| List Of American Words Not Widely Used In The United Kingdom |
Article Index for List Of |
Website Links For List |
Information AboutList Of American Words Not Widely Used In The United Kingdom |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT LIST OF AMERICAN WORDS NOT WIDELY USED IN GREAT BRITAIN | |
| american and british english differences | |
| lists of english words | |
|
See Also: American and British English differences This is a list of American Words not widely used in Great Britain .
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'') ; acetaminophen (or Tylenol™) : (UK: ''paracetamol'') ; addicting : (UK and US: ''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''. ; AMBER Alert : see article ; amtrac : Landing Vehicle Tracked (not to be confused with Amtrak , the passenger railroad corporation) ; ). 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 (UK ''Spinster'') ; '', Genericized Trademark ) ; ; a range of approximation or accuracy ("in the ballpark"; "a ballpark figure")
; barf : to vomit (slang) (throw up) ; barrette : hair slide ; bathtub, tub : (UK: ''bath'') ; delta region of the Southern United States ) ; Bedroom Community : a commuter town or suburb (UK: ''dormitory town'' {Link without Title} ) ; bell pepper : red or green pepper ; '') ; blinders : (on a horse) (UK: ''blinkers'') ; blood sausage : black pudding ; ) ; 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. Sometimes refers to rough, poor neighborhoods in a city. From Tagalog . ; Boondoggle : (see article) ; Botts' dot : see '''') ; Breadbox : (UK usually ''bread bin'') ; bro : from brother; informal for a friend or pal (UK: mate) ; 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 ; 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 ; . ; Canadian bacon : Ham, usually pressed and sliced, term not used in Canadian English . ; Candy : small sweet food items usually eaten for pleasure and not as part of a meal, e.g. chocolate bars, mints, and toffee (UK: ''sweets'') ; ; , often on Rollerskates ; ) 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 ; , sometimes used generically) a lip balm ; checkers : a popular '') ; charge account : in a store or shop (UK: ''credit account'') ; used for drawing checks; distinguished from ''savings account''. (UK: ''current account'' or ''cheque account'') ; . ; cookout : informal meal cooked and eaten outdoors, a cross between a picnic and a barbecue ; '') ; 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 D ; Diaper : (UK: ''nappy'') ; '', ''dime store'', a store selling cheap merchandise; ''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"); ''nickel-and-dime'', originally an adjective meaning "involving small amounts of money" and then "insignificant," also a verb meaning "to rip-off via many seemingly insignificant charges." (The ''nickel'' {Link without Title} is the 5-cent coin.) In Britain, the old Sixpence , a small coin worth the equivalent of 2.5 P , 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 , almost exclusively used for deposits of pay checks or government benefits ; 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; (adj., adv., noun) a euphemism to describe Oral Sex , the act of performing oral sex, or to refer to genitalia ; driver license, Driver's License : (UK: ''driving licence'') ; Drugstore : a pharmacy, or a store selling candy, magazines, etc. along with medicines (UK approx.: ''chemist'' {Link without Title} ) ; druthers : preference of one thing over another derived from a contraction of "I would rather" or "I'd rather" (e.g. "if I had my druthers, I'd...") ; Drywall : gypsum board, plasterboard, or any process that builds interior walls without the use of water ; ") ; 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". ; ) large trash receptacle (UK approx.: ''skip'' {Link without Title} ); 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 or America). ; 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 ; Expressway : A type of multi-lane divided highway ; exurb : The ring of prosperous rural communities beyond the suburbs, see Commuter Town F ; fanny pack : pouch-like bag that ties or snaps around the wearer's waist (UK: ''bum bag''). See also ''fanny'' in {Link without Title} . ; Faucet : water outlet (UK & US sometimes ''tap'' {Link without Title} )
; flack: a publicist or press agent; sometimes also an alternate spelling of ''flak'' "negative commentary," which is used in the UK. Although ''flack'' "press agent" was first recorded just one year after '' Flak '' "Flugabwehrkanone," the two are likely unrelated. ; flashlight: a battery operated light (UK: ''torch''). ; flatware : knives, spoons, and forks (as opposed to ''holloware''); (UK usually '' Cutlery '' {Link without Title} , although ''flatware'' is used in the UK antiques trade as a specialist word) ; Freeway : (see article) ; French Press : Device for making coffee (UK: ''cafetière'')
; (French) fries : pieces of potato that have been deep-fried (UK distinguishes between thick ''chips'' {Link without Title} 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'')
; Grits : A corn porridge unknown in the UK H ; half bath : a Bathroom {Link without Title} 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 : The word " Whore ," synonymous with Tramp (harlot) or Slut and often used as an insult. The spelling is associated with African-American English , though it does no more than reflect a non-Rhotic pronunciation of the standard word, as would be also found in Boston or Australia. May be referred to in Ireland as a dirty slapper. ; Hobo : (see article) ; ; 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 and is not used anymore. ; HVAC : Heating + Ventilating (or Ventilation) + Air Conditioning (used in technical circles in the UK) I ; intimate apparel : lingerie; used mainly in advertisements. J
; Jane Doe : See ''John Doe.'' ; Jell-o : (trademark) gelatin dessert (UK: ''jelly'' {Link without Title} ) ; john : (slang) a toilet; also, the client of a prostitute ; ), 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, or John Smith). The female equivalent is ''Jane Doe,'' or less frequently "Jane Roe" as in Roe V. Wade . Also ''Baby Doe''. ; , who signed first the United States Declaration Of Independence ) ("put your John Hancock here") ; , typical member of the general public. Also stated as Joe Blow or Joe Schmoe. ( UK: ''Joe Bloggs'') 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'')
; 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 ; Mail Carrier : a person who delivers mail to residences and businesses; also ''letter carrier'' (UK: ''postman, postwoman'') ; mailman : see ''mail carrier'' ; mailbox : (UK: ''post box, letter box, pillar box'') ; math : mathematics (UK: ''maths'') ; midsize : medium size ; ) 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). Usually referred to as "caution" in the UK - "He was cautioned as to his rights" ; mom, mommy, mama, mamma, momma : mother (UK often: ''mum {Link without Title} '') ; mom-and-pop : single-family operated Small Business ("a mom-and-pop store") (UK: corner shop/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, used also as a noun labeling a person who does such (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-hook'')
; ornery : irritable, crotchety, cranky, troublemaking (from ''ordinary'') ; ouster : ousting, overthrow ("the ouster of a regime"; "the ouster of the CEO")
P ; pacifier : (UK: ''dummy'' ''comforter'' [DM ) ; '', 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 ; '' 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'') ; plushie, plush toy : Soft Toy (UK: ''cuddly toy'') ; 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 : The metaphorical raincheck is used in the US to indicate that the person "taking the raincheck" regretfully cannot accept the current invitation but would like to be invited to the host's next event. In the UK the person "taking the raincheck" may attend an event, but is warning the host that there is a possibility that they may not be able to make it. ; '') ; rappel : to descend on a rope (UK: '' Abseil '') ; Realtor (trademark): member of the ) ; 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'' ; 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'') ; ). ; ''Brassica napus napobrassica'' (UK: ''swede'') ; RV ( Recreational Vehicle ) : see article for usage of the terms ''RV'', ''motor home'', and the British ''camper'' and ''caravan'' [DM ; RV park : (UK: ''carvan site'' or less usually ''caravan park'') S ; Saran Wrap : (Saran is a trademark) in the UK this would be referred to as "cling film" ; Sawbuck : sawhorse; also a ten dollar bill
; Self Rising Flour : self-raising flour ; shave foam : (UK: ''shaving foam'') ; ("shill bidding" or bidding to drum up excitement with no intention of buying). The UK equivalent to a shill would be a "plant", from having someone "planted" in an audience or amongst bystanders. ; shuck : the husk of an ear of Corn(maize) , 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, remove ("I shucked my coat") ; Shyster : A lawyer or accountant of dubious ethical standards. This phrase commonly indicates a person with no ethical restraints. (From German Scheister) ; sidewalk : usually paved path for Pedestrian Traffic , often constructed of Paving Slabs (either of concrete or less usually of stone) (UK: ''pavement'' ''footpath'' [DM ). A ''sidewalk superintendent'' is someone spectating a construction or demolition job - UK: bystander (but no specific term) ; skim milk : (UK: ''skimmed milk'') ; S'more : A camp fire treat consisting of a roasted marshmallow and a slab of chocolate sandwiched between two pieces of graham cracker. ; , also called ''tennis shoe'' or "gym shoe"—see Regional Vocabularies Of American English (UK: ''trainer'', ''plimsoll'', regional ''dap'',''pump'', {Link without Title} ) ; Soda Fountain : (see article) ; sophomore : a second-year college or high school student ('' 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'') (From the use of captive birds as hunting decoys) ; streetcar : vehicle on rails for passenger ''transportation'' 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 Transport ation featuring the child in a sitting position, usually facing forward (UK: ''pushchair'', ''buggy'' {Link without Title} ) ; Pickup Truck . T ; taffy : a type of chewy candy; see Taffy (candy) ; tailpipe : Exhaust Pipe ; takeout : (UK: ''takeaway''; Scotland & US also: ''carry-out'') ; teeter(-totter), teeterboard : a seesaw ; telecast : to broadcast by television ; '') ; thru : Through. An abbreviation mostly used in the fast food industry, as in ''Drive Thru.'' Also used in traffic signs ("Thru Traffic Keep Left", i.e. traffic that is continuing through an interchange rather than exiting should keep to the left) and occasionally road names ("New York State Thruway") and sometimes in newspaper headlines. Generally not considered acceptable spelling in other contexts. ; thumbtack : short nail or pin with a large, rounded metal head (UK: ''drawing pin'')
; trackless trolley : a Trolleybus ; see ''trolley'' in {Link without Title} ; trash can : (UK: ''dustbin'', ''rubbish bin'') ; Turnpike : (see article) ; turn signal : direction-indicator lights (US also ''directionals''; UK usually ''indicators'' or ''flashers'' 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 ''tuppence 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'' {Link without Title} ) ; 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 {Link without Title} (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: ''dustbin''; wastepaper basket is an interior object for waste from each room.) ; Weatherization : weatherproofing of buildings ; wetback : (offensive, disparaging) an illegal immigrant from Mexico or Latin America. So called as they are presumed to have swum the Rio Grande to have entered the USA ; Windshield : the front window of an automobile (UK: ''windscreen'') ; winningest: Most winning; (sports) having the most wins ; 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 ;, African-American , and Appalachian ) contraction of ''You all'', used as second-person dual or plural pronoun. Sometimes, it is used for the second-person singular pronoun. Also ''all y'all''. (UK: 'Yous' in Northern Ireland, parts of Northern and Central England, '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 (though railway signals are a different shade, and are referred to as yellow, not amber). 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). Z ; zinger : a witty, often caustic remark; something supposed to cause surprise or shock ; '' or '' Post Code '' or rarely '' Postal Code '')
; Zucchini : the plant ''Cucurbita pepo'', also zucchini squash. (UK: ''courgette'') |
|
|