American and British Terminology

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This is the thread where we see the differences in the English language between Great Britian and the United States. Feel free to add anymore meanings if you're positive of what they mean in both versions!


Biscuit
A- a fluffy baked good
B- a cookie


Pavement
A- concrete
B- sidewalk


Flat
A- something with no deph
B- an apartment


Fancy
A- upscale, nice and expensive
B- to have a crush on someone


Mum
A- a flower
B- mother


If you can think of anything else, please feel free to add them!

Chips
A- very thin, fried snacks (potato, tortilla, nacho...)
B- french fries

boot
a-car trunk
b-footware

lift
a-construction site device
b-elevator

i dunno about Brittan but here in Canada we call it pop not soda.

i started watching a couple British shows and i think im learning their slang and stuff good. i really liked that show Life on Mars. i like their voices too

Older people tend to say "pictures" instead of "movies", although this is disappearing as few younger people say it any more. Some older people even say "filims" [sic].

Also, (this tends to be amongst posh people), mall isn't pronounced "maul" but "mal".

The closest thing to an American "biscuit" is a Yorkshire pudding. To Americans, pudding is something sweet and running, and you don't eat with your dinner.

Oh, that reminds me, "tea" can not only mean the beverage, but the evening meal.

Chips aren't french fries. They're both slivers of fried potato, but chips are shorter and fatter than french fries (also known as "shoestring fries").

Other uses of "mum": it can mean to be discreet, "Mum's the word". Also, when someone serves tea and offers to pour, they are "being mother".

Here in New Zealand there is a company that makes "elevators" named Schindler. During the 90s they would sometimes be defaced with the words "Schindler's Lift".

We tend to say soft drink or fizzy drink for "soda", not sure if the British do too.

For pavement, we tend to use footpath. Concrete is just what it's made out of.

pants
A-trousers
B-underwear

Ass
A-buttocks
B-donkey

trunk
A-car boot
B- trunk=centre of a tree, trunks="speedo" as you yanks call them

Jumper-

A=an athlete
B=a dress

Trolley-

A=an electric car like they have in San Francisco
B=a push cart

Bonnet-

A= a female's hat
B= hood of a car

Bangers-

A=???
B=Sausages

Biggie-

A= Do you want to super size your fries?
B= Poop or a reference to male anatomy

Bomb-

A=explosive device
B=something very expensive

Shag-

A=a type of women's haircut or type of carpet
B=to have sex


Cobbler-

A=a baked fruit dessert
B= a bunch of rubbish!

Fanny-

A=buttocks, rear end
B=a females frontal private parts

Flutter-

A=something birds and butterflies do with their wings
B= to make a bet on the horse race

Ring-

A=a piece of jewelry or any circular object
B=to call someone on the telephone

Brits tend to call Sweets what Americans call Candy. But Sweets to an American is any sugary treat including a breakfast pastry which would be called a tart in Britain I think.

Gas
A-petrol
B-the third state of matter (though used in the us as well)

I rack

A - A middle-eastern country
B - first person conjugate of the verb 'to rack'

Antique

A - something over twenty years old
B - something over a hundred years old

That machine mounted on the wall from which you can get a drink
A- drinking fountain
B- bubbler