Jo's Guide to British English for the American

Jo’s Guide to British English for the American

By J. Tornquist (V.8.2.16)

There are considerable differences between the English spoken in America and that spoken in the UK. I've been collecting “British English” words, sayings, and rhyming slangs for nearly seven years now. Below is a brief list of words I’ve come across, and I hope this will help you understand British English a little better Note that when Americans (especially Americans) make use of the terms below in a knowledgeable way, they gain swift and widespread approval from the locals. I have other collections that need more research.

Section	Word	British Usage
Pronunciation  and Spelling differences	Basil	Basil is said with a short A, sounding more like baz+ul (expect a chuckle at the "mispronunciation" of this word, followed by at least one person correcting you)
	Fillet	Pronounced "fil-let" not “fil-ay”; apparently it's the proverbial middle finger to the French, but Americans have honoured the word as it was meant to have been pronounced
	Herbs	The "h" is sounded out in in British English, unlike 'erbs in the USA
	Oregano	Not "o-RE-gano" as Americans say but, "ō-re-GA-no"
	Tomato	Tomato with an ä (like ma and pa), and not with a long ā (potatoes, however, is said just like the way Americans say it)
	Jalapeño	Pronounced halapeenoe
	Chilli	Chilli is spelled with two Ls in the UK
	Tortilla	Pronounced tor-til-a (sometimes)
American Words Guaranteed to Raise an Eyebrow or Warrant Interjections	Aluminum	The most important word knowledge you need to have is "it is not aluminum, but instead, it is a-l-u-m-i-n-i-u-m." (Notice the last "i" in the spelling?). This knowledge will bring you the respect of not just the Brits, but of all Europeans
	Bathroom	Bathroom...a room that has the facilities to bathe, therefore asking a Brit if you can use the bathroom may seem like a very personal question to that person; don't be surprised if you get handed a towel (jesting aside, they'll probably know what you're asking, as the British psyche is in tune with American television. Sometimes they know more about our television shows than Americans).
	Elevator	Referred to as a lift
	Fanny	The front-side private part of a woman’s body (note that if you say "fanny pack" anywhere in the United Kingdom of Great Britain, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, as well as in Ireland, laughter ensues)
	Garbage	Referred to as rubbish (one asks, "where is the rubbish bin?" and not "where is the garbage can"?); in fact, the word "garbage" isn't used very often (if you want to throw something away, you'd ask, "where is the rubbish bin?" or simply “where is the bin?”
	Cell Phone	Referred to as mobile phones
	Restroom	Somewhere one goes to rest, not a place to relieve one's self (you could if you wanted to, but it may raise a few questions and eyebrows)
	Sidewalk	Referred to as the pavement
	…an finally, a word or two from the locals	Finally, more than a few Brits have asked me to point out that soil is not dirt, and that the British spelling of check (as relating to banks) is "cheque"
Food: to ensure you get what you asked for, or to know what you got...	Sharon fruit	Persimmon
	Aubergine	Eggplant
	Biccies	Biscuits
	Bangers	Slang for sausages; one could ostensibly say "sausage" if preceded by location-adjective (Lincolnshire sausages, for example) or ingredient adjectives (apple and herb sausages). Bangers refer to what sausages are called once cooked, usually coupled with mash (mashed potato), so in its entirety, it's called "bangers and mash" and not "sausage and mashed potatoes"
	Chips	Fries (see Crisps)
	Cider	Not the cider one drinks in the United States, but an alcoholic beverage made from apples
	Coriander	Cilantro
	Courgette	Zucchini
	Crisps	Chips (as in potato chips)
	Eggy bread	French toast but savoury
	English Fry Up	All of the following: Eggs, Toast (white/wheat), sausages (not the American breakfast sausage -- more like Cumberland sausage), bacon (not strips but "rashers"), cooked tomato, and baked beans and sometimes with black pudding
	Gherkins	Pickles, unless one is referring to the phallic looking semi high rise building in London, which is colloquially referred to as “The Gherkin”
	Jelly	Jello
	Lemonade	"Sprite" or "7-Up" type of carbonated beverage
	Prawn Cocktail	Shrimp or prawns in thousand island dressing, usually served with lettuce
	Pud or Pudding	General term for dessert which has nothing to do with the actual Jello pudding
	Lolly	Something on a stick (candy, or "ice lolly" which is a Popsicle)
	Mash	Mashed potatoes
	Roasted [Root] Vegetables	Usually comprised of potatoes, carrots, and/or parsnips, and is made by heating oil up, adding parboiled root vegetables to this hot oil, and "roasting" in a very hot oven for about 45 minutes
	Sharon Fruit	Persimmon
	Spring Onions	Green onions
	Spuds	Potatoes
	Squash	Either (1) the vegetable, or (2) concentrated juice (which, when diluted with water produces nice fruit juice; the American equivalent would be frozen concentrate juice)
	Streaky Bacon	The strips of bacon eaten in America
	Sunday Roast	Sunday meal, usually comprised of Yorkshire pudding, "roast potatoes", vegetable, gravy, and, of course, meat); this is an "event" as well as a meal, and the American equivalent would be Sunday brunch
	Toad in a Hole	Bangers in a large Yorkshire pudding, mash, gravy, and whatever seasonal vegetable they have at-hand
	White Coffee	Coffee with milk (in most places I’ve been, they don’t usually serve half and half or cream for your hot beverage; the highest fat content dairy product they serve is whole milk at 4% fat content); asking for half-and-half might result in confused looks
	Yorkshire Pudding	Equal parts flour, egg, and water made the same way as roast vegetable
Getting where you want to go (especially when you have to go)...	Bog	Toilet (a crude word and *not* to be used when asking where the toilet is); "bog roll" is therefore toilet paper in equally crude terms
	Cashpoint	ATM
	First Floor	Second floor
	Chemist	Pharmacy / Pharmacist
	Garden	Backyard
	Ground floor	First floor
	Lavatory	Toilet (polite)
	Lift	Elevator
	Loft	Attic
	Loo	Bathroom or restroom, as Americans understand it (more specifically "toilet", a polite slang); "Loo roll" therefore is a common and polite reference to the standard bog roll
	Motorway	Freeways
	Off Licence	Liquor store
	Petrol	Gasoline
	News Agent	Convenience shop
	Surgery	Doctors office
	Operating Theatre	Operating room
	Trolley	Cart, as in shopping carts or flight attendants' hospitality cart (the slang for female flight attendants is "trolley dolly")
	WC	Water Closet (toilet)
What not to wear, and how to know what you're wearing...	Bonnet	Hood of car, not something you put on your head
	Boot	Boot...trunk of car (however, one wears boots and has lost his/her left or right boot for example in the singular unit of boots, “boot” is applicable)
	Braces	Braces...suspenders (braces, as in the United States, also refers to the contraptions orthodontist apply to straighten teeth)
	Dearstalkers	Sherlock Holmes's hat
	Dressing Up, Fancy Dress, and Costume Parties	Dressing up is fancy dress...a fancy dress party is a costume party but always confirm whether it’s not a black tie event or not as the case may be
	Hoody	Sweatshirt with a hood
	Jumper	Sweater
	Knickers	Underwear
	Pants	Underwear (the incorrect use of this word that will get the locals into a fit of laughter because when you say something innocuous as, "Do you like my new pants?" the Brits are inclined to jest that you want their opinion about your knickers
	Pully	Pull over sweater
	Trainers	“Sneakers" or "tennis shoes" (say "trainers," trust me)
	Tank Top	Sleeveless sweater
	Waist Coat	Sleeveless garment that buttons up, like in a three piece suit
	Trousers	Pants ( not underwear) if you’re American (and if you're wearing jeans, then "jeans")
	Vest	Sleeveless T-shirt worn under shirts)
	Wellies	Rubber boots you wear in mud and water...100% water proof
	Wooly Pully	Wool sweater that you have to pull over your head
Parts of the car...	Bonnet	Hood
	Boot	Trunk of a car (however, one wears boots, the singular unit of boots is applicable)
	Fender	Wing
	Indicator	Signals
	Tyre	How the tire is spelled
	Wing Mirror	Side mirrors
Vulgarities Lite	Bollocks	Balls (the family jewels); also uttered in frustration, "Oh bollocks! I left my keys in the boot!)
	Bum	Backside of body
	Cor Blimey	"God blight me"
	Drop One	To fart
	Fag	Cigarette (no need to worry when you hear that someone is going to smoke or roll a fag)
	F**k-All	Nothing (for example, there's f**k-all to do at this place)
	Tits up / Pear Shaped	Americans might say, "it's gone wrong" or, "it's turned ugly"
	Jack the Lad	Lady's man
	Muppet	Dumb kind of stupid
	Nob	Pecker
	Pissed	Drunk (*not* "angry")
	Plonker	Idiot, and decibel shy of being wanker
	Shag	Sex (all the way), meant to be a cruder (but not generally meaner) term for the same
	Snog	To make out (kiss and possibly a fondle)
	Tits	Not what you think; tits are tiny blue and yellow birds. However, they are still the word for what you think they are)
	Trump	Fart
	Twat	Idiot (see "plonker" and "wanker")
	Wank	Getting off (men)
	Wanker	(See "wank") one who wanks off, or a "twat" (this usually sounds funny when a foreigner uses the word "wanker")
"I'm sorry, what are you talking about?"...	At Her Majesty’s Pleasure	Prison, connotes one is serving time
	Bairn	Baby (Northern word)
	Basin	Sink for washing face and hands; “sinks” are more like what you find in kitchens
	Bees Knees	The best, or “of quality”: his performance was the bee's knees
	Bob’s Your Uncle…	“That's that”. Sometimes, when someone says, "Bob's your uncle,” another person might respond,  "Fanny's your aunt" (it means the same thing)
	Bobby	Police officer
	Chippy	Carpenter
	Chippie	Fish and chip shop
	Chuffed	Pleased
	Football	Soccer, and if you're American clarify whether you are referring to American football or "proper football" ("footy"), but don't say "soccer" unless you want to draw loads of attention
	Ginger	Red hair
	Hen Do / Hen Night	Bachelorette party
	Hobby Bobby	Police volunteers
	Hosepipe	Garden hose
	Kitchen Roll	Paper towels
	Lollypop Lady/ Lollypop Man	School crossing staff who hold up stop signs whilst ushering children across busy streets to safety
	Knees-Up	Letting one's hair down (roughly speaking)
	Mate	Used amongst friends, not really used for strangers, but happens and is mildly acceptable
	Missus	Wife, girlfriend, female partner
	Nowt	Nothing (northern word)
	Owt	Something (northern word)
	Pavement	Sidewalk
	Petrol	Gasoline
	Piss-Up	Drinking for the purpose of letting down one's hair, and more importantly, to get drunk
	Quid	£1 (the plural of quid is quid; for example, one might utter, "That ugly tank top cost me twenty quid!"
	Regina	Queen, (surname Windsor). On coins, you'll see ER which stands for "Elizabeth Regina" (Queen Elizabeth)
	Repeating	Burping
	Revise	Studying in preparation for an exam, for example
	Rex	King (surname Windsor)
	Rolly	Self-rolled cigarette (very common, so don't assume everyone is making a joint when you see them rolling something; usually it's just cigarettes they're rolling)
	Skint	Broke, out of money
	Sparky	Electrician
	Spotted Dick	Type of steamed cake
	Stag Do / Stag Night	Bachelor party (heard/used in the USA)
	Ta	(From tak)...thank you
	Ta Ra	Good bye
	Taking the Piss	Poking fun, in good humour (usually), but can also mean someone is taking advantage of something
	Telly	Television
	Toffs	The elites, or the aspiring elites, stuck up, upper crust (word connoting a degree of disdain for rich snobs)
	Tongs	Curling or straightening irons
	Torch	Flashlight
	Us	Often used interchangeably for "me" (for example, when Bob is asking for a drink, he says, "Give us a drink, will you?")
	Washing Up Liquid	Dish soap
	Washing Up	Washing dishes
	You’re Having a Laugh	You're pulling my leg
It's not all just one English; there are many distinctive dialogues and regional accents...	Brummy	Slang for what/the way people from Birmingham speak
	Glaswegians	The name for people of Glasgow, as well as the accent spoken by people from Glasgow
	Mancunean	Someone from Manchester
	Liverpudlian	Someone from Liverpool
	Scouse	Slang for what/the way people from Liverpool speak
	Scouser	What people from Liverpool are referred to as
Cockney Rhyming Slang	Joanna	In Cockney, it rhymes with piano, so you might hear someone say, "she plays the ole Joanna"
	Apples and Pear	[Up the ] apples and pears...rhymes with stairs, one goes up the apples and pears
	Scooby Doo	“I haven’t a clue”. This term is a modern play on words, and not Cockney
	Brown Bread	Dead
	Porky Pie	Rhymes with lies; “I know when you telling porky pies, son”

Likely IMPORTANT: Dates here are written DD/MM/YYYY…. It took me awhile to get used to that.

To be continued…