Accumulator battery, car battery
Alsatian (dog) German shepherd
Articulated lorry tractor-trailer (truck), a "semi"
Ass donkey
Athletics track and field
Backlog log-jam, pile-up (of business orders, for example);
U.S. backlog = comfortable reserve of orders
Bank holiday holiday
Bap bun, hamburger bun, hamburger roll
Mrs. Beeton Fanny Farmer
(standard cooking, household reference book)
(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
Biscuit cookie
Blancmange vanilla pudding
Block,
block of flats apartment building
"Bomb"
(theater terminology) a "hit," a great success
Boiler suit overalls
Bonnet hood (of a car...)
Boot trunk (of a car...)
Bottom drawer hope chest
Bowler (hat) derby
Braces suspenders
Brambleberry blackberry
Bottom of the street end of the street
Box (TV) Tube (both slang, colloquial terms)
Bull "mickey mouse" (unnecessary military drill)
Bum ass, rectum
Bun in the oven pregnant, eating for two
Call box (tele)phone booth
Camp bed cot; U.S.
Car park parking lot
Caretaker
(for a building) janitor
Carriage railroad car, subway car
Carrier bag shopping bag
Caucus permanent 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;
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
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
"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.
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)
(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 generator (within automobile engine)
Earth wire ground wire (in electricity, electronics)
Elastic band rubber band
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.
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
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
"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. jumper = 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
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)
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
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
Pram 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 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
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) weekly or monthly ticket; U.S. season ticket is admission ticket 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
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)
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
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? 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 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 windshield
Wing 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
"Zed" "Zee" (pronunciation of last letter in alphabet)
