It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into List of words having different meanings in British and American English. (Discuss)

Main article: American and British English differences

• 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.

Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... It has been suggested that List of British words not widely used in the United States be merged into this article or section. ... This article includes a list of works cited but its sources remain unclear because it lacks in-text citations. ... It has been suggested that List of British words not widely used in the United States be merged into this article or section. ...

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

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)

U.S. Highway 101, or U.S. Route 101 (often just U.S. 101), is a north-south highway that is aligned along the Pacific West Coast of the United States. ... Downtown Los Angeles Skyline Southern California, also colloquially referred to as SoCal, is an informal name for the megalopolis and nearby desert that occupies the southern-most quarter of the U.S. state of California. ... Sectioning a township. ... The Public Land Survey System (PLSS) is a method used in the United States to survey and identify land parcels, particularly for titles and deeds of rural, wild or undeveloped land. ... For other uses, see Farm (disambiguation). ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Ranching. ... This article discusses the telephone directory number 411. ... Directory assistance (in the UK, directory enquiries) in telecommunications is a telephone call one can make to find out a specific phone number of a residence or business. ...

A

AC 

air conditioning (UK: air con)

acclimate 

(verb) (UK usually: acclimatise, acclimatize)

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.

amtrac 

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

Affirmative action refers to concrete steps that are taken not only to eliminate discrimination —whether in employment, education, or contracting—but also to attempt to redress the effects of past discrimination. ... An Air France Boeing 777, a modern passenger jet. ... The Landing Vehicle Tracked (LVT) was an amphibious vehicle used by the United States Navy, Marine Corps and Army during World War II. It was widely known as amphtrack, amtrak, amtrac etc. ... Acela Express in West Windsor, NJ Amtrak Cascades service with tilting Talgo trainsets in Seattle, Washington Amtrak train in downtown Orlando, Florida For other uses, see Amtrak (disambiguation). ... Leafy arugula Arugula, also known as rocket, garden rocket, rocket salad, rugola, rucola and roquette[1], is a type of leaf vegetable, which looks like a longer leaved and open lettuce. ... OED stands for Oxford English Dictionary Office of Enrollment & Discipline This page concerning a three-letter acronym or abbreviation is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ...

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, 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. 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

broil 

to cook food with high heat with the heat applied directly to the food (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

For transportation of a baby or toddler there are special vehicles, special car seats, and devices for carrying. ... It has been suggested that Backhoe fade be merged into this article or section. ... JCB is a family business named after its founder J.C.Bamford, producing distinctive yellow-and-black engineering vehicles, diggers (Backhoes) and excavators. ... A genericized trademark, generic trade mark, generic descriptor, or proprietary eponym, is a trademark or brand name which has become the colloquial description for a particular class of product or service. ... Busch Stadium III, opened in 2006, is the newest ballpark built in the American major leagues. ... Telstra Stadium in Sydney, Australia is capable of being converted from a rectangular rugby football field to an oval for cricket and Australian rules football games This article is about the building type. ... Band Aid can refer to: BAND-AID, a brand of adhesive bandage Band Aid, a musical ensemble raising money for famine relief. ... Big Cypress Bayou in Jefferson, Texas off of U.S. Route 59. ... The Mississippi River, derived from the old Ojibwe word misi-ziibi meaning great river (gichi-ziibi big river at its headwaters), is the second-longest named river in North America, with a length of 2320 miles (3733 km) from Lake Itasca to the Gulf of Mexico. ... Historic Southern United States. ... Commuters waiting for the morning train in Maplewood, New Jersey A bedroom community, dormitory town, or commuter town is a community that is primarily residential in character, with most of its workers commuting to a nearby town or city to earn their livelihood. ... A Blacktop is a reference to surfaced roads in areas of the world where such infrastructure development is a luxury in comparison to the local standard of Graded road. ... As shown in this cross-section, many older roadways are smoothed by applying a thin layer of asphalt concrete to the existing portland cement concrete. ... A close-up view of some freshly-laid tarmac. ... Photograph of the boardwalk in Atlantic City, NJ, USA, taken August 2003. ... Alternate meanings: See Atlantic City (disambiguation) Atlantic City is a city located in USA. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 40,517. ... Tagalog (pronunciation: ) is one of the major languages of the Republic of the Philippines. ... Boondoggle is a North American term referring to the performance of useless or trivial tasks whilst appearing to be doing something important. ... The orange markers separate opposing traffic lanes. ... A regular white cats eye of the kind invented by Shaw, marking the middle of the road. ... A typical wooden breadbox. ... Broiling is cooking food with high heat with the heat applied directly to the food. ... This article is about the building material and the dwelling. ... A megaphone is a cone-shaped device designed to amplify sound. ... A busboy is an assistant to a waiter or waitress, mainly specializing in setting and clearing tables or in some types of restaurants, in bringing the introductory foods, for example tortilla chips and salsa in a Mexican restaurant or bread in an Italian restaurant. ... Butte near Sedona, Arizona A butte is 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

capsicum 

a bell pepper, usually simply referred to as a pepper.

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: sweet)

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"). Catercorner is the original form (from cater = four), 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 

(see article)

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

A Burlington Northern Railroad extended vision caboose at the end of a train entering Eola Yard, Aurora, Illinois, in 1993. ... Species C. annuum (incl. ... Binomial name Capsicum annuum L. For green peppercorns, see Black pepper. ... Canadian English (CaE) is a variety of English used in Canada. ... A wide range of candies on display on a market in Barcelona, Spain. ... In agriculture, Canola is a trademarked cultivar of genetically engineered rapeseed variants from which rapeseed oil is obtained. ... Binomial name Brassica napus L. Rapeseed (Brassica napus), also known as Rape, Oilseed Rape, Rapa, Rapaseed and (one particular cultivar) Canola, is a bright yellow flowering member (related to mustard) of the family Brassicaceae. ... A carhop is a waiter or waitress (often) on rollerskates who brings food to people in their cars. ... Drive-in, a facility such as a bank, restaurant, theatre or even a church where one can literally drive in with an automobile for service. ... ... Folk etymology or popular etymology is a linguistic term for a category of false etymology which has grown up in popular lore, as opposed to one which arose in scholarly usage. ... Central air conditioning, commonly referred to as central air, is an air conditioning system which uses ducts to distribute cooled and/or dehumidified air to more than one room, or uses pipes to distribute chilled water to heat exchangers in more than one room, and which is not plugged into... A tube of ChapStick ChapStick is the brand name adopted in the United States, Canada, and United Kingdom by Wyeth Consumer Healthcare for its range of lip balms produced to be used on chapped lips. ... A trademark or trade mark[1] is a distinctive sign of some kind which is used by an individual, business organization or other legal entity to uniquely identify the source of its products and/or services to consumers, and to distinguish its products or services from those of other entities. ... A board game is a game played with counters or pieces that are placed on, removed from, or moved across a board (a premarked surface, usually specific to that game). ... Draughts (drafts or //) (British English) or checkers (American English, sometimes spelled chequers in British English) is a group of abstract strategy board games between two players which involve diagonal moves of uniform pieces and mandatory captures by jumping over the enemys pieces. ... Includes demand deposits, ATS, NOW, and other checkable deposits. ... For other uses, see Bank (disambiguation). ... Binomial name Coriandrum sativum Coriander (Coriandrum sativum) is an annual herb commonly used in Middle Eastern, Mediterranean, Indian, Latin American and Southeast Asian cooking. ... Binomial name Coriandrum sativum L. Percentages are relative to US RDI values for adults. ... Cooties is a rare, but all-too-real, disease that only seems to affect the female portion of the human population, and a slang word used primarily by North American children to refer to a highly contagious disease or condition. ... Cotton candy (American English), candy floss (British English), or fairy floss (Australian English) is a form of spun sugar. ... A clockwise motion is one that proceeds like the clocks hands: from the top to the right, then down and then to the left, and back to the top. ... Look up overall in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... A Congressman or Congresswoman (generically, Congressperson) is a politician who is a member of a Congress. ...

D

diaper 

(UK: nappy)

dime 

a 10-cent coin; five-and-dime, dime store, a store selling cheap merchandise; nickel[DM]-and-dime, insignificant; 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.") 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

dishrag 

a cloth for washing dishes; a 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

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"

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 equivalent of the British usage of "mate", 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

This article does not cite its references or sources. ... A dime is a coin issued by the United States Mint with a denomination of one-tenth of a United States dollar, or ten cents. ... Five and dime was a common nickname in the United States for five-and-ten-cent stores (also called 5 and 10s), popular in the early to mid-20th century. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with sixpence. ... Above: A variety of coins considered to be lower-value, including an Irish 2p piece and many US pennies. ... Decimal currency is the term used to describe any currency for which the ratio between the basic unit of currency and its sub-unit is a power of 10. ... what is it thomas? A giro, also called a direct deposit, is a banking term for a method of payment. ... It has been suggested that Textile be merged into this article or section. ... A towel is a piece of absorbent fabric or paper used for drying or wiping. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Central business district. ... Nickname: Big Apple, Gotham, NYC, City That Never Sleeps, The Concrete Jungle, The City So Nice They Named It Twice Location in the state of New York Coordinates: Country United States State New York Boroughs The Bronx Brooklyn Manhattan Queens Staten Island Settled 1676 Government  - Mayor Michael Bloomberg (R) Area... Sara Giauro shoots a three-point shot, FIBA Europe Cup for Women Finals 2005. ... Current EU driving licence, German version - front 1. ... Pharmacy (from the Greek φάρμακον = drug) is the profession of compounding and dispensing medication. ... It has been suggested that Burger Queen be merged into this article or section. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... A piece of transparent duct tape, left, and of silver duct tape, right. ... Gaffer (Gaffa) tape Gaffer tape (also, gaffers tape, gaff tape, gaffing tape, cloth tape, and more colloquially Jesus Tape or Rocket Tape) is a tough, fabric backed adhesive tape used in the motion picture, television, stage (music and theater) and other entertainment industries, and elsewhere. ... The current version of the article or section is written like a magazine article instead of the formal tone expected of an encyclopedia. ... A dumpster awaiting pick-up A Dumpster® is a large trash receptacle, and a type of mobile garbage bin or MGB. In British and Australian English, the term skip is more commonly used (although they are not perfect synonyms). ... A genericized trademark, generic trade mark, generic descriptor, or proprietary eponym, is a trademark or brand name which has become the colloquial description for a particular class of product or service. ...

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).

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

every which way *

in or toward all directions; also, in a disordered or irregular way ("Documents scattered every which way")

expressway 

A type of multi-lane divided highway

exurb 

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

Binomial name Solanum melongena L. The eggplant, aubergine, or brinjal (Solanum melongena) is a solanaceous plant bearing a fruit of the same name, commonly used as a vegetable in cooking. ... Split English muffin An English muffin is a round, yeast-leavened bread enriched with butter and milk, often served at breakfast in the United Kingdom, America, Canada and Australia. ... Eminent domain (U.S.), compulsory purchase (United Kingdom, New Zealand, Ireland), resumption (Australia) or expropriation (Canada, South Africa) in common law legal systems is the inherent power of the state to expropriate private property, or rights in private property, without the owners consent, either for its own use or... A typical expressway in Santa Clara County, California. ... This article or section should be merged with Bedroom community A dormitory town is generally a rural town where a large proportion of its population commute to nearby cities. ...

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

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)

freshman *

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

(French) fries 

pieces of potato that have been deep-fried (UK distinguishes between thick chips [DM] and thin fries)

Categories: Stub ... Beef cattle on a feedlot in the Texas Panhandle A feedlot or feedyard is a type of concentrated animal feeding operation (CAFO) which is used for fattening livestock, notably beefcattle, prior to slaughter. ... Used cutlery: a plate, a fork and knife, and a drinking glass. ... Interstate 80 (Eastshore Freeway) in Berkeley, a typical American freeway (MUTCD definition) A freeway is a type of highway that is designed for safer high-speed operation of motor vehicles through the elimination of at-grade intersections. ...

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

Look up garbage in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Gasoline or petrol is a petroleum-derived liquid mixture consisting mostly of hydrocarbons and enhanced with benzene or iso-octane to increase octane ratings, used as fuel in internal combustion engines. ... Poste restante is a service provided by postal systems where the post office holds mail that has a notation written on it until the recipient calls for it. ... A confidence trick or confidence game, also known as a con, scam, grift, bunko or flim flam, is an attempt to intentionally mislead a person or persons (known as the mark) usually with the goal of financial or other gain. ...

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 

A contraction of the word "whore," and synonymous with tramp (harlot) or slut often used as an insult. The term originated in African-American English, though it is used in many other American ethnolects as well. May be referred to in Ireland as a dirty slapper.

hobo 

(see article)

(hominy) grits 

coarsely ground corn boiled for breakfast, especially in the Southern U.S.

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

A typical American bathroom A bathroom is a room that may have different functions depending on the cultural context. ... Boris Ignatovich, The shower, ca. ... A bathtub A bathtub (or simply bath) is a plumbing fixture used for bathing. ... Flush toilet A flush toilet or water closet is a toilet that disposes of the waste products by using water to sweep them away down a drainpipe. ... Highball was the codename of early versions of the bouncing bomb designed by Barnes Wallis during World War II. Highball - (v. ... Prostitution is the sale of sexual services (typically manual stimulation, oral sex, sexual intercourse, or anal sex) for cash or other kind of return, generally indiscriminately with many persons. ... Look up Lee Thirlwell in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Look up slut in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... African American Vernacular English (AAVE), also called African American English, Black English, Black Vernacular, Black English Vernacular (BEV), or Black Vernacular English (BVE), is a type variety (dialect, ethnolect and sociolect) of the American English language. ... Ethnolect is a variant of a language spoken by a certain ethnic/cultural subgroup and distinguishing them as a mark of social identity. ... A performance artist dressed as a hobo Hobo is a term that refers to a subculture of wandering homeless people, particularly those who make a habit of hopping freight trains. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... All-air and air-water HVAC systems use air ducts, outlets, and inlets installed throughout their buildings. ...

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 jack/jerk off", the UK equivalent would be "that guy is such a wanker".

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 

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). The female equivalent is Jane Doe. Also Baby Doe.

John Hancock 

a signature (from the name of the President of the Second Continental Congress, who signed first the United States Declaration of Independence) ("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)

For the musician and actor, see John Doe (musician) For the television series, see John Doe (Television series) For the childrens book by L. Frank Baum, see John Dough and the Cherub In English-speaking common-law jurisdiction, the name John Doe is used for a defendant or victim... Jell-O is a brand name belonging to USA-based Kraft Foods for a number of gelatin desserts, including fruit gels, puddings and no-bake cream pies. ... In the United States, the name John Doe is typically used as a placeholder name for a male party in a legal action or legal discussion whose true identity is unknown or is intended to be anonymous. ... It has been suggested that civil trial be merged into this article or section. ... For other persons named John Hancock, see John Hancock (disambiguation). ... The Second Continental Congress was the national government established by the l Congress on May 10, 1776 passed a resolution recommending that any province lacking a proper government should form such. ... A copy of the 1823 William J. Stone reproduction of the Declaration of Independence The Declaration of Independence was an act of the Second Continental Congress, adopted on July 4, 1776, which declared that the Thirteen Colonies were independent of the Kingdom of Great Britain. ... The name John Q. Public is used on a sample Social Security card John Q. Public is a generic name in the United States to denote a hypothetical member of society deemed a common man. ... The term common man emphasizes the similarities between a politician and the average citizen. ...

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)

Subfamilies Chilocorinae Coccidulinae Coccinellinae Epilachninae Scymininae Sticholotidinae etc. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Drivers license. ... The position of the left fielder A left fielder, abbreviated LF, is an outfielder in the sport of baseball who plays defense in left field. ... Paul Dickson says in his introduction to The New Dickson Baseball Dictionary, The influence of baseball on American English at large is stunning and strong. ... A Melbourne postie riding a motorbike A postwoman with her bicycle in China. ... A vehicle registration plate, also called a license plate or number plate is a metal or plastic plate attached to a motor vehicle or trailer for official identification purposes. ...

M

ma 

See mom.

mail carrier, mailman 

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

mailbox 

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

math 

mathematics (UK: maths)

midsize 

medium size; when applied to a car, it means (what most British drivers would consider) large

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)

mom, mommy, mama, mamma, momma *

mother (UK often: mum[my])

mom-and-pop 

single-family operated small business ("a mom-and-pop store")

mortician 

an undertaker, funeral director

The sequences of sounds , and similar ones are known to correspond to the word for mother in many languages of the world, often completely unrelated among themselves. ... A Melbourne postie riding a motorbike A postwoman with her bicycle in China. ... Holding The Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination requires law enforcement officials to advise a suspect interrogated in custody of his rights to remain silent and to obtain an attorney. ... The Miranda warning is a police warning that is given to criminal suspects in police custody in the United States before they are asked questions relating to the commission of crimes. ... A small business may be defined as a business with a small number of employees. ... Shop window of a funeral director in France A funeral director (also known as a mortician or undertaker) is someone involved in the business of funeral rites. ...

N

narc 

law enforcement narcotics agent; but 'to narc on' someone is to inform on them to an authority figure (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")

A New York minute is a very short period of time, sometimes significantly shorter than sixty seconds, and sometimes a form of hyperbole for perhaps faster than you would believe is possible. The term refers to the common perception that New York City is very busy, with much happening at... A nightstand is a small stand or cabinet designed to stand beside a bed or elsewhere in a bedroom, as a place to put anything likely to be required during the night. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Table leg. ... Warren Gamaliel Harding (November 2, 1865 - August 2, 1923) was an American politician and the 29th President of the United States, from 1921 to 1923, when he became the sixth president to die in office. ...

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)

Tree limbs create a short circuit in electrical lines during a storm. ...

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

It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with tights. ... Three women wearing different styles of tights Tights are a type of leg coverings fabric extending from the waist to feet. ... Popsicle logo Popsicle is the most popular brand name in the U.S. and Canada for a brand of ice pop. ... Popsicle is a trademarked name for a frozen treat on a stick. ... A roll of LDPE plastic wrap in a box. ... A painting by Christoffer Wilhelm Eckersberg of a woman with visible cleavage Buttock cleavage is minor exposure of the buttocks and the anal cleft between them, often because of low slung trousers. ... A plush toy or plushie is a soft, often furry, stuffed toy made of plush. ... Confectioners sugar Powdered sugar (in Britain, Australia, Canada, and most of the Commonwealth icing sugar) is a very finely ground form of sugar that is synonymous with confectioners sugar. ... In the United States, a Federal holiday is a holiday recognized by the United States Government. ...

R

raincheck *

(see article) The metaphorical "take a raincheck" is sometimes used in the UK, even by people who do not know the origin of the expression.

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[DM] 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: caravan park)

A raincheck is an informal agreement by a merchant to a customer to provide an item he has run out of at a later time at a specific price. ... The orange markers separate opposing traffic lanes. ... A regular white cats eye of the kind invented by Shaw, marking the middle of the road. ... In British English, abseiling (from the German abseilen, to rope down) is the process of descending on a fixed rope. ... Look up realtor in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... A genericized trademark, generic trade mark, generic descriptor, or proprietary eponym, is a trademark or brand name which has become the colloquial description for a particular class of product or service. ... A real estate broker is a party who acts as an intermediary between sellers and buyers of real estate and attempts to find sellers who wish to sell and buyers who wish to buy. ... Estate agent is a United Kingdom term roughly synonymous with the United States term real estate broker, a business that arranges the selling, renting or management of homes, land and other buildings. ... Rube Goldberg sketch from the collection of Ropes & Gray Reuben Garret L. Goldberg (July 4, 1883 - December 7, 1970) was a cofounder and president of the American National Cartoonists Society. ... William Heath Robinson (May 31, 1872 - September 13, 1944) was a British cartoonist and illustrator, who signed himself W. Heath Robinson. ... Binomial name Brassica napobrassica Mill. ... Trinomial name Brassica rapa rapa L. For similar vegetables also called turnip, see Turnip (disambiguation). ... A camper built on a light truck chassis. ...

S

Saran wrap 

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

sawbuck 

(see article)

scallion *

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

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 ("I shucked my coat")

Shyster 

A lawyer or accountant of dubious ethical standards. This phrase commonly indicates a person with no ethical restraints.

sidewalk 

usually paved path for pedestrian traffic, often constructed of concrete (UK: pavement [DM], footpath [DM]). A sidewalk superintendent is someone spectating a construction or demolition job

sneaker 

(usually pl.) a form of footwear, also called tennis 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"); hence sophomoric, conceited and overconfident of knowledge but poorly informed and immature (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)

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. Usually referred to as a 4x4 ("four by four") in the UK.

Saran is the trade name for a number of polymers made from vinylidene chloride (especially polyvinylidene chloride or PVDC), along with other monomers. ... A sawbuck is device for holding rough wood so that it may be sawn into pieces of length usable in a stove or fireplace. ... Chopped spring onion The common name scallion(Or Don Patch sword as on Bobobo) is associated with various members of the genus Allium that lack a fully-developed bulb. ... A shill is an associate of a person selling goods or services who pretends no association to the seller and assumes the air of an enthusiastic customer. ... eBay headquarters in San Jose eBay North First Street satellite office campus (home to PayPal) eBay Inc. ... “Corn” redirects here. ... Look up Pedestrian in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Nighttime traffic captured by a camera over several seconds. ... Concrete being poured, raked and vibrated into place in residential construction in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. ... Sneakers Sneakers are footwear of flexible material, typically featuring a sole made of rubber. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... This article deals with lexical differences within American English; see American English regional differences for differences in phonology and grammar. ... Soda fountain is a North American term referring to the carbonated drink dispensers found in fast food restaurants and convenience stores in the US and Canada. ... The College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin or more commonly Trinity College, Dublin (TCD) was founded in 1592 by Queen Elizabeth I, is the only constituent college of the University of Dublin, Irelands oldest university. ... In some educational systems, undergraduate education is post-secondary education up to the level of a Bachelors degree. ... A telescope (from the Greek tele = far and skopein = to look or see; teleskopos = far-seeing) is an instrument designed for the observation of remote objects. ... Estate car body style (Saab 95) A station wagon (United States usage), wagon (Australian usage, though station wagon is widely used) or estate car (United Kingdom usage) is a car body style similar to a sedan car but with an extended rear cargo area. ... A steam shovel is a large steam-powered excavating machine designed for lifting and moving material such as rock and soil. ... A manual transmission (also known as a stick shift, straight drive, or standard transmission) is a type of transmission used in automotive applications. ... An automatic transmission is an automobile gearbox that can change gear ratios automatically as the vehicle moves, thus freeing the driver from having to shift gears manually. ... A CLRV Streetcar in the City of Toronto. ... Stroller redirects here. ... This article or section may be confusing or unclear for some readers, and should be edited to rectify this. ...

T

taffy 

a type of chewy candy; see taffy (candy)

tailpipe 

exhaust pipe

takeout 

(UK: takeaway)

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., but gradually becoming an accepted spelling of through.

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 [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 tu'pence worth)

Taffy is a type of chewy candy. ... An exhaust pipe is usually a pipe used to guide waste exhaust gases away from a controlled combustion inside an engine or stove. ... Schematic representation: A teleprompter (also known as an autocue) is a display device that prompts the person speaking with an electronic visual text of a speech or script. ... Autocue are a UK baseed manufacturer of Teleprompter systems. ... A womens 400m hurdles race on a typical outdoor red rubber track. ... Å koda 14 Tr trolleybus in Vilnius, Lithuania. ... A toll road, turnpike or tollpike is a road on which a toll authority collects a fee for use. ...

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. However, in Charlotte, North Carolina, "Uptown" refers to what would be called "downtown" in most other cities.

The Borough of Manhattan, highlighted in yellow, lies between the East River and the Hudson River. ... Nickname: Big Apple, Gotham, NYC, City That Never Sleeps, The Concrete Jungle, The City So Nice They Named It Twice Location in the state of New York Coordinates: Country United States State New York Boroughs The Bronx Brooklyn Manhattan Queens Staten Island Settled 1676 Government  - Mayor Michael Bloomberg (R) Area... Uptown is a neighborhood in southwestern Minneapolis, Minnesota. ... Skyline of Uptown, looking northeast Uptown is a diverse neighborhood located north of Chicagos downtown. ... Uptown is a large area of New Orleans, Louisiana. ... Nickname: The Queen City, Hornets Nest Location in Mecklenburg County in the state of North Carolina Coordinates: Country United States State North Carolina Counties Mecklenburg County, North Carolina Government  - Mayor Pat McCrory, (R) Area  - City  280. ... Night skyline of Charlotte Center City Charlotte center city (also known as Uptown Charlotte) is the area comprising the township and original city of Charlotte, North Carolina. ...

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: dust bin; 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

A cloth for washing or wiping. ... Weatherization (American English) or weatherproofing (British English) is the practice of protecting a building and its interior from the elements, particularly from sunlight, precipitation, and wind, and of modifying a building to reduce energy consumption and optimize energy efficiency. ... Río Bravo redirects here. ... Automobile windshield. ... Limber Pine woodland, Toiyabe Range, central Nevada Biologically, a woodland is a treed area differentiated from a forest. ...

X

Xing 

(on road signs) crossing (as in "Ped Xing", pedestrian crossing). Usually pronounced "EK-sing."

A pedestrian crossing or crosswalk is a designated point on a road at which some means are employed to assist pedestrians wishing to cross. ...

Y

Y'all, ya'll  

(regional — Southern American, African-American, and Appalachian) contraction of You all, used as second-person dual or plural pronoun ("Y'all come back now, ya hear!"). 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. 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).

Water tower in Florence, Kentucky featuring the word yall. ... Southern American English as defined by the monophthongization of to before obstruents (Labov, Ash, and Boberg 2006:126). ... African-American Vernacular English (AAVE), also called Ebonics, Black English, or Black English Vernacular (BEV) is a dialect of American English. ... Appalachian English is a common name for the Southern Midland dialect of American English. ... Amber is an orange-yellow color that got its name for the material known as an amber. ...

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)

zipper *

(UK usually zip [DM])

zucchini 

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