Americanisms and Britishisms which travellers need to know: from British autumn to trousers, from American bassinet to underpants

American - English
bassinet - Moses basket
candy - sweets
cookies - biscuits
cop - copper
crib - cot
diaper - nappy
drooled - dribbled
eraser - rubber
Fall - autumn
fanny pack - bum bag
federal - national / nationwide
fussy - grizzly
hood - bonnet
onesie - Babygrow
pacifier - dummy
pants - trousers
scallions - spring onions
sneakers - trainers
sprinkles - hundreds and thousands
store - shop
stroller - pram/push chair
sweatshirt - jumper
tired - knackered
turn signal - indicator
trash - bin
truck - lorry
trunk - boot
underpants - pants

 


English - American
autumn - Fall
Babygrow - onesie
biscuits - cookies
bin - trash
bumb bag - fany pack
boot - trunk
copper - cop
cot - crib
dribbled - drooled
dummy - pacifier
grizzly - fussy
indicator - turn signal
jam - jelly / preserve
jelly - Jello
jumper - sweatshirt
knackered - tired
lorry - truck
Moses basket - bassinet
nappy - diaper
national - federal
pants - underpants
pram/pushchair - stroller
rubber - eraser
shop - store
spring onions - scallions
sweets - candy
trainers - sneakers
trousers - pants

Useful Websites
visitbritain.com
visitbritainshop.com
visitlondon.com
visitsingapore.com
https://travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com/2019/07/flags-and-food-for-singapores-national.html

About The Author
Angela Lansbury, the author, - not related to Angela Lansbury the actress nor any of the other dozen people named Angela Lansbury or Lansbury.
I have many more posts on Americanisms and language. I teach English and other languages to individuals and companies. I am a polyglot. Please share links to your favourite posts.

This week's Americanisms and Britishisms: Grocers, closets and wardrobes

Flag of the USA

American - British
the grocery store - the greengrocers
store - shop, department store, big store (a small shop or one man business is not called a store. In Britain 'a store' is a huge place for storage like a warehouse)
closet - wardrobe (Very few people in the UK have houses big enough for a walk in closet); WC is short for water closet The word closet is no longer used. Closet is used as a synonym for hiding place. Coming out of the closet - outing yourself.)
hard cider - cider
apple juice (filtered and pateurized) - apple juice
cider - freshly pressed unfiltered apple juice
hard cider - cider

UK flag

British - American (alphabetical)
Apple juice - filtered and pasteurized apple juice
cider - hard cider

corner shop - convenience store
department store, shop - store 
freshly pressed, unfiltered apple juice - cider
grocers - grocery store
general store - hardware shop

wardrobe / walk-in wardrobe - closet
 

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker, teacher of English and languages.

Travelling and Keys for suitcases

Where is the key to this suitcase? Sort out your keys well in advance.

1 SUITCASE KEYS
a) Storing and finding
i) My system is to do what the shops do. Keep the key which came with the suitcase attached to the suitcase handle.

ii) I also used to have a plan to keep suitcase keys in the pack with my passport so I didn't get to the airport and find I'd rushed out to the taxi and left my keys at home in a drawer.

iii) Other people keep all their keys in one bunch in one place. But you must keep them in a place where you can find them.

iv) You could also attach a note to the suitcase to say that the key is inside in the inside pocket or that the key is in a top drawer in a desk either at home in the bedroom or study or wherever you keep it.

b) Buying Keys
Note that special keys which can be opened by US customs for security checks are required for the USA. Check which keys your airline or destination requires.

Duplicate keys
( D u p l i c a t e - spell check likes d e l i c a t e)
When storing  (s t o r i n g not soaring) the keys you may wish (w i s h not with) to keep both keys at home together, either in a top drawer or a key box hanging on the wall. You might label keys or colour code them and label them key one and key two.

To colour code the locks and keys if they are plain metal and you have several, paint nail varnish onto them. At one time you could only buy red and pink and orange nail polish, but now you can buy nail polish in blue and green and black and yellow at low prices.

A good system if two of you are travelling is to give the duplicate second key to your partner. That way if one of you mislays the keys the other person can quickly supply a duplicate when you are trying to check in hurriedly at the airport without keeping others waiting whilst you hunt.

Back home again, if you find key one on the floor or in a drawer it is easier to find out which person has the second key and know where to look.

Another solution is to you leave one key at home. That helps if you get home with a locked suitcase and find the key to the locked suitcase is left behind in your holiday flat, the coat you left behind or lost, or in one of a myriad pockets. You go straight to key two and start unpacking. When you later find missing key one in your inside jacket pocket, or the purse with your foreign currency, you can then match up the two keys.

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.