BritSpeak

British - American Dictionary (Cont'd)

British Word         Americans Say

Q

Queue Line (when waiting for service)

Quid One pound sterling

Quids in Lucky or well off

R

Rabbit (verb) Chat animatedly

Radiographer Radiological Technician

Rank Taxi stand; as adj., bad or disgusting

Redundant Unemployed

Refectory Cafeteria (also 'canteen' in British English)

Removal Moving

Removal man Mover

Removal van Moving truck

Return Round-trip (as in rail ticket, etc.)

Ring Call (Verb, telephone)

Rise Raise (pay, etc.)

Ronk Unpleasant smell, cf. stink

Roundabout Traffic circle

Row Quarrel, noun or verb. Rhymes with cow.

Rozzer Cop

Rubber Eraser

Rucksack Backpack

S

Sack (verb) Fire

Saloon car Sedan

Sanitary towel Sanitary napkin

Sarnie Sandwich

Savoury biscuit Cracker

Scatty Scatter-brained Scarper Run away, escape (from Latin Scarpere, reinforced by rhyming slang for "Scapa Flow"=go)

School leaver Dropout or graduate (can be either someone who gives up, or someone qualified)

Scouse Of or from Liverpool

Self-catering No meals included

Sellotape Scotch tape (Sellotape is a brand name)

Serviette Napkin

Shag (v) Have sex with

Sheath Condom

Sickie Day off work through feigned illness ("throwing a sickie")

Sideboard Credenza

Sideboards Sideburns (Hair)

Silencer Muffler (car)

Single One-way (as in rail ticket, etc.)

Single Bed Twin Bed

Skint Broke (having no money)

Skirting-board Baseboard

Slash Pee, urinate

Slate Criticize

Sleeper Railroad tie

Sleeping Policeman Speed bump

Slide Barrette (for a girl's hair)

Sloane Ranger Preppie

Slowcoach Slowpoke

Smalls Underwear

Smart Well-dressed, dapper

Snooker Billiards (They also play billiards in the UK, but it's a different game)

Sod Stupid or Unpleasant person (der. sodomist)

Sod off Go away

Soda Club soda Solder (verb) (Plumbing) sweat (a piping joint) or souder

Solicitor Lawyer

Sort code Routing number (in banking)

Spanner Wrench

Sparky Energetic

Specs Glasses or Eyeglasses - Brits also say Spectacles

Spot Pimple, Zit

Spot on Perfect

Spunk Semen

Squash Juice concentrate

Starkers Naked

Stone Fourteen pounds - Brits weigh themselves in stones and lbs as in "12st 4lbs"

Stonk (Verb)- Storm off in anger, walk angrily, (Noun)- a bad mood.

Stonking (Adj) Huge, enormous, massive

Stonker (Verb)- To Defeat, (Noun)- Male erection. (Stonk originally related to artillery barrage)

Strop Bad mood

Stroppy Argumentative

Subway Pedestrian underpass

Sultanas Golden raisins

Surgery Doctor's examination room

Suspenders Garter belt

Swede Rutabaga

Sweet Dessert

Sweets Candy

Swimming costume Bathing suit (Often shortened to "Cossie")

Swinging the lead Avoiding work

T

Tailback Traffic Jam

Tap Faucet

Tea Evening meal or Dinner

Teacake Spiced bun

Teacake (Yorkshire) Soft flat bread bun similar to seedless hamburger bun

Telly TV

Terrace Bleachers

Tin Can

Tip Dump

Tom Prostitute

Tomato Paste Tomato Puree

Tomato Puree Tomato Paste (yes, they mean the opposite in the UK)

Torch Flashlight

Toss Masturbate

Tosser Unpleasant or stupid person (lit. Masturbator)

Tout Scalper

Tower block Highrise

Toy Boy Boy Toy

Tractor unit Driven part of Semi

Trainers Sneakers

Transport cafe Truck stop

Treacle Molasses

Truck Handcart

Tuition Instruction

Tyre Tire

U

Underground Subway

Upmarket Classy

V

Vest Undershirt

Vet Investigate or Interrogate

Vice girl Prostitute

W

Waistcoat Vest

Wallah Man, or person providing a service (orig. Hindi)

Wally Nerd

Wank Masturbate

Wanker Unpleasant or stupid person (lit. masturbator)

Water closet (WC) Bathroom, or more precisely, toilet

Wellies See Wellingtons

Wellingtons Boots (rubber)

Whinge (n. or v.) Whine

Wholefood Healthfood

Wind-up (pronounced as "wined" - v. To tease or annoy, n. joke, usu. practical) Wog noun - Very coarse slang for a foreigner, verb - to steal

Wonky Unstable

Worktop Counter (kitchen, for e.g.)

Y

Y-fronts Underpants (men's)

Yanks Americans

Yob Hooligan

Yobbo See yob

Yonks Ages

Z

Zebra Crossing Pedestrian Crossing

Zed Zee (the letter)

BritSpeak Dictionary page locator:

British-American A - C | D - K | L - P | Q - Z |

American-British A - E | F - L | M - R | S - Z |

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