List of American words not widely used in Great Britain

 

Main article: American and British English differences

This is a list of American words not widely used in the United Kingdom.

• Words with specific American meanings that have different meanings in British English and/or additional meanings common to both dialects (e.g. pants, crib) are to be found at List of words having different meanings in British and American English, as are compounds derived from such words (e.g. crib death). When such words are herein used or referenced, they are marked with the flag [DM].

• Asterisks (*) denote words and meanings having appreciable (that is, not occasional) currency in British English, but nonetheless distinctive of American English for their relatively greater frequency in American speech and writing. Americanisms are increasingly common in British English, and many that were not widely used some decades ago, are now so (e.g. regular in the sense of "regular coffee").

• American spelling is consistently used throughout the article, except when explicitly referencing British terms.

See also

• List of British words not widely used in the United States
• List of words having different meanings in British and American English
• American and British English spelling differences
• American and British English pronunciation differences

Contents
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Top of page — See also — External links

0-9

101 

(pronounced "one-oh-one") label for introductory college courses ("English 101"), figuratively denoting something intended for beginners ("real estate 101")
U.S. Highway 101 (used with "the" in Southern California)

40 (forty) 

a 40-acre parcel of land, specifically one sixteenth of a section, constituting the smallest unit of agricultural land commonly surveyed ("back 40," "front 40"); "back 40" also refers to an undeveloped plot of land (as on a farm, ranch, etc.) of unspecified size. Most commonly understood in an urban or youth setting to mean "a 40-ounce beer".

411 

(pronounced "four-one-one"; colloquial) information about something (from 4-1-1, directory assistance number)

A

AC 

air conditioning (UK: air con)

acclimate 

(verb) (UK usually: acclimatise, acclimatize)

acetaminophen (or Tylenol™) 

(UK: paracetamol)

addicting 

(UK and US: addictive)

affirmative action 

(UK: positive discrimination)

ahold 

(orig. dialectal) hold, grip; used in phrases such as "get ahold of," "take ahold of," "grab ahold of," etc.

airplane 

fixed-wing aircraft. Alteration of UK aeroplane, probably influenced by aircraft.

AMBER alert 

see article

amtrac 

Landing Vehicle Tracked (not to be confused with Amtrak, the passenger railroad corporation)

arugula, rugola 

the herb also known as rocket or garden rocket. Borrowed from southern Italian dialect in the early 1960s ("Ask Italian greengrocers for arugula, rucola or ruccoli; ask other markets for rouquette, rocket salad or, simply, rocket." — The New York Times, May 24, 1960, in OED).

B

baby carriage 

pushable vehicle for transporting babies, also called buggy or regionally baby coach (UK: perambulator, pram, pushchair: for the type that an older baby sits rather than lies in)

bachelorette 

an unmarried woman

backhoe 

a piece of excavating equipment (UK usually digger, mechanical digger, excavator, or JCB, genericized trademark)

ballpark 

a baseball stadium; a range of approximation or accuracy ("in the ballpark"; "a ballpark figure")

Band-Aid *

(trademark) bandage for minor wounds, (UK: Elastoplast (trademark), plaster [DM]); also, a makeshift solution

barf 

to vomit (slang) (throw up)

barrette 

hair slide

bathtub, tub 

(UK: bath)

bayou 

(from Louisiana French) an often marshy slow-moving minor watercourse, usually located in a low-lying area (as in the Mississippi River delta region of the southern United States)

bedroom community 

a commuter town or suburb (UK: dormitory town [DM])

bell pepper 

red or green pepper

blacktop 

pavement [DM] composed of asphalt concrete; also a verb ("to blacktop a parking lot") (UK: compare tarmac)

blinders 

(on a horse) (UK: blinkers)

blood sausage 

black pudding

boardwalk 

a walkway usually made of planking, typically along a beach (as that of Atlantic City)

bobby pin 

hair grip, Kirby grip

booger 

(slang) a piece of nasal mucus (UK: bogey)

boondocks 

(also the boonies) rough country; a very rural location or town; backwoods. Sometimes refers to rough, poor neighborhoods in a city. From Tagalog.

boondoggle 

(see article)

Botts' dot 

see raised pavement marker (UK: cat's eye)

breadbox 

(UK usually bread bin)

bro 

from brother; informal for a friend or pal (UK: mate)

broil 

to cook food with high heat with the heat applied directly to the food from above (UK: grill). Apparently first used by Chaucer.

brownstone 

a type of residential building found in New York and other large cities

buddy, bud 

a friend; also used as a term of address (UK similar: mate)

bullhorn 

a megaphone

burglarize 

to carry out a burglary (UK: burgle; burgle is very rare in US, and burglarize virtually nonexistent in UK)

busboy 

junior restaurant worker assisting waiting staff, table clearer, water pourer etc. (UK: busser; runner)

buttinsky 

a busybody, a nosy person (similar to UK nosy parker)

butte 

an isolated hill with steep sides and a small flat top

C

caboose 

a train car attached usually to the rear mainly for the crew's use (UK: guard's van' or brake van'); also (colloquial) the buttocks

Canadian bacon 

Ham, usually pressed and sliced, term not used in Canadian English.

candy 

small sweet food items usually eaten for pleasure and not as part of a meal, e.g. chocolate bars, mints, and toffee (UK: sweets)

canola 

a trademarked variety of rapeseed

carhop 

someone serving food at a drive-in, often on rollerskates

catercorner 

(or catercornered, catacorner, kitty-corner, catty-corner, etc.) (adverb) diagonally, diagonally opposite ("The house looks catercorner to mine"). Cater Corner is the original form (from the French ‘quatre’ and English 'corner' = four + corner), but the forms kitty corner and catty corner (folk etymology) are usual in speech, the former especially in the North and the latter in the Midland and South. Sometimes (dialectal, regional) also kitty/catty wampus/wumpus (unclearly derived), which can also mean "awry."

catsup 

occasionally used term for ketchup that never sees use in the UK.

cell phone 

(short for cellular telephone) a wireless telephone; UK: mobile phone, often abbreviated to mobile

central air 

central air conditioning

ChapStick *

(trademark, sometimes used generically) a lip balm

checkers 

a popular board game (UK: draughts)

charge account 

in a store or shop (UK: credit account)

checking account 

the type of bank account used for drawing checks; distinguished from savings account. (UK: current account or cheque account)

cilantro 

coriander.

cookout 

informal meal cooked and eaten outdoors, a cross between a picnic and a barbecue

cooties 

Fictional disease used by children (UK: lergies)

cotton candy 

spun sugar often sold at fairs (UK: candy floss)

counterclockwise 

(UK: anti-clockwise)

coveralls 

a one-piece outer protective garment (UK: overall, boiler suit)

critter 

(informal) a creature; an animal (as a horse in the South or a bull in the North); often used jocularly (as in "congresscritter," a congressperson); sometimes a term of endearment

crapshoot 

risky and uncertain venture; from a dice game

D

diaper 

An absorbent undergarment (UK: nappy)

dime 

a 10-cent coin; five-and-dime, dime store, a store selling cheap merchandise; a dime a dozen, so abundant as to be worth little; on a dime, in a small space ("turn on a dime") or immediately ("stop on a dime"); nickel-and-dime, originally an adjective meaning "involving small amounts of money" and then "insignificant," also a verb meaning "to rip-off via many seemingly insignificant charges." (The nickel [DM] is the 5-cent coin.) In Britain, the old sixpence, a small coin worth the equivalent of 2.5p, was formerly used in similar expressions before decimal currency was introduced in the early 1970s.

direct deposit 

a method of payment by bank transfer, similar to European giro, almost exclusively used for deposits of pay checks or government benefits

dishrag 

a cloth for washing dishes (UK: dishcloth)

dish towel 

a towel for drying dishes (UK: tea towel)

divided highway 

(UK: dual carriageway)

doohickey 

word used for an unknown item (a thingamajig or just a thingy)(UK: wotsit)

downspout 

pipe for carrying rainwater from a gutter to the ground (UK: drainpipe)

downtown 

(noun, adv., adj.) (in, to, toward, or related to) either the lower section or the business center of a city or town—compare uptown, see article for New York City usage; (noun) in basketball, far from the basket (as outside the three-point line)—used of a shot; (adj., adv., noun) a euphemism to describe oral sex, the act of performing oral sex, or to refer to genitalia

driver license, driver's license 

(UK: driving licence)

drugstore 

a pharmacy, or a store selling candy, magazines, etc. along with medicines (UK approx.: chemist [DM])

druthers 

preference of one thing over another derived from a contraction of "I would rather" or "I'd rather" (e.g. "if I had my druthers, I'd...")

drywall 

gypsum board, plasterboard, or any process that builds interior walls without the use of water

duct tape (or Duck tape™) 

(UK: "gaffer tape")

dude 

A male or a farm hand at a horse ranch. Americans often use this as the combined equivalent of the British usage of "mate" or "bloke", or, even closer, as the equivalent of Caribbean "man/mon".

Dumpster 

(trademark: might be becoming genericized) large trash receptacle (UK approx.: skip [DM]); to dumpster-dive, to rummage through a Dumpster

dweeb 

a boring, studious, or socially inept person

E

eggplant 

the plant Solanum melongena (UK: aubergine; "eggplant" is common in the Commonwealth outside the United Kingdom, however, due to the fact that a 19th century fad for using French culinary terms never caught on in the colonies or America).

English muffin 

(see article)

eminent domain 

the power of the government to take private property for public use (similar to UK compulsory purchase)

envision 

to envisage

expressway 

A type of multi-lane divided highway

exurb 

The ring of prosperous rural communities beyond the suburbs, see Commuter town

F

fanny pack 

pouch-like bag that ties or snaps around the wearer's waist (UK: bum bag). See also fanny in [DM].

faucet 

water outlet (UK & US sometimes tap [DM])

feedlot *

(see article)

flack

a publicist or press agent; sometimes also an alternate spelling of flak "negative commentary," which is used in the UK. Although flack "press agent" was first recorded just one year after flak "Flugabwehrkanone," the two are likely unrelated.

flashlight

a battery operated light (UK: torch).

flatware 

knives, spoons, and forks (as opposed to holloware); (UK usually cutlery [DM], although flatware is used in the UK antiques trade as a specialist word)

freeway 

(see article)

French press 

Device for making coffee (UK: cafetière)

freshman *

a first-year student in college or high school (also fresher in UK)

(French) fries 

pieces of potato that have been deep-fried. Originates from Belgium style of cooking potatoes (UK distinguishes between thick chips [DM] and thin fries)

G

garbage 

(UK: rubbish)

gasoline 

(esp. in the past also spelled gasolene; abbreviated gas) (UK: petrol)

gee-whiz 

as an interjection, a euphemism for "Jesus"; as an adjective, denotes something characterized by or meant to cause excitement or sensation ("gee-whiz technology"; "a gee-whiz attitude")

general delivery 

(UK: poste restante)

green thumb 

(UK: green fingers)

grifter *

a con artist, transient swindler, or professional gambler

grits 

A corn porridge unknown in the UK

H

half bath 

a bathroom [DM] that lacks a shower or bathtub (i.e., a bathroom which lacks a place to actually bathe.) Equivalent to a British W.C.

hickey 

a bruise on one's skin resulting from kissing or sucking; (UK: love bite)

highball 

(see article)

ho 

The word "whore," synonymous with tramp (harlot) or slut and often used as an insult. The spelling is associated with African-American English, though it does no more than reflect a non-Rhotic pronunciation of the standard word, as would be also found in Boston or Australia. May be referred to in Ireland as a dirty slapper.

hobo 

(see article)

hominy 

processed maize, see also grits

play hooky 

to play truant from school; to cut class (UK also: skive, bunk off)

horseback riding 

simply "riding" or horse riding in the UK

howdy 

(short for how do you do) casual greeting that originated in the Southern States.

HVAC 

Heating + Ventilating (or Ventilation) + Air Conditioning (used in technical circles in the UK)

I

intimate apparel 

lingerie; used mainly in advertisements.

J

jack off, jerk off * 

(slang) to masturbate, UK usage would be "to wank". If used as a disparaging noun, as in "that guy is such a jackoff [or jerkoff]", the UK equivalent would be "that guy is such a wanker [or tosser]". In this sense, sometimes written "jagoff." (It is generally not considered as vulgar or insulting as "wanker" is, however.)

Jane Doe 

See John Doe.

Jell-o 

(trademark) gelatin dessert (UK: jelly [DM])

john 

(slang) a toilet; also, the client of a prostitute

John Doe 

unnamed defendant or victim (as in a lawsuit), or a person whose identity is unknown or is intended to be anonymous; also, an average man ; compare John Q. Public (UK equivalent is Joe Bloggs, or John Smith). The female equivalent is Jane Doe, or less frequently "Jane Roe" as in Roe v. Wade. Also Baby Doe.

John Hancock 

a signature (from the name of the President of the Second Continental Congress, who was the first signer of the United States Declaration of Independence) and who also wrote his signature the largest ("put your John Hancock here")

John Q. Public 

the common man, typical member of the general public. Also stated as Joe Blow or Joe Schmoe. ( UK: Joe Bloggs)

K

kitty-corner 

see catercorner

L

ladybug

(UK: ladybird)

laundromat

(UK: laundrette)

learner's permit 

a restricted license for a person learning to drive, who has not yet passed the necessary driver's test (rules vary from state to state); also called driver's permit (UK: provisional licence)

left field *

a source of unexpected or illogical questions, ideas, etc. ("that proposal came out of left field"); for the baseball sense see left fielder; see English language idioms derived from baseball (now becoming more common in the UK)

letter carrier 

a person who delivers mail to residences and businesses; also mail carrier, mailman, mailwoman (UK: postman, postwoman)

license plate, license tag 

vehicle registration plate (UK: number plate)

M

mail carrier 

a person who delivers mail to residences and businesses; also letter carrier (UK: postman, postwoman)

mailman 

see mail carrier

mailbox 

(UK: post box, letter box, pillar box)

math 

mathematics (UK: maths)

midsize 

medium size

Miranda 

(Miranda warning) the warning (usually "You have the right to remain silent. If you give up that right, anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law." etc.) given to criminal suspects when arrested; (Miranda rights) the right of a criminal suspect when arrested; hence mirandize, to recite the Miranda warning to (a criminal suspect). Usually referred to as "caution" in the UK - "He was cautioned as to his rights"

mom, mommy, mama, mamma, momma 

mother (UK often: mum[my])

mom-and-pop 

single-family operated small business ("a mom-and-pop store") (UK: corner shop/store)

mortician 

an undertaker, funeral director

N

narc 

law enforcement narcotics agent; but 'to narc on' someone is to inform on them to an authority figure, used also as a noun labeling a person who does such (This term is also used in New Zealand)

newsdealer 

person or shop that sells newspapers (UK: newsagent)

New York minute 

see New York minute (time)

nightstand 

encompassed by bedside table

normalcy 

normality. Used, although not coined, by Warren G. Harding ("a return to normalcy")

O

off-the-rack 

of clothes, etc. (UK: off-the-peg)

oftentimes *

often (archaic in Britain but colloquial in America, especially clause-initially)

ornery 

irritable, crotchety, cranky, troublemaking (from ordinary)

ouster 

ousting, overthrow ("the ouster of a regime"; "the ouster of the CEO")

outage *

temporary suspension of operation ("a power outage", UK: powercut); the amount of something lost in storage or transportation [DM]

overpass *

(UK: flyover)

P

pacifier 

(UK: dummy [DM], comforter [DM])

pantyhose 

(UK: tights, a term used for similar non-sheer garments in the U.S.; "pantyhose" refers only to sheer or semi-sheer nylon-based tights)

paper route 

a regular series of newspaper deliveries (UK: paper round)

parking lot 

a usually outside area for the parking of automotive vehicles (UK: car park)

penny-ante 

(adj.) petty, insignificant -- from penny ante, poker played for a very low ante

Popsicle 

A trademarked brand of frozen juice, or flavored ice on a stick. The term is widely used to describe all such confections without regard to brand. (UK: ice lolly or lolly ice)

plastic wrap 

polymer material for sealing food items (UK: cling-film)

plumber butt 

buttock cleavage (UK: builder's bum or builder's cleavage)

plushie, plush toy 

soft toy (UK: cuddly toy)

powdered sugar 

(UK: icing sugar)

pre-authorized payment/withdrawal 

(UK: direct debit (variable amount)/standing order (fixed amount))

public holiday 

(UK: bank holiday, although public holiday is also used, more formally, when referring to New Year's Day, Good Friday, Christmas Day, and Boxing Day). See Federal holiday

R

raincheck 

The metaphorical raincheck is used in the US to indicate that the person "taking the raincheck" regretfully cannot accept the current invitation but would like to be invited to the host's next event. In the UK the person "taking the raincheck" may attend an event, but is warning the host that there is a possibility that they may not be able to make it.

raised pavement marker 

commonly called reflector, Botts' dot or cat's eye (UK: cat's eye)

rappel 

to descend on a rope (UK: abseil)

Realtor (trademark)

member of the National Association of Realtors; as a genericized trademark, any real estate broker or real estate agent (UK: estate agent)

recision 

a cancellation ("This bill would authorize the recision of the adult day health care license"). Now rare in the UK; a different word from rescission

roil 

to render muddy by stirring up the dregs of; as, to roil wine, cider, etc., in casks or bottles; to roil a spring; also, to disquiet or disturb

roustabout 

an unskilled laborer, especially at an oil field, at a circus, or on a ship

row house 

(UK: terraced house)

Rube Goldberg 

Absurdly complex machine (see Heath Robinson).

rutabaga 

the turnip Brassica napus napobrassica (UK: swede)

RV (recreational vehicle) 

see article for usage of the terms RV, motor home, and the British camper [DM] and caravan [DM]

RV park 

(UK: carvan site or less usually caravan park)

S

Saran wrap 

(Saran is a trademark) in the UK this would be referred to as "cling film"

sawbuck 

sawhorse; also a ten dollar bill

scallion *

also used in Ireland; known as spring onion in Great Britain

self rising flour 

self-raising flour

shave foam 

(UK: shaving foam)

shill *

A shill is a person who is supposed to appear like a member of the general public who usually attempts to lend credibility or excitement to a confidence scheme e.g. a person who claims to have received benefit from snake oil. Recently popularized by eBay ("shill bidding" or bidding to drum up excitement with no intention of buying). The UK equivalent to a shill would be a "plant", from having someone "planted" in an audience or amongst bystanders.

shuck 

the husk of an ear of corn(maize), an oyster shell, etc.; used in plural to mean something worthless or as an interjection ("shucks!"); (verb) to remove the shuck; also, to discard, get rid of, remove ("I shucked my coat")

Shyster 

A lawyer or accountant of dubious ethical standards. This phrase commonly indicates a person with no ethical restraints. (From German Scheister)

sidewalk 

usually paved path for pedestrian traffic, often constructed of paving slabs (either of concrete or less usually of stone) (UK: pavement [DM], footpath [DM]). A sidewalk superintendent is someone spectating a construction or demolition job - UK: bystander (but no specific term)

skim milk 

(UK: skimmed milk)

s'more 

A camp fire treat consisting of a roasted marshmallow and a slab of chocolate sandwiched between two pieces of graham cracker.

sneaker 

(usually pl.) a form of footwear, also called tennis shoe or "gym shoe"—see regional vocabularies of American English (UK: trainer, plimsoll, regional dap,pump, [DM])

soda fountain 

(see article)

sophomore 

a second-year college or high school student (Trinity College Dublin has sophister in this sense); (adj.) the second in a series (as in, an athlete's "sophomore season", a band's "sophomore album") From the Greek: Sophos - Wise; and Moros - Fool, Moron (UK: undergraduate has this extended sense)

spyglass 

a telescope or set of lenses used to observe subjects at distance

station wagon 

automobile with extended rear cargo area (UK: estate (car))

steam shovel 

a large mechanical excavator

stickshift, stick 

(car with) manual transmission, as opposed to an automatic (UK: gear stick or gear lever for the stick; manual for the car)

stool pigeon, stoolie 

police informer (UK: grass) (From the use of captive birds as hunting decoys)

streetcar 

vehicle on rails for passenger transportation [DM] usually within a city; also called trolley [DM] or trolley car if electrically powered by means of a trolley (UK: tram)

stroller 

vehicle for baby transportation featuring the child in a sitting position, usually facing forward (UK: pushchair, buggy [DM])

SUV* 

Sport-Utility Vehicle. Often referred to as a 4x4 ("four by four") in the UK; in the US "4x4" usually refers to a four wheel drive pickup truck.

T

taffy 

a type of chewy candy; see taffy (candy)

tailpipe 

exhaust pipe

takeout 

(UK: takeaway; Scotland & US also: carry-out)

teeter(-totter), teeterboard 

a seesaw

telecast 

to broadcast by television

teleprompter 

(see article) (UK: compare autocue)

thru 

Through. An abbreviation mostly used in the fast food industry, as in Drive Thru. Also used in traffic signs ("Thru Traffic Keep Left", i.e. traffic that is continuing through an interchange rather than exiting should keep to the left) and occasionally road names ("New York State Thruway") and sometimes in newspaper headlines. Generally not considered acceptable spelling in other contexts.

thumbtack 

short nail or pin with a large, rounded metal head (UK: drawing pin)

track and field *

(UK usually athletics [DM]); see also track [DM]

trackless trolley 

a trolleybus; see trolley in [DM]

trash can 

(UK: dustbin, rubbish bin)

turnpike 

(see article)

turn signal 

direction-indicator lights (US also directionals; UK usually indicators or flashers[DM]; US & UK also blinkers [DM])

two-bit 

literally, worth 25 cents (a bit is an eighth of a dollar); figuratively, worth very little, insignificant (informal)

two cents, two cents' worth

an opinion, a piece of one's mind (as in, "I'm gonna go down there and give him my two cents") - (UK similar: two pence, two penneth, or tuppence worth)

U

undershirt 

an upper undergarment with no collar, and with short or no sleeves, worn next to the skin under a shirt (UK: singlet, vest [DM])

upscale 

relating to goods targeted at high-income consumers; upmarket

uptown 

(noun, adj., adv.) (in, to, toward, or related to) either the upper section or the residential district of a city; e.g. in Manhattan, New York City the term refers to the northern end of Manhattan, generally speaking, north of 59th Street; see also Uptown, Minneapolis; Uptown, Chicago; Uptown New Orleans; compare downtown. Often has implications of being a desirable or upscale neighborhood. However, in Charlotte, North Carolina, "Uptown" refers to what would be called "downtown" in most other cities.

V

vacationer 

someone taking a vacation [DM] (UK: holidaymaker)

variety meats

offal

W

washcloth 

(UK: flannel, UK often & US less frequently facecloth; US less frequently also washrag)

washrag 

See washcloth.

wastebasket 

synonym for trash can (UK: dustbin; wastepaper basket is an interior object for waste from each room.)

weatherization 

weatherproofing of buildings

wetback 

(offensive, disparaging) an illegal immigrant from Mexico or Latin America. So called as they are presumed to have swum the Rio Grande to have entered the USA

windshield

the front window of an automobile (UK: windscreen)

winningest

Most winning; (sports) having the most wins

woodsy 

abundant in trees, suggestive of woods; woody, wooded

X

Y

Y'all  

(regional — Southern American, African-American, and Appalachian) contraction of You all, used as second-person dual or plural pronoun. Sometimes, it is used for the second-person singular pronoun. Also all y'all. (UK: 'Yous' in Northern Ireland, parts of Northern and Central England, 'Yis' in Central Scotland)

yellow light 

as in the color at a stoplight (q.v.) or traffic lights. In the UK, this is referred to as an amber light (though railway signals are a different shade, and are referred to as yellow, not amber). In the UK, the red and amber light together immediately in advance of the green (giving a light sequence of 1.red, 2.red and amber (together), 3.green, 4.amber (alone), 5.red).

Z

zinger 

a witty, often caustic remark; something supposed to cause surprise or shock

ZIP code 

(for Zone Improvement Plan) the postal code used by the United States Postal Service composed of 5 digits as in 90210, sometimes a suffix of 4 digits after a hyphen is used. (UK equivalent: postcode or post code or rarely postal code)

zipper *

(UK usually zip [DM])

zucchini 

the plant Cucurbita pepo, also zucchini squash. (UK: courgette)

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