John Cletheroe's
USA and Canada Holiday Hints

American English to British English Dictionary - N

N Mem

National Memorial.

N Pres

National Preserve.

N Res

National Reserve.

NAACP

National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People.

Nachos

 A Mexican food item.

Nachos are hard flour "crisps" sold in bags as snacks like crisps, or served in Mexican restaurants with minced beef, sour cream, peppers, etc. They are normally triangular in shape.

A nacho salad consists of nacho chips with lettuce, cheese, sour cream, etc. Sometimes nacho salads have the nacho formed into a large edible bowl which contains the other ingredients - and then you've got a large meal!

Most supermarkets sell nacho chips (i.e. crisps) as well as potato chips, often in numerous flavours.

Nachos are always made from corn, never from potatoes.

Eric Vasbinder of Washington State kindly emailed me to explain that the word "nachos" is used to mean corn crisps that are pre-coated in powdered cheddar cheese. The regular flavour corn crisps that just taste like corn are called "tortilla chips", "tortillas" or "corn chips", Eric says. A tortilla is also a more general term for any corn or flour pancake.

I'm also informed that nacho cheese is cheddar cheese with chili flavouring.

Further, I received an email saying: The "crisps" themselves are properly called "tostadas". Nachos (tostadas covered in cheese and meat, etc) are an American invention, probably taken from "Chili Con Queso" which is melted cheese topped in green chilies and other spices, served with tostadas for dipping.

Nachos should not be confused with Natchez.

Napkin

Serviette. The word serviette is not generally used in the USA but I'm told that some older people may understand it.

It is perhaps rather more generally used in Canada. Amy Skopik of Saskatoon sent me this message:

This may depend on where you are in Canada. The more Americanised cities like Toronto or Vancouver may have forgotten their British roots, but here in the hinterlands there are still many lingering traces of colonialism. :> "Serviette" is still in common use in this province; indeed a local joke here is that you can tell if someone's an American by whether they understand the phrase "Could you please pass me a serviette? I spilled my poutine."

NARA

(United States) National Archives and Record Administration.

NASA

National Aeronautics and Space Administration. See also US And Canadian Government Agencies And Departments Responsible For Recreation Areas.

NASCAR

A form of motor racing popular in the USA.

Natchez Trace

See separate article.

Native American

"Native American" is the politically correct term for a North American Indian, or "Red Indian". The word "Indian" is becoming increasingly ambiguous, with a large number of immigrants from India to the USA - many of whom, by the way, are involved in the motel, hotel and convenience store businesses.

Natural State

Arkansas.

"Nawlins"

This mysterious city, not found on any map, is in fact in Louisiana very near the mouth of Mississippi River. (It's how many people pronounce "New Orleans".)

NB

  1. National Battlefield.

  2. New Brunswick.

NBA

National Basketball Association. The governing body for professional basketball. "NBA" is also often used to refer to games which come under the jurisdiction of the NBA.

NBP

National Battlefield Park.

NBS

National Battlefield Site.

NC

North Carolina.

NCA

National Conservation Area.

NCAA

National Collegiate Athletic Association, the body responsible for organising sporting events between different colleges and universities. The now sadly defunct Daily Brief sometimes included a mention of some NCAA results which have included football (presumably American Football), basketball and soccer.

NCBI

(United States) National Centre for Biotechnology Information.

NCES

(United States) National Centre for Educational Statistics.

ND

North Dakota.

NE

Nebraska.

Nerd

A technical expert. Often used with an implication of naivety or lack of social skills. The word "anorak" has a somewhat similar meaning in British English. Idiom Site offers some interesting theories as to how the word "nerd" came into use (external link verified Dec-02).

New England

See separate article.

New Mexico

See separate article.

New York

See separate article.

New York Minute

An instant. From the concept that the pace of life in New York City is much faster than anywhere else.

New York Strip

A particular cut of steak.

New York Style Pizza

See Pizza Styles.

NF

  1. The old abbreviation for Newfoundland and Labrador. The new abbreviation is NL.

  2. National Forest.

NFL

National Football League. The governing body for professional American football. "NFL" is also often used to refer to games which come under the jurisdiction of the NFL.

NGA

(United States) National Gallery of Art.

NH

New Hampshire.

NHL

National Hockey League. The governing body for professional ice hockey. "NHL" is also often used to refer to games which come under the jurisdiction of the NHL.

NHP

National Historical Park. See also US And Canadian Government Agencies And Departments Responsible For Recreation Areas.

NHR or NH Res

National Historical Reserve.

NHS

National Historic Site. See also US And Canadian Government Agencies And Departments Responsible For Recreation Areas.

NHTSA

United States National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Nickel

A five cent coin, about the same size and colour as a quarter but with a smooth edge.

Nickerson Farms

 A restaurant chain, now defunct (hence this entry being included on this page rather than in the Restaurants section). Nickerson Farms was set up as an offshoot of Stuckey's by a franchisee who disagreed with some of Stuckey's policies. The chain operated between the mid-1960's and 1980, and at its peak had about 65 locations, mainly in the mid-west. The buildings had huge bright red roofs. Each location had a large full-menu restaurant, a gas station, a gift shop and a bee hive (honey being a featured item in the gift shops).

Nightstick

A policeman's truncheon.

NIH

(United States) National Institute of Health.

NIST

(United States) National Institute of Standards and Technology.

NJ

New Jersey.

NL

  1. National Lakeshore.

  2. The new abbreviation for Newfoundland and Labrador. The old abbreviation was NF.

NLCS

National Landscape Conservation System.

NM

  1. National Monument. See also US And Canadian Government Agencies And Departments Responsible For Recreation Areas.

  2. New Mexico.

NMem

National Memorial.

NMP

National Military Park.

No.

  1. Often used as an abbreviation for "North" on road signs, street names, etc.

  2. Instead of "No." as an abbreviation for "number", in the USA the hash sign (#) is often used.

No-Brainer

A simple question with an obvious answer; a question which involves no thought in order to answer or a problem which requires no intelligence to solve. Also often used as a derogatory expression when someone asks what is considered to be a stupid question, for example "Is San Francisco north or south of Los Angeles?" - "Hey, that's a real no-brainer!".

NOAA

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, a division of the US Department of Commerce. Amongst other activities, the NOAA operate a network of radio stations which broadcast information about extreme weather conditions such as hurricanes and tornadoes, plus other natural and man-made emergencies such as earthquakes, tsunami (tidal waves), volcanic eruptions, chemical and nuclear pollution incidents, etc.

Nodding Donkey

A nickname for the type of pump often seen in oil and natural gas fields. The circular motion of a rotating shaft is converted in the reciprocal motion required for the pumping action by means of a horizontal beam which swings up and down in a nodding manner. The pump mechanism is attached to the beam with a large joint which resembles a donkey's head.

Normalcy

Normality.

North

Road number geographical direction suffixes (North, South, East or West) on signposts and highway marker shields, and in instructions giving directions to destinations, always refer to the direction of travel. For example, "I-15 North" means I-15 northbound.

North American Bison

The scientifically correct name for what most people call a buffalo.

North Star State

Minnesota.

Northern Forest

The type of forest which covers large areas of North America and Russia, and smaller parts of Europe, at northern latitudes and higher elevations. The terms Boreal Forest and Taiga have the same meaning.

Northwest Angle

See separate article.

Northwest Territories

See separate article.

Northwest Territory

See separate article.

Notions

Haberdashery items such as buttons and zips.

NOW

National Organisation for Women.

NP

National Park. See also US And Canadian Government Agencies And Departments Responsible For Recreation Areas.

NPCA

(United States) National Parks and Conservation Association.

NPR

National Public Radio, a non-profit national radio network in the USA. Lisa Fournier of Columbus, Ohio, kindly sent me this further explanation:
NPR radio stations are supported through corporate sponsorships and listener support. They have pledge drives several times a year, where they entreat people to call in and give them money. They usually offer small items in return for a donation, such as a coffee mug for a $25.00 gift, or a shirt or tote bag for a $60.00 gift.

NPres

National Preserve.

NPS

The United States National Park Service, an agency of the Department Of The Interior. See also US And Canadian Government Agencies And Departments Responsible For Recreation Areas.

NR

National River.

NRA

  1. National Recreation Area. See also US And Canadian Government Agencies And Departments Responsible For Recreation Areas.

  2. The National Rifle Association, a body which vociferously lobbies for the rights of US citizens to own guns.

  3. The National Recovery Act, a Federal program in the 1930's and 40's designed to relieve poverty during the Great Depression. (My thanks to Tom Wrona for this definition.)

NRDC

Natural Resource Defence Council.

NRes

National Reserve.

NRR

National Recreational River.

NRRA

National River and Recreational Area.

NS

  1. National Seashore.

  2. Nova Scotia.

NSA

(United States) National Security Agency.

NSR

National Scenic River or National Scenic Riverway.

NST

National Scenic Trail.

NT

Northwest Territories.

NTSB

National Transportation Safety Board (United States).

Number Sign

The # symbol, read as "number" and often seen, for example, in the credits of films and television programmes - Gangster #1, Gangster #2, etc. Often also called a hash sign. Sometimes incorrectly called a Pound sign in America and Canada, a Pound sign actually being a £ of course.

Nunavut

See separate article.

NV

Nevada.

NWR

  1. National Wildlife Reserve. See also US And Canadian Government Agencies And Departments Responsible For Recreation Areas.

  2. NOAA Weather Radio. See separate article.

NWS

United States National Weather Service.

NY

New York State.

NYC

New York City.

NYCTA

New York City Transit Authority. A division of NYMTA - see that entry.

NYMTA

New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority. An organisation responsible for public transport systems such as subway (underground railway), light railway and bus services in New York City. When the meaning is obvious the "NY" prefix is usually omitted. NYMTA's subway lines include those originally constructed by BMT, IND and IRT and which are still commonly known by those names. There are also other subway systems in New York City, including PATH.

NYT

New York Times.
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Most recently modified 30-Jan-06