• ACCOMMODATION in the sense of lodging is singular in English and plural in American English
• ADMIRALTY in Britain is the Navy Department in the U.S.
• AGRICULTURAL SHOW is a State or County Fair.
• AIRY-FAIRY means superficial in a disparaging sense and is roughly "fanciful"
• ALLOTMENT is a small rented area for growing vegetables or flowers away from you home.
• ANORAK is an Eskimo word for a windbreaker or parka.
• ANTI-CLOCKWISE is counter clockwise.
• ARTICULATED LORRY is a trailer truck.
• ASSISTANT - short for shop assistant - would be a salesclerk.
• AU PAIR is a foreign girl who lives as one of the family in return for helping with the children. Enables "foreign" girls to learn English in a family environment.
• AUBERGINE is an EGGPLANT
• BACKBENCHERS is a Member of the House of Commons who is not the Minister.
• BAD PATCH means a rough time
• BAGS OF is slang and means piles of - usually referring to money.
• BALACLAVA is a woolen helmet named after the site of a battle in the Crimean War
• BANGER is slang for a sausage
• BANK HOLIDAY is a LEGAL HOLIDAY in the U.S. Apart from Xmas they are all different in Britain
• BARGE POLE is a colloquialism for a ten-foot-pole
• BARRACK is to demonstrate noisily in public e.g. as in 'boo'
• BARRISTER is a TRIAL LAWYER
• BASH is to hit as in 'bang'
• BATH in Britain becomes BATHTUB in the US
• BATH OLIVER is a dry biscuit eaten with cheese
• BBC the British Broadcasting Corporation
• BEARSKIN is a high, black fur hat worn by Guardsmen
• BELT UP is slang for shut up
• BILL is what one asks the waiter for and in the US becomes CHECK
• BIRD is slang for 'girl' although in the US DAME would be closer
• BIRO is a ball-point pen
• BISCUIT is a CRACKER or a COOKIE
• BIT used where Americans would say "part"
• BITTER is a type of beer
• BLACK TIE is Mess dress or tuxedo
• BLOCK OF FLATS is an apartment building or high-rise tower block, or a large house converted to flats
• BLOKE slang for man
• BOBBY is a police officer
• BOG toilet
• BOG-ROLL toilet roll
• BOILER is the furnace
• BOLLARDS are barrels
• BONNET is HOOD when referring to your car
• BOOK as a verb to reserve rooms or theater seats
• BOOT is the TRUNK of your car
• BOOT SALE is a flea market or yard sale
• BOX television
• BOXING DAY is the first week-day after Christmas
• BRACES are SUSPENDERS which as an English word means GARTERS
• BRASS PLATE is the equivalent of a SHINGLE
• BUBBLES & SQUEAK is cooked cabbage and potatoes combined and fried
• BUILDING SOCIETY is a savings and loan
• BUMBAG is the same as our fanny pack
• BUNGALOW is a single story house detached house
• BUREAU is a writing desk with drawers and a lift-down flap
• CAB-RANK is a taxi-stand
• CALL-BOX is a telephone booth
• CAMIKNICKERS are teddies
• CAMP BED is a COT which in Britain is used for a baby's CRIB
• CANDYFLOSS is cotton candy
• CARAVAN is a trailer
• CAR PARK is a parking lot
• CASHIER is a TELLER
• CALICO is muslin
• CALOR GAS is bottled gas
• CASTOR SUGAR is finer than granulated sugar but not as fine as icing-sugar
• CATS EYES are surface road reflectors
• CHAR is slang for tea - the drink
• CHAT UP is slang for handling someone a line especially to get to know a girl
• CHEERS thanks; also used as a toast before drinking; also, "see you later"
• CHEMIST is a DRUG-STORE
• CHESTERFIELD is a sofa
• CHIPS are FRENCH FRIES
• CLINGFILM is Saran wrap
• CLOAKROOM is a half bath
• COACHES are buses
• COFFEE, WHITE, WITHOUT is coffee, cream, no sugar
• COLLEAGUE is a co-worker
• CONVENIENCE is a REST ROOM
• CONVEYANCING is buying or selling properties
• COOKER is a stove
• CORNFLOUR is cornstarch
• COSTUME is a swimsuit
• COURGETTE is a ZUCCHINI
• COT is a small child's bed or crib
• COTTAGE traditionally a pretty, quaint house in the country, perhaps with a thatched roof (although the name is stretched nowadays to encompass almost anything except a flat), may be detached or terraced
• COVER NOTE is an Insurance binder
• CRACKING great ("What a cracking bird!")
• CRICKET is a ball game to which Americans have no equal
• CRISPS are potato chips
• CUPBOARD in Britain is CLOSET in the US
• CURRENT ACCOUNT at a bank is a CHECKING ACCOUNT
• C.V. (CURRICULUM VITAE) is a resume
• DAME in Britain refers to a lady who has been knighted
• DAY-RETURN means a ROUND-TRIP ticket usually on the railway
• DEMERAEA sugar is the brown sugar usually on the tables in pubs, not at all like our baking brown sugar
• DETACHED is a house that stands alone, usually with its own garden
• DEVIATION is a detour
• DIARY is our calendar/date or appointment book
• DINNER JACKET is a TUXEDO
• DORMITORY is a multiple bedroom usually found in boarding schools and is NOT a barracks
• DRAUGHTS is the game of CHECKERS
• DRESS CIRCLE in the theater is the FIRST BALCONY
• DRESSING TABLE is the equivalent of the American DRESSER
• DRESSING GOWN is a ROBE or bathrobe
• DUAL CARRIAGEWAY is a DIVIDED HIGHWAY
• DUMMY is a pacifier
• DUSTBIN is a GARBAGE CAN
• DUSTMAN is a garbage collector
• DUVET is a eiderdown quilt
• EARLY-CLOSING is an infuriating custom of shops closing one afternoon a week
• EARTH as a verb and as an electrical term equals to GROUND a wire
• ELASTOPLAST is BAND-AID
• ELEVEN is a FOOTBALL or CRICKET TEAM (from the number of players)
• ENGAGED is what the operator says when the telephone line is BUSY
• ERNIE is 'electronic random number indicator equipment' and selects Premium Bond winners
• ESTATE AGENT is a REAL-ESTATE BROKER
• ESTATE CAR is a STATION WAGON
• EX-DIRECTORY is a UNLISTED TELEPHONE NUMBER
• EX-SERVICE MAN is a VETERAN
• FAG is a cigarette
• FANCY DRESS is costumes
• FANCY DRESS PARTY is a costumes party
• FEN is swampland or marsh
• FIRST FLOOR in a building is SECOND-FLOOR in the US
• FISH-FINGERS are FISH-STICKS
• FITTED applied to carpets means WALL-TO-WALL
• FIZZY DRINK is pop/soda
• FLAN is an open sponge or pastry case with a fruit or sweet filling
• FLANNEL is a face-cloth
• FLAT is an APARTMENT usually one floor
• FLEET STREET is a colloquialism for the PRESS
• FLEX is an electric cord
• FLY-OVER is an over-pass
• FOOTBALL is rugby, not American football
• FORTNIGHT means two weeks or fourteen nights
• FREE HOUSE associated with a Pub means it can sell any brand of beer it wishes, it is not linked to any specific brewery
• FRINGE (HAIR) is BANGS
• FULL STOP is the black dot at the end of a sentence called in the US a period
• GAMMON is ham
• GARDEN is the property outside a house which in the US is a YARD
• GATEAU is a type of layer cake
• GEARBOX is TRANSMISSION
• GEAR-LEVER is GEARSHIFT
• GEORDIE (pronounced JORDY) is a native of Tyneside and also the dialect he speaks
• GEYSER (GEEZER) is a water heater
• GIVE-WAY as a road sign means YIELD
• GLASS is CRYSTAL
• GONGS are slang for military medals
• GOVERNMENT means administration and refers to the people currently running the country
• GENERAL PRACTITIONER (GP) is a internist or doctor
• GREASPROOF PAPER is wax paper
• GREEN BELT is a no-building zone around a town or city
• GREENGROCER is a fruit/vegetable store
• GRILL as a verb is to BROIL
• GUILLOTINE is a paper-cutter
• GUMBOOTS are rubber boots
• GUMSHIELD is the same as a mouthgaurd
• GYMKHANA is a local Horse Show
• GYM SHOES are SNEAKERS
• HABERDASHERY is pins, needles, ribbons, thread etc. : and is what you ask for in a shop
• HAGGIS a traditional Scottish dish made from a sheep's inside
• HAIRDRESSER is a man or women's 'barber shop' or 'beauty shop'
• HAIRSLIDE is a barrette
• "HALF" when addressed to a bar-tender means a half-pint of beer
• HALF-TERM is a mid-term vacation of short duration
• HARD CHEESE is tough luck
• HAT TRICK is a cricket term for taking three wickets by three successive balls but it is often to any triple triumph
• HAVE-A-BASH means give it a try
• HAVE NO TIME FOR means to have a low opinion
• HESSIAN is burlap
• HIGH STREET preceded by 'the', is the American Main Street
• HIGH TEA served late in the afternoon usually contains a cooked item such as eggs or sausages - this is not to be confused with 'tea' or 'afternoon tea' which is merely a cup of tea with a cake or very small sandwich
• HIRE PURCHASE is to buy on an installment plan
• HOB is an installed gas, electric range top
• HOLIDAY is a vacation although the university still uses vacation for the time after term finishes
• HOMELY is simple or unpretentious and not the 'ugly' meant in America
• HOOD of a car is known as 'BONNET' in England but of a cloak or coat is still the same
• HOUSEMAN in a hospital is a doctor or 'intern' in America
• HOOVER is to vacuum
• HUNDREDWEIGHT is 112 pounds and 20 Hundredweight are in 1 ton
• HUNT an Englishman hunts fox or deer but shoots game birds or rabbits
• ICE on menus means ice-cream
• ICING SUGAR is similar to our powdered sugar
• IMMERSION TANK is a hot water heater in a house
• INTERVAL is an intermission
• IN TRAIN means coming along as in 'the work is progressing'
• IRONMONGER is a hardware shop
• JAB is a shot or immunization
• JAM is what Americans would call jelly
• JELLY is what they call Jell-O
• JERSEY is a sweater
• JOINT (of meat) as in Sunday Joint is a piece of roast meat
• JUMBLE SALE is a rummage sale
• JUMPER is a sweater (or woolly, or jersey), the American 'jumper' is a pinafore dress
• JUNCTION is an interchange on motorway
• KEDGEREE is a dish of fish, rice and eggs and often served at breakfast
• KETTLE (FOR HOB) is a tea kettle
• KIOSK can be a news-stand or a telephone box
• KIP sleep ("I could do with a kip" or "He's kipping on the sofa.")
• KITCHEN PAPER is paper towels
• KNAVE is a jack in playing cards
• KNICKERS underwear for women
• KNOCK BACK DOUGH is to punch down dough
• KNICKERS are ladies' underpants
• 'L' plates are large red 'L's which a person learning to drive must put on his car
• LACQUER is hair-spray
• LADDER in a stocking is a 'run' in America
• LADYBIRD is a lady bug
• LAGER is beer
• LANDLORD in a pub is the inn-keeper
• LARDER is a pantry
• LAY A TABLE is to set the table
• LAY-BY is a roadside parking area at the side of the road
• LEADER can be a newspaper editorial, the leading counsel of a team of lawyers or the first violinist in an orchestra but NOT the conductor as is popular in America
• LEMONADE is Sprite, 7UP
• LETTER-BOX is a mail-box
• LEVEL-CROSSING is a grade crossing
• LIFE GUARD is a member of a regiment of the Royal Household Cavalry
• LIFT is an elevator
• LINE on a railway means track
• LOO can be an 18th century card game or a lavatory or bathroom or whatever you wish to say
• LORRY is a truck
• LOUNGE SUIT is a business and NOT clothes for lounging in
• MAC is an abbreviation for macintosh or raincoat
• MAKING CONTACTS is networking
• MAGISTRATE is very close to a justice of the peace
• MAINS is an electric circuit box
• MAISONETTE is an apartment on 2 or more floors
• MAJORITY as a voting term this equals a 'plurality' in American terms
• MANCUNIAN is someone from Manchester
• MANGETOUT are snow peas
• MARKET many towns have a weekly market day with wares on stalls (booths) in the open air - the right to do so goes back hundreds of years & the AA book lists them all - so does a list available from my office
• MARROW is a very large zucchini
• MARTINI is vermouth - if you want a Dry Martini ash for a Gin & French
• MASH is mashed potatoes
• MATCH is what two sides play on a sports field and is equal to an American game
• MEAN is tight-fisted or stingy as opposed to the American 'cruel' or ill-tempered
• MEWS HOUSE is a hose that's converted from old stables or servants' lodging (usually 17th or 19th century) and is the town equivalent of a genuine cottage
• MINCE or MINCED MEAT from the butcher is chopped meat of hamburger however MINCEMEAT is chopped apples, raisins etc. Which goes into a mince pie
• MOOR is open land often with heather
• MOTORWAY is a Freeway
• MORNING TEA is often served in your hotel room before you go down to breakfast
• MUFFIN is a small, spongy cake served toasted and buttered - do NOT confuse with the American 'English Muffin' which does not exist in England.
• MUSLIN is cheesecloth in America but American 'muslin' is calico in England
• NAFF tacky
• NANNY is a child's nurse
• NAPPY, a corruption of napkin, is a diaper
• NETS are sheer curtains
• NEWSAGENT shop selling newspapers
• NOTECASE is a billfold
• NO ENTRY is wrong way (traffic sign)
• NO OVERTAKING is no passing
• NOTICEBOARD is a bulletin board
• NUMBER PLATE is a license plate
• OFF HIS ROCKER is out to lunch
• OFF LICENSE is a shop which can sell alcohol all day but it must be taken away or consumed 'off' the premises
• OFF-THE-PEG refers to 'ready-to-wear' clothes
• OPHTHALMIC OPTICIAN test eyesight, prescribe glasses, and diagnose eye diseases
• OPHTHALMIC MEDICAL PRACTITIONER treats eye diseases, test eyesight, prescribes lenses
• OUT OF BOUNDS is equivalent to the American term 'off-limits'
• OVERLEAF is the reverse side of a page as is P.T.O. (please turn over)
• OVERTAKE is a driving term meaning to pass another car
• OXBRIDGE is a portmanteau word for the ancient universities of Oxford and Cambridge
• P45 is a pink slip
• PANDA CAR is a small police car
• PANTOMINE has no American equivalent and is an English Christmas entertainment based on a fairy-tale with a lot of modern singing, dancing and humor - it is not mime
• PANTS are underpants in American - the English equivalent of American pants is trousers
• PARAFFIN is kerosene - American 'paraffin' is paraffin wax or white wax
• PASTRY CASE is a pie crust
• PASTY is an individual pie as in Cornish Pasty
• PAVEMENT is sidewalk
• PERAMBULATOR shortened usually to 'pram' is a baby-carriage
• PETROL is gasoline
• PILLAR BOX or POST BOX is a mail-box and its painted red not blue
• PLAIT is a braid when applied to girls' hair
• PLASTER is a band-aid
• PLIMSOLLS are shoes such as American deckshoes
• PLONK (SLANG) is wine
• PORRIDGE is oatmeal
• POLYFILLA is spackle compound
• POPPERS are snaps
• PUDDINGS (the term) can be used to group all desserts whether it is cake, pie, ice-cream, custards. British puddings are not like our custard type "Jell-O" pudding
• PRANG (in a car) is a fender bender
• PREMIUM BOND is a Government Lottery Bond which has no interest
• PROVISION is accrual
• PUB is a public house which is a bar with an English atmosphere which cannot be defined in this small space - go an see one
• PUB WITH ROOMS - is similar to an inn
• PUSH-CHAIR is a child's stroller
• PYLON is a high tension tower
• QUEUE as a verb it means to stand in line - and woe betide you if you cut in
• QUID (slang) is a one pound note
• RED INDIAN means an American Indian - 'Indian' alone means a native of India
• REDUNDANT is to be released from a job
• REEL is a spool
• REFUSE COLLECTOR is a garbage man
• REGISTER OFFICE is a marriage clerk's office
• REMEMBRANCE DAY is November 11 or the nearest Sunday and is Veteran Day in America
• RESIDENT is the name for a person registered at a hotel
• RETURN TICKET is a round-trip ticket on a train or bus
• RING ROAD is a circular route around a town
• RING UP is to telephone
• ROAD WORKERS is road construction or road repair
• ROUNDABOUT is a traffic control or a merry-go-round
• RUBBISH is garbage
• RUCKSACK is a backpack
• RUNNER BEANS are string beans
• SACK is to be fired from a job
• SCONE is an American soda biscuit and its eaten with butter and often jam and cream
• SCOTCH EGG is a hard-boiled egg in sausage meat
• SELLOTAPE is scotchtape
• SEMI-DETACHED is a duplex or two-family house
• SEND DOWN means to expel from University although it may indicate only a temporary absence
• SERVIETTE is a napkin
• SHANDY is a drink made from beer and lemonade
• SHEPHERD'S PIE is a dish made from minced beef and potatoes
• SILENCER of a car is the muffler
• SISTER in a hospital is the head nurse of a ward
• SLAP-UP four-star, excellent-refers to food
• SLATE is to express a harsh criticism
• SLIPROAD onto a motorway is a ramp
• SOLICITOR is an attorney
• SPONGE BAG is a toilet kit
• SPONGE FINGER is a long, soft, sweet cake or 'lady-finger'
• SPROUTS is Brussels sprouts
• SQUASH is a fruit drink
• STALL in a market is a 'booth' but in a theater is an orchestra seat
• STARTER is an appetizer
• STONE referring to weight is 14 pounds
• SUBWAY is a pedestrian underpass
• SUMMERTIME is when daylight saving time is in effect
• SUPER means 'terrific' i.e. splendid
• SURGICAL SPIRIT is rubbing alcohol
• SURGERY is a doctor's office
• SUSPENDERS are garters
• SWEETS are candy
• SWISS ROLL is a jelly roll
• TA informal thank you
• TABLE the verb means to submit for discussion (the reverse of its American meaning)
• TAILBACK is a line of traffic
• TAKEAWAY is carryout
• TALLBOY is a highboy
• TAP is faucet
• TARMAC is pavement
• TATTY is shabby
• TEAT is a nipple for baby's bottle
• TERM is one of the three educational parts of the year - roughly like a semester
• TERRACE HOUSES is a row of 3 or more usually 2 or 3 stories high
• THEATRE in a hospital is the operating room
• THIRD PARTY INSURANCE is liability insurance
• TIGHTS are pantyhose
• TIN as a food container is a can
• TOAD-IN-A-HOLE is a dish of sausage 'bangers' in batter
• TO PINCH is to steal
• TORCH flashlight
• TORY is a member of the Conservative party
• TRAINERS are sneakers
• TROUSERS are slacks
• TUBE in the subway
• TWEE is arty
• UNDERDONE referring to meat is rare
• VACUUM FLASK is a thermos bottle
• VAN is a small truck
• VAT is Value-Added Tax. Similar to sales tax in the states
• VERGE (OF ROAD) is the shoulder
• VEST is an undershirt in Britain not the American meaning of a 'waistcoat'
• VILLAGE is a small town without a mayor and usually with under 3,000 people. In the UK can be a handful of houses with a church and a pub, or a larger settlement with shops and community center
• WASHING UP LIQUID is dishwashing liquid
• WASHING UP POWDER is laundry soap
• WC stands for "water closet", in other words, the toilet
• WELLINGTONS are rubber boots named after the Duke of Wellington
• WHISKY is Scotch
• WHISKEY is Irish
• WHITEHALL is a collective word referring to the government because so many government offices are located around the road
• WHITE SPIRIT is alcohol
• WINDSCREEN is a windshield
• WING of a car is the fender
• WIRELESS is the original term for radio and is often used by older people
• WOOLLY is a sweater
• WRITTEN OFF (CAR) is "totalled"
• ZEBRA CROSSING is a striped pedestrian crossing
• ZED is the letter 'z' (or "zee" as pronounced in American English)