John Cletheroe's
USA and Canada Holiday Hints

Words, Phrases And Abbreviations With Different Meanings In American English And British English

In most cases Canadians will probably understand the American meaning.

Word Meaning In Britain Meaning In The USA

1/2/03 The first of February, 2003. The second of January, 2003.

Word Meaning In Britain Meaning In The USA

AAA Amateur Athletic Association. American Automobile Association (external link verified Dec-97).

AC Normally taken to mean alternating current. Normally taken to mean air conditioning.

Art Gallery A museum displaying paintings which are not for sale. A shop displaying paintings for sale.

Word Meaning In Britain Meaning In The USA

Backpacking Low budget travel using public transport (trains and buses) and accommodations such as hostels and guest houses. Wilderness camping.

Bathroom A room which contains a bath. Toilet.

Bed and Breakfast (B & B) Relatively inexpensive accommodation of a generally unpretentious nature provided in private homes. Very expensive accommodation provided in fairly luxurious private homes.

Billion Until recently a million million, i.e. 1,000,000,000,000 or ten to the power of 12 (10¹² or 10^12). However, in recent years the American meaning has increasingly been commonly used in Britain, although this obviously can lead to considerable confusion. A thousand million, i.e. 1,000,000,000 or ten to the power of 9 (10⁹ or 10^9).

Biscuit What people in the USA would call a cookie. A scone. Cut in half with a choice of filling for breakfast, or without a filling as an accompaniment to fried chicken.

Bomb "It went down a bomb" means that it was a great success. "It bombed" means that it was a total failure.

Bum Backside. Tramp, hobo, beggar.

Word Meaning In Britain Meaning In The USA

Cable Car A cabin suspended from a cable, used to provide passenger transport up the side of a mountain or (occasionally) across a valley or canyon. In San Francisco, a public transport vehicle similar to a streetcar or a tram but pulled by gripping a continuously moving cable which runs below the road surface. In other parts of the USA and in Canada the British meaning usually applies.

Chamber Of Commerce Club for local businessmen. Local tourist information office, open to the public. Very similar to a V V V in the Netherlands.

Channel Islands A group of islands off the coast of France, west of the Cherbourg peninsular, including Alderney, Guernsey, Jersey and Sark. A group of islands off the coast of California near Los Angeles, including Anacapa Island, San Clemente Island, San Miguel Island, San Nicolas Island, Santa Barbara Island, Santa Catalina Island, Santa Cruz Island and Santa Rosa Island.

Chips French fried potatoes. Potato crisps.

Word Meaning In Britain Meaning In The USA

DC Detective Constable, or direct current. District Of Columbia.

DHS Department Of Health And Social Security. Department Of Homeland Security.

Diamond shaped road sign In many European countries a diamond shaped road sign with a yellow diamond inside it indicates that you are on a priority road. The same sign is often used together with a diagram of a forthcoming road junction to show the route of the priority road at that junction. To the best of my knowledge this road sign is not used in Britain. In the USA an outline diamond symbol on the road surface or on a road sign indicates a restricted lane. I'm not sure if this road sign is also used in Canada.

DNR Do Not Resuscitate. A note sometimes added by doctors to the medical notes of elderly patients, indicating that no attempt should be made to revive them should they suffer a heart attack during an operation. Department of Natural Resources. In many US states the agency responsible for State Parks.
The British meaning is also very widely understood.

DQ Directory Inquiries (this is an abbreviation used in the telecoms business and probably not generally understood by the public). Dairy Queen, a fast food restaurant chain.

Driver's Side (of a car) The righthand side of a car. The lefthand side of a car.

Word Meaning In Britain Meaning In The USA

ER Elizabeth Regina (Queen Elizabeth). Emergency Room (a hospital's Accident and Emergency/Casualty department).

Word Meaning In Britain Meaning In The USA

Fag Cigarette. Male homosexual (I am informed that this word is regarded as highly derogatory and offensive, and therefore should only be used with extreme care).

First Floor The floor of a building immediately above the ground floor. The ground floor of a building.

Frosties A brand of breakfast cereal. Two or more of the desserts offered by Wendy's Hamburgers.

Word Meaning In Britain Meaning In The USA

Gas Any vapour, but especially that supplied through underground pipes to buildings and burnt to generate heat. Gasoline, in other words petrol in liquid form used to power motor vehicles.

Gravy Meat juices. Usually taken to mean white sauce.

GM Genetically modified. General Motors (the car manufacturer).

Word Meaning In Britain Meaning In The USA

Holiday Any legitimate day off from work or school other than sickness. A statutory holiday.

Holiday Camp Low cost holiday accommodation in chalets with communal dining areas and organised entertainment, popular in the 1950's. Group camping in tents, usually organised by a religious or communal organisation.

Hooker One of the players in a rugby team. Prostitute.

Hunting Highly objectionable upper class twits dressed up in funny costumes, riding on horseback, pursuing harmless small animals such as foxes with the aid of a pack of dogs, as a social occasion. [Perceptive readers might possibly detect a slight prejudice in the author here :) ] People, dressed normally, on foot, shooting large and dangerous wild animals, usually with rifles.

Word Meaning In Britain Meaning In The USA

IDS Iain Duncan Smith, a former leader of the British Conservative Party. Intruder Detection System (burglar alarm).

IRA Irish Republican Army. Individual Retirement Account.

Word Meaning In Britain Meaning In The USA

Luck "Out of luck" means to be unlucky. "Luck out" means to be lucky.

Word Meaning In Britain Meaning In The USA

Mean (when describing someone) Tight-fisted, reluctant to part with their money. Unpleasant.

Meths Methylated spirit. Methamphetamine, a heroin substitute.

Momentarily For a moment. "I will be there momentarily" means "I will be there for a moment". In a moment. "I will be there momentarily" means "I will be there in a moment".

Mother's Day In Britain, Mother's Day is on the fourth Sunday of Lent and therefore its date varies, depending on the date of Easter. In the USA, and also in Australia and many other countries, Mother's Day is on the second Sunday in May.

Word Meaning In Britain Meaning In The USA

National Park A scenic area but one in which there are residential and commercial private properties. No entrance fee is made but there is usually a charge for each car park.
In the west, the word "park" can also apply to a wide valley.
An outstandingly scenic area of wilderness which contains no private property and the absolute minimum of development. In most cases an entrance fee is charged.

NEC National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham. Nippon Electronics Company.

NHS National Health Service. National Historic Site.

Word Meaning In Britain Meaning In The USA

On (in directions) "Turn left on London Road" means turn left while on London Road, onto another road. "Turn left on Main Street" means while on another road, turn left onto Main Street.

Overtime Work performed in excess of normal working hours. Extra time in a sports match, played due to the scores being tied at the end of normal time.

Word Meaning In Britain Meaning In The USA

Pants Underpants. Trousers.

Pavement The path at the side of road on which pedestrians walk. The paved road surface on which vehicles drive.

PC Police Constable. Politically Correct.

Precinct A shopping centre. A police district (usually in a large city, I believe).

Public School A private school which charges fees. A state school for which there are no fees.

Word Meaning In Britain Meaning In The USA

QC Queen's Counsel. The Province Of Québec.

Quite Good Mediocre. Excellent.

Word Meaning In Britain Meaning In The USA

RI Religious Instruction (a school subject). Rhode Island.

Resume Continue after a pause. When spelt with accents (résumé), a CV.

Robin (the name) Always a boy's name. Usually but not always a girl's name.

Rock, The The Rock Of Gibraltar. Alcatraz, or the island of Newfoundland.

RoI Republic of Ireland. Return on Investment.

Word Meaning In Britain Meaning In The USA

SAT Standard Assessment Tests. National tests in basic subjects given to school pupils at various ages, used to grade schools. Scholastic Aptitude Test. A test of verbal and mathematical reasoning which is given to potential entrants to many colleges and universities in the USA.

SFO Serious Fraud Office. San Francisco International Airport.

Slated Severely criticised. For example: "The Chief Constable was slated for his policy on drunk drivers." Planned. For example the newspaper headline: "New runway slated for Springfield Airport."

Sports matches The home team is stated first, the away team second. The away team is stated first, the home team second, often in the form "Seattle at Miami".

Spurs Tottenham Hotspurs, a soccer team based in an area of London. San Antonio Spurs, a basketball team based in the city of the same name in Texas.

Station Usually taken to mean a railway station. Usually taken to mean a radio station or a gas (petrol) station.

STD Subscriber trunk dialling (of long distance telephone calls). An STD code is a telephone area code (the term area code is increasingly coming into general use). Sexually transmitted disease.

Sub Substitute. Probably most frequently used to refer to a replacement player in a soccer team. Submarine sandwich.

Subway A pedestrian walkway under a road. An underground railway system. Also the name of a submarine sandwich fast food chain.

Word Meaning In Britain Meaning In The USA

Table (when used a verb) To raise a subject for discussion. To delay the discussion of a subject.

Tea Always taken to mean hot tea. Often taken to mean iced tea.

Truck A railway goods wagon, or a road lorry or pickup. A bogie (bogey) on an item of railway rolling stock, or a road lorry or pickup. A truck farm is a market garden.

Tube, The Usually taken to mean the London Underground system. Television.

Word Meaning In Britain Meaning In The USA

Underground Railway A railway which runs underground. The network of safe houses used by runaway slaves escaping north in the days before slavery was abolished.

United Any football (soccer) club whose name ends with United, depending on the context. By default, probably Manchester United. United Airlines.

Word Meaning In Britain Meaning In The USA

Vest Always taken to mean an item of underwear worn on the upper half of the body. Either an item of underwear worn on the upper half of the body, or a waistcoat.

Vet Veterinarian. Usually taken to mean a war veteran.

Word Meaning In Britain Meaning In The USA

Wash An inlet of the North Sea between Linconshire and Norfolk. An abbreviation for Washington, usually referring to Washington State.

WC Handy A conveniently located public convenience. William Christopher Handy, the famous blues musician.

Westminster The Houses Of Parliament in London. A famous dog show.

WI Women's Institute. Wisconsin.

Wolves Wolverhampton Wanderers, a soccer team. The Minnesota Timberwolves, a basketball team.

Word Meaning In Britain Meaning In The USA

Yank Any American. A person from the northeast of the USA.

Yellow line on the left side of the road Parking on the road is restricted. You are on a one-way road (and driving in the correct direction).

Word Meaning In Britain Meaning In The USA

Word	Meaning In Britain	Meaning In The USA
1/2/03	The first of February, 2003.	The second of January, 2003.
Word	Meaning In Britain	Meaning In The USA
AAA	Amateur Athletic Association.	American Automobile Association (external link verified Dec-97).
AC	Normally taken to mean alternating current.	Normally taken to mean air conditioning.
Art Gallery	A museum displaying paintings which are not for sale.	A shop displaying paintings for sale.
Word	Meaning In Britain	Meaning In The USA
Backpacking	Low budget travel using public transport (trains and buses) and accommodations such as hostels and guest houses.	Wilderness camping.
Bathroom	A room which contains a bath.	Toilet.
Bed and Breakfast (B & B)	Relatively inexpensive accommodation of a generally unpretentious nature provided in private homes.	Very expensive accommodation provided in fairly luxurious private homes.
Billion	Until recently a million million, i.e. 1,000,000,000,000 or ten to the power of 12 (10¹² or 10^12). However, in recent years the American meaning has increasingly been commonly used in Britain, although this obviously can lead to considerable confusion.	A thousand million, i.e. 1,000,000,000 or ten to the power of 9 (10⁹ or 10^9).
Biscuit	What people in the USA would call a cookie.	A scone. Cut in half with a choice of filling for breakfast, or without a filling as an accompaniment to fried chicken.
Bomb	"It went down a bomb" means that it was a great success.	"It bombed" means that it was a total failure.
Bum	Backside.	Tramp, hobo, beggar.
Word	Meaning In Britain	Meaning In The USA
Cable Car	A cabin suspended from a cable, used to provide passenger transport up the side of a mountain or (occasionally) across a valley or canyon.	In San Francisco, a public transport vehicle similar to a streetcar or a tram but pulled by gripping a continuously moving cable which runs below the road surface. In other parts of the USA and in Canada the British meaning usually applies.
Chamber Of Commerce	Club for local businessmen.	Local tourist information office, open to the public. Very similar to a V V V in the Netherlands.
Channel Islands	A group of islands off the coast of France, west of the Cherbourg peninsular, including Alderney, Guernsey, Jersey and Sark.	A group of islands off the coast of California near Los Angeles, including Anacapa Island, San Clemente Island, San Miguel Island, San Nicolas Island, Santa Barbara Island, Santa Catalina Island, Santa Cruz Island and Santa Rosa Island.
Chips	French fried potatoes.	Potato crisps.
Word	Meaning In Britain	Meaning In The USA
DC	Detective Constable, or direct current.	District Of Columbia.
DHS	Department Of Health And Social Security.	Department Of Homeland Security.
Diamond shaped road sign	In many European countries a diamond shaped road sign with a yellow diamond inside it indicates that you are on a priority road. The same sign is often used together with a diagram of a forthcoming road junction to show the route of the priority road at that junction. To the best of my knowledge this road sign is not used in Britain.	In the USA an outline diamond symbol on the road surface or on a road sign indicates a restricted lane. I'm not sure if this road sign is also used in Canada.
DNR	Do Not Resuscitate. A note sometimes added by doctors to the medical notes of elderly patients, indicating that no attempt should be made to revive them should they suffer a heart attack during an operation.	Department of Natural Resources. In many US states the agency responsible for State Parks. The British meaning is also very widely understood.
DQ	Directory Inquiries (this is an abbreviation used in the telecoms business and probably not generally understood by the public).	Dairy Queen, a fast food restaurant chain.
Driver's Side (of a car)	The righthand side of a car.	The lefthand side of a car.
Word	Meaning In Britain	Meaning In The USA
ER	Elizabeth Regina (Queen Elizabeth).	Emergency Room (a hospital's Accident and Emergency/Casualty department).
Word	Meaning In Britain	Meaning In The USA
Fag	Cigarette.	Male homosexual (I am informed that this word is regarded as highly derogatory and offensive, and therefore should only be used with extreme care).
First Floor	The floor of a building immediately above the ground floor.	The ground floor of a building.
Frosties	A brand of breakfast cereal.	Two or more of the desserts offered by Wendy's Hamburgers.
Word	Meaning In Britain	Meaning In The USA
Gas	Any vapour, but especially that supplied through underground pipes to buildings and burnt to generate heat.	Gasoline, in other words petrol in liquid form used to power motor vehicles.
Gravy	Meat juices.	Usually taken to mean white sauce.
GM	Genetically modified.	General Motors (the car manufacturer).
Word	Meaning In Britain	Meaning In The USA
Holiday	Any legitimate day off from work or school other than sickness.	A statutory holiday.
Holiday Camp	Low cost holiday accommodation in chalets with communal dining areas and organised entertainment, popular in the 1950's.	Group camping in tents, usually organised by a religious or communal organisation.
Hooker	One of the players in a rugby team.	Prostitute.
Hunting	Highly objectionable upper class twits dressed up in funny costumes, riding on horseback, pursuing harmless small animals such as foxes with the aid of a pack of dogs, as a social occasion. [Perceptive readers might possibly detect a slight prejudice in the author here :) ]	People, dressed normally, on foot, shooting large and dangerous wild animals, usually with rifles.
Word	Meaning In Britain	Meaning In The USA
IDS	Iain Duncan Smith, a former leader of the British Conservative Party.	Intruder Detection System (burglar alarm).
IRA	Irish Republican Army.	Individual Retirement Account.
Word	Meaning In Britain	Meaning In The USA
Luck	"Out of luck" means to be unlucky.	"Luck out" means to be lucky.
Word	Meaning In Britain	Meaning In The USA
Mean (when describing someone)	Tight-fisted, reluctant to part with their money.	Unpleasant.
Meths	Methylated spirit.	Methamphetamine, a heroin substitute.
Momentarily	For a moment. "I will be there momentarily" means "I will be there for a moment".	In a moment. "I will be there momentarily" means "I will be there in a moment".
Mother's Day	In Britain, Mother's Day is on the fourth Sunday of Lent and therefore its date varies, depending on the date of Easter.	In the USA, and also in Australia and many other countries, Mother's Day is on the second Sunday in May.
Word	Meaning In Britain	Meaning In The USA
National Park	A scenic area but one in which there are residential and commercial private properties. No entrance fee is made but there is usually a charge for each car park. In the west, the word "park" can also apply to a wide valley.	An outstandingly scenic area of wilderness which contains no private property and the absolute minimum of development. In most cases an entrance fee is charged.
NEC	National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham.	Nippon Electronics Company.
NHS	National Health Service.	National Historic Site.
Word	Meaning In Britain	Meaning In The USA
On (in directions)	"Turn left on London Road" means turn left while on London Road, onto another road.	"Turn left on Main Street" means while on another road, turn left onto Main Street.
Overtime	Work performed in excess of normal working hours.	Extra time in a sports match, played due to the scores being tied at the end of normal time.
Word	Meaning In Britain	Meaning In The USA
Pants	Underpants.	Trousers.
Pavement	The path at the side of road on which pedestrians walk.	The paved road surface on which vehicles drive.
PC	Police Constable.	Politically Correct.
Precinct	A shopping centre.	A police district (usually in a large city, I believe).
Public School	A private school which charges fees.	A state school for which there are no fees.
Word	Meaning In Britain	Meaning In The USA
QC	Queen's Counsel.	The Province Of Québec.
Quite Good	Mediocre.	Excellent.
Word	Meaning In Britain	Meaning In The USA
RI	Religious Instruction (a school subject).	Rhode Island.
Resume	Continue after a pause.	When spelt with accents (résumé), a CV.
Robin (the name)	Always a boy's name.	Usually but not always a girl's name.
Rock, The	The Rock Of Gibraltar.	Alcatraz, or the island of Newfoundland.
RoI	Republic of Ireland.	Return on Investment.
Word	Meaning In Britain	Meaning In The USA
SAT	Standard Assessment Tests. National tests in basic subjects given to school pupils at various ages, used to grade schools.	Scholastic Aptitude Test. A test of verbal and mathematical reasoning which is given to potential entrants to many colleges and universities in the USA.
SFO	Serious Fraud Office.	San Francisco International Airport.
Slated	Severely criticised. For example: "The Chief Constable was slated for his policy on drunk drivers."	Planned. For example the newspaper headline: "New runway slated for Springfield Airport."
Sports matches	The home team is stated first, the away team second.	The away team is stated first, the home team second, often in the form "Seattle at Miami".
Spurs	Tottenham Hotspurs, a soccer team based in an area of London.	San Antonio Spurs, a basketball team based in the city of the same name in Texas.
Station	Usually taken to mean a railway station.	Usually taken to mean a radio station or a gas (petrol) station.
STD	Subscriber trunk dialling (of long distance telephone calls). An STD code is a telephone area code (the term area code is increasingly coming into general use).	Sexually transmitted disease.
Sub	Substitute. Probably most frequently used to refer to a replacement player in a soccer team.	Submarine sandwich.
Subway	A pedestrian walkway under a road.	An underground railway system. Also the name of a submarine sandwich fast food chain.
Word	Meaning In Britain	Meaning In The USA
Table (when used a verb)	To raise a subject for discussion.	To delay the discussion of a subject.
Tea	Always taken to mean hot tea.	Often taken to mean iced tea.
Truck	A railway goods wagon, or a road lorry or pickup.	A bogie (bogey) on an item of railway rolling stock, or a road lorry or pickup. A truck farm is a market garden.
Tube, The	Usually taken to mean the London Underground system.	Television.
Word	Meaning In Britain	Meaning In The USA
Underground Railway	A railway which runs underground.	The network of safe houses used by runaway slaves escaping north in the days before slavery was abolished.
United	Any football (soccer) club whose name ends with United, depending on the context. By default, probably Manchester United.	United Airlines.
Word	Meaning In Britain	Meaning In The USA
Vest	Always taken to mean an item of underwear worn on the upper half of the body.	Either an item of underwear worn on the upper half of the body, or a waistcoat.
Vet	Veterinarian.	Usually taken to mean a war veteran.
Word	Meaning In Britain	Meaning In The USA
Wash	An inlet of the North Sea between Linconshire and Norfolk.	An abbreviation for Washington, usually referring to Washington State.
WC Handy	A conveniently located public convenience.	William Christopher Handy, the famous blues musician.
Westminster	The Houses Of Parliament in London.	A famous dog show.
WI	Women's Institute.	Wisconsin.
Wolves	Wolverhampton Wanderers, a soccer team.	The Minnesota Timberwolves, a basketball team.
Word	Meaning In Britain	Meaning In The USA
Yank	Any American.	A person from the northeast of the USA.
Yellow line on the left side of the road	Parking on the road is restricted.	You are on a one-way road (and driving in the correct direction).
Word	Meaning In Britain	Meaning In The USA

Numbers 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

American English To British English Dictionary

Ambiguities To Be Aware Of

Cultural And Practical Differences

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Most recently modified 27-Oct-05