John Cletheroe's
USA and Canada Holiday Hints

American English to British English Dictionary - G

GA

Georgia (the American state).

Galena

An ore of lead and silver, found in various parts of the USA. Although galena is not specifically an American English word, it is mentioned here since it is occasionally seen in US place names, almost always indicating that lead or silver mining once took place in the area.

Gallery

Some shops which sell paintings describe themselves as being "art galleries". These establishments tend to offer hand-made but effectively mass-produced paintings to tourists.

Galoshes

Wellington boots.

GAO

General Accountancy Office. This appears to be a US Federal Government Department, possibly similar in function to the Treasury in Britain.

Gap

  1. Mountain pass.

  2. The clothing retailer chain.

  3. In "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn", Mark Twain repeatedly uses the word "gap" as a verb. The meaning isn't totally clear but from the context I think it probably means to yawn. Chambers Twentieth Century Dictionary published in Britain includes "to yawn" amongst the meanings of "gape". This usage may be historical.

Garage Sale

See Yard Sale.

Garbage

Rubbish. A garbage can is a dustbin, a garbage man or garbage collector is a dustman, and a garbage truck is a rubbish collection truck.

Garburator

The name in Canada for a garbage disposal unit, located beneath the drain of a kitchen sink.

Garden State

New Jersey.

Garter Belts

Suspenders, used by women to hold up their stockings.

Gas

Gasoline, i.e. petrol.

Gas Pedal

Accelerator.

Gas Pump

Petrol pump.

Gas Station

Petrol station.

Gateway

See Hubs and Spurs.

GCD

Greatest Common Divisor, or in British English HCF (Highest Common Factor).

Gearshift or Gearstick

The gear lever of a car, whether manual or automatic.

Gem State

Idaho.

Gen X or Generation X

According to one source, the generation born between 1965 and 1975. According to another source, the generation born in the 1970's. According to yet another source, people born in the 1960's and early 1970's. Apparently the term was first used by Charles Hamblett and Jane Deverson in their 1964 novel "Generation X". Described by the older generation (as all previous generations have been) as anti-authority, self-indulgent, apathetic, discontented, alienated, immoral, selfish and lazy.

Mark Baxter sent me the following comment:

You may like to add something along the lines of a quotation from the book "Generation X" by Douglas Coupland, who describes GenX as the "overeducated and underemployed youth of America".

Gen Y or Generation Y

According to an article in USA Today 22-Apr-02, Gen Y is composed of the children born between 1977 and 1994, to people who themselves were born shortly after the end of the Second World War ("baby boomers"). Gen Y are therefore currently in the age range 8 to 25. In the USA they number 71 million, roughly 26% of the population. They are the first generation who grew up with access to the Internet and are the most ethnically diverse generation ever. They spend around US$200 billion per year but according to the article they tend to reject branding, hard sell, reading and television.

Get

Sometimes used to mean "have" in the USA. For example, asking a waiter "Can I get a refill?" is a request for the waiter to bring you a refill, not an inquiry as to whether you can go and get it yourself.

Gila Desert

See separate article.

Girl Scouts

Girl Guides.

Given

Obvious, axiomatic. Often used as a noun, for example: "I guess the freeway will be bumper to bumper at that hour?" - "Yeah, I think we can take that as a given".

GM

In the USA, GM means General Motors, the car manufacturer (and not "genetically modified", as in genetically modified food - the current meaning in Britain).

GNC

General Nutrition Co. A chain of health food shops, often found in shopping malls. Similar to Britain's Holland and Barrett chain.

"Go Figure!"

An expression often used to terminate an attempt to explain something inexplicable or illogical, meaning "it beats me!".

Goaltender

Goalkeeper.

Goatsucker

Nightjar (the species of bird).

Gofor

 A dogsbody, an office junior. From "go for", since the person is constantly asked by colleagues to "go for" various items. Sometimes spelt gofer, I think. Not to be confused with a gopher, the rodent, although it is also sometimes spelt that way.

Golden Arches

McDonald's.

Golden Raisin

Sultana (the dried fruit).

Golden State

California.

Goober

Sometimes used as an alternative name for a peanut.

Goosebumps

Goosepimples.

Goose Egg

Duck (getting out with a score of zero in a game).

GOP

Grand Old Party - the Republican Party.

Gopher

See Gofor.

Gordita

 A Mexican food item. A thick, soft tortilla, bent into a U-shape, heated (perhaps lightly deep fried?) and then filled like a taco and served while still warm. A very similar result can be obtained by using a round pita bread instead. The Taco Bell Mexican food fast food chain offers a variety of gorditas with different fillings.

Although all descriptions of gorditas specify using a corn tortilla, photographs of Taco Bell's gorditas appear to show a thick, soft tortilla, implying the use of a flour tortilla rather than a corn tortilla. I cannot explain this apparent contradiction.

Some gorditas appear to have a normal crispy taco shell inside the outer soft shell.

I received an email message saying:

A gordita is, despite Taco Bell's attempt to convince people otherwise, not made with a pita bread. A proper gordita is a fried corn-meal "pocket" into which meat, beans, cheese, etc. is placed.
I received another email saying that:
Chalupas are almost certainly a Taco Bell invention and are gorditas where the shell has been deep fried.
I've tried Taco Bell's chalupas (and can very highly recommend them) but I haven't yet tried a gordita. The difference between a chalupa and a gordita at Taco Bell appears to be a very subtle one to me.

Gotham, or Gotham City

A nickname for New York City (always the city, never the state).

Gotten

Become. The past tense of got. For example "His old car had gotten real rusty".

Gouging

Charging excessive prices and making excessive profits. Also called price gouging.

GPA

Grade point average. The average of a school student's grades.

GPO

Government Printing Office. Similar to the Stationery Office (previously called HMSO) in the UK.

Grade

  1. Gradient, slope (especially of a road or railway line); hill. The road sign "Steep Grade" means steep hill but doesn't say whether it's an ascent or descent. Sometimes "grade" can also refer to the route taken by a railway line.

  2. In the educational system, a grade is a year group. For example, "third grade" means "year three", in other words a child in the third year of schooling. "K-12" means "Kindergarten to Grade 12".

  3. As in Britain, the word grade is also used in an educational context in the USA and Canada to refer to an assessment of a child's attainment.

Grade Crossing

Level crossing, a place where a railway line and a road cross each other at the same level without a bridge over or under and where road traffic stops when a train passes, often by lights, bells and barriers.

I believe that an "at grade crossing" describes two railway lines which cross at the same level without a bridge or points.

Grader

Often used to describe how old a child is, by specifying which year group (which grade) they are in at school. For example, fourth grader, fifth grader, etc. Since first grade is (roughly) for six-year-olds, add five to the grade to get the child's age, give or take a year or so.

Grand Canyon State

Arizona.

Graham Crackers

Digestive biscuits.

Grand Circle

See separate article.

Grand Staircase

See separate article.

Grandfather Clause, Grandfathered

A clause which allows someone who previously had the right to do something to continue doing it, even after the law has been changed so as to forbid it to other people. For example, if a state raises the age at which people can drink alcohol, those people who were already above the previous legal drinking age but are still below the new legal drinking age are said to be "grandfathered", and can continue to legally consume alcoholic beverages.

Grandmother's Land

A name used historically by some Native Americans to refer to Canada, which at the time was ruled by Queen Victoria.

Granite State

New Hampshire.

Gravy

Gravy in the USA and Canada can be meat juices, but more commonly it is what the British would call white sauce.

Grease Pencil

Chinagraph pencil.

Great Basin

See separate article.

Great Lake State (or Great Lakes State)

Michigan.

Great River Road

See separate article.

Great Unpleasantness, The

A name sometimes used in the South for the American Civil War. The War Between The States is another alternative.

Green Mountain State

Vermont.

Greenbacks

US Dollar notes of any denomination; money; US currency.

Griddle

A term often used in American recipes and cooking books. A flat iron plate, used for cooking with a dry heat, for example for baking cakes or heating tortillas.

Gridlock

Traffic jam.

Grill

  1. As well as its British meaning, the word "grill" can also refer to a barbecue (the cooking device itself, not the food or the event).

  2. At a fast food restaurant or a cafe, a grill, grill item or grill order is a non-standard item which has to be prepared specially, for example a hamburger without tomato.

  3. When speaking of methods of cooking, what the British call grill, people in the USA call broil.

Grinder

This is another term for a submarine, hero, hoagie, or po' boy sandwich. The term "grinder" is popular in Connecticut and the New Jersey area. My thanks to Lisa Fournier of Columbus, Ohio, for this definition.

Tom Wrona EMailed me saying:

Not a synonym of sub, hero or hoagie. A grinder is one of them that has been heated in an oven. Not as bad as it sounds.

Gringo

A name supposedly used by Hispanics to refer to white, English-speaking people. Whether any Hispanic people actually use the word is open to some doubt.

Grits

See Mush.

Grocery Clerk

Supermarket checkout operator.

Grocery Store

Supermarket. The two terms are both very commonly used. When searching for supermarkets in the Yellow Pages in the USA and Canada, also look under the "Grocery Stores" and "Convenience Stores" categories.

Gross

To describe something as gross is to say that it is disgusting or extremely rude. Use of the word gross in this sense is mainly restricted to younger people. In many cases it is used as a hyperbole and is a totally unwarranted over-reaction: "She scratched her nose in public? - Oh my, that is just so GROSS!" One source says that the word is a contraction of "grotesque", which seems a feasible theory.

Ground

Earth, in electrical and electronic circuits.

Ground Zero

Nickname given to the site of the two towers of the World Trade Centre, New York City, destroyed by terrorist action on 11-Sep-01.

Groundhog Day

See separate article.

GST

Goods and Services Tax. A form of sales tax in Canada. See the Sales Tax page for details.

Gubernatorial

An election for a state governor in the USA. According to my British English dictionary, "gubernator" is an archaic term for a governor.

Gumbo

A Cajun dish. A gumbo is a thick, spicy soup prepared with ingredients such as rice, sausage, chicken and okra.

Gumboot

Wellington boot.

Gumshoe

A colloquial term for a police detective, I think. Can any supply an explanation of how the term came about? You can email me using the link at the bottom of this page.

Gung Ho

In Britain this expression refers to an over-eagerness for aggressive behaviour or a desire for war. Its meaning in the USA appears to be rather different and less derogatory, and is the unofficial motto of the US Marine Corps. Idiom Site offers an interesting explanation of how the term came to be used (external link verified Dec-02).

Gurney

Hospital trolley used to transport patients.

Gyp

A cheat or a swindle. Can be used as a noun or a verb. From "gypsy".

Gyproc

David Priest kindly sent me this explanation:
In British Columbia, and I suspect the Northwest in general, sheetrock/plasterboard is known as gyproc. Gyproc may be a brand name. It's "Gypsum Rock." Usually about 8 feet by 4 feet and half an inch thick. Contains processed gypsum; rather more like chalk than cement. Covered in a heavy paper, to protect the gypsum. Fireproof. Standard interior wall construction material.

Gyros

 I think Gyros are an American fast food adaptation of Greek food. They usually consist of grilled beef and melted cheese with grilled onions and peppers wrapped up in a flour tortilla-like bread.

[Many thanks to John Hayes (jnhayes@austin360.com) for contributing this entry.]

Subsequently I've obtained various other descriptions of gyros:

Most people pronounce the word "gyro" as it is spelt, but I'm told that the correct pronunciation rhymes with "hero" (as in the Giro D'Italia bicycle race, presumably). I wonder if this explains the name "hero" for a submarine sandwich.

Lisa Fournier of Columbus, Ohio, kindly sent me these additional comments:

Yes, the word "gyro" is properly pronounced to rhyme with "hero". Maybe this is an Ohio thing, but I always thought that gyros were supposed to be made with lamb. They have become popular items in pushcarts, where vendors sell them to business people on the sidewalks outside office buildings. They are also popular at county fairs.
Tom Wrona kindly EMailed me these comments:
Popular pronunciation is like gyrocopter, correct one is YEEros. If it's made of chunks of ground beef and lamb, it's a souvlaki, not a gyro.
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Most recently modified 18-May-04