Glossary of American terms not widely used in the United Kingdom
Appearance
- See also main article: American and British English differences
- list of British English words not used in American English
- list of words having different meanings in British and American English
American | British |
barnyard | farmyard |
bill (paper money) | note |
blinders (on a horse) | blinkers |
broil | grill (cooking) |
bullhorn | loudhailer / megaphone (occasionally bullhorn) |
burglarize | burgle |
busboy | (no equivalent) junior restaurant worker assisting waiting staff, table clearer, water pourer etc. |
busy signal | engaged tone |
candy | sweets |
canola | (oilseed) rape |
carriage (for baby) | pram |
cart (for shopping) | (shopping) trolley |
checkers | draughts |
check (bank check) | cheque |
check (meal payment) | bill |
checking account | current account |
cilantro | coriander |
cotton candy | candy floss |
cuss | swear |
diaper | nappy |
diner | cafe |
drapes | curtains |
drug store | chemist, chemist's shop |
dumpster | skip |
duplex (house) | semi-detached |
eggplant | aubergine |
elevator | lift |
envision | envisage |
fall | autumn |
fanny pack ( N.B. : Fanny is British slang for vagina.) |
bum bag |
faucet | tap |
flashlight | torch |
gasoline | petrol |
gotten | got |
green thumb | green fingers |
hobo | tramp, vagrant |
hog | mature pig |
intern | temporarily employed trainee |
kleenex | generic term for tissue (from brand name, which is known in Britain but not used generically) |
math | maths |
named for | named after |
meet with | meet (meet with is also used) |
pantyhose | tights |
parking lot | car park |
pre-authorized payment/withdrawal | direct debit (variable amount)/standing order (fixed amount) |
railroad | railway |
rappel | abseil (to descend on a rope) |
restroom | toilet(s), loo, lavatory |
rutabaga | swede |
scallion | spring onion |
Scotch tape | Sellotape (brand name used generically) |
sedan (car) | saloon (car) |
sidewalk | pavement, footpath |
skillet | frying pan |
sophomore | second (particularly second-year students) |
station wagon | estate car |
stick-shift | manual gearbox (not often used, since it's the default. The opposite is "an automatic") |
stroller | pushchair, buggy |
tenderloin | fillet steak |
theater (movie) | cinema |
theater (stage) | theatre |
thumb tack | drawing pin |
tic-tac-toe | noughts and crosses |
traffic circle, rotary | roundabout |
triplex (house) | no direct equivalent, more than two houses joined together "terraced" houses |
trolley car | tram |
truck stop | transport cafe |
turn signal, directionals | indicators |
tuxedo | dinner jacket, 'DJ', 'black tie' |
two cents | fourpenn'orth/tuppenn'orth |
underpants | pants (some regions), knickers (usually female), underpants |
undershirt | vest, singlet |
wall jack | electricity outlet, plug socket, phone socket, power socket, or even "plug", despite being exactly the same term as the thing that fits into it. |
xerox | photocopy (although 'xerox' is still used by some older people) |
yellow light | at traffic lights. In British English this is always referred to as the amber light. |
ZIP code | postcode |
zucchini | courgette |