American-British Dictionary

-A-

AAA – AA (Automobile Association) and the RAC (Royal Auto Club) are the two biggest auto clubs in the UK

Army Airborne – “Paras” (paratroopers)

Allowance (child’s) – Pocket Money

Apple Cider – Cider or Scrumpy (which is the proper ‘homeade’ stuff).
The Brits don’t mess around with non-alcoholic cider like the Americans do [I come from an Apple growing state]. When they say ‘cider,’ it’s alcoholic and good, like their beer. [I've got to give them some credit!]

Amtrak – British Rail (although no such thing anymore since ‘privatisation’). The Railways in Britain have gone downhill and are priced to astronomical levels (use those tourist rail passes where you can!)

Antenna – Aerial

Argument, Quarrel – Row (pronounced like ‘how’)
(’Ian and Jane had a big row last night’)

Army Reserve – TA (Territorial Army)

Ass:
Arse
(’Ian, get off your fat arse and do some work!’)

Apartment – lat

Appetizer – Starter

Attic – Loft

ATM – ‘Hole in the Wall,’ or Cash Point

Autopsy – Post-Mortem

-B-

Baptize, Christen – Christen
(”Ian, should we invite friends and family to little Lucy’s Christening, or just family?”)

Baby Carriage; Buggy – Pram

Babysitter – Childminder, Babysitter

Bachelor Party – Stag Night

Bachelorette Party – Hen Night

Back Talk (”Don’t you back talk me young man!” – Speak Back
(”Charles, don’t speak back to your father; it’s rude.”)

Back-Up – Reverse
(”Hey Gill, will you reverse the car out of the drive for me please”)

Bacon – Streaky Bacon

Baked Potato – Jacket Potato

Band-Aid – Plaster

Baloney (’What a load of baloney’) – codswallop, rubbish, nonsense
(’What a load of codswallop’) and/or (’Don’t talk such rubbish Jane’)

Bangs (hair) – Fringe

Bar – Pub

Barrette – Hair Slide

Baseball, Softball – Rounders
(Baseball and Softball are virtually unheard of while ‘Rounders’ is a schoolyard game that is fairly similar, but not popular. Their hardball game of choice though is of course ‘Cricket,’ but that is quite different from baseball)

Basement – Cellar
(The majority of [especially newer ones] houses don’t have basements anyway, but are called cellars when they do)

Basketball – Netball, Basketball
Basketball is known and played in the UK, but certainly not on every street corner or backyard as it is in the States. ‘Netball’ is a schoolyard game that is somewhat similar and usually played by girls.)

Bathroom, Restroom – Loo, Toilet

Beach (’Let’s go to the Beach) – Seaside

Beeper (for paging) – Bleeper

Beer – Lager
(*Note: what the Brits refer to as ‘Beer’ isn’t the same thing as what Americans, generally, think it is. Budweiser, Miller, Heinekin, Labatts, etc. are all styles of ‘Lager.’ While ‘Beer,’ to Brits, are the proper ale and bitter styles of liquid refreshment which are generally served at room temperature without ‘fizz.’)

Beer (lager) and 7-Up/Sprite mixed together – Shandy
This refreshing drink is the Brits’ Summer drink. Even though they are tea fanatics, they do not drink Iced Tea!

Bill ($10 bill) – Note (£20 note, etc.)

Billfold / Wallet – Wallet

Billion – Thousand Million (although increasingly hearing ‘billion’ more as they pick up more americanism’s

Boarder – Lodger

Bodyguard – Bodyguard, Minder

Bookmobile – Mobile Library

Box Cutter – Stanley knife

Bowling – Ten-Pin Bowling

Braid (braided hair) – Plait

Brass Knuckles – Knuckle Dusters

Brush (your teeth) – Clean
(’Don’t forget to clean your teeth Jack’)

Buck (as in slang for a dollar) – Quid (slang for a pound)

Bumper Sticker – Car Sticker

Bunch – Lot
(Andy:”Hey Simon, can you go and get that stack of chairs?”
Simon: “How Many?”
Andy: “The whole lot?”) *See “guys” also.

Bus (local) – Bus

Bus (long distance) – Coach
The British equivalent to Greyhound and Trailways is: National Express

Busy (phone) – Engaged
(’Karen’s phone is engaged’)

Butt – Bum, Bottom
(Jane to Alice: ‘Does my bum look big to you?’)

-C-

Cafeteria – Canteen
(’I'll meet you in the canteen for dinner Henry’)

Call (on a phone) – Ring
(’Give me a ring sometime Tim’)

Camper, Trailer – Caravan

Can (of food, etc.) – Tin

Candy – Sweets

(Car) Fender – Car Wing

(Car) Parking Lights – Side lights

Carpenter – Joiner

Cash Register – Till

Case (of Beer) – Crate of Beer

Caught – ‘Nicked,’ Caught
(Policeman to criminal just apprehended: “You’re Nicked!”)

Celluar Phone – Mobile Phone

CEO (Chief Executive Officer) – Managing Director

Cents – Pence, “P”
(The Daily Mail costs 35p)
See Money for more

Check (check “X” the boxes on the form) – Tick

Checkers (game) – Draughts

Checking Account – Current Account

Chief Justice of the Supreme Court – Lord High Chancellor, Lord Chancellor

Christmas Lights – Fairy Lights (!)

Chilly – Parky, Chilly
(’Ooh Margaret, it’s a bit parky today isn’t it? Do you think I’ll need me jumper?’)

Cigarette – Fag !!, Cigarette
(’How much is a pack of fags down at the corner shop Robert?’)

Cigarette Butt – Fag End !

Cleats (sports) – Football Boots

Closet (built-in) – Wardrobe

Clothes Dryer – Tumble Dryer

Collect-Call – Reverse-Charges

College – University, ‘Uni’
(This a confusing word… American’s go to university, but sometimes freely state “Oh, I went to college at the Universtiy of Michigan.” The British would never say that. If you went to a university, you never refer to it as ‘college,’ it would be degrading to universities. They do have ‘colleges’ here though, but they’re (generally) more like an advanced high school than a college..)

Comforter, Heavy Blanket – Duvet

Commercial (TV) – Advert, Commercial

Consumer – Consumer, ‘Punter’
(Jim to Rod: “I hope that new ad campaign will bring in the punters or we’re both going to get the sack!”)

Congress – Parliament (rough equivalent)

Contractor – Builder

Convertible (car) – Convertible, Soft-Top

Cookies – Biscuits

Cookie Jar – Biscuit Barrel

Cords (electrical) – Leads

Costume Party – Fancy Dress Party

Cotton Balls – Cotton Wool

Cotton Candy – Candy Floss

Couch, Sofa – Settee, Sofa

Counter-Clockwise – Anti-Clockwise

Coupon – Voucher
(The Brits aren’t into coupon-clipping from the newspaper. They do have them, but are an occasional thing and they generally refer to them as vouchers)

Cramming, Studying (for a test, exam) – Revision, ‘Swot’
(’Nigel has a lot of revision to do for his exams’) or (’Wayne had to do an all night swotting session for his database exam’)
(A swot can also mean a brainy type person – [e.g., a bookworm or a teacher's pet ])

‘Crap,’ ‘Sh*t,’ and other words to mean terrible – ‘Rubbish,’ ‘Pants’ (!)
(’That new sitcom on the telly was pants!’)

Crazy, Lunatic – Nutter, ‘Off his Trolley’
(’That bloke who just walked out of the pub was a real nutter’) or
(’That bloke who just walked out of the pub was off his trolley’)

Creek – Brook, Stream

Crosswalk, Pedestrian Crossing (without lights) – Zebra Crossing (!!)

Crosswalk, Pedestrian Crossing (with lights) – Pelican Crossing (!)

Crossing Guard (school) – ‘Lollipop Lady’
(So called because of the large circular ’stop’ sign they carry)

Crotch – Crutch

Cupcake – Fairy Cake !

Cupboard (walk-in, cool storage type) – Larder
(though generally a term used by the ‘older’ generations)

Cup (as in a male groin guard) – Box
(’Don’t forget your boxes’ and shin pads for karate practice tomorrow lads’)

- D -

‘Damn!,’ ‘Confounded’ – (’The damn TV just broke!’) – ‘Bloody’
(’That bloody telly! It’s brand new and already broken!’)

Dead-End Road – Cul-De-Sac

Den – Study

Department (Government – e.g. Department of Defense) – Ministry, e.g. Ministry of Defence
Except for a few exceptions such as: Department of State = the Foreign Office

Derby Hat – Bowler Hat

Dessert – Pudding, Sweet, Afters
(’What’s for pudding Lynn?’)

Detour – Diversion

Diapers – Nappies

Dinner, Supper – Tea
(’What’s for tea Karen? I’m starving.’)
(*Dinner is also used of course, but for everyday eating time after work, the most common word used by the masses is, unfortunately, ‘Tea.’ I hate the word myself….)

Dishwashing – Washing-Up

Dish Towel – Tea Towel

Divided Highway – Dual Carriageway

Doctor’s Office – Doctor’s Surgery

Downtown – City Centre

Dress (woman’s) – Dress, Frock

Dryer (clothes) – Tumble Dryer

Drugstore, Pharmacy – Chemists, Pharmacy

Drunk (to get) – ‘Pissed,’ ‘Bladdered,’ ‘Blotto’ and numerous others.
(’Nigel got so pissed last night he didn’t make it to work this morning’)

Duplex – Semi-Detached House

Dumpster – Skip
(’Jack has enough rubbish in the cellar to fill a skip!’)

- E -

Eggplant – Aubergine

Elementary School, Grade School – Primary School
(with subdivisions called: Infant (5-7), Junior (8-11) and other variations depending on area. Kindergarten is generally called: Reception.)

Elevator – Lift

English Muffins – Crumpets, Muffins

ER (Emergency Room) – A&E (Accident & Emergency), ‘Casualty’

Eraser – Rubber (!), Eraser

Exit (highway) – Junction

Expensive – Expensive, Dear
(”That beef joint is a bit dear isn’t it Henry?”)

-F-

Family Doctor – ‘G.P.’ (General Practioner)

Fanny – Women’s Genitalia
(While some of you American’s may use Fanny to mean your ‘butt,’ it has just the opposite meaning in Britain so use that word sparingly!)

Fanny Pack, Butt Pack – Bum Bag

Faucet – Tap

Fart – Fart, Trump, Botty Burp(!)

Federal – National

Ferris Wheel – Big Wheel

Field (sports – football field, etc.) – Pitch

Fire Department – Fire Brigade

Fired (’John got fired last week’) – Sacked
(’Ian got the sack last week’)

Fishsticks – Fishfingers

Flashlight – Torch

Flat (tire) – Puncture

Food (British) – Some traditional British Food terms you may come across:

Bubble & Squeak – Cabbage & Potatoes – fried

Bangers – Sausages

Bangers & Mash – Sausage and Mashed Potatoes

Faggots – a type of meatball made with pork, pig’s liver & more

Spotted Dick – a hot dessert (pudding) made of a suet based sponge cake and fruit such as raisins and currants

Steak & Kidney Pie – Just what is says – chunks of beef and kidney,
in a gravy slop with a pastry crust.

Football – American Football.
(All Europeans call soccer ‘Football’ [and rightly so, you only use your feet don't you?] and they make the distinction of what American’s call football as ‘American Football.’)

French Fries – Chips

French Fry Sandwich – (!) Chip Butty

French Toast – Eggy Bread, French Toast

Freshman, Sophmore, Junior, etc. – First year, Second year, Third year, etc.
(About as original as their TV channels: BBC channels 1 & 2 and independent channels 3, 4, & 5!)

Friend – Friend, Mate, Geezer

Fun – make fun of, ridicule someone – ‘Take the Piss,’ ‘Take the Mickey,’ ‘Winding you Up’
(”Don’t worry about it George, Ian was only taking the piss!”)

- G -

Galoshes, Rubber Boots – “Wellies”

Gallon (U.S.) – Gallon (Imperial) = 1.2 U.S. Gallons

Garage / Yard / Rummage Sale – Car Boot Sale
(The Brits generally only sell their junk – usually in a big field on a weekend with other sellers – out of the trunk [boot] of their cars.)

Garbage, Trash – Rubbish

Garbage Dump – Tip

Garbage Can (outside) – Dustbin

Garbage Bag – Bin Liner, Bin Bag

Garbage Man – Dustman (!)

Garbage, Trash Can (inside use) – Bin

Garbage Truck – Dustcart

Garter Belt – Suspenders

Gas – Petrol

Gas Pedal – Accelerator

Gas Station – Petrol Station, Garage

Gear (Sports gear, camera gear, etc.) – Kit

Gear Shift – Gear Lever

German Shepherd Dog – Alsatian

‘Get Lost!’ – ‘Sod Off,’ ‘Piss Off!’

‘Gidee Up!’ (horse talk) – ‘Gee Up!’

‘G.I. Joe’ – ‘Action Man’

Girl Scouts – Girl Guides
(but Boy Scouts are Boy Scouts!)

Glove Compartment – Glove Box

Goose Bumps – Goose Pimples

Government (i.e. Washington, D.C.) – The area of London where most of the government HQ’s are situated, (including the military) is called Whitehall.

Ground (Electrical) – Earth

Gym Class, Phys. Ed. – P.E. (Physical Education)

‘Guys’ (”Hey you guys, let’s get going!”) – Lot
(”Hey you lot, let’s get going!”)
(Note: ‘Guys’ is also being used more and more often by the Brits)

- H -

Hamburger – Beefburger

Hamburger (to buy or cook from) – Minced Beef (or lamb or whatever)

Hamburger Bun (or for a sandwich) – Bap, Cob, Barm, Breadcake
(All things you can make a sandwich or hamburger in; many regional variations)

Ham Steak – Gammon

Hard Candy – Boiled Sweets

Hemorrhoids – Piles

Hickey – Love Bite

Highway, Expressway – Motorway

Highway Exit – Motorway Junction

Hiking – Walking
(’John & Melinda love to go walking in the Peak National Park on their holidays’)

Hiking Trail – Footpath

Hood (Car) – Bonnet (!)
(’Let’s see what your new Jag has under the bonnet Jack’)

Honk (car horn) – Hoot
(’Don’t hoot your horn in the city centre’)

‘Horny,’ Sexually Eager – ‘Randy’
(Jane to Jill: ‘Nigel got a bit randy last night after we drank that bottle of wine you gave us – it was lovely!’)

Hospital – Hospital, Infirmary

Hotel Room (or bedroom) with its own attached bathroom – En-Suite
(’All of our hotel rooms are en-suite’)

“How’s it Going?,” “What’s Up?”: – “All Right?,” “You All Right?”
(Jack to John upon bumping into each other: “You all right John? How’s the wife?”)

(I found that saying particularly strange when I first got here. I kept asking my wife why these people kept asking me if I was all right or not! “What? Do I look sick or something?”)

Hutch – Welsh Dresser !

- I -

Idiot, Moron – Berk, Pillock, Pratt, Plonker, Wally, Git
(’Your brother is a real plonker Maxine!’)

Idle (car) – Tick-Over

Incorporated – Limited

Intern – Work Placement, Work Experience
(’Hey mum, I’ve got a one-year work placement in the IT department at the Kellog’s cereal factory in Manchester.’ ‘Ooh, that’s lovely Basil, I’m so proud of you.’)

- J -

Janitor – Caretaker, Cleaner

Jell-O – Jelly

Jelly – Jam

Jumper Cables – Jump Leads

- K -

Kayak – Canoe

Kerosene – Paraffin

Kickstand (bike) – Propstand

Kindergarten – Reception

Kiss – Kiss, ‘Snog’
(”Ooh Janet, Ken gave me a quick snog last night at the pub, do you think he fancies me??”)

Knee-High Nylons – Pop Socks

“Knock on Wood” (superstitious expression) – “Touch wood”

‘Knock-Up’ – Make Pregnant

- L -

Last Name – Surname

Laundro-mat – Launderette

Layoff (”Jack got laid off last week”) – Redundant
(”It’s a shame, Richard was made redundant last week!”)

Lawyer, Attorney – Solicitor, Lawyer
( Trial Lawyer: Barrister )

Leash (dog) – Lead

Lemonade – Traditional Lemonade

License Plates – Number Plates
(doesn’t make a difference if they have letters on them or not)

Like (a person, thing or activity) – Fancy
(’Hey Jane, I really fancy your brother Ian’)

Line-Up – Queue
(’We’ll have to queue for those tickets Jane’)

Liquor Store – Off-Licence !

Living Room – Lounge, Living Room.

Lunch – Dinner, Lunch
(Lunch used also, yes it’s confusing).
(Bob to Andy – two work colleagues: “I’m going to have me dinner now Andy.”)

- M -

Man, Guy – Bloke, Chap, Lad or Man
(Max to Alan: ‘What was the name of that bloke we met last night?’)
(Note: ‘Guy’ is also being used more and more often by the Brits)

Mail – Post

Mail Box – Letter Box

‘Main Street’ – ‘High Street’

Masturbate, e.g. ‘beat-off, jerk-off’ – ‘Wank,’ Toss’
And a ‘Wanker’ & ‘Tosser’ is someone who supposedly ‘beats-off’ and is used as an semi-offensive term to call someone. These are obvious slang terms and ‘masturbate’ is used when scientists talk about it… The American slang terms are understood also.
(”Hey Phil, ya know what? You’re a Wanker!”)

Math – Maths
(’Hi mum, I’ve got loads of maths homework tonight’)

My – My, Me
(As correctly as the English think they speak, they nearly all, at one time or another, use ‘me’ for ‘my’ when speaking casually.)
(”Where’s me coat Jane?”)

(although it’s supposedly only a ‘northern’ thing…)

Meatballs (a traditional style made with pork and pork liver) – Faggots (!)
(Sam to Linda:”What’s for tea tonight Linda?” Linda to Sam: “Faggots, mash and peas dear”)

[See picture]

Minister, Pastor, etc. – Vicar
(The English have their own protestant religion, the ‘C of E,’ or ‘Church of England,’ which is the predominant religion and a ‘Vicar’ is what they call their earthly representative to God.
‘Minority’ religions do exist such as Methodists and they’re called Ministers as normal.)

Mis-matched socks – Odd Socks
(’Ian, you certainly look silly with those odd socks’)

Mobile Home – Static Caravan, Caravan

Molasses – Treacle

Mom – Mum

Money – The Bits call their money (£) Pounds, or Pounds Sterling. Unlike ($) Dollars, their bills (notes) come in different sizes to differentiate value, e.g. a ‘fiver’ (five pound bill) is quite small compared to a fifty pound bill, which will barely fit in your wallet.
Their coins are in pence, or “p” and come in 1p, 2p (which are copper), 5p, 10p, 20p, 50p (silver color), the gold colored One Pound coin and the dual-color Two Pound coin which are both quite heavy.

Moron, Idiot – Berk, Pillock, Pratt, Plonker
(’Your brother is a real pillock Michelle!’)

Mother’s Day – Mothering Sunday
(But Father’s Day is called Father’s Day)

Mouth – Mouth, ‘Gob’
(”Will you just shut your gob for 5 minutes Lisa!?”)

Mouth Guard (boxing) – Gum Shield

Movie – Film; movie also used

Movie Ratings ( PG, PG-13, R, X) – “U” for universal, i.e. small kids upwards. And the rest: “PG,” “12,” “15,” “18,” & “Restricted 18″ are self-explanatory.

Movie Theater – Cinema

Muffler (car) – Silencer

- N -

Nap – Kip, Nap
(”I’m going for a bit of kip Janice, I’m knackered!”)

Napkin – Serviette, Napkin

National Holiday – Bank Holiday

Natural Gas – Gas

Newstand – Newsagent

Nipple (for baby’s bottle) – Teat

Nothing (for zero quantity) – Nil
(”The score of the football game was ‘two – nil” “)

- O -

Odometer – Mileometer

Off-Ramp, On-Ramp (highway) – Slip Road

One-Storey House – Bungalow

One time, Single Time, Unique – ‘One-Off’
(For example: The Brits love their documentaries. If they are starting a new documentary that will be shown over many weeks it is of course a ’series,’ but if it is just a single episode documentary, they’ll call it a ‘one-off’ documentary.)

One-Way Ticket – Single Ticket

Operating Room – Operating Theatre

Outsource (labor) – Sub-Contract

Oven, Stove – Cooker, Oven

Oventop, Stovetop – Hob

Overpass – Flyover

Overseas – Abroad
(”James is going to live abroad for a year”)

- P -

Pacifier – Dummy

Panties – Knickers (!)

Pants, Trousers or Slacks – Trousers (only)

Pantyhose – Tights

Paper Towels – Kitchen Roll

Parking Brake – Hand Brake

Parking Lot – Car Park

Pass (to pass another car) – Overtake

Pavement, Asphalt – Tarmac

Paycheck – Pay Packet

Pedal Bike, Bicycle – Push Bike, Bicycle

Pedestrian Crossing, Crosswalk(without lights) – Zebra Crossing (!!)

Pedestrian Crossing, Crosswalk (with lights) – Pelican Crossing (!)

Pee – Wee
(”I’ll be back in a sec, I’ve got to go for a wee”)

Penis – Willy, Todger and all of the ‘normal’ crude words
(’Willy’ is what young children are taught to call it)

Period (punctuation) – Full Stop

Person on Vacation – Holidaymaker

Pet (pet the dog) – Stroke (!)
(’Ian, can I stroke your dog?’)

Pharmacist, Druggist – Chemist, pharmacy (sometimes)

Phone Booth – Phone-Box, Call-Box

Photos Sizes: 8×10, 5×7, 4×6, etc. – 10×8, 7×5, 6×4
(The Brits say their photo sizes backwards..)

Physical Therapist – Physiotherapist, ‘physio’

Pickle – Gherkin

Pint (U.S. 16oz.) – Pint (UK 20oz.)

P.M.S: – P.M.T (pre-menstrual tension)

Police – Police, ‘the Bill,’ ‘the old Bill’

Police Line-Up – Identity parade (!)

Police Officer – P.C. (Police Constable), ‘Bobby on the beat’

Popsicle – Iced Lolly

Potato Chips – Crisps

Pre-Natal – Ante-Natal

President (of the United States) – We won’t even go there!, i.e. ‘no comment.’
The brits don’t like to be compared in any way to the American system!

Pretentious (talker), ’smoothtalker,’ etc. – ‘Blag’,'Blagueur’
(’Boy did Ben ever blag his way into that job!’)

Preview, Trailer (movie) – Trailer (only)

Prison, Penitentiary, Slammer – The Nick, Prison

Private Parts, Genitals – ‘Rude Bits,’ Genitals

Private School – Public School (!!)

‘The Projects’ – ‘Estates.’
(’Estate’ is a confusing word in Britain. When speaking of inner-city ‘estates’ they’re referring to the equivalent to ‘The Projects.’ But it also means a new sub-division of ‘normal’ houses. And if you mention a ‘country estate,’ it could be the 400-acre grand, private ‘estate’ of Lord Wadsworth or some other person with ‘blue blood.’)

Pudding – Blancmange (pronounced: ‘blahmanj’)
(The Brits use the word ‘pudding’ as one of their terms to mean ‘dessert.’)

Purse – Handbag

Push-Up – Press-Up
(’Give me twenty press-ups recruit’)

- Q -

Queer, Fag, Faggot, Homo – Poof, Poofter, Queer, Queen, Nancy Boy

- R -

Racquetball – Squash
(Racquetball is virtually unheard of in England, and Squash is a near equivalent.)

Raincoat – Anorak, Mac
(something dirty old men wear [mac] )

Railway Crossing – Level Crossing, Grade Crossing

Railway Tie – Sleeper

Rappeling – Abseiling

Realtor – Estate-Agent

Recess (school) – Break

Record on Video – Video, Tape
(’I'm going out Friday so I need to video Frasier & Friends’)

Re-Modelling – Decorate, DIY (Do It Yourself)
(Trudie to Craig: ‘We need to decorate the hallway, kitchen and living room before Christmas!’)

Rent – Hire

Rent-a-Car – Self-Drive, Car Hire

Rent (buildings) – Let

Representative (i.e., Congressman, Senator) – MP, Member of Parliament (rought equivalent)

Re-Run (TV) – Repeat

Reservation – Book
(”We’d better book a table at that fancy new restaurant for this Friday Jane”)

Rest Area – Lay-By

Résumé – Curriculum Vitae (CV)

Ride (give someone a ride) – Lift

Robe – Dressing Gown

Roll of Film, a – A Film
(’I have three films to get developed from my holiday’)

Root Beer – Unheard of.
Coke, Pepsi, 7-Up & Fanta enjoy success in the UK and the rest of Europe, but not Root Beer.
‘Yellow’ drinks such as Mountain Dew, Mellow Yello & Slice haven’t had success either. Mountain Dew was introduced by Pepsi a couple of years ago, but it didnt’ take off.

Round-Trip Journey – Return Journey

Roster – Register

Row House – Terraced House

Rutabaga – Swede

Run (’Jane, you have a run in your pantyhose’) – Ladder
(’Jane, you have a ladder in your tights’)

- S-

S.A.S.E. – S.A.E (Stamped Addressed Envelope)

Sales Tax – VAT (Value Added Tax).
(And extremely high to boot, 17.5%! But… the price you see is the price you pay as the VAT is added into the pricetag – Why can’t the Americans do this and make life easier? Having to mentally add 5.25% in one state and 7.35% in another state is annoying to say the least)

Santa Claus – Father Christmas, Santa Claus

Sand Box (Children’s) – Sand Pit

Sausages – Sausages, Bangers
(”What’s for tea tonight Maggie?” “Banger’s and Mash, with a few frozen peas & carrots John.” “Ooh that sounds lovely Maggie, I can just taste it now!”)

Savings Bank – Building Society

Scallions – Spring Onions

Schedule – Time-table

School Principal – Headmaster or Headmistress

Second Floor (of a building) – First Floor (Continued up one different)

Secretary of State – Foreign Secretary

Secretary of the Treasury – Chancellor of the Exchequer

Sedan car – Saloon
(’Jan has a nice new Volvo saloon’)

Sex (’getting laid’) – ‘Shag,’ ‘Nookie’
(Kathy to Nigel: ‘Fancy a shag when we get home?’)
(younger persons slang – ever seen ‘Austin Powers’?)
*Also: “Roger” – an out-of-date older person’s slang for the act.

Semi-Tractor Trailer, ‘18-Wheeler’ – Juggernaut, Articulated Lorry

Senior Citizen – OAP (Old Age Pensioner) or just ‘Pensioner’

Shaving Cream – Shaving Foam

Sherbert – Sorbet

Shopping Cart – Shopping Trolley

“Shot and killed” (”The gunman was shot and killed by the SWAT team”) – “Shot Dead”
(”The gunman was shot dead by armed police”)

Shrimp – Prawn

Sharp (Sharply dressed) – Smart
(”Alex, you’ll have to dress up and look smart for that interview tomorrow”)

Shocked – Shocked, ‘Gob-Smacked’
(”I was gob-smacked when Ian told me he wanted a divorce”)

Shower (baby shower) – Unheard of, not practiced

Sick, Ill – Poorly
(’Katy’s not going to work this morning because she’s feeling poorly’)

Sidewalk – Pavement

Ski Mask – Balaclava

Six-Pack (canned alcoholic beverages) – Four-Pack
(Every type of alcoholic beverage in England is sold in multiples of four rather than six.)

Slaughterhouse – Abattoir

Sled – Sledge

Sleep-In, to – Lie-In
(’Nigel is having a lie-in this morning’)

Slice (of bacon) – Rasher

Slingshot – Catapult

SlowPoke – SlowCoach
“Hurry up you slowcoach!!”

Snowmobile – ‘Skidoo’
“Hey Ian, I’m going on a skidooing holiday in Norway!!”

Snow Peas – Mange Tout

Spank – Smack
(’Mummy, daddy smacked my bottom!’)

Sprite or 7-Up – Lemonade !

Soccer – Football

Social Security Number – National Insurance Number

Specialist Doctor – Consultant
(’I'll make you an appointment to see the consultant gynecologist Mrs. Burton’)

Spelunking – Caving, Potholing

The States – America.
(”We’re going to America for our holidays this year”)
(Britons, and all Europeans for that matter, refer to the USA affectionately as “America.”)

Station Wagon – Estate Car

Stay (’How long are you staying John?’) – Stop
(’How long are you stopping John?’).
Stop is slang and of course Stay is used when people speak correctly.

Steal, Shoplifting (minor cases) – Nick, Pinch
(’Someone pinched my hat from the pub’)

Store – Shop

Stovetop, Oventop – Hob

Stroller (baby) – Pushchair

Stupid – Daft, Thick
(Marge to Madge: “That lady at the shop, you know – the one at the till, she was thick as a brick!”)

Sub-Division (e.g., a set of new houses) – Estate
(yet another contradictory use of this word)

Substitute Teacher – Supply Teacher (!)

Subway – Underground, ‘The Tube’

Sucker, Lollipop – Lollipop

Suspenders – Braces

SUV – 4×4, Off-Roader

Sweater – Jumper, Cardigan

Swimming Suit, Bathing Suit – Swimming Costume (!)

- T -

Tack – Drawing Pin

Takeout Restaurant – Takeaway

Tailor-Made – Bespoke

Tank Top, Sleeveless Undershirt – Vest

Tape (Scotch) – Sello Tape

Tattle, Nark – Shop, Grass
(”You’re not going to grass on me for pinching that snickers bar are you Bob?”) or (”I hope you’re not going to shop your best mate for nicking that cheap necklace are you Ron?”)

Telling Off, Verbal Reprimand – ‘Bollocking’
(”Sam is certainly going to get a bollocking on Monday for that broken window!”)

Temper (bad) – Bad Temper, Stroppy
(”Will has been awfully stroppy lately, he must not be getting enough sleep!”)

Tennis Shoes, Sneakers – Trainers

Testicles, Balls – Bollocks, Knackers, Goolies + Balls & Testicles!
‘Bollocks’ has other meanings as well. First – equal to “Yeah, right”
(Jack to Roger: Did you know there are 20 women to every man in London? Roger to Jack: Bollocks!)
Or it could be a good thing:
(Jack to Roger: That party last night was the Dog’s Bollocks!)

Or, see ‘Telling Off’ above.

Thanks! – Ta!, Cheers!, Thanks!
or…to be very British say: “Thank you very much indeed!”

Thermos – Flask, Vacuum Flask

Thread – Cotton, Thread

Tick-Tack-Toe – Noughts and Crosses

Tired, worn out – Tired, Knackered (”I’m knackered after that walk Ian, get me a cup of tea” – “Please”)

Toilet Paper – Toilet Roll, Loo Roll

Toll-Free Number – Freephone

‘Total’ (”I totalled the car”) – Write-off
(”Jeremy wrote-off his new Jag last weekend!”)

Traffic Circle – Roundabout, Island
(And there are ’s***loads’ of them too! Can’t go for more than a mile in a straight line without hitting one of the blessed things.)

Trailer Hitch – Towbar

Train Engineer – Train Driver

Training Wheels – Stabilisers

Treasury Department – The Exchequer, Bank of England
(Actually, the ‘Exchequer’ is the government’s account at the National Bank of England)

Trillion – Million Million

Triple – Treble

Truck (cargo) – Lorry

Trunk (car) – Boot

Turn Signals (car) – Indicators

Tuxedo – Dinner Jacket

TV – Telly
(’What’s on telly tonight Mildred?’ – ‘Just that documentary on the history of the toilet dear’)

Two-Storey House (See one-storey also) – House
(Anything that isn’t at least two-storeys is called a bungalow, not a ‘house’.)

Two Weeks (Any two week period of time) – Fortnight

- U -

Underwear (mens) – Pants

Unlisted Phone Number – Ex-Directory
(’Simon’s new number is ex-directory’)

Unique, Single Time – ‘One-Off’
(For example: The Brits love their documentaries. If they are starting a new documentary that will be shown over many weeks it is of course a ’series,’ but if it is just a single episode documentary, they’ll call it a ‘one-off’ documentary.)

U.S. Army, Air Force, Marine Corps, Navy – British Army, Royal Air Force, Royal Marines, Royal Navy
(Now there’s a strange one: Everything’s called ‘Royal’ except the Army!)

- V -

Vacation – Holiday

Vacuum Cleaner – ‘Hoover,’ vacuum cleaner
(Slang that caught on – ‘I have to do the hoovering tonight’)

Vagina – Fanny !
(An older person’s slang word. All the normal crude words are used also)

Van (large, delivery) – Transit Van

VCR – Video
(’Hey, they’ve got Hitachi videos on sale this weekend for £199.99′)

Vest – Waistcoat

Visit or Stop by – Call-in
(’I'll call-in later this week Nigel’)

- W -

Wake someone up, Knock on door – Knock-Up (!)
(Eric to visitor: ‘Would you like me to knock you up in the morning Karen?’)

Walker (elderly walking frame) – Zimmerframe

Washcloth – (Face) Flannel

Wastebasket – Bin

Watch (’watch your head’) – Mind
(Safety announcement you’ll hear on the London Underground – ‘Mind the Gap’)

Waxed Paper – Grease-Proof Paper

Welfare – Benefits
(Henry to his wife: “Karen? Isn’t she the one living on benefits in that council house over on Riley Rd.?”)

Whine – Whinge (”i” is not long. Sounds like hinge)
(”Stop your whingeing Katherine”)

Windbreaker – Windcheater

Windshield – Windscreen

Woman (a promiscuous or sleezy) – Slag

Work, (to avoid doing any) – ‘Skive’
(’Hey George, why wasn’t Ian at football practice yesterday?’ ‘He was skiving as usual Phil.’)

Worn Out, Tired – Knackered

Wrench, Monkey Wrench – Spanner

- Y -

Yard – Garden
(Whether it’s small, large, planted or not)

Yard / Garage Sale – Car Boot Sale
(The Brits generally only sell their junk, usually in a big field on a weekend with other sellers, out of the trunk [boot] of their cars.)

Yellow (only as in the Green, Yellow, Red on Traffic Lights) – Amber

Yearbook – Unheard of
(The Brits don’t do class pictures or yearbooks at school, and they only have the very occasional reunion.)

Yield (on the road) – Give Way

“You’re Welcome” – Not used (well, rarely)
(As polite as the English are (and they are very, very polite) they do not generally say “you’re welcome.” They’ll say nothing in return, or say ‘thanks’ in return.)

- Z -

Z (the letter) – Zed

Zero – Nought

Zip Code – Post Code

Zucchini – Courgette