On the message board we had a contest to find common words that are different
in US English and English English. These are the results. See the discussion.
| United States |
United Kingdom |
Notes |
Baby Things |
| crib |
cot |
|
| diaper |
nappy |
|
| nursing |
breast feeding |
|
| pacifier |
dummy |
|
| prenatal classes |
antenatal classes |
|
| rocking a baby |
nursing a baby |
|
| stroller |
pushchair/pram/buggy |
|
Body Parts |
| bangs (hair) |
fringe |
|
| brush your teeth |
clean your pegs |
quite archaic, not really everyday |
| butt/ booty |
bum |
|
| legs |
pins |
|
Clothing |
| dress |
frock |
|
| fanny pack |
bum bag |
|
| garters |
suspenders |
ladies' lingerie |
| off the rack |
off the peg |
|
| pajamas |
pyjamas (spelling) |
|
| panties (underwear) |
lollies, spankies, knickers or knicks |
|
| pants |
trousers |
|
| panty hose |
tights |
|
| run (in a stocking) |
ladder |
|
| suspenders |
braces |
|
| sweater |
jumper |
|
| tennis shoes/sneakers |
trainers |
|
| underpants |
pants |
|
| undershirt |
vest |
|
Driving/Walking/Transportation |
| billboards |
hoardings |
|
| blinker |
indicator |
|
| disembark, to get off |
to alight |
|
| driver's side |
off side |
|
| drunk driving |
drink driving |
|
| exit |
way out |
|
| flat |
puncture |
|
| gas |
petrol |
|
| gas station |
garage |
|
| headlights |
headlamps |
|
| hood |
bonnet |
|
| passenger side |
near side |
|
| pedestrian crossing |
zebra crossing |
|
| rent (a car) |
hire (a car) |
|
| round trip ticket |
return ticket |
|
| RV |
caravan |
|
| speed bump |
sleeping policeman |
|
| subway |
underground |
|
| traffic circle, rotary |
roundabout |
|
| train station |
railway station |
|
| truck |
lorry |
|
| trunk |
boot |
|
| underpass |
subway |
|
| windshield |
windscreen |
|
| yield (on a sign) |
give way |
|
Expressions/Sayings |
| An expression of general annoyance |
Oh! Bollocks! |
Could actually be quite offensive if used without care! |
| Bye! |
Cheerio! (bit 1950s), Cheers (more common now) |
|
| come in |
go through |
|
| Dear |
Chuck, love, pet, hinny, hen, my lover |
Regional differences |
| different from |
different to |
|
| Don't bump your head! |
Mind your head! |
|
| Don't like/care for |
Not fussed |
|
| extremely |
dead slow |
e.g., dead slow; dead sexy; dead good at ... |
| figure it out |
suss it out |
|
| get along |
get on |
|
| Give it up; you're wasting your time |
Leave it out. |
|
| goodbye |
Tara - Welsh (and parts of England but very slangy) |
|
| hit on |
chat up |
|
| How are you? |
You ok? |
|
| I could care less |
I couldn't care less |
|
| I don't care |
I don't mind |
|
| I don't have (something) |
I haven't got (something) |
|
| I have (something) |
I've got (something) |
|
| I'll knock on your door in the morning. |
I'll knock you up in the morning. |
|
| I'm pleased that X happened |
I'm happy that X happened |
|
| I'm stuffed! (after a meal) |
I'm stuffed (sexually satisfied - some disagreement here others say – it’s about too much food, as the US.) |
|
| in the hospital |
in hospital |
|
| It's hot today. |
It's close today. |
|
| It's not kosher (it's not genuine). |
It's not cricket. |
|
| mail a letter |
post a letter |
|
| Most everything |
Nearly everything |
|
| No problem |
Not to worry |
|
| Oops! |
Whoops! |
|
| right away |
straight away |
|
| speechless |
gobsmacked |
|
| the line's busy |
the line's engaged |
|
| to deflate somebody |
to take the piss |
|
| to get sick (catch a cold, virus, etc.) |
to get sick (vomit) |
|
| to stand in line |
to queue |
|
| to take the "scenic" route |
going round the back doubles |
|
| turn the gas off |
turn the gas out archaic – would also say off, now |
|
| uh-huh |
oh right |
|
| was supposed to do x |
was meant to do x |
|
| what's up with ... |
what about ... |
|
| with respect to ... |
in respect of ... |
|
| work it out |
sort it out |
|
| Yikes! |
Crikey! |
|
| You're splitting hairs |
It's academic |
|
| Miscellaneous slang: |
| do the "wild" thing (polite ST version) |
shag |
|
| friggin' (polite ST version) |
bloody |
|
| pissed |
angry |
|
Food/Drink/Smoke |
| (potato) chips |
crisps |
|
| 7-up or Sprite |
lemonade |
|
| a cup of tea |
a spot of tea, if dining with Bertie Wooster. A cuppa is a useful term to know though |
|
| arugula |
rocket |
|
| baked potato |
jacket potato |
|
| beer |
lager |
|
| biscuits |
scones |
|
| breakfast |
fry up |
not necessarily breakfast, but a selection of foods all fried. Also known as A Full English (it will be described as that on a caff (greasy spoon) menu. Really useful one to know |
| broil |
grill |
|
| candy |
sweets |
|
| cheap wine |
plonk |
|
| cigarette |
fag |
|
| cookies |
biscuits |
|
| corn meal |
use polenta |
|
| cornstarch |
cornflour |
|
| dessert |
puddings |
|
| dinner |
tea ... maybe. Dinner is what you would go out to have in the evening at a restaurant. Tea is what you may go out to a tearoom or the Ritz for a 4:30 cake/scone feast. Dinner in the domestic context is what you may eat in the evening, especially with guests, more informally for the middle classes is ‘supper’. Tea domestically is what you feed younger children at 5pm for their evening meal – it’s a bit of a negative class marker to call the evening meal ‘tea’. |
|
| drunk |
pissed |
|
| drunk (adj.) |
paralytic |
|
| eat |
scoff |
|
| egg salad |
egg mayonnaise |
|
| eggplant |
aubergine |
|
| English muffin |
simply a round, flat bread roll to be split in two, toasted, and eaten with butter |
|
| entrees |
mains |
|
| french fries |
chips |
|
| get drunk |
get lushed |
obscure and Midlands |
| green pepper |
Capsicum. This might puzzle most English now, though it is in older cookery books– green pepper or red is what you see in the shops etc., Not bell pepper like the US though. |
|
| Lemonade |
bitter lemon |
|
| molasses |
treacle |
|
| muffin |
fairy cake. Though fairy cake are about 1/3 the size of muffins. Muffin is very well understood in the UK now. |
|
| napkin |
serviette |
class solecism rears its ugly head with this one. Napkin is safe |
| popsicle |
ice lolly |
|
| roast (noun) |
joint (noun) |
|
| rutabaga |
swede |
|
| salad dressing |
salad cream is a specific table sauce (Heinz), quite out of fashion but with a certain retro appeal! It is a vinegary version of mayo. Salad dressing is safe, or French dressing for a vinegrette. |
|
| sausage |
bangers |
|
| shrimp |
prawns but ... shrimp is also used to denote very small prawns. |
|
| soy |
soya |
|
| spoonful of butter |
knob of butter |
|
| sugar, brown |
Demerara for a particular large,granular kind. There’s also light muscovado, dark muscovado. |
|
| sugar, granulated |
caster sugar |
|
| sugar, powdered |
icing sugar |
|
| sugar, superfine |
caster sugar |
|
| take out (food) |
Take Away. Fast food places are often called takeaways. |
|
| to go/carry out |
to take away |
|
| zucchini |
courgette |
|
Furniture/Electronics |
| antenna |
aerial |
|
| cell phone |
mobile |
|
| sofa |
settee |
|
| TV |
telly |
|
| vacuum cleaner |
hoover |
|
Holidays |
| federal holiday |
bank holiday |
|
| Merry Christmas! |
Happy Christmas! |
|
| New Year's Day |
New Year |
|
| Santa Claus |
Father Christmas |
|
Houses/Buildings |
| aluminum |
aluminium |
|
| apartment |
flat |
|
| bathroom/restroom |
loo |
loo is slang but is usually used |
| cot |
camp bed |
|
| cow barn |
Byre - in about 1800! Or very regional. Also, shippen, on the same basis. Just a barn. Useful to know only in that converted farm outbuildings are used as rentals and may be sweetly named ‘The Old Byre’ or similar. Leave immediatley if it’s called ‘Ye Olde Byre’ on the grounds of taste. |
|
| cul-de-sac |
close (with a soft "s") |
|
| dirt (in yard) |
earth (in garden) |
|
| do the dishes |
washing up |
|
| dumpster |
skip |
|
| elevator |
lift |
|
| faucet |
tap |
|
| garbage |
rubbish |
|
| garbage can |
dustbin |
|
| ground (an electrical wire) |
earth |
|
| real estate |
property |
|
| rent an apartment |
let a flat – bit confusing: a tenant rents a flat, an owner/landlord lets a flat or rents it out or rents it to (leases indicates a longer term rental). |
|
| sidewalk |
pavement |
|
| sod |
turf |
|
| soil |
earth |
|
| spackle |
filler (or polyfilla) |
|
| stove/range |
cooker |
|
| stovetop |
hob |
|
| toilet |
washroom |
|
| toilet paper |
bog roll (bit vulgar) – loo roll better |
|
| townhouse |
terraced house |
|
| yard |
garden |
|
| yard work |
gardening |
|
Miscellaneous |
| afghan |
rug |
|
| attitude |
arrogance, pomposity, condescension, self-importance |
|
| auction |
flog – means to sell, not just auction |
|
| awesome |
ace |
|
| bachelorette party |
Hen's night |
|
| bill |
bank note |
|
| cheap (as in stingy) |
mean |
|
| check |
cheque |
|
| check off (a list) |
tick off |
|
| checking account |
current account |
|
| chilly, breezy (weather) |
fresh |
|
| clothespins |
clothes pegs |
|
| counter-clockwise |
anti-clockwise |
|
| dish cloth/towel |
tea towel |
|
| dish rag |
dish cloth |
|
| doctor's office |
surgery |
|
| eraser |
rubber |
|
| exhibit |
exhibition |
|
| expensive |
dear |
|
| face cloth |
flannel |
|
| field (sports) |
pitch |
|
| fight |
row |
|
| finished, resolved, complete, & done |
done & dusted |
|
| flashlight |
torch |
|
| get upset |
get your knickers in a twist |
|
| gone bad |
gone pear-shaped |
|
| grip, firm grasp |
purchase |
|
| happy, pleased |
chuffed |
|
| holiday (or federal holiday) |
Bank holiday |
|
| leash (for dogs) |
lead |
|
| luxurious (adj.) |
posh |
|
| Main Street |
High Street |
|
| manner, behavior, opinion, stance, position |
attitude |
|
| mineral spirits |
white spirits |
|
| money |
slang terms:
- quid - pound
- a ton - £100 note
- a monkey - £500 note for the betting fraternity!
|
|
| nap |
kip |
|
| parakeet |
budgie (budgerigar) ... not necessarily - different birdie – there are parakeets living in some London parks and they are like small parrots. Budgies are little blue birds, that used to be quite popular to keep in cages. |
|
| period |
full stop |
|
| Queen Anne's Lace |
wild parsley (or cow parsley) |
|
| remit |
charter, responsibilities |
|
| rubber |
condom |
|
| scotch tape |
Sellotape |
It’s like Hoover or Band-Aide, a trade name that’s become the generic |
| shag |
dancing |
|
| shoddy, quick fix |
bodge |
|
| soccer |
football |
|
| something that tries too hard to be adorable |
twee |
|
| specialty |
speciality |
|
| study |
revise |
|
| stuff, gear, tools, supplies, etc. |
kit |
|
| temp (worker) |
seconded (accent on 2nd syllable) |
|
| terrific, excellent |
brilliant |
|
| Thermos bottle |
Thermos flask |
|
| Tic Tac Toe |
Noughts & Crosses |
|
| tick off |
make angry |
|
| tired |
knackered |
|
| trash can |
rubbish bin |
|
| two weeks |
fortnight |
|
| umbrella |
brolly |
|
| vacation |
holiday |
|
| well |
tidy |
There is a Welsh custom of calling nice or good things ‘tidy’, but very obscure |
| Z (zee) |
zed |
|
| zero |
nought |
|
School |
| grammar school (elementary school) |
private school |
Schools up to age 11 in the state sector are primary schools, in the private sector (some up to 13) are Preparatory or Prep schools. There’s more of a fudge nowadays and they both get called Junior Schools. A Grammar school here is an academically selective state school (only a few remaining and massively oversubscribed). |
| math |
maths |
|
| private school |
public school |
Independent School is safer. Public schools really only refer to the top ones. |
| school |
university |
|
| tuition |
fees |
|
Sexual |
| heartbroken |
gutted |
|
| horny |
randy |
|
| kiss |
snog |
|
| knock up |
get pregnant |
|
| penis |
pecker |
|
| sexual intercourse |
shag |
|
| to be pregnant |
in the pudding club |
|
Stores |
| fruit market |
green grocer |
|
| liquor store |
Off License |
|
| pharmacy |
chemist |
|
| store (a business) |
shop |
|
People |
| arguments, disagreements and generic "trouble" |
argy bargy |
|
| bad temper |
be in a strop
have/throw a wobbly
have a cob on
throw your toys out of the pram
go off on one
having the hump (about something)
|
|
| bobby pin your bangs |
Kirby-grip your fringe |
|
| bookmaker |
turf accountant or betting shop |
|
| bum |
tramp, dosser |
|
| card shark |
card sharp |
|
| cop |
bobby |
|
| crazy |
mad |
|
| dumb |
stupid, idiot |
|
| eyeglasses |
spectacles |
|
| fanny |
bum |
|
| fired |
sacked |
|
| friend |
mate |
|
| girls/women |
birds |
|
| homely: unattractive person |
homely: cosy, friendly home |
|
| idiot |
tosser |
|
| jerk |
wanker |
dangerous as actually quite offensive and provocative term. |
| laid off |
made redundant |
|
| lawyer |
solicitor |
|
| mom, mommy |
mum, mummy |
|
| muddled, confused |
at 6s and 7s |
|
| Realtor |
Estate Agent |
|
| school crossing guard |
lollipop lady |
|
| shot (vaccination) |
jab |
|
| slow poke |
slow coach |
|
| snicker |
snigger |
|
| stupid/crazy |
daft |
|
| supplier |
stockist |
|
| taking advantage of someone (or: taking something too far) |
taking the piss |
|
| tramp |
bum |
|
| tramp |
slut, ho |
|
Verbs |
| call |
ring |
call you tomorrow
“Give us a bell” |
| like |
fancy |
I fancy tea and scones |
| whine |
whinge |
complain |
PatrickLondon: Something that's struck me - not so much vocabulary as speech
habit. In the UK, we would give a street its full name, where at least some
Americans seem to drop the "Street", "Avenue" or whatever. In London, and
probably most other towns and cities too, there could be confusion between
a district and a street or square("Victoria", "Bloomsbury"); and often, posh
Georgian and Victorian developments would have their associated Lane or Mews
for service access, so you could easily have in the same district a Square,
Avenue, Street, Lane and Mews all with the same name. And developers often
lacked imagination too.
