English to USA Translations

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  • MrsWilsoncroft
    MrsWilsoncroft Posts: 969 Member
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    Fanny pack is the best one lol!

    And pants instead of trousers x
  • Lose_It_Leo
    Lose_It_Leo Posts: 91 Member
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    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!
  • stephc0711
    stephc0711 Posts: 1,026 Member
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    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.

    roundabout.jpg

    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. :tongue:

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

    swindon.jpg

    Yup, same thing. Though I swear ours are for speed control. I know of only one place locally that has them... And they plant trees and junk right in the middle of it so you can't see squat. :(
  • runnercheryl
    runnercheryl Posts: 1,314 Member
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    swindon.jpg

    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.
  • Sockimobi
    Sockimobi Posts: 541
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    My favorite British word right now is bairn. The same British friend with the Boar's head confusion has a little bit of cake or other baked good every day. She explained "It's my bairn's baking."

    Is your friend Scottish? I've only heard "bairn" used by Scottish folk.
    My ex (from England) used to always say

    "taking the piss out of you" eg.. making fun of you..

    so weird.


    That's really common, part of everyday conversation in Britain. Piss takers are everywhere here :wink:

    Roundabouts are also called "islands" in England (at least they are in the West Midlands).
  • giadatje
    giadatje Posts: 59
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    *kitten* = *kitten*

    *kitten* = Donkey :laugh:
  • runnercheryl
    runnercheryl Posts: 1,314 Member
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    Roundabouts are also called "islands" in England (at least they are in the West Midlands).

    Islands? Crazy Brummies!

    Are they not the small paved areas in the middle of large roads, to help pedestrians cross?

    What do you call those? :huh:
  • MrsWilsoncroft
    MrsWilsoncroft Posts: 969 Member
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    Pantyhose makes me giggle too lol
  • treetop57
    treetop57 Posts: 1,578 Member
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    Yeah, we have turnovers too, but that popover page says "Popovers may be served either as a sweet, topped with fruit and whipped cream for breakfast or with afternoon tea, or with meats at lunch and dinner."

    I just can't imagine adding whipped cream and fruit to a Yorkshire Pudding, but I guess if it's also eaten with meats it must be the same thing? Or do people add sugar to a popover to turn it into a breakfast dish? Or, is Wikipedia just wrong?

    I've never heard of sweet popovers, but if I can't believe Wikipedia, I can't go on living. I'm sure there are people who make sweet popovers. Heck, we've got something called a Monte Cristo sandwich, which is a ham and cheese sandwich, dipped in egg batter, deep fried, and "served with fresh fruit or with clotted cream or sour cream on the side, less often with fruit preserves, powdered sugar, maple syrup, or sweet or spicy mustard sauce instead." If we can make a fried ham and cheese sandwich into something sickly sweet, we can do it with anything!

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monte_Cristo_sandwich
  • Sockimobi
    Sockimobi Posts: 541
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    swindon.jpg

    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!
  • runnercheryl
    runnercheryl Posts: 1,314 Member
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    Heck, we've got something called a Monte Cristo sandwich, which is a ham and cheese sandwich, dipped in egg batter, deep fried, and "served with fresh fruit or with clotted cream or sour cream on the side, less often with fruit preserves, powdered sugar, maple syrup, or sweet or spicy mustard sauce instead.

    *shudder*

    :noway:

    And I can't even cope with the idea of cheese and pineapple, or gammon and pinepple...or pork and apple sauce.

    It's all just so...wrong.
  • MrsWilsoncroft
    MrsWilsoncroft Posts: 969 Member
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    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)
  • Sockimobi
    Sockimobi Posts: 541
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    Roundabouts are also called "islands" in England (at least they are in the West Midlands).

    Islands? Crazy Brummies!

    Are they not the small paved areas in the middle of large roads, to help pedestrians cross?

    What do you call those? :huh:

    I'm on the South Coast so roundabouts are roundabouts to me and those flat little painted things that everyone just drives over, those are islands.

    West Midlander's call islands "mini islands" as far as I know. Their roundabouts have names such as "Burnt Tree Island", "Birch Island" , "Castle Gate Island"... so I guess it would make sense for them to refer to them as islands.

    They also call buses "buzzes" :laugh:
  • runnercheryl
    runnercheryl Posts: 1,314 Member
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    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...
  • treetop57
    treetop57 Posts: 1,578 Member
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    My favorite British word right now is bairn. The same British friend with the Boar's head confusion has a little bit of cake or other baked good every day. She explained "It's my bairn's baking."

    Is your friend Scottish? I've only heard "bairn" used by Scottish folk.

    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?
  • runnercheryl
    runnercheryl Posts: 1,314 Member
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    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'.
  • treetop57
    treetop57 Posts: 1,578 Member
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    Heck, we've got something called a Monte Cristo sandwich, which is a ham and cheese sandwich, dipped in egg batter, deep fried, and "served with fresh fruit or with clotted cream or sour cream on the side, less often with fruit preserves, powdered sugar, maple syrup, or sweet or spicy mustard sauce instead.

    *shudder*

    :noway:

    And I can't even cope with the idea of cheese and pineapple, or gammon and pinepple...or pork and apple sauce.

    It's all just so...wrong.

    Of course we grow up on peanut butter and jelly, so we learn to enjoy sweet and savory/salty combinations at our mother's knee!
  • Sockimobi
    Sockimobi Posts: 541
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    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.
  • Hev_uk
    Hev_uk Posts: 82 Member
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    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? :tongue:

    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)

    Yeah, we have turnovers too, but that popover page says "Popovers may be served either as a sweet, topped with fruit and whipped cream for breakfast or with afternoon tea, or with meats at lunch and dinner."

    I just can't imagine adding whipped cream and fruit to a Yorkshire Pudding, but I guess if it's also eaten with meats it must be the same thing? Or do people add sugar to a popover to turn it into a breakfast dish? Or, is Wikipedia just wrong?

    Traditionally the Yorkshire pudding was made to be filled with meat for savoury and the jam for a pudding. The miners used to take it for their lunches to stop the roast dinner getting everywhere down the mines!
    My grandma, daughter of a Yorkshire butcher, used to serve her Yorkshires with gravy as a starter before the roast beef dinner!
  • Sockimobi
    Sockimobi Posts: 541
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    I love Yorkshire pudding! I don't care what it has on it!! :laugh: