Glossary of American terms not widely used in the United Kingdom

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Main article: American and British English differences
  • Words with specific American meanings that have different meanings in British English and/or additional meanings common to both dialects (e.g. pants, crib) are to be found at List of words having different meanings in British and American English, as are compounds derived from such words (e.g. crib death). When such words are herein used or referenced, they are marked with the flag [DM].
  • Asterisks (*) denote words and meanings having appreciable (that is, not occasional) currency in British English, but nonetheless distinctive of American English for their relatively greater frequency in American speech and writing. Americanisms are increasingly common in British English, and many that were not widely used some decades ago, are now so (e.g. regular in the sense of "regular coffee").
  • American spelling is consistently used throughout the article, except when explicitly referencing British terms.


See also



0-9

101
(pronounced "one-oh-one") label for introductory college courses ("English 101"), figuratively denoting something intended for beginners ("real estate 101")
U.S. Highway 101 (used with "the" in Southern California)
40 (forty)
a 40-acre parcel of land, specifically one sixteenth of a section, constituting the smallest unit of agricultural land commonly surveyed ("back 40," "front 40"); "back 40" also refers to an undeveloped plot of land (as on a farm, ranch, etc.) of unspecified size. Most commonly understood in an urban or youth setting to mean "a 40-ounce beer".
411
(pronounced "four-one-one"; colloquial) information about something (from 4-1-1, directory assistance number)

A

AC
air conditioning (UK: air con)
acclimate
(verb) (UK usually: acclimatise, acclimatize)
addicting
(UK: addictive)
affirmative action
(UK: positive discrimination)
ahold
(orig. dialectal) hold, grip; used in phrases such as "get ahold of," "take ahold of," "grab ahold of," etc.
airplane
fixed-wing aircraft. Alteration of UK aeroplane, probably influenced by aircraft.
amtrac
Landing Vehicle Tracked (not to be confused with Amtrak, the railroad passenger corporation)
anchorman/anchorwoman
US also anchor [DM], news anchor. See news presenter for a description of the different roles of a newscaster, an American news anchor, and a British newsreader.
arugula, rugola
the herb also known as rocket or garden rocket. Borrowed from southern Italian dialect in the early 1960s ("Ask Italian greengrocers for arugula, rucola or ruccoli; ask other markets for rouquette, rocket salad or, simply, rocket." — The New York Times, May 24, 1960, in OED).
aside from *
apart from (both phrases are common in US usage)
automobile *
(UK prefers motor car [DM] as the formal term; car [DM] is used in both UK & US)

B

baby carriage
pushable vehicle for transporting babies, also called buggy or regionally baby coach (UK: perambulator, pram, pushchair: for the type that an older baby sits rather than lies in)
bachelorette
an unmarried woman
in back of
behind ("She was standing there in back of my chair" -- Bob Dylan). Complementary to in front of; used to be objected to
backhoe
a piece of excavating equipment (UK usually digger, JCB, genericized trademark)
ballpark
a baseball stadium; a range of approximation or accuracy ("in the ballpark"; "a ballpark figure")
Band-Aid *
(trademark) bandage for minor wounds, (UK: Elastoplast (trademark), plaster [DM]); also, a makeshift solution
barnyard *
a farmyard
barrette
hair slide
bathtub, tub
(UK: bath)
bayou
(from Louisiana French) an often marshy slow-moving minor watercourse, usually located in a low-lying area (as in the Mississippi River delta region of the southern United States)
bedroom community
a commuter town or suburb (UK: dormitory town [DM])
bell pepper
red or green pepper
blacktop
pavement [DM] composed of asphalt concrete; also a verb ("to blacktop a parking lot") (UK: compare tarmac)
blinders
(on a horse) (UK: blinkers)
blood sausage
black pudding
boardwalk
a walkway usually made of planking, typically along a beach (as that of Atlantic City)
bobby pin
hair grip, Kirby grip
booger
(slang) a piece of nasal mucus (UK: bogey)
boondocks
(also the boonies) rough country; a very rural location or town; backwoods. From Tagalog.
boondoggle
(see article)
Botts' dot
see raised pavement marker (UK: cat's eye)
breadbox
(UK usually bread bin)
bro
from brother; informal for a friend or pal
broil
to cook food with high heat with the heat applied directly to the food (UK: grill). Apparently first used by Chaucer.
brownstone
a type of residential building found in New York and other large cities
bubbler
a drinking fountain (used especially, but not exclusively, in Wisconsin and some parts of New England); originally, the term referred to the freshwater drum. Americans living outside areas of common usage may not recognize the word at all.
buddy, bud
a friend; also used as a term of address (UK similar: mate)
bullhorn
a megaphone
burglarize
to carry out a burglary (UK: burgle; burgle is very rare in US, and burglarize virtually nonexistent in UK)
busboy
junior restaurant worker assisting waiting staff, table clearer, water pourer etc. (UK: busser; runner)
buttinsky
a busybody, a nosy person (similar to UK nosy parker)
butte
an isolated hill with steep sides and a small flat top

C

caboose
a train car attached usually to the rear mainly for the crew's use (UK: guard's van' or brake van'); also (colloquial) the buttocks
capsicum
a bell pepper, usually simply referred to as a pepper.
Canadian bacon
Ham, usually pressed and sliced, term not used in Canadian English.
canola
a trademarked variety of rapeseed
carhop
someone serving food at a drive-in, often on rollerskates
catercorner
(or catercornered, catacorner, kitty-corner, catty-corner, etc.) (adverb) diagonally, diagonally opposite ("The house looks catercorner to mine"). Catercorner is the original form (from cater = four), but the forms kitty-corner and catty-corner (folk etymology) are usual in speech, the former especially in the North and the latter in the Midland and South. Sometimes (dialectal, regional) also kitty/catty wampus/wumpus (unclearly derived), which can also mean "awry."
catsup
occasionally used term for ketchup that never sees use in the UK.
cell phone
(short for cellular telephone) a wireless telephone; UK: mobile phone, often abbreviated to mobile
central air
central air conditioning
ChapStick *
(trademark, sometimes used generically) a lip balm
checkers
a popular board game (UK: draughts)
charge account
in a store or shop (UK: credit account)
checking account
the type of bank account used for drawing checks; distinguished from savings account. (UK: current account or cheque account)
chifforobe
a combination of wardrobe and chest of drawers (from chiffonier + wardrobe)
chutzpah *
nerve, cheek, gall or effrontery (from Yiddish)
cilantro
coriander.
cookout
informal meal cooked and eaten outdoors, a cross between a picnic and a barbecue
cooties
(see article)
cotton candy
spun sugar often sold at fairs (UK: candy floss)
counterclockwise
(UK: anti-clockwise)
coveralls
a one-piece outer protective garment (UK: overall, boiler suit)
critter
(informal) a creature; an animal (as a horse in the South or a bull in the North); often used jocularly (as in "congresscritter," a congressperson); sometimes a term of endearment
crapshoot
risky and uncertain venture; from a dice game
cup
groin protection for male sportsmen. In the UK, the equivalent term is a "box" or "cricket box" (so called because cricket is the only sport where such protection is commonly used)
cuss
(from "curse") to swear; (as noun) a cantankerous person

D

diaper
(UK: nappy)
dime
a 10-cent coin; five-and-dime, dime store, a store selling cheap merchandise; nickel[DM]-and-dime, insignificant; a dime a dozen, so abundant as to be worth little; on a dime, in a small space ("turn on a dime") or immediately ("stop on a dime.") In Britain, the old sixpence, a small coin worth the equivalent of 2.5p, was formerly used in similar expressions before decimal currency was introduced in the early 1970s.
direct deposit
a method of payment by bank transfer, similar to European giro
dishrag
a cloth for washing dishes; a dishcloth
dish towel
a towel for drying dishes (UK: tea towel)
divided highway
(UK: dual carriageway)
doohickey
word used for an unknown item (a thingamajig or just a thingy)(UK: wotsit)
downspout
pipe for carrying rainwater from a gutter to the ground (UK: drainpipe)
downtown
(noun, adv., adj.) (in, to, toward, or related to) either the lower section or the business center of a city or town—compare uptown, see article for New York City usage; (noun) in basketball, far from the basket (as outside the three-point line)—used of a shot
driver license, driver's license
(UK: driving licence)
drugstore
a pharmacy, or a store selling candy, magazines, etc. along with medicines (UK approx.: chemist [DM])
drywall
gypsum board, plasterboard, or any process that builds interior walls without the use of water
duct tape (or Duck tape™)
(UK: "gaffer tape")
dude
A male or a farm hand at a horse ranch. Americans often use this as the equivalent of the British usage of "mate", or, even closer, as the equivalent of Caribbean "man/mon".
Dumpster
(trademark: might be becoming genericized) large trash receptacle (UK approx.: skip [DM]); to dumpster-dive, to rummage through a Dumpster
dweeb
a boring, studious, or socially inept person

E

eggplant
the plant Solanum melongena (UK: aubergine; "eggplant" is common in the Commonwealth outside the United Kingdom, however, due to the fact that a 19th century fad for using French culinary terms never caught on in the colonies).
English muffin
(see article)
eminent domain
the power of the government to take private property for public use (similar to UK compulsory purchase)
envision
to envisage
every which way *
in or toward all directions; also, in a disordered or irregular way ("Documents scattered every which way")
expressway
A type of multi-lane divided highway
exurb
The ring of prosperous rural communities beyond the suburbs

F

fall (season)
Autumn
fanny pack
pouch-like bag that ties or snaps around the wearer's waist (UK: bum bag). See also fanny in [DM].
faucet
water outlet (UK & US sometimes tap [DM])
feedlot *
(see article)
flack
a publicist or press agent
flashlight
a battery operated light (UK: "torch").
flatware
knives, spoons, and forks (as opposed to holloware); (UK usually cutlery [DM], although flatware is used in the UK antiques trade as a specialist word)
fourteener
(regional, mostly Colorado) An independent mountain peak over 14,000 feet above sea level (see article).
freeway
(see article)
freshman *
a first-year student in college or high school (also fresher in UK)
(French) fries
pieces of potato that have been deep-fried (UK distinguishes between thick chips [DM] and thin fries)

G

garbage
(UK: rubbish)
gasoline
(esp. in the past also spelled gasolene; abbreviated gas) (UK: petrol)
gee-whiz
as an interjection, a euphemism for "Jesus"; as an adjective, denotes something characterized by or meant to cause excitement or sensation ("gee-whiz technology"; "a gee-whiz attitude")
general delivery
(UK: poste restante)
green thumb
(UK: green fingers)
gridiron
field of play for American football. UK usage refers to Gridiron as the sport of American Football.
grifter *
a con artist, transient swindler, or professional gambler

H

half bath
a bathroom [DM] that lacks a shower or bathtub (i.e., a bathroom which lacks a place to actually bathe.) Equivalent to a British W.C.
hickey
a bruise on one's skin resulting from kissing or sucking; (UK: love bite)
highball
(see article)
ho
A contraction of the word "whore," and synonymous with tramp (harlot) or slut often used as an insult. The term originated in African-American English, though it is used in many other American ethnolects as well. May be referred to in Ireland as a dirty slapper.
hobo
(see article)
hood
A piece of material used on automobiles, mostly the front, to cover the engine bay and which forms a part of the front of a vehicle. (UK: bonnet)
(hominy) grits
coarsely ground corn boiled for breakfast, especially in the Southern U.S.
play hooky
to play truant from school; to cut class (UK also: skive, bunk off)
horseback riding
simply "riding" or horse riding in the UK
howdy
(short for how do you do) casual greeting that originated in the Southern States
HVAC
Heating + Ventilation + Air Conditioning

I

intimate apparel
lingerie; used mainly in advertisements.

J

jack off, jerk off
(slang) to masturbate, UK usage would be "to wank". If used as a disparaging noun, as in "that guy is such a jack/jerk off", the UK equivalent would be "that guy is such a wanker".
Jane Doe
See John Doe.
Jell-o
(trademark) gelatin dessert (UK: jelly [DM])
john
(slang) a toilet; also, the client of a prostitute
John Doe
defendant or victim (as in a lawsuit), or a person whose identity is unknown or is intended to be anonymous; also, an average man ; compare John Q. Public (UK equivalent is Joe Bloggs). The female equivalent is Jane Doe. Also Baby Doe.
John Hancock
a signature (from the name of the President of the Second Continental Congress, who signed first the United States Declaration of Independence) ("put your John Hancock here")
John Q. Public
the common man, typical member of the general public. Also stated as Joe Blow or Joe Schmoe.

K

kitty-corner
see catercorner

L

ladybug
(UK: ladybird)
laundromat
(UK: laundrette)
learner's permit
a restricted license for a person learning to drive, who has not yet passed the necessary driver's test (rules vary from state to state); also called driver's permit (UK: provisional licence)
left field *
a source of unexpected or illogical questions, ideas, etc. ("that proposal came out of left field"); for the baseball sense see left fielder; see English language idioms derived from baseball (now becoming more common in the UK)
letter carrier
a person who delivers mail to residences and businesses; also mail carrier, mailman, mailwoman (UK: postman, postwoman)
license plate, license tag
vehicle registration plate (UK: number plate)

M

ma
See mom.
mail carrier, mailman
a person who delivers mail to residences and businesses; also letter carrier (UK: postman, postwoman)
mailbox
(UK: post box, letter box, pillar box)
math
mathematics (UK: maths)
maven *
(from Yiddish) an expert
midsize
medium size; when applied to a car, it means (what most British drivers would consider) large
Miranda
(Miranda warning) the warning (usually "You have the right to remain silent. If you give up that right, anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law." etc.) given to criminal suspects when arrested; (Miranda rights) the right of a criminal suspect when arrested; hence mirandize, to recite the Miranda warning to (a criminal suspect)
mom, mommy, mama, mamma, momma *
mother (UK often: mum[my])
mom-and-pop
single-family operated small business ("a mom-and-pop store")
mortician
an undertaker, funeral director

N

narc
law enforcement narcotics agent; but 'to narc on' someone is to inform on them to an authority figure (This term is also used in New Zealand)
newsdealer
person or shop that sells newspapers (UK: newsagent)
New York minute
see New York minute (time)
normalcy
normality. Used, although not coined, by Warren G. Harding ("a return to normalcy")

O

off-the-rack
of clothes, etc. (UK: off-the-peg)
oftentimes *
often (archaic in Britain but colloquial in America, especially clause-initially)
ornery
irritable, crotchety, cranky (from ordinary)
ouster
ousting, overthrow ("the ouster of a regime"; "the ouster of the CEO")
outage *
temporary suspension of operation ("a power outage", UK: powercut); the amount of something lost in storage or transportation [DM]
overpass *
(UK: flyover)

P

pacifier
(UK: dummy [DM], comforter [DM])
pantyhose
(UK: tights, a term used for similar non-sheer garments in the U.S.; "pantyhose" refers only to sheer or semi-sheer nylon-based tights)
paper route
a regular series of newspaper deliveries (UK: paper round)
parking lot
a usually outside area for the parking of automotive vehicles (UK: car park)
penny-ante
(adj.) petty, insignificant -- from penny ante, poker played for a very low ante
Popsicle
A trademarked brand of frozen juice, or flavored ice on a stick. The term is widely used to describe all such confections without regard to brand. (UK: ice lolly or lolly ice)
plastic wrap
polymer material for sealing food items (UK: cling-film)
plumber butt
buttock cleavage (UK: builder's bum or builder's cleavage)
powdered sugar
(UK: icing sugar)
pre-authorized payment/withdrawal
(UK: direct debit (variable amount)/standing order (fixed amount))
public holiday
(UK: bank holiday, although public holiday is also used, more formally, when referring to New Year's Day, Good Friday, Christmas Day, and Boxing Day). See Federal holiday

R

raincheck
(see article) The metaphorical "take a raincheck" is sometimes used in the UK, even by people who do not know the origin of the expression.
raised pavement marker
commonly called reflector, Botts' dot or cat's eye (UK: cat's eye)
rappel
to descend on a rope (UK: abseil)
Realtor (trademark)
member of the National Association of Realtors; as a genericized trademark, any real estate broker or real estate agent (UK: estate[DM] agent)
recision
a cancellation ("This bill would authorize the recision of the adult day health care license"). Now rare in the UK; a different word from rescission
restroom
public toilets
roil
to render muddy by stirring up the dregs of; as, to roil wine, cider, etc., in casks or bottles; to roil a spring; also, to disquiet or disturb
roustabout
an unskilled laborer, especially at an oil field, at a circus, or on a ship
row house
(UK: terraced house)
Rube Goldberg
Absurdly complex machine (see Heath Robinson).
rutabaga
the turnip Brassica napus napobrassica (UK: swede)
RV (recreational vehicle)
see article for usage of the terms RV, motor home, and the British camper [DM] and caravan [DM]
RV park
(UK: caravan park)

S

Saran wrap
(Saran is a trademark) in the UK this would be referred to as "cling film"
sawbuck
(see article)
scallion *
also used in Ireland; known as spring onion in Great Britain
shill *
A shill is a person who is supposed to appear like a member of the general public who usually attempts to lend credibility or excitement to a confidence scheme e.g. a person who claims to have received benefit from snake oil. Recently popularized by eBay ("shill bidding" or bidding to drum up excitement with no intention of buying)
shuck
the husk of an ear of Indian corn, an oyster shell, etc.; used in plural to mean something worthless or as an interjection ("shucks!"); (verb) to remove the shuck; also, to discard, get rid of ("I shucked my coat")
Shyster
A lawyer or accountant of dubious ethical standards. This phrase commonly indicates a person with no ethical restraints.
sidewalk
usually paved path for pedestrian traffic, often constructed of concrete (UK: pavement [DM], footpath [DM]). A sidewalk superintendent is someone spectating a construction or demolition job
skillet
frying pan
sneaker
(usually pl.) a form of footwear, also called tennis shoe—see regional vocabularies of American English (UK: trainer, plimsoll, regional dap,pump, [DM])
soccer *
Association football, generally called simply football in Britain (though soccer is also used in Ireland)
soda fountain
(see article)
sophomore
a second-year college or high school student (Trinity College Dublin has sophister in this sense); (adj.) the second in a series (as in, an athlete's "sophomore season", a band's "sophomore album"); hence sophomoric, conceited and overconfident of knowledge but poorly informed and immature (UK: undergraduate has this extended sense)
spyglass
a telescope or set of lenses used to observe subjects at distance
station wagon
automobile with extended rear cargo area (UK: estate (car))
steam shovel
a large mechanical excavator
stickshift, stick
(car with) manual transmission, as opposed to an automatic (UK: gear stick or gear lever for the stick; manual for the car)
stool pigeon, stoolie
police informer (UK: grass)
stoplight
a traffic signal, or a vehicle brake light
streetcar
vehicle on rails for passenger transportation [DM] usually within a city; also called trolley [DM] or trolley car if electrically powered by means of a trolley (UK: tram)
stroller
vehicle for baby transportation featuring the child in a sitting position, usually facing forward (UK: pushchair, buggy [DM])
SUV
Sport-Utility Vehicle. Usually referred to as a 4x4 ("four by four") in the UK.

T

taffy
a type of chewy candy; see taffy (candy)
tailpipe
exhaust pipe
takeout
(UK: takeaway)
tardy *
late, behind schedule
teeter(-totter), teeterboard
a seesaw
telecast
to broadcast by television
teleprompter
(see article) (UK: compare autocue)
thru
Through. An abbreviation mostly used in the fast food industry, as in Drive Thru.
thumbtack
short nail or pin with a large, rounded metal head (UK: drawing pin)
track and field *
(UK usually athletics [DM]); see also track [DM]
trackless trolley
a trolleybus; see trolley in [DM]
trash can
(UK: dustbin, rubbish bin)
turnpike
(see article)
turn signal
direction-indicator lights (US also directionals; UK usually indicators [DM]; US & UK also blinkers [DM])
two-bit
literally, worth 25 cents (a bit is an eighth of a dollar); figuratively, worth very little, insignificant (informal)
two cents, two cents' worth
an opinion, a piece of one's mind (as in, "I'm gonna go down there and give him my two cents") - (UK similar: two pence, two penneth, or tu'pence worth)

U

undershirt
an upper undergarment with no collar, and with short or no sleeves, worn next to the skin under a shirt (UK: singlet, vest [DM])
upscale
relating to goods targeted at high-income consumers; upmarket
uptown
(noun, adj., adv.) (in, to, toward, or related to) either the upper section or the residential district of a city; e.g. in Manhattan, New York City the term refers to the northern end of Manhattan, generally speaking, north of 59th Street; see also Uptown, Minneapolis; Uptown, Chicago; Uptown New Orleans; compare downtown. However, in Charlotte, North Carolina, "Uptown" refers to what would be called "downtown" in most other cities.

V

vacationer
someone taking a vacation [DM] (UK: holidaymaker)
variety meats
offal

W

washcloth
(UK: flannel, UK often & US less frequently facecloth; US less frequently also washrag)
washrag
See washcloth.
wastebasket
synonym for trash can (UK: dust bin; wastepaper basket is an interior object for waste from each room.)
weatherization
(UK and US: weatherproofing)
wetback
(offensive, disparaging) an illegal immigrant from Mexico or Latin America. So called as they are presumed to have swum the Rio Grande river to have entered the USA
windshield
the front window of an automobile (UK: windscreen)
woodsy
abundant in trees, suggestive of woods; woody, wooded

X

Xing
(on road signs) crossing (as in "Ped Xing", pedestrian crossing). Usually pronounced "EK-sing."

Y

Y'all, ya'll
(regional — Southern American, African-American, and Appalachian) contraction of You all, used as second-person dual or plural pronoun ("Y'all come back now, ya hear!"). Sometimes, it is used for the second-person singular pronoun, leaving the person to whom the speaker is referring to look around for the other persons that the speaker might also be referring. Also all y'all. (UK: 'Yous' in Northern Ireland, 'Yis' in Central Scotland)
yellow light
as in the color at a stoplight (q.v.) or traffic lights. In the UK, this is referred to as an amber light. In the UK, the red and amber light together immediately in advance of the green (giving a light sequence of 1.red, 2.red and amber (together), 3.green, 4.amber (alone), 5.red).
yinz or yunz
1. (regional — Pittsburgh & western Pennsylvania) plural you, as in: "Yinz are really annoying."
2. (regional — Southern U.S.) you all or y'all (sometimes used without a verb, as in, "Yinz late again", or "Yinz stupid")
youse guys
(regional — New York) The second-person plural pronoun, although this may be dated by now.

Z

zinger
a witty, often caustic remark; something supposed to cause surprise or shock
ZIP code
(for Zone Improvement Plan) the postal code used by the United States Postal Service composed of 5 digits as in 90210, sometimes a suffix of 4 digits after a hyphen is used. (UK equivalent: postcode)
zipper *
(UK usually zip [DM])
zucchini
the plant Cucurbita pepo, also zucchini squash. (UK: courgette)
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