John Cletheroe's
USA and Canada Holiday Hints

American English to British English Dictionary - D

D & RG

Denver and Rio Grande Railroad.

DA

District Attorney.

Danish Pastry

Sticky buns and pastries of various types. Often provided as part of the free breakfasts offered by some motels, and also on offer at some fast food restaurants for breakfast, and throughout the day by the Canadian "Tim Horton's" coffee shop chain. Always best when eaten while still very fresh, in my experience.

DARE

Drug Abuse Resistance Education. An educational project in the USA which informs children about the perils of taking drugs, run jointly by local police forces and schools and (I believe) usually taking the form of police officers teaching school classes.

DART

Dallas Area Rapid Transit, the public transport system in Dallas, Texas.

Dash

A public transport local bus service in the Los Angeles (California) area, operated by LADOT (Los Angeles Department Of Transportation).

Dates

People in the USA usually write dates in the form mm/dd/yy (month/day/year), for example 7/4/98 is the Fourth of July 1998, not the seventh of April. You need to watch this when checking rates for different seasons in motel directories. To avoid any confusion we suggest that you write dates in the form dd-mmm-yy, for example 4-Jul-98 or 7-Apr-98.

We would also suggest that you carefully check which date format is required on the immigration and customs forms that you have to fill in on the plane before landing in the USA.

Canadians normally use the British date format, dd/mm/yy (day/month/year).

Davenport

A bed-settee (a settee which converts into a bed).

DAY

Airport code for James M Cox Dayton International Airport, Dayton, Ohio.

Daylight Saving Time

Summer Time. See separate article.

DC

District of Columbia.

DCA

Airport code for Washington National Airport, Washington, DC.

DE

Delaware (the state).

DEA

Drug Enforcement Agency (United States).

Dead End

Cul-de-sac, no through road.

Dear

The British use of the word "dear" to mean expensive is not generally understood in the USA or Canada. Say "expensive" instead.

Decaf or Decaff

See Regular or Decaff?

Decal

A transfer. A design which can be transferred from a backing sheet onto another surface when moistened.

Deck

Pack (of playing cards).

Deductible

Excess (on an insurance policy).

Deke

  1. A move in ice hockey where one player tricks and then skates around another. Probably only understood in Canada.

  2. To slip away unnoticed from a meeting. Again, probably only understood in Canada.

Delmarva

See separate article.

Demi-Pension

An alternative name for Modified American Plan.

DEN

Airport code for Denver International Airport, Denver, Colorado.

Denatured Alcohol

Methylated spirits.

Denver Boot or Denver Shoe

 Wheel clamp. I think the name comes from these devices first being used in the city of Denver, Colorado.

Anne Stibor of Wisconsin kindly sent me this comment:

In most places in the country, they're just called "boot", at least here in the Midwest and in places I've visited on the East Coast.

Department Of Motor Vehicles (DMV)

The department in each state which is responsible for (amongst other things) the administration of vehicle and driver licences. The name of the office responsible for these functions varies from state to state, with Department Of Motor Vehicles (DMV) probably being the most common name. Individual states' Departments Of Motor Vehicles web sites usually have information on vehicle and driver licencing. Some of these web sites also have very useful online versions of the state's driver's handbook and other related information. See also Department Of Transport/Transportation.

Department Of Transport/Transportation (DOT)

The United States Federal Department Of Transport or individual states' Departments Of Transport/Transportation. The name varies from state to state, with Department Of Transport and Department Of Transportation probably being the two most common possibilities. Each state's Department Of Transport/Transportation is responsible for (amongst other things) its road network. I believe that responsibility for Interstate and US Highways is shared between the individual states and the Federal Government. Almost all the individual states' Department Of Transport/Transportation web sites and phone numbers have very useful information on current road conditions and road closures. See also Department Of Motor Vehicles.

In some cities the Department of Transportation is responsible for some or all of the public transport systems. For example, in Los Angeles (California), LADOT (Los Angeles Department Of Transportation) operates a public local bus system.

Deplane (or De-plane?)

To exit from a plane. Deplane is a revolting word, but somehow "disembark" doesn't seem the correct opposite for "board" in this context.

Deseret

See separate article.

Desk Clerk

Receptionist in a hotel/motel. "Receptionist" is also understood.

DFW

Airport code for Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas.

DHS

(United States) Department Of Homeland Security.

Diamond In The Rough

A rough diamond, someone who is honest but lacks social graces.

Diamond State

Delaware.

Diamond Symbol

The restricted lane road sign.

Diaper

A baby's nappy.

Dime

A ten cent coin.

Diner

Cafe is the closest equivalent in British English.

Dipped Cone

 An ice cream cone, turned upside down and dipped in molten chocolate or fudge so as to coat the ice cream. The Dairy Queen chain sell dipped cones and watching one being made is part of the enjoyment.

Dirt

Earth, soil - the stuff plants grow in.

Dirt Road

Unpaved road, track.

Discount

Reduced admission prices for senior citizens, students, etc. The term "concessions" is sometimes used in British English.

Dispatcher

  1. A person responsible for the organisation and routing of railway trains, i.e. a signalman. In modern US railway operations the dispatcher may be sited hundreds of miles from the trains being controlled.

  2. A person who has a similar role in a freight trucking company, taxi company or similar organisation.

  3. A person at a central base who communicates via radio with employees, so as to coordinate their activities, in any organisation where many people work away from an office, for example police officers and National Park rangers.

  4. I'm told that the term can also refer to a person who receives an organisations' incoming telephone calls and connects them to the correct person in the building.

District Attorney

 In the USA, the public prosecuting officer for a district. There are both federal district attorneys and those elected by each state, usually one per county. Abbreviated DA. Very similar to a procurator fiscal in Scotland.

Ditch

  1. To take unauthorised absence, for example to take a day off from work or to play truant from school (probably in each case pretending to be sick). The word when used in this sense does not have the meaning of ceasing the activity for all time that it does in British English.

  2. The word also has the same meaning of a small channel for water, for example at the side of a road, as in does in British English.

Divided Highway

See separate article.

Dixie

See separate article.

DLR

Daylight running lights on a car - headlights which are always on when the car's engine is running. DLR has been compulsory for all new cars throughout Canada for a few years and is therefore becoming increasingly common in the USA. I don't know why the abbreviation is DLR instead of DRL - possibly from "Day Light Running"?

DMV

See "Department of Motor Vehicles" on this page.

DNR

Department of Natural Resources. In many American states the Department of Natural Resources is responsible for, amongst other matters, the State Parks. This is not a universal rule, however.

Do Not Pass

A road sign which means "no overtaking", and not "no entry" or "do not proceed beyond this point" as you might think.

Docent

According to one source, a guide or curator in a museum, possibly a volunteer. I have never heard the term myself.

Doctor's Office

Doctor's surgery.

DOD

Department of Defence (United States).

DOE

Department of Energy (United States).

Dog

See Hot Dog.

Dog Chow

Dog food, often sold in enormous sacks in the entrances to supermarkets.

Dogpile

 Children jumping on each other so as to form a heap. We called it a bundle when I was at school in Britain. Hence the name of the Dogpile meta search engine. Also sometimes called a pig pile in the USA, I'm told.

DOI (or DoI)

The United States Department of The Interior, which includes the following agencies: See also US And Canadian Government Agencies And Departments Responsible For Recreation Areas.

DOJ (or DoJ)

Department of Justice (United States).

DOL (or DoL)

Department of Labour (United States).

Dollar, Susan B. Anthony

See Susan B. Anthony Dollar

Donut

In the USA, donuts are always torus shaped. They come in a bewildering number of types. They are often offered as part of the free breakfasts supplied in some motels. In my experience they are generally tasty, but only if eaten while still very fresh.

Doozy

Good, fashionable, desirable. Idiom Site offers some possible explanations of how the term came to be used (external link verified Dec-02).

DOT

See "Department Of Transport/Transportation" on this page.

Double Whammy

Two setbacks or unfortunate occurrences.

Double Whole Note

See Musical Notes.

Doubloon

A nickname for the Canadian two dollar coin, from "double loon" (the one dollar coin has a picture of a loon on it). The coin is also called a "toonie".

Doughboy

  1. An infantry soldier. I think the term has connotations of stupidity and "cannon fodder".

  2. The "Pillsbury Doughboy" is a cartoon character who appears on the company's product packaging as a boy making dough.

Doughnut

See "Donut".

Down To The Wire

Undecided until very near the end; a close match. Often used to describe sporting contests where the outcome is uncertain until the last minute. This term is now also fairly generally understood in British English. Can anyone explain how this term came about? You can email me using the link at the bottom of this page.

Downs

The word "Downs" appears in the name of several horseracing tracks in the USA, including: Presumably the use of the suffix in these names comes originally from Epsom Downs in Surrey, England.

Downtown

Town or city centre. Also called the "business district" or "central business district".

DQ

Dairy Queen, the fast food restaurant chain.

Draft

Conscription into military service.

Drag

Street. A "main drag" is a main street, especially in a small town which only has one main street. Apparently the term comes from horse-drawn vehicles, which were "dragged" behind horses.

Drapes

Curtains.

Driftless Region

See separate article.

Drink The Kool-Aid

To exhibit unswerving loyalty to and belief in one's leaders.

Drip Castle

I have only seen one use of this term. Dave Krupka of Bolingbrook, Illinois did some exploring on the Internet and discovered that it seems to describe structures built out of sand by children, by letting wet sand drip from a bucket or out of their hands. The results resemble gothic towers or stalagmites in a cave, and are more delicate than sand castle structures formed by using a bucket as a mould.

Driveaway Cars

See separate article.

Drop-Off Charge

The charge made by a car rental company for a one-way rental. See separate article for details.

Drug Store

General store. Drug stores originally had pharmacies, by virtue of which they could stay open longer hours than normal shops. Nowadays drug stores may not have pharmacies but on the other hand they probably sell packaged medicines.

Druggist

Pharmacist, or chemist (in the sense of a pharmacist).

Dry Goods Store

Drapery or haberdashery.

Dryland Farming

The growing of crops in areas with low rainfall (normally defined as less than twenty inches per year) without irrigation. Although irrigation is now extremely widespread in the USA, dryland farming still exists in some areas of the southwest. Dryland farming techniques can be used to grow barley, corn, potatoes, rye, sorghum and wheat. Methods used to conserve moisture include leaving ground fallow in alternate years, killing weeds which absorb moisture, growing plants further apart than normal and making rows follow the contours of the land. See also Dust Bowl.

Drywall

Plasterboard. Also called plasterboard or sheet rock in the USA.

DSNGRR

Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad - see separate article.

DST

Daylight Saving Time, in other words Summer Time. See separate article.

DTW

Airport code for Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport, Detroit, Michigan.

DUB

Airport code for Dublin Airport, Dublin, Republic of Ireland (included here for convenience).

Duct Tape

A very strong and highly adhesive tape, often used for general household repairs. My first encounter with the product was when a suitcase was slightly damaged in transit and a Wal-Mart employee recommended the use of duct tape to effect a repair. It did a good job. In early 2003 duct tape rose to worldwide fame when the US government recommended its use, together with plastic sheeting, to make shelters to guard against chemical, biological or nuclear terrorist attacks. Needless to say very few people were gullible enough to think that such a construction would actually afford any real protection.

DUI

Driving Under The Influence (of alcohol). Also called DWI - Driving While Intoxicated - in some areas.

Dull

In addition to its meanings as understood in Britain, in the USA the word dull also means blunt (as in a description of a knife).

Dumpster

Skip, a large container used for transporting building site rubbish etc. I'm told that they are also often used for domestic rubbish at apartment blocks.

Duplex

According to one source, a semi-detached house. However, Mike Naylor emailed me this description:
A duplex is more than a semi detached house. It traditionally refers to a free standing two story residence, where each floor is a separate and distinct apartment, and thus two families might live in the same building. [What the British would call a maisonette - JC] With the advent of the ADA (The Americans with Disabilities Act) most new duplexes have been built with the two residences side by side, so both can be reached at ground level, providing handicap access to both residences.

Dust Bowl

See separate article.

Dustbowl Highway

Route 66. See separate article.

Dutch Country (Pennsylvania Dutch Country)

See separate article.

Dutch Treat

A miserly treat or a miserly present. From the supposed Dutch trait of being miserly.

DWI

Driving While Intoxicated. Also called DUI - Driving Under The Influence (of alcohol) - in some areas.

Dyke

A slang term for a lesbian.
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Most recently modified 16-Jun-04