are you Through? (telephone) = are you connected; U.S. "are you through"? =
are you finished, completed, with your call
 To tick = to check, place check mark beside
 Tights = hose, panty hoseh, nylons, nylon stockings; U.S. tights = leotards, skin-
tight exercise suit, knit stocking pants
 Tinkle = telephone call [give me a tinkle sometime]; U.S. "tinkle" = children's
talk for "to urinate"
 Tip = garbage dump; U.S. tip = hint, advice, clue
 Torch = flashlight; U.S. torch = burning, flaming light or weapon
 Touchline = sideline (in sports, such as on soccer pitch, etc.)
 Tower block = high-rise apartment building
 Trade union = labor union (but usually organized by "trades" in England, by
"industry" in the U.S. -- US "Auto Workers' Union" would be represented by
different "trades" in GB)
 Tram = streetcar, trolley car
 Transport cafe = truck stop (roadside cafeteria, restaurant, popular with truck
[lorry] drivers
 Traveller = travelling salesman
 Treacle = molasses
 Trousers = pants; U.S. pants = G.B. underwear shorts
 Trunk call = long-distance call (on a telephone)
 Turn it up (colloquial) = stop it, cut it out! U.S. "turn it up" = increase the
volume
 Undercarrige = landing gear (aircraft)
 Underdone = rare (extent to which you wish your meat cooked)
 Underground= subway (cf "subway")
 Vest = undershirt; U.S. Vest = G.B. waistcoat
 Windscreen (automotive) = windshield
 Wing (automotive) = fender, bumper (pre-70s designs...)
 White spirit = turpentine, paint thinner; U.S. "white lightning" (spirits) = potent
home-distilled backwoods alcohol!
 Wholemeal = whole-wheat (bread, flour, etc.)
 Yankee/Yank = any American in general, U.S. Yankee = Northeast erner ONLY,
i.e. specific regional, historical definition
 Zebra crossing = crosswalk, pedestrian crossing (Ped Xing)
 "Zed" = "Zee" (pronunciation of last letter in alphabet)