Friday, July 24, 2020

Your Handy list Of American English and British English Words - how many do you know?

British - American

a quarter past - a quarter after
bag-handbag - purse
bonnet (of car) - hood (of car)
brought up - raised
Burgle (past tense, burgled) - burgle (past tense burglarized)
car park - parking lot
caster sugar - superfine sugar
chemist - drug store
cling film - plastic wrap
cooked both sides (of fried eggs) - over easy

educated - schooled
estate agent - realtor
garage (for filling up your car with petrol) - gas station
ground almonds - almond flour
guys (male only, no females) - boys/men
gym shoes - sneakers
hockey - field hockey
ice hockey - hockey
icing sugar - powdered sugar/confectioners' sugar
lorry - truck

luggage - baggage
marzipan - almond paste
momentarily - briefly
nappy - diaper
petrol (for cars) - gas
plain flour - all-purpose flour
purse - purse or bag
Rubber - eraser
rubbish - trash
pants - underpants

porter - bellhop
self-raising flour - self-rising flour
shop - store
spring onion - scallion
stand still (or I'll shoot) - freeze
stop - yield
store - warehouse
take away - take out
toilet - rest room
tip (advice) - hack
trousers - pants

trouser suit - pant suit
trunk (part of an elephant/box shaped suitcase)
turn left/right - make a left/right
waste paper basket - trash can
You folks/you people - you guys (both sexes)

Flag of the USA

American - British

a quarter after - a quarter past
baggage - luggage
bellhop - porter (in a hotel)
broil - grill or cook with strong heat from above or below
burglarized (past tense of burgle) - burgled
davenport - couch or sofa
drug store - chemist
diaper - nappy
eraser - rubber
field hockey - hockey

freeze - stand still (or I'll shoot)
gas (for cars) - petrol
gas station - garage
guys - boys/men/people/folk (both sexes)
hack - tip (advice, trick)
hockey - ice hockey
hood (of car) - bonnet (of car)
make a left/right - turn left/right
momentarily - shortly, soon
over easy - cooked both sides (fried egg)

pant suit - trouser suit
pants - trousers
parking lot - car park
purse - bag/handbag (sometimes purse)
raised - brought up
realtor - estate agent
rest room - toilet
schooled - educated/went to school
take out - take away
trash - rubbish

trash can - waste paper basket
truck - lorry
trunk (of car) - boot (of car)
underpants - pants
yield (traffic sign) - stop
you guys (goup of people of either sex or both) - you people/you folk(s)/you boys and girls/you girls

Websites
wiki - American English
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_American_and_British_English#Vocabulary
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greyhound_Lines
Terminology worldwide for Filling Stations
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filling_station
https://www.sweet2eatbaking.com/uk-us-conversion/

About the Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author, speaker and speech trainer, was born and educated in England and lived in the USA.

I have several more posts on Americanisms and learning languages.
See my previous post
https://travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com/2020/07/american-english-and-british-english.html
Please share your favourite posts.

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