British vs. American

The US and the UK are “two nations divided by a common language.” British English differs from North American English (NAE), especially American English. Many of the words and expressions in British English (BE] are a part of the more general sphere of Commonwealth English, that is, of the British Commonwealth nations, particularly of the UK, Australia and New Zealand. What do these British expressions mean, and what are their equivalents in American English?

1 Single words

British	North American
Anti-clockwise	Counter-clockwise
Barrister	Lawyer
Biscuit	Cookie
Blimey! (an expression of surprise)	Gosh! Darn!
Bloody, bleeding (Some consider this vulgar.)	Damn, stupid; dammit!
Bonnet (of a car)	Hood
Boot (of a car)	Trunk
Car park	Parking lot
Cheeky (showing rudeness or disrespect, often in a sarcastic or funny way)	Rude, disrespectful, sassy, sarcastic, snarky
Cheers! (a generally informal and cute-sounding expression)	Bye!
Chips, crisps	British "chips" = N. American "fries" (French fries); British "crisps" = N. American "chips, potato chips"
Clever	Smart, intelligent In American English, "clever" has a more specific meaning of showing skill and intelligence at a particular task, e.g., in solving a problem (e.g., "That was very clever"), while in British it has a more general meaning of intelligent or smart.
Daft (describing a person, thing, or situation)	Dumb, stupid
Dim (describing a person)	Dim-witted, dumb, less intelligent
Fancy (E.g., see below)	Like, desire, wish
Flat	Apartment
Hamper	Basket In British, a hamper is a more general term for a basket, especially a wicker basket, e.g., for picnics, while in NAE, it mainly refers to a laundry basket for dirty clothes.
Holiday (e.g., I'm going on holiday to Spain.)	Vacation
Lift	Elevator
Lorry	A truck (for transporting cargo)
Mate (for male or female friends)	Friend, buddy
Nappy, napkin	Diaper
Pavement	Sidewalk In NAE, pavement refers to a solid road or sidewalk surface
Petrol	Gasoline (for cars)
Queue	A line (of people, waiting in line); to line up, to stand in line [noun or verb]
Quid (slang term for one pound, £1 )	A buck, a dollar (slang; in Canada: a looney)
Rubbish	Garbage, trash; nonsense
Shirty (slang)	Irritable, argumentative
Thick	Dumb, stupid, mentally slow, thick-headed
Torch	Flashlight
Tube (in London)	Subway

* Note: The term 'piss' literally means urine or to urinate, and is considered vulgar or low diction, especially in American English. It has a second meaning in terms like pissed off, meaning 'angry (at someone / something), and is also considered somewhat crude. However, in Commonwealth English, pissed generally means 'drunk; it is slang and perhaps low diction, and is used much more often than in American English.

2 Expressions

Common British expressions

Here are some common British expressions, with their NAE counterparts. For students in LIEC, Spring 2021, items #1-15 correspond to section 5.1.3 on p. 61, and #16-35 correspond to section 5.1.2 on p. 60.

#	British	North American
1.	Fancy a cuppa? ('Fancy' [verb] = would like, prefer)	Would you like a cup (of tea)? (Or: a cuppa joe = a cup of coffee)
2.	Whatever suits your fancy. ('Fancy' [noun] = personal preference, liking)	Okay, whatever you like.
3.	Alright? (A casual expression used in some dialects of England)	Hello / How are you?
4.	I just bodged it.
5.	That was a right bodge job. (right = 'really'	That was a real screw-up / mess-up.
6.	That’s rubbish!	That's nonsense!
7.	That’s codswallop.	That's nonsense / bullshit / a lie.
8.	Don’t get your knickers in a twist.	Don't get so anxious / upset.
9.	I was gobsmacked.	I was astounded / surprised / flabbergasted.
10.	Don’t get shirty with me.	Don't get grumpy / angry / irritable / argumentative with me.
11.	He’s a picnic short of a sandwich. He’s a slice short of a loaf.	His elevator doesn't to to the top floor. He isn't playing with a full deck. These cute or sarcastic expressions mean that the person is not mentally okay, or is mentally lacking.
12.	Well, that’s thrown a spanner in the works.	That messes things up.
13.	I’ll ring you.	I'll call / phone you.
14.	And Bob’s your uncle. (After doing something for someone, or showing someone how to do something, to say that it is an easy task.)	And that's all there is. And there you go.
15.	You look smart.	You look well-dressed / handsome.
16.	He’s so thick.	He's so dumb.
17.	The autumn in this country is quite lovely.	The fall in this country is quite lovely. Americans know the term autumn, but rarely use it.
18.	I’m knackered.	I’m exhausted.
19.	I’m chuffed to bits!	I’m thrilled.
20.	Do you think this is a good neighborhood for finding a new flat	apartment?
21.	Would you like an entrée before the main course?	Would you like appetizer (or starter) before the entrée? In British, an entrée is an appetizer served before the main meal in a nice restaurant. In NAE, an entrée is a main course meal.
22.	Please cut my fringe short.	Please cut my bangs short. (The front part of one's hair right above the forehead)
23.	Is there a laundrette in the neighborhood where I can wash my clothes?	Is there a laundromat in the neighborhood where I can wash my clothes?
24.	Can I stroke your dog?	Can I pet your dog?
25.	I need to hang my poster; would you happen to have a spare drawing pin?	Would you happen to have a spare thumbtack / push pin?
26.	Please find the Hoover in the closet, so that you can Hoover the carpet. (The name derives from a company famous for the machinese.)	Please find the Hoover / vacuum cleaner in the closet, so that you can Hoover / vacuum the carpet.
27.	The doctor says I have glandular fever and need to rest at home for a couple of days.	The doctor says I have mono (mononucleosis).
28.	Do you have any plasters in the house? I just cut my finger. I also need a flannel to clean the wound.	Do you have any bandages / band-aids in the house? I just cut my finger. I also need a washcloth to clean the wound. A washcloth (or flannel) is a small cloth used in British and North American bathrooms for washing one's face.
29.	I need a clean tea towel for the dishes.	I need a clean dish towel / kitchen towel for the dishes.
30.	If you’re hungry, help yourself to some biscuits in the cupboard.	If you’re hungry, help yourself to some cookies in the cabinet.
31.	Please find a torch in the car boot, and bring it to me so I can check under the bonnet.	Please find a flashlight in the car trunk, and bring it to me so I can check under the hood.
32.	You’re getting on my goat.	You’re getting on my nerves.
33.	We’re just having a chin wag. (chat, gossiping)	We’re just having a little chat.
34.	You’re pissed, aren’t you?	You’re drunk, aren’t you? (See the note above)
35.	I’m just having a fag.	I’m just having a smoke / a cigarette. Note: In American slang, fag is a derogatory, insulting, and homophobic term for a gay man; this was common decades ago, but now is generally not accepted, and is considered offensive to gay people.
36.	That’s so daft – innit?	That’s so stupid, isn’t it?

3 Potentially sensitive words

Care is needed with the following words, which can have very different meanings in British and American. Some of these can be negative, insulting, vulgar or offensive in one type of English, but perfectly okay in another. Some of these might merely cause confusion.

Term	British meaning	American meaning
bum [1]	a person's buttocks; butt, ass (mild, not offensive)	a person who is lazy and depends on others financially; a homeless, jobless person
cock	(1) a rooster; (2) a faucet handle or valve; (3) a sexual term for penis	a sexual term for penis; it can refer to roosters, but this is much less common
dummy	a baby pacifier (what babies suck on)	(1) a dumb person; (2) a mannequin
fag	(1) a cigarette (slang); (2) something annoying	a negative, insulting term for a gay man (an old homophobic slur; offensive)
fanny [1]	a woman's pubic area, vagina	a person's buttocks (a cute or non-offensive term); also, Fanny = an older-style female name
homely	comfy, cozy, homey (e.g., describing a comfortable home)	a term for describing a slightly ugly or unattractive woman, or a negative term for an old person who is considered not useful, too old, or run-down
hooker	a position on a rubgy team	a prostitute
loaded	drunk (slang)	rich, having a lot of money, e.g., "He sure is loaded." (slang)
pants	men's underwear (knickers = women's underwear)	trousers or jeans; men's underwear can be called underpants (women's underwear = panties)
Pissed[3]	Drunk (slang, slightly offensive)	Angry, angry at someone / about something (potentially offensive)
period	time of female menstruation; the punctuation mark is called a full stop	(1) a punctuation mark; (2) menstrual time
randy	sexually aroused, sexually excited, lusty	Randy: a male name (shortened form of Randolf)
rubber[3]	(1) an eraser; (2) rain boots, galoshes	a condom
spunk [n], spunky [adj.]	semen (sexual slang)	a positive slang term, describing a person as confident, brave, courageous, outgoing, and/or “cool”
tit	(1) a type of small bird, one of a number of species of small, plump birds, e.g., the blue tit, the crested tit; (2) a sexual term for breasts	a sexual term for a woman's breast
thick	stupid (describing persons)	having a curvy figure (describing women); while thick could mean studid in US English, more often American use terms like thick-headed
trump	to fart, to pass gas; a fart	to outdo, outperform, or beat someone, e.g., in a card game

Notes.

1. Thus, a bag or purse worn on a sling around the body or near the waist is called a bum back in the UK, but a fanny pack in the US.
2. Pissed is commonly used in British and Australian English to mean drunk, e.g., "She got really pissed last night." It is slightly vulgar, but not very offensive. There are other related phrases in British, e.g., "to take the piss (out of someone)" means to mock or make fun of someone; e.g., "Are you taking the piss out of me?" In the US, pissed is a more offesnive term (not used in polite contexts), and does not mean drunk, but means very upset or angry, e.g., "Don't piss me off!" or "She's really pissed at them."
3. As a count noun, rubber has these meanings; as a material noun, in both British and American, it still refers to the soft, flexible material that erasers, tires and other objects are made of.

4 English around the world

English is the official and primary language of several nations: the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand. It is also used in other countries, such as former British colonies. It may not be the primary language of everyday communication, or the home language that most people speak at home. But it enjoys either official status as the language of government or education, or a semi-official status as the primary langauge for business and trade. English has official status in the following countries.

Bangladesh
Botswana
Brunei
Cameroon
Eswatini (Swaziland)
Ethiopia
Fiji
Gambia
Ghana
India
Israel
Kenya
Lesotho
Liberia
Malawi
Malaysia
Malta
Mauritius
Myanmar (Burma)
Namibia
Nigeria
Pakistan
Philippines
Seychelles
Sierra Leone
Singapore
South Africa
Sri Lanka
Sudan
Tanzania
Tonga
Uganda
Western Samoa
Zambia
Zimbabwe