English to USA Translations

They are also called "Circles" in some parts of the US - in New Jersey there are the Cherry Hill Circle, the Marlton Circle, etc.

In my former hometown, there is a grand total of one roundabout, rotary, or what-have-you. Everyone calls it "The Traffic Circle." Apparently, the official name is "The Los Alamitos Circle." "The Los" isn't quite as bad as "The La Brea Tar Pits," which literally means "The The Tar Tar Pits."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Los_Alamitos_Circle

We have something called a popover, which is like a muffin-sized Yorkshire pudding. Not to be confused with a turnover, which is a little deep-fried fruit pie.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Popover

Ugh, fruit on a Yorkshire Pudding?

No! A popover is like a Yorkshire pudding. A turnover is something completely different. I don't think we ever put toads in our holes!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Popover

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turnover_(food)

They are also called "Circles" in some parts of the US - in New Jersey there are the Cherry Hill Circle, the Marlton Circle, etc.

In my former hometown, there is a grand total of one roundabout, rotary, or what-have-you. Everyone calls it "The Traffic Circle." Apparently, the official name is "The Los Alamitos Circle." "The Los" isn't quite as bad as "The La Brea Tar Pits," which literally means "The The Tar Tar Pits."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Los_Alamitos_Circle

Put a SatNav into American English mode in the UK, and all roundabouts become 'traffic circles'.

We have roundabouts here... I'm not sure if they're the same thing... These useless circles in the middle of the road you have to drive around to keep from speeding, all the while praying you don't hit someone you can't see, thanks to the rediciulous plants in your way... That's what we (in Missouri) call roundabouts.

We have roundabouts here... I'm not sure if they're the same thing... These useless circles in the middle of the road you have to drive around to keep from speeding, all the while praying you don't hit someone you can't see, thanks to the rediciulous plants in your way... That's what we (in Missouri) call roundabouts.

Hm...maybe. There's a 'right of way' system to ours. Always let the people to your right go past before you go. Our big ones might block your view of the other side, but they're so big you'll have plenty of time to see what's coming anyway. Our small ones are just circles painted on the road.



They're a traffic control measure, rather than a speed control measure. Might be the same thing. The places I've been in the US are all just straight, square roads and big junctions. Have never seen anything vaguely circular.

Most roundabouts in the UK are easy to understand. Double, at most. I think this one would kill me:

Is that some kind of table top game board for the gods? Eek.

I loved being in Australia and comparing the words. Maybe I just like linguistics..

Que = Line
Pissed = Drunk

JM

'Que' should be spelt 'queue'. Sorry to be pedantic, but you have to learn these things from somewhere!

Is that some kind of table top game board for the gods? Eek.

Apparently so. I can't grasp how it works at all. Common knowledge tells me I should be following the BIG roundabout, but all the little miniature ones seem to indicate you can just go around one of the small ones and actually be going the wrong way around the big one, on an inner lane.

I THINK that's how it works, but I can't be sure. Thankfully, I don't expect I'll ever need to find out. I think if I didn't realise where I was and was following my SatNav, if I suddenly found myself on there I'd have a mental breakdown.

*kitten* = *kitten*

*kitten* = Donkey :laugh:

Pantyhose makes me giggle too lol

Remind me never ever ever ever to go to Swindon!! OMG. What the?? That is totally nuts. Would love to know how many accidents happen on that roundaroundaroundaroundabout!

TABLE OF AMERICAN AND BRITISH ENGLISH WORDS


KEY: sl. = slang
n. = noun
v. = verb
+ = can be used by Americans, but rare and/or archaic
> = American spelling can be used as alternate spelling
(XXXX) = Pronounciation difference



AMERICAN BRITISH
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

a knockout (sl. beautiful) a stunner (sl.)
a little bit a spot (sl.)
abrigment abrigement
acknowledgment acknowledgement
ad (sl.) advert (sl.)
airplane aeroplane
aisle gangway
alley mews
aluminum aluminium
analyze >analyse
anemia anaemia
anesthetic anaesthetic
annex annexe
apartment mansion flat
apprise/apprize apprise
amortize amortise/amortize
ardor ardour
baby buggy (sl.) pram (sl. perambulator)
babysitter child-minder
bar pub
bartender landlord
bathroom loo (sl.)
bathroom +lavatory
beat (sl. tired) fagged
biscuit scone
big deal (sl.) big noise (sl.)
blacktop macadam
brash cheeky (sl.)
breakfast sausage banger (sl.)
bucks (sl. dollars) quid (sl. pounds)
buffet set meal
buggy (4 wheel carriage) buggy (2 wheel carriage)
bum (sl. vagrant) +tramp
bum (sl. vagrant) bum (sl. backside)
burglary house-breaking
cafeteria refrectory
can (metal container) tin
can (sl. jail) nick (sl. gaol)

AMERICAN BRITISH
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

can (sl. backside) bum (sl.)
caliber calibre
call up (telephone) ring up
cark shark (sl. gambler) card sharper (sl.)
center centre
cinder road metalled roadway
check cheque
checkers (game) draughts
clerk (KLERK) clerk (KLAHRK)
closet (clothes closet) closet (toilet)
closet (clothes closet) cupboard (clothes closet)
color colour
corn +Indian corn
connection connexion
confused fogged (sl.)
cookie biscuit
cop (police officer) bobby
county court assize
coveralls boiler suit
crap (sl. worthless) rot (sl.)
crooked (illegal) bent (sl.)
curb kerb
dead on (sl.) bang on
defense defence
deflection deflexion (but not in engineering)
derby (hat) bowler
detour diversion
dialyze >dialyse
diarrhea diarrhoea
diner chop house
disbarred struck off
disgusting off-putting
dishrag dish mop
discount store cut-price shop
dock quay
draft beer draught beer
dresser +wardrobe
dude tosh (sl.)
ecology oecology (old sp.)
edema oedema
efficiency apartment bed-sit
electrolyze >electrolyse
elevator lift
engineer (railroad) engine driver
enrollment enrolment
eolian aeolian
esophagus oesophagus
estrogen oestrogen
etiology aetiology
favor favour
favorite favourite

AMERICAN BRITISH
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

fender (of a car) wing
fervor fervour
festive gathering jollities (sl.)
fetus foetus
fiber fibre
fire department fire brigade
fired sacked
first floor ground floor
flashlight torch
flavor flavour
fooling around messing about or mucking about (sl.)
for rent to let
freeway motorway
freight train goods train
French Frog (sl.)
french fries chips
fuel oil petrol
gasoline (or gas) petrol
gas cooking gas
garbage can dustbin
garbage dump rubbish tip
genuflection genuflexion
get lost! (sl. leave) push off! (sl.)
glasses +spectacles (sl. specs)
gray (color) grey (colour)
grounded (electrical) earthed
got have gotten
hand drill +brace and bit
hang around (sl. loiter) hang about (sl.)
hang up (telephone) ring off
hardware store ironmongers
harbor harbour
hemoglobin haemoglobin
hearing aid deaf aid
hiccup hiccough
honor honour
hood bonnet
horn (of a car) hooter
hubcap +wheel cover
humor humour
inflection inflexion
installment plan hire-purchase
intermission interval
jail gaol
janitor porter
jewelry jewellery
judgment judgement
kind of +rather
knock up (sl. get pregnant) knock up (sl. wake up)
labor labour
lawyer barrister

AMERICAN BRITISH
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

lawyer soliciter
leather neck (sl. US Marine) jollies (sl. Royal Marines)
legal holiday +bank holiday
leveling levelling
license licence (n.; v.= license)
line que
lining up queueing
lodgment lodgement
long distance (telephone) trunk call
looney dottie (sl.)
loot boodle, swag (sl.)
luggage +baggage
luster lustre
mail post
mail letter
mailbox postbox or pillar box
mailman +postman
maneuver manoeuvre
marvelous marvellous
men's room gents (sl.)
messy shabby
meter (unit) metre
meter (as in voltmeter) meter
mist damp
mold mould
molder moulder
molt moult
mom (mother) mum
movie +film
movie theater +cinema
municipal judge magistrate
neighbor neighbour
newsstand kiosk
notary public commisioner of oaths
nuts (sl. crazy) dotty (sl.)
offense offence
orchestra seat stall
organize organise
overdraw (an account) overdraft
overpass (highway) flyover
pad (sl. house) digs (sl.)
pal (sl. friend) +fellow, chap (sl.)
pants +trousers
paralyze >paralyse
parking lot motor park
penny (cent) pence
picked up (arrested) nicked (sl.)
pharmiscist chemist
phone booth call box
phony phoney
photo flash flashlight

AMERICAN BRITISH
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

plain moor
plow plough
practice practise (v.; n.= practice)
pretense pretence
program programme
pulled up drew up
radio wireless
railroad car railroad carriage
rain cape ulster
raincoat mackintosh (or mac sl.)
research scientist boffin (sl.)
red hair ginger hair (sl.)
restroom +lavatory
rigor rigour
root beer ginger beer
rubber boots +gum boots
rubbers +galoshes
rumble seat ****ey seat (sl.)
savor savour
sawed sawn
scallion spring onion
schedule (SKED-JEWL) scedule (SHED-DUAL)
Scotch tape celotape
scratch pad scribbling block
second floor first floor
sepulcher sepulchre
set the table lay the table
sewers drains
sidewalk path or footpath
shoes boots
shoeshine boy bootblack
shorts (underwear) pants
show up (sl. arrive) pop in (sl.)
shower +shower bath
smelled smelt
smolder smoulder
somber sombre
space heater electric fire
speakeasy (sl.) off licence (sl.)
specter spectre
speedboat engine boat
stand (law court) dock
station wagon estate car
stool pigeon (sl. informer) grass (sl.)
store +shop
story (as in: three story) storey
streaked with... shot through with...
streetcar tram
subway underground
subway station tube station
suspenders braces

AMERICAN BRITISH
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

swamp bog or mire
swimming pool swimming bath
switch (railroad) points
tailored shirt maker bespoke shirtmaker
takeout (food) takeaways
taxes rates
taxpayers ratepayers
taxi +cab
theater theatre
thumbtacks drawing pins
time= HH:MM time=HH.MM
trailer caravan
trench coat duffle coat
truck (motor truck) lorry
truck (railroad car wheels) bogie
trunk (of a car) boot
tire tyre
toilet water closet (W.C.)
traffic cirle roundabout
tumor tumour
TV (sl.) telly (sl.)
undershirt vest
vacation holiday
vacuum tube valve
valet (military) batman
vapor vapour
vaudeville music hall
vest waistcoat
vise (tool, clamp) vice
wagon waggon
watch out for the... mind the...
whiz +whizz
will shall/will
will not shan't
windsheild windscreen
workman tradesman
wrench spanner
z (zee) z (zed)

Remind me never ever ever ever to go to Swindon!! OMG. What the?? That is totally nuts. Would love to know how many accidents happen on that roundaroundaroundaroundabout!

Officer: We have reason to believe you were driving under the influence...
Driver: No, just very dizzy from navigating the roundaroundaroundaroundabout...

I don't actually know. Her profile says only "UK," and I've never asked where. This weekend I saw Billy Elliot, which takes place in Durham, and they keep talking about how they need to do things "for the bairn." So it must be used in northern England as well as Scotland, no?

Yep. My Geordie fiance uses 'bairn'. Just not 'wee bairn'.

Remind me never ever ever ever to go to Swindon!! OMG. What the?? That is totally nuts. Would love to know how many accidents happen on that roundaroundaroundaroundabout!

Officer: We have reason to believe you were driving under the influence...
Driver: No, just very dizzy from navigating the roundaroundaroundaroundabout...

:laugh: Would hate to have taken my test on that thing!

I don't actually know. Her profile says only "UK," and I've never asked where. This weekend I saw Billy Elliot, which takes place in Durham, and they keep talking about how they need to do things "for the bairn." So it must be used in northern England as well as Scotland, no?

I did not know that! But then I don't know any Geordies or any northerners really.

I love Yorkshire pudding! I don't care what it has on it!! :laugh: