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Glossary of British terms not widely used in the United States

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See also

See also main article: American and British English differences

For phrases in Britain that have no equivalent in America see Britishisms.

If a word appears to be missing from this list, it is advisable to check the list of words having different meanings in British and American English, as it is possible that the word is used in both dialects.

A few of these are occasionally used in American English, such as randy and dodgy, but are regarded as Britishisms.

*denotes expression which may be considered vulgar by some

A

abseil
rappel (to descend on a rope)
afters
dessert
agony aunt
advice columnist
argie
Argentine
argie-bargie
see aggro
answerphone
answering machine
anti-clockwise
counter-clockwise
approved school
school for juvenile delinquents; reform school
arse*
ass* (buttocks)
[to fall] arse over elbow
(alternatively arse over tit/tip) [to fall] head over heels (physically, not metaphorically)
artic
abbreviation of 'articulated lorry'; semi-trailer truck.
at the minute
at the moment
aubergine
eggplant (can also refer to an eggplant-like colour in British or American English)
away!
come on!
aye
yes - in common current usage across the whole of the UK, excluding Wales and the southern half of England. Associated with Scotland and the north-east of England particularly in phrases like "aye laddie" and "aye lad" respectively. (In the US, "aye" is used in political contexts for voting, such as in legislative or other decision-making bodies. "Aye" is also seen in nautical contexts, including science fiction (such as Star Trek) that emulates nautical traditions. However, it is uncommon in general use).

B

balls-up*
error, mistake, snafu (this is commonly misinterpreted as referring to the testicles, however, it is in fact an old horseman's term referring to when the hooves get packed with snow)
barmcake
see bap
bang to rights
dead to rights
banger
sausage (from sausages tending to burst during frying), old car (allusion to their tendency to backfire)
bap
soft bread roll or a sandwich made from it, in plural also used as slang for breasts.
beck
small watercourse; stream; creek. Used especially in the Lake District
bedsit (or bedsitter)
studio apartment, one-room apartment that serves as a bedroom and a living room
Belisha beacon
orange ball containing a flashing light mounted on a post at each end of a zebra crossing
berk
a mildly derogatory term for someone who's being silly. From 'Berkeley Hunt', cockney rhyming slang for cunt.
to bimble
to wander aimlessly or stroll/walk without urgency to a destination.
Birmingham spanner / Birmingham screwdriver (slang)
a hammer (Note: this is insulting to inhabitants of Birmingham)
black pudding
blood and oat sausage
[to] blag
to obtain or achieve by deception, to bluff, to scrounge, to rob, robbery, tall story, bluff, deception
blimey
An exclamation of surprise.
bloke
guy
bloody
a mild expletive, similar to damn. "Bloody" is found in American English with the standard meaning relating to blood (i.e. "bloody nose"), however its use as an expletive is rare.
boffin
scientist or engineer, geek, nerd, sometimes abbreviated to "boff"
bog, the
toilet (slang)
bog roll or bogroll
(roll of) toilet paper (slang)
bog standard
plain vanilla, completely average, no distinguishing features
bollard
a short pole in the road to stop traffic, usually concrete or metal, approximately waist high.
bollocks* (originally ballocks)
balls* (testicles); verbal garbage (as in "you're talking bollocks"). The somewhat similar bollix is found in American English, but without the anatomical conotations or vulgar sense, meaning 'mess up'.
bonnet
the hood of a car
boot
the trunk of a car
botter
(see bummer)
botty
(see bum)
brass monkeys ("cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey")
very cold weather
bristols* (Cockney rhyming slang)
boobs (breasts; from (soccer team) Bristol City = titty)
brolly
umbrella
bubble and squeak
dish of cooked cabbage fried with cooked potatoes
[to] bugger off*
[to] go away
building society
savings and loan association
to bull (boots, esp. military)
to polish to a high shine
bummer
homosexual (The other sense of the word, "unfortunate situation", as in "what a bummer", is used in both Britain and the United States)
bum bag
fanny pack
bodge
a poor job that just about works
to bunk off
to play truant from school
to burgle
to burglarize
the business (from "bees knees")
very good; top quality
to busk
to play live music, perform or otherwise entertain in a public place, usually in the hope of receiving small monetary contributions from spectators and passersby. (American English doesn't have an exact equivalent for the verb, but a busker would be similar to a "street musician" or "street performer".)
butty
(North England colloqualism) a buttered sandwich, often with chips (chip butty) : (Northern and Central England) a workmate, and thus an unpowered barge towed by a powered one

C

cack
faeces; nonsense (derived from a very ancient word IndoEuro "kakkos"!)
cack-handed
clumsy, left handed
candy floss
cotton candy
caravan park
trailer park
cashier
teller
cat's eye (road)
raised pavement marker with bright reflective beads - Bott's Dots are similar
central heating boiler
furnace
chancer
shark (opportunist)
chav
typically a working class person that wears designer labels (e.g., Burberry), fake gold, has to always be "in", is most likely a trouble-maker and most likely smokes. May originally have been a slur on the Roma (otherwise known as Gypsies).
central reservation
median strip
(pirate's) chest
hutch
chest of drawers
a dresser
chimney pots
smoke-stacks atop houses
chinagraph pencil
grease pencil
chippy
a shop selling fish and chips and other deep fried goods, also "chipper" in Scotland and Ireland
chips
similar to what would be called "steak fries" in the US. A thicker, more meaty, version of the American 'French fry' or European 'pomme frite'.
chuffed
proud, satisfied, pleased
clanger (to drop a clanger)
a big mistake, blunder, or faux pas
clapped out
worn out (said of an object)
clingfilm
plastic wrap, Saran wrap
cobblers
shoemakers, colloquialism 'nonsense' (usually "a load of old cobblers")
cock-up, cockup (mildly vulgar)
error, mistake, snafu
cooker
stove, range
cool box
cooler
to cop off with
to successfully engage the company of someone, usually of the opposite sex, for a period of time. Often used of French kissing or sometimes sex.
corn flour
corn starch
cotton
thread
counterfoil
stub
court shoes
women's smart shoes, heels are usually stilleto (although not necessarily high) and toes frequently pointed.
compere
MC (Master of Ceremonies)
cotton bud
cotton swab
counterpane
bedspread
courgette
zucchini
coving
crown molding
crikey
exclamation of surprise
crisps
chipped potatoes, potato chips
croggy
to ride pillion on a bike
current account
checking account

D

dene
valley or seaside dune
the dog's bollocks*
the bee's knees (something excellent or top quality)
a dinlo
A Portsmouth expression (possibly of Naval origin) meaning someone ridiculously stupid. Often abbreviated to a 'dinny'.
div, divvy
a fool or idiot
dogdems
fun-fair, fairground bumper cars
dole
welfare, specifically unemployment benefit
don
a professor/teacher
dosh
money
draper
cloth or clothing and dry goods seller
draughts
checkers
drawing pin
thumb tack
dual-carriage way
in the US, a highway or freeway.
duff
a type of steamed pudding e.g plum-duff; or adjective describing something that isn't working properly or a poor choice e.g. "Don't use that bike, one of the pedals is duff.". Used as a phrasal verb: "up the duff" means to be pregnant.
dustbin
trash can, wastebasket

E

engaged tone
busy signal
ex-directory
unlisted (phone number)

F

faff (verb)
dither, futz, diddle, “I spent the day faffing about in my room”
fag
cigarette
fairing
a gift, particularly one given or bought at a fair (obsolete); type of cookie (biscuit) made in Cornwall
fairy cake
cupcake
fancy (verb)
attracted to (e.g. "She really fancied him.")
feck
expletive employed as an attenuated alternative to fuck (including fecker, fecking, etc.) (originally Hiberno English)
fell
mountain or high rocky outcrop (originally an upland area designated for sheep-grazing). Used especially in the Lake District
fettle
state of something, as in "My business is in fine fettle"; to fettle : to sort out, fix (e.g. "that's fettled it") (dialect word)
fixture (sports)
game or match (as on a schedule)
fizzy drink
soda or pop
flappy paddle gearbox
Formula 1-style paddle shift transmission
fortnight
a period of 14 days (and nights) or two weeks
fourpenn'orth (old-fashioned)
four cents worth (fourpenn'orth is literally "four pennies worth")
fuckwit
idiot (offensive)
full stop
period
funfair
travelling fair primarily comprised of amusement rides

G

gaff
cheap music hall or theater (obsolete); home
gaol (older spelling but not yet archaic; jail is more common)
jail
gen
(short for "intelligence") information
to get off with
(see to cop off with)
ginger
person with red hair (sometimes pronounced with hard g's and rhyming with "ringer")
ginger group
a group that serves as an galvanizing force within a larger body
git (mildly derogatory)
scumbag, idiot, annoying person
go (noun)
try (e.g. "let me have a go"), turn in a game (e.g. "whose go is it?")
gobsmacked (adj)
utterly astonished, openmouthed
to go pear-shaped
to go West; i.e, for a process to suddenly go wrong
[to] gob
mouth, [to] spit
gogglebox
television set
googled
confused (from a cricketing term for a type of delivery bowled, the googly; predates Google.)
goon
someone stange, socially inept individual. ("He just sits there and listens, never says anything...bit of a goon if you ask me").
gormless
lacking in intelligence; with a vacant expression
ground floor
in the US, this would be the 1st floor. I.e., a building in the US with 3 floors would be labelled "1, 2 and 3" whereas in the UK, it would be "Ground, 1 and 2".
green fingers
green thumb
gutted
extremely disappointed (e.g.: "I'm gutted/I was so gutted")

H

happen, 'appen
maybe (Yorkshire dialect)
hash (#)
pound sign (#) (Note: confusion is possible, as "pound" or "pound sign" refers to the £ sign in Britain; the telephone button is usually the "hash key")
haunted fishtank
telly (uncommon)
headmaster
in the US, a principal of an educational institution.
helter-skelter
a helical slide found in fairgrounds
high street
main street
higgledy-piggledy
in disarray
hob
stove or range
holidaymaker
tourist, vacationer
holiday, hols
vacation
hooter
a klaxon
[to] hoover
vacuum [cleaner], to vacuum (In the US, Hoover is a brand name only.)
hosepipe
garden hose
how do, 'ow do
terse greeting in the north of England, shortened from formal 'How do you do?'

I

inverted commas
quotation marks (Although the punctuation is different, the concept of quotation is analogous, especially since British English speakers sometimes refer to things formally (or ironically) by using the phrase "in inverted commas" in conversation; sometimes using a double-handed simultaneous forefinger and middle finger curling gesture symbolising the "" characters.)
invigilator
proctor, person who monitors an examination

J

jam sandwich
police cruiser. So called as most UK police vehicles were once white with a horizontal yellow-edged red fluorescent stripe along the entire length of their sides, giving a certain resemblance to a white bread sandwich with a coloured jam filling.
jammy (git)
lucky (person)
jumper
In the US, a sweater.

K

kecks
trousers, underpants
ken
to know (northern England and Scotland); house (e.g.: our ken = our house)
kev
equivalent to "Chav", derivative of "Kevin" - typically a working class person that wears designer labels, fake gold, has to always be "in", is most likely a trouble-maker and most likely smokes. Popularised by British comedien Harry Enfield
[to] kip
[to] sleep
knacker's yard
where superannuated livestock are sent for rendering, etc. ( = "glue factory"). Sometimes refers to the same for vehicles ( = "junkyard")
knackered
exhausted, likely from "knacker's yard" above.
knickers
panties

L

launderette
laundromat
lav
lavatory, toilet
layabout
a worthless lazy person
let-out (n.)
means to evade or avoid something
lift
elevator
loch
lake
lock-in
illegal gathering in a pub at night to drink after the pub is supposed to have stopped serving alcohol where the landlord locks in his guests to avoid being caught by police.
lolly
popsicle
loo
toilet
lorry
truck
loudhailer
bullhorn

M

mackintosh (mac)
raincoat
mains power, the mains
house electrical AC current
mangle
clothes wringer
marrow (vegetable)
squash (looks like a very large zuccini)
(the) match (football)
(the) game (soccer)
maths
math
mash
mashed/whipped potatoes
MD (managing director)
CEO (Chief Executive Officer)
merrythought
wishbone (also the commoner term in the UK)
minge*(to rhyme with singe)
female genitals or pubic hair
minger (to rhyme with singer)
slob, someone who is unattractive
minging
dirty, rotting, smelly, unattractive etc
motorway
freeway
mong (a mildly derogatory term, from mongoloid, a now obsolete term for someone with Down's syndrome)
Lazy, idle, useless
monged out
being incapable of constructive activity due to drug use, alcohol consumption or extreme tiredness

N

naff
lame, tacky, cheap, low quality
[to] naff off (obscure slang Polari made popular by prison sitcom Porridge)
[to] shove it, get lost, go away
nappy
diaper
[to] nark
[to] irritate, (police) informer
to nash
to go (northern England)
nesh
(Northern and Central England) delicate, sensitive, cowardly (usually derogative)
nonce
paedophile, pimp, child molester, idiot
nong
(mildly derogatory) idiot, half-wit (Australian English)
nowt, owt, summat
nothing, anything, something (Yorkshire English)

O

to be off
to go (e.g. "I'm off to the shop for some sweets"; "be off with you" = go away!)
off-licence, "offy"
liquor store (a shop is licenced to sell alcoholic beverages for consumption off the premises)
oi
exclamation roughly equivalent to "hey" ("Oi, you!" = "Hey you!")
on the piss*
drinking heavily; going out for the purpose of drinking heavily: also used when referring to an object on a slight angle which should be vertical.

P

p.c. [name]
police constable
paki
Pakistani; also applied to anyone else from South Asia (offensive)
panda car
police cruiser (analogous to US term "black & white")
parkie
park-keeper
parky
cold
pelican crossing (PEdestrian LIght-CoNtrolled)
pedestrian crossing with traffic lights operated by pedestrians
petrol (petroleum)
gasoline
pictures
the cinema
pillock (very mildly derogatory)
foolish person
piss-off
usually, a light-hearted way of saying, "you're full of shit", "you don't know what you're on about" in friendly company. With people you don't know, it can be a bit more serious, as in "go away, you bother me" Whereas the former is much more jovial and not to be taken to heart, the latter would be akin to "you're really pissing me off - buzz off" in the US.
piss-up
drinking party or occasion (as in "he couldn't organise a piss-up in a brewery")
pissing it down [with rain]*
raining very hard
plonker
fool
[to] ponce
[to] pimp, fop, fruit, someone with airs and graces
to ponce about/around
to act like a fop, to wander about aimlessly without achieving anything
to ponce off
to mooch, to hit up
poof/poofter (derogatory)
fag/faggot (derogatory)
postal order
money order
postcode
ZIP code
pot plant
potted plant (in the US, the term "pot plant" gives informal reference to a marijuana plant.)
pram (perambulator)
baby-carriage
prat (very mildly derogatory)
foolish person
press-up
push-up
pud
short for pudding, which may mean dessert or occasionally a savoury item such as yorkshire pudding or black pudding Can also be used to indicate a fool, although this is usually an informal term used between family members. (Usually good-naturedly)
pukka
legitimate, the real thing, of good quality
punch-up
fistfight
punnet
basket for fruit, usually strawberries
pushbike
bicycle
pushchair
stroller

Q

quieten
Used in the phrase "quieten down" ("quiet down" in American English)

R

randy
(also horny) horny
ranker
an enlisted soldier or airman or (more rarely) a commissioned officer who has been promoted from enlisted status ("the ranks")
rashers
bacon
remit (to have a remit)
to be assigned a task, to be responsible for; to make a payment to.
ropey
chancey; of poor quality; uncertain (see dodgy)
to reverse [the] charge[s]
to call collect
to ring someone (also to call someone)
to call someone (on the phone)
rota
A roll call or roster of names or round or rotation of duties.
roundabout (fairground ride)
carousel, merry-go-round
roundabout (in the road)
traffic circle, rotary (roundabout is used in some parts of the US, including on signs.)
row
An argument; polemic.

S

sarky
sarcastic
sarnie, sarny
sandwich
scrumpy
cloudy cider, often high in alcoholic content
scrumping
action of stealing apples from an orchard
Sellotape
Scotch tape
serviette
napkin
settee
couch, sofa
shag
have sex
shillelagh (Irish) [pronounced "shil-lay-lee"]
club, cudgel
shindig, shindy
party, dance (shindig is used in American English and would be recognised to mean party by most Americans but it is usually used ironically as of late)
shite
shit
skew-whiff
skewed, uneven, not straight
skint
out of money
skip
dumpster
to skive [off]
to sneak off, avoid work
to slag off
to diss, to badmouth
slaphead
bald man
slap-and-tickle
sexual activity
slapper
slut, skank
to snog
to make out, to kiss
sod off*
offensive term meaning "get lost"
spack, spaz, spastic*
idiot
spanner
wrench, idiot (colloquialism)
spawny
lucky
spiffing
very good (rare - associated with upper-class people)
spiv
an unemployed person who lives by their wits; someone who shirks work or responsibility; a slacker, a dealer in black market goods (during World War II).
spod
someone who spends too much time in internet chat rooms and discussion forums. Can also be used as a verb: to spod
squaddie
a non-commissioned soldier
squiffy
intoxicated
to squinny
A Portsmouth term meaning to whinge and whine on endlessly about nothing. Also used as a noun to refer to a person who tends to do this. But don't call someone from Portsmouth a squinny unless they are shorter than you: it's considered quite offensive if slightly humorous.
[sticking/sticky] plaster, Elastoplast
bandage (adhesive only), Band-Aid
strop
bad mood or temper
stroppy, to have a strop on
recalcitrant, in a bad mood or temper
to suss [out]
to figure out
swede
rutabaga, head
sweets, sweeties
candy (In American English sweets is often used for almost the same meaning, though it is a bit more inclusive than candy, as candy tends to be a sugar based confection whereas sweets can be chocolates or even pastries)
sweet shop
candy store

T

ta
thanks; TA also standing for thanks awfully (rare)
tailback
traffic jam
takeaway
fast food shop; takeout (food)
tannoy
loudspeaker (a proprietary brand name), PA system
tarn
small mountain lake. Used especially in the Lake District
tea
dinner or supper
telly
TV
[to] throw a wobbly
[to] lose one's temper, throw a tantrum
thingy
a gadget or person whose name escapes you,
titfer
(Cockney rhyming slang) hat (from tit-for-tat)
toad-in-the-hole
batter-baked sausages, sausages baked in Yorkshire Pudding.
to-do
fuss (e.g. "what a to-do")
toff
(slang) member of the upper classes
toffee
taffy
toffee apple
an apple on a stick eaten on Bonfire Night and Hallowe'en
to toss [off]*
to jerk off*
tosser*
jerk
treble
triple
trafficator
turn-signal or indicator (on a vehicle)
turf accountant
bookmaker for horse races
tuppence
two pence
twee
excessively precious, cute, or quaint
twopenn'orth/tuppenn'orth/tup'en'oth
two cents worth (tuppenn'orth is literally "two pennies worth" (or "two pence worth", depending on usage))
tyre
in the US, this is a tire.

U

V

verger
someone who carries the verge or other emblem of authority before a scholastic, legal, or religious dignitary in a procession; someone who takes care of the interior of a church and acts as an attendant during ceremonies

W

waistcoat
vest
wally
buffoon, fool; milder form of idiot. Now considered an old-fashioned word.
wank, wanker*
to masturbate; one who masturbates, timewaster, now generic insult
wee
verb and noun for urine and urination (also wee-wee); Scottish, Irish, and northern English for small
wellies, wellington boots
waterproof rubber boots named after the military figure.
welly
effort (e.g.: "Give it some welly" to mean 'put a bit of effort into an attempt to do something')
whinge
complain, whine
whirligig
rotary clothes line
white pudding
oat and fat sausage often eaten at breakfast, common in Ireland and Scotland
windscreen
in the US, a windshield on a car.
wing mirrors
the driving mirrors on the side of an automobile
wobbler, wobbly (to have or to throw)
tantrum
wonky
shaky, feeble; wrong, awry

X

Y

Y-fronts
Men's briefs with an inverted-Y-shaped frontal flap; originally a trademark
yob
lout (boy spelled backwards)
your man/woman (Irish)
whatshis/hername

Z

zed (letter Z)
zee in US
zebra crossing
pedestrian street crossing marked with broad white stripes

References

A US Tourist's Guide To Britain (Humorous)

The British to American Translator

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