American Words vs. British WordsThere are a huge list of the different word usages between the 2. One prominent example occurs when you rent an automobile. First, as most people know, the British drive on the left side of the road. But that's not the only difference between the two countries. As it happens, every part of an automobile seems to have a different name from those the American use.
For starters, you don't "rent" a car in England; you
hire a car.
Then, in Britain the hood is called the
bonnet, the windshield is called the
wind-screen, the dashboard is the
fascia, the muffler is the
silencer, the trunk is the
boot.
And in Sri Lanka who uses British English, there are variation. They don't call the trunk the boot. They call it the dickey. A Sri Lankan said: "I was in New york City on a business trip and took a taxi from the airport to my hotel. Naturally, we put my luggage in the dickey. As we approached my hotel, I saw my friends waiting to greet me. Since I wanted to exit the taxi quickly, I shouted to the driver, "Quick! Quick! Open your dickey! Open your dickey!"
Here's a list of common, innocent American Words and terms that will cause a British person to blush with embarrassment.
Stuffed: Vulgar slang for "having sex with a woman"; or if used as Get
Stuffed! it means "go to hell!" Another bit of British slang meaning "to engage in sex" is to
bonk.
Fanny: In England, this word does not refer to a person's derriere but instead to a female's genitalia. Similarly, a
willy is, for an Englishman, his penis. (Which makes one wonder what reaction the British had over the American stage play and movie
Fanny and the more recent movie Free Willy.)
Randy: This is not the familiar form of the name Randolph; in England, it is synonymous with the American word "horny."
Buggered: An American might say, "I'll be buggered," meaning confused or confounded; or it may refer to a cute child or animal as "a cute little bugger." But in England, to be
buggered is to commit sodomy. In English business lingo, the
buggeration factor is akin to Murphy's Law (i.e., "what can go wrong usually does").
Sharp: If an American describes a colleague as "sharp," it is a compliment, meaning the person is quick, intelligent, and able, but in England, it means the person is devious and unprincipled.
Vest: What an American calls a "vest" is known as a
waistcoat to an English person' a vest in England is an
undershirt, so American should be wary of admiring an Englishman's vest.
Napkins: In England, napkins are "
diapers," also referred to as
nappies; a table napkin in England is called a serviette.
On the job: In England, this is a slang expression for "
having sex," which explains why one British gentleman expressed delight when an American acquaintance casually mentioned that his father "was eighty years old when he died on the job."
In a turn of tables, the following is a list of British words that will fall oddly on American ears but are as innocent as a baby's smile in England:
Pecker: refers to the chin; so don't be surprised if a British says to you, in an attempt to perk up your spirits, "keep your pecker up."
Bangers: are sausages in great Briain, which means you might hear a pub patron order "a beer and a banger, please."
To knock up: can be used with complete impunity in several situations in England. It can mean "to wake me up" on the telephone; or, in the game of tennis, it can mean rallying the ball back and forth in practice before starting a game.
Rubber: is the word for "eraser"; therefore, you can understand why a Florida PR executive was once shocked on hearing an English architect friedn cry out, "Who nicked my rubber? It was my favorite rubber. I had it for over three years!" Later the PR executive deciphered his friend's complaint to mean "Who stole my eraser?"
LOL!!! I experienced this when I first got to Hawaii. We Singaporean/Malaysian students will be saying rubber here and there. And there the Americans will be giving us that weird look.
Pissed: is not an expression of anger, as it is in the US; in England, it usually means someone is very drunk.
Scheme: for most Americans, is a negative word, because they consider a scheme something that is a bit sly and slick; in England, however, it is just a synonym for the word "plan."
Cheap: for Americans, connotes something of poor quality; in England, however, it is used more often to refer to something inexpensive, as in a cheap day ticket on the railroad.
Homely: Does not mean unattractive in England; rather, it is just the opposite - a person in England who is homely is "homelike," meaning a warm and comfortable person.
To bomb: in the USA is decidedly bad. A show that "bombs on Broadway" is a failure. But in England, something that "went like a bomb" is a great success.
Vet: Does not refer to a veterinarian; instead, it is used as a verb and means "to thoroughly check something over," as in the phrase "Let me vet your proposal before we sent it."
Tinkle: is used as in statement "Give me a tinkle," which means to phone someone. The British would also say, "I will ring you tomorrow."
Spotted dick: is a pudding, and the "spots" are ordinary raisins; you'll find this unique dessert listed frequently on English menus.
