British vs American Terminology

Half seven for seven thirty or is that mostly Irish?

Both as I recall. Means 7:30

Oh my colleagues in England used to have a grand old time trying to trip me up:

They loved it the first time I said I was stuffed after a meal, and had a good laugh telling me I'd just said I was pregnant.

And when I said I was pissed (angry) they suggested I better not drive, since in England I'd just said I was drunk.

They had a "right good laugh" when I didn't know what a jumper (sweater) was at all, and when I declined to have "pudding" after my meal, thinking I'd be getting Jello pudding, rather than a proper British dessert.

My boyfriend always laughed when I would say that I had a "bunch" of something, since he only used that term for bananas. And thankfully, he knew what I meant when I said "I didn't care where we went for dinner" which he told me was a not so kind way of saying that "I didn't mind where we went for dinner."

Of course, he also laughed at me each time I went to get in on the wrong side of his car ... "So are you driving, then" he'd ask, and chuckle.

You left "fanny" off the list. And "pants".

Lol learned so much English from reading James Herriot novels he was always in his car in the Yorkshire Dales getting something from the boot or looking under the bonnet. Also learned what is meant by being in a queue.. And spelling, that is another topic!!!

And Veg is vegetables. Not a stretch.

Yes, you don't want to say you hurt your Fanny, or for that matter paddled your toddler on their fanny.

Bollocks is another term that confuses Americans, not that we don't have them, but that we really do not use our equivalent term in the same manner.

Decades back I submitted a project titled “ Men In Jumpers, “ into a photo contest. Won nothing.

I knew all of these as my husband is a British expat with the exception of chinwig. You also left out “knock me up” which means knocking on someone’s door to wake them up.

"lorry" means truck, " wireless" means radio. to "ring a person up" means to call a person on the phone, "fortnight" means two

weeks, "straight away" means right away, immediately, and I think "nicked" means stolen ?

Interesting timing. Just finished dinner with a British couple in Budapest. Same conversation. My son was with us and his interesting comment was the British spell defense wrong. Important to my son as he is assigned to NATO in Germany.

There is a YouTube channel called "Lost in the Pond" which is a humorous look at the differences between the Britain and the U.S.

And that's not even getting into the UK's "Rhyming slang".

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhyming_slang

"Vest" is an undershirt.

"Pants" are undershorts

"Chatting someone up" is flirting with them.

Zucchini is courgette.

Eggplant is Aubergine.

"Car boot sale" is a flea market

The first floor is our second floor. Their ground floor is our first floor.

The front desk at a hotel is "reception".

The cash register is "the till"

And let's not even start with the spelling differences

"bloke".... for guys, men, males, etc. In 2009 when I was staying in Vienna at The Wombats Hostel across from Westbahnhof a guy came rushing up the stairs where I was standing , asked frantically in German where the WC was. I told him , "Nach oben, rechts" and then saw him a bit later, asked if he had found it. He said no, I said, I'll show you. Apparently, he had overshot it since the word on the door was "blokes" No pictograms, symbols either, just that word.

A car boot sale is outdoors, with people turning up to sell their surplus stuff. Flea markets are usually indoors, with the vendors being traders, not the general public.

Chuffed means pleased not happy.

It’s taking the piss, not a piss.

I use the phrase stuffed after a meal. I don’t mean I am pregnant.

A mobile is a cellphone.

Bum bag is a fanny pack

A film is a movie

Go for a stroll on the pavement - a walk on the sidewalk.

As for recipes - plain flour is all-purpose flour, corn flour is cornstarch and as for milks ….

A cup of builders is a cup of strong black tea.

Many words are spelt differently, such as defence, licence, theatre, colour, neighbours etc. And for many on this forum, it’s Edinburg not Edinburgh and British Air not British Airways!

I use the phrase stuffed after a meal. I don’t mean I am pregnant.

I wonder if that has changed in the time since I lived there - early 90's. They were all quite adamant that I should not say stuffed after a meal!

Mary named my favorite. My then 19-year-old self was quite startled when the young man in reception, at my first hotel in England, asked “What time do you want to be knocked up tomorrow?” Flabbergasted and 6 shades of red in my cheeks.

A car boot sale is outdoors, with people turning up to sell their surplus stuff. Flea markets are usually indoors, with the vendors being traders, not the general public

Not in America......here a flea market can be indoors or outdoors and is a mix of general pubiic and professionals. We don't call them traders. That's a british term.

My then 19-year-old self was quite startled when the young man in reception, at my first hotel in England, asked “What time do you want to be knocked up tomorrow?” Flabbergasted and 6 shades of red in my cheeks.

Even more horrifying would have been had you been a British lass asking the guy at the reception desk in the US to 'knock you up ' at 6AM.

Having someone crawling in your bed instead of the phone call.... " but officer, she asked me to .."

No mention of "Nickers?" For example, don't get your "nickers in a twist" if I called you out on this.

tele......television,

ack ack....anti-aircraft fire, waist jacket.....vest.

quid..... GBP

No mention of "Nickers?

has a silent k at the beginning

Don’t ever offer to “fluff anyone up” in the UK.

I was stuffed after a meal, and had a good laugh telling me I'd just said I was pregnant.

it occurs to me that this may be the derivation of the mildly obscene "Get Stuffed!!!". The 4 letter anglo saxon obscene version generally refers to the same thing, just earlier in the process...

The first time my British friend ( who lives here in the US), asked me if I was feeling peckish, I had to ask him what that meant. I don’t see it on the list or in any of the comments. It means are you feeling hungry.

I recall the time my youngest son made himself a peanut butter and jelly sandwich as he was so intrigued by the concept. Unfortunately he made it with a slab of Rowntrees Jelly (jello) instead of jam and failed to see the allure.

Never heard of the phrase "stuffed" relating to being pregnant. "Up the duff" is probably more prevalent, at least here in the South.

I've read that many British words have made way especially with the increasing American influence on media and culture. Fortnight is almost unheard of now-two weeks has crept into TV shows.
Knocked up is now woken up.

There was a BBC article a few years ago bemoaning the Americanization of British English while explaining that American English words are more in line with the "old" British English from the 1700.

However some of my favorite words are from German:

Handy=cell phone. Handy being a product name but also easy to remember as cell phones are very handy!
Handschuhe=gloves. Would love to know what person looked at a pair of gloves and thought "they look like shoes for hands!" Probably during a night of drinking at the local beer hall.

Claudia, love your list! So many differences! Just to note: it’s ‘taking the piss’ not ‘taking a piss’ .... the latter means, literally, going to the loo!

Nobody mentioned about getting days and months the wrong way round?
And what about ending sentences with "period"

Car boot sale is when people sale things out of the boot (trunk) of their car.

One term not mentioned but I haven't heard lately......"Spend a penny."

There is a blurry distinction between chips and fries. On the off-chance I should be caught anywhere near a McDonald's I call their fries "fries". However I consider chips to be wider and slightly less greasy, for example when you go to the pub you get chips with your fish and chips.

And I must add that we do not mean 3 when I say "half six". We mean 6:30.

@ Nick...you're correct with the spelling. Thanks

Re: the Oyster Card: ..." to top off." .....to add more money to the value of the card, to reload it. We have the Clipper Card in the immediate SF Bay Area which works in the same manner as does the Oyster Card.

Re: the Oyster Card: ..." to top off." .....to add more money to the value of the card, to reload it.

It's "to top up".

I confess to watching too many episodes of Escape to the Country. A few terms I've picked up:
Bed sit = studio apartment
Granny flat = mother-in-law apartment
Range = not sure about this one, seems to be some sort of huge cooking stove powered by natural gas?
Bungalow = any single story detached home (house hunters seem to always find these undesirable?)
Holiday let = vacation property for rental use
UK friends, please expand on or correct any of my interpretations.

Range , often known a makers name Aga but there others too.
Often fuelled by oil out in the country when there is no mains gas available

That reminds me that my friends always referred to the cooking surface of the stove as the hob.

That reminds me that my friends always referred to the cooking surface of the stove as the hob.

Yes, any cooking surface of a stove (or standalone cooking surface) is regarded as a "hob" whether it's gas powered, electric, induction etc. The other parts of the stove are the oven and sometimes a grill (broiler).

When I first encountered "to top up" in 2009, my first time back since 1987, I couldn't understand the expression. I figured the staff member must mean that I could " reload the Card " once it was depleted.

My daughter's friend and her (now) ex-boyfriend live in London and came here to visit a few months back ... was talking with him and he said don't EVER call someone a 'tosser' unless you want a beatdown ... adding bloody in front makes the beatdown worse ... I looked it up and it didn't seem THAT bad but I'm not trying it.

Using"stone" as a unit of measurement for weight (14 pounds). And, speaking of measurement, the use of metric lengths and weights, which are sometimes used.

Using"stone" as a unit of measurement for weight (14 pounds). And, speaking of measurement, the use of metric lengths and weights, which are sometimes used.

Yes, we're a bit confused here with our meaurements. Despite going metric decades ago we still measure road distances in miles and yards. We use feet and inches when referring to our height and some people still can't let go of farenheit.

Still, at least we don't use cup measurements any more, that has to be the most unreliable method of measuring ingredients.

yes we are really mixed up about measurements
We use miles but there are marker posts on Motorways that are in Kilometres and lorries and coaches have speed limiters based on KM
The US Gallon is only four fifths of an Imperial Gallon

I would comment that a biscuit is not the same as a cookie, at least in England, to me a cookie is noticeably thicker, denser and a different texture to the thinner British/European biscuit, even the ‘teatime assortment’ type biscuits with a filling are not the same as an American style cookie.

If you don’t want to say toilet, you can ask for the gents/ladies or even WC as an alternative to loo, a coffee shop/deli I visit uses the word ‘cloakroom’ .

@Dennis.Loline, funny you should say that. I never could bring myself to ask "where is the toilet?" but didn't want to fall back on bathroom, which sounds equally strange to some. I always asked for the "Ladies room."

If I'm not mistaken , the American " too " ( also , as well ) is " and all " in British English

For anyone who is interested, this film from 1984 will give you a good dose of the language differences , and is a charming and delightful tale . Set in London , " The Chain " by Jack Rosenthal - https://youtu.be/2Z3mxm_L5dg

@CWsocial : Ladies room is fine, I’ve noticed recently some British broadcasters/journalists have started to use the American term “public bathroom” which sounds out of place when they mean public toilets/loos or even the old classic “public conveniences” .

Wellies......Waterproof boots made of rubber --"Wellingtons"-- worn while walking outdoors in wet or muddy areas; also while sailing, as Sperry Top-Sider, Gill, and Helly Hansen make tall rubber sailing wellingtons.

Gobsmacked......Amazed, surprised.

Twee......Describes clothes that are excessively dainty, delicate, cute, or quaint, such as the cardigan sweaters with little flowers (or Santa, or lace collars) on them, that Bridget Jones's mother was trying to get her to wear in Bridget Jones's Diary; old fashioned, not chic.

Think it's still illegal to sell beers and lagers in anything but pints and halves in pubs
Conversely shots are in ml.

Near me is a road sign

Width limit 6'6"
200 metres ahead

Well played highways department.

Hiking the pct up in Oregon and got to camp very in the twilight.
Next day couple of other hikers just arriving came to talk.
Look bewildered when I said if I had not had my torch would never have found the campsite

A lead is a leash
A lead is an extension cord
A lead is a telephone cord
A lead is half a dozen other things.

Proper is appropriate
Proper is good
Proper is suitable
Proper is acceptable
Proper is half a dozen other things

Brilliant means very good
Brilliant means half a dozen other things

The main difference between British and American English is that British English is good at discriminating moods and emotions but bad at just about everything else, which goes against the peculiar stereotype that the English are cold or unfeeling.

On the up and up means improving, not what it means in the USA (legitimate)
When you table something in England, like an idea or a plan, you offer it for discussion or consideration, while in the USA when you table something, like an idea or a plan, you take it out of consideration or put it away.

"Don't knock it 'til you've tried it"
means don't ridicule or reject it before you have experienced it yourself in the USA
but in England it means don't approve it or buy it until you have tested or examined it.

"There's no accounting for taste"
means you can't explain why some people like crappy stuff in the USA
but in England it means people don't need to justify or argue for their preferences.

"Don't knock it 'til you've tried it"
means don't ridicule or reject it before you have experienced it yourself in the USA
but in England it means don't approve it or buy it until you have tested or examined it.

"There's no accounting for taste"
means you can't explain why some people like crappy stuff in the USA
but in England it means people don't need to justify or argue for their preferences.

I'm afraid you've got it wrong on both counts. Both phrases mean the same in British English as they do in American English.

I'm with JC on this one, I'm afraid, avirosemail. Sorry..

Don’t forget that as a US visitor to the U.K. you will not be able to acclimate. Instead, you’ll have to acclimatise.

Another in agreement with JC.

Americans often have queries about transportation - this is what we did with convicts many years ago when they were sent to Australia.

Something else that’s different (or extra) about British spelling are words that are pronounced the same in both countries but we use two spellings depending on what they relate to.

examples:
Bedtime story - second storey apartment
Curb your behaviour- My wheel hit the kerb
I never tire of that film - I had my car tyre replaced
I paid the cheque into my account- I will now check the cheque has cleared
The water meter is one metre below the ground

Not sure if Canada/Australia/SA might follow all British spelling rules above.

Quite
It was quite nice.
I believe in America it would mean it was very nice.
But in Britain it is a polite way of saying it could be an awful lot better!!!!
Believe it has cause alot of problems with people in the US applying for jobs in the uk and their job references saying (to us) that they werent great in their old job!!!!!

Totally agree, quaint and cute!!!! Just rubs me up the wrong way, feels abit patronising

Americans often have queries about transportation - this is what we did with convicts many years ago when they were sent to Australia.

"Transportation" means sending criminals to Australia?

So does that mean everyone who rides a vehicle/conveyance operated by TFL is a criminal?

Regardless of who originated/popularized it, it is still applicable "Americans and British are one people separated by a common language."

Please clarify. Thank you

From Stephen Sondheim's " Sweeney Todd " , an example of the use of " transported " as it was defined in the nineteenth century https://youtu.be/RVAe8fSsGLw

In one of the old British movies I was watching on TV (perhaps "Cromwell" about Oliver Cromwell) there was an English court with a judge pronouncing sentences on several prisoners. For the first one, he announced the sentence: "Death by hanging."
Second prisoner, he announced the sentence: "Transportation".
The next scene was the handcuffed prisoner being walked down the wharf and being put on a ship.
So that's the way "Transportation" worked in the old days.

Usages change over time and there's influence in several directions - 'fantastic' and 'incredible' were not always good things to be, for example.

[to Nigel and JC -- I'm saying that Britain has largely adopted the American usage of the phrases I listed above, rather than conceding that they have the same meaning in both places ; if you look into their earlier meanings, you'll see I was correct]

Do you always call petrol petrol, or do you sometimes give in to the American practice of calling it gas(oline)?
Do you always use 'post' and 'mail' the British way, or do you just concede the point and use them the American way?
American ears still don't like the sound of the verb 'agree' having a direct object, as in "we agreed a new work schedule from now on" rather than 'agreed to' ... ...

Well, avirosemail, if grammar is our specialty/speciality, then we ought really to discuss whether collective nouns (e.g., family, company, team, firm) are singular or plural and whether one would therefore say:

"the family are on holiday": British - the group of individuals in the family are on holiday (and it's entirely possible they aren't on holiday together)

or "the family is on holiday": always American and sometimes British - the family unit is on holiday, likely together

Americans don't go on holiday, they take vacations.

That's not a trivial distinction -- when you're on vacation you have different expectations than when you are on holiday.

You're right!

to Nigel and JC -- I'm saying that Britain has largely adopted the American usage of the phrases I listed above, rather than conceding that they have the same meaning in both places ; if you look into their earlier meanings, you'll see I was correct

After reaching my mid-40's having knowledge of those phrases they've always meant the same as your description of their American usage. As we're discussing the 'here and now' I think highlighting the differences between the two variations of English currently in use is the point of this thread.

Do you always call petrol petrol, or do you sometimes give in to the American practice of calling it gas(oline)?

No.

Do you always use 'post' and 'mail' the British way, or do you just concede the point and use them the American way?

Yes, always the British way.

I'm with JC again.

As far as "vacation" that's what happens at University at the end of the term, at least at Oxbridge. Not what employees do.

George Bernard Shaw once noted that Britain and the US are "two nations separated by a common language".

It's not just vacation or holiday. Many people talk about "taking leave", and there is also the practice of lieu days. Those are days off (another phrase) taken in lieu of extra hours worked previously.

As for gas, petrol, diesel, etc, we have many buses proudly proclaimin that they are gas-powered. This is gas from the waste water treatment works, or from the mass composting of food waste.

Taking leave, now that's what my Dad did from the military each year so that our family could go on vacation.

Lieu days at my non-military job would have been comp days, taken in compensation for extra time worked. Highly discretionary. And "not the done thing" at startups, where lots of overtime is common practice, typically compensated with other benefits.

A few years ago I was chatting with a nice Brit who'd moved with his wife and young son to the US in a corporate job transfer. They were enjoying life here very well, with some bumps in the road due to language quirks. He said his son who I think was about 8 years old, was doing great in school. Except for that time he shocked his teacher when he asked could he please have a rubber. "Rubber" in the UK = "eraser" in the US - where "rubber" is a slang term for condom.

"Rubber" in the UK = "eraser" in the US - where "rubber" is a slang term for condom.

Rubber is also slang for condom in the UK, you just need to recognise the context on when the relevant meaning is intended.

'On your bike, mush ' vs 'bugger off'

'Chalk and cheese' vs 'black and white'. or 'opposites'.

I can't think of an American version of "chocolate teapot", as much use as one.

or

its cousin, "a brewery", the inability to organise a pissup in one

an earthy anglo saxon language, English

Nigel - there’s also ‘chocolate fireguard’ which might prove a tad esoteric for US readers. I do like the ‘Anglo Saxon earthy’ of “as much good as a one legged man at an arse kicking party” as an expression of general uselessness. Should translate without difficulty!