John Cletheroe's
USA and Canada Holiday Hints

American English to British English Dictionary - R

RAAM

Race Across America, an annual coast to coast cycling race, usually from Los Angeles California to Savannah Georgia. Unlike most other long-distance cycling races such as the Tour de France, Race Across America is a continuous race and not in stages, so any time that the riders spend resting or sleeping counts towards their overall time.

External link: Official RAAM web site (checked Jul-98).

Rabbit Test

A slang term for a pregnancy test. "The rabbit died" is a euphemism for a positive pregnancy test.

Radar Detector

A device which can be fitted in a car in order to detect the use of radar speed traps. For information on the legality of radar detectors and scanners, see Scanner and Radar Detector Laws (external link, checked Sep-98).

Radio Shack

A chain of electronics stores in the USA and Canada, owned by the Tandy company who operate a chain of similar stores under that name in Europe.

Raft

Collection, set. For example, a politician might promise "a raft of proposals".

Raft also has its usual British English meaning in the USA and Canada - a flat boat made of planks.

Railroad

Railway.

Rain Check or Raincheck

A note provided by a supermarket, shop, etc when goods on special offer are out of stock, enabling you to purchase the goods at the reduced price when they do become available, even though the special offer may then have terminated. The term comes from the practice of supplying a note permitting entry to a sporting event which is postponed due to inclement weather.

Ramada

A combined sun-shade and bench for sitting on, perhaps with a table suitable for picnics. Also the name of a relatively expensive motel chain.

Ramp

Slip road onto or off a freeway. Called "on ramps" and "off ramps" respectively.

Ranch

One type of salad dressing. According to recipes I've seen the main ingredients are buttermilk, mayonnaise, vinegar, finely chopped onions and assorted herbs (plus perhaps sour cream). Jim Collins kindly offered this description:
I think the closest European equivalent is "Yogurt" based dressing. It's got sort of the same sharp/sour "Bite" to it.
Michelle Gillie answered my request for a more detailed description with this information:
Ranch dressing is a thick, tangy white salad dressing made from various combinations of mayonnaise, buttermilk, and/or sour cream. It can be flavoured with a variety of herbs and spices which depend on the recipe. "Peppercorn ranch" is flavoured with very coarsely ground pepper and is my personal favourite!

Range

  1. Mountain range.

  2. A large area of open grazing for cattle. "Home, home on the range..."

Rapid Transit

A public transport system in a city, for example a bus service or a subway (underground railway), or a subway (underground railway) between terminals at an airport.

Rappel

Abseil. To descend the side of a cliff or building by means of a rope.

Raptor

Bird of prey. Although Chambers Twentieth Century Dictionary (published in the UK) lists this word, I suspect that its use may be considerably more widespread in the USA than in Britain.

RDU

Airport code for Raleigh-Durham International Airport, Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina.

Real Estate

Land and buildings.

Realtor

A person who works in an estate agency.

Realty

An estate agency.

Recess

A school playtime or lunch break.

Recreational Vehicle

Motorhome. Often abbreviated to RV.

Red Hots
  1. Red Hots are a spicy candy about the size of a jelly bean and loaded with cinnamon. They can certainly make your tongue tingle and leave you wanting a drink very quickly. It isn't too clear if Texas Red Hots are the same thing or something different. [Many thanks to John Hayes (jnhayes@austin360.com) for contributing this entry.]

  2. The term "red hots" is also used to refer to hotdogs, especially by stadium and street vendors.

Red-Eye

An overnight long-distance flight.

Redmond

Sometimes used to mean Microsoft, the computer company. Microsoft's headquarters are in Redmond, Washington State. My thanks to Adrian Offerman of Leiderdorp in the Netherlands for suggesting this definition.

Redneck

An ignorant, prejudiced person from a rural area of the USA. Idiom Site offers some interesting theories as to how the term may have come about (external link verified Dec-02).

Refried Beans

 A Mexican food item.

Refried beans are similar to baked beans in appearance but rather darker. They have a somewhat stronger flavour, and are served with a Mexican flavour sauce instead of tomato sauce.

"Regular or Decaff?"

This question is an enquiry as to which type of coffee you would prefer.

"Decaff" is decaffeinated coffee - coffee with the caffeine removed. The idea is that caffeine in coffee causes you to feel tense and stressed, or keep you awake, I believe. Some people also believe that caffeine can be a cause of cancer and birth defects, although this theory doesn't appear to have any scientific basis.

Just almost every source of coffee in the USA and Canada will offer you the choice between regular and decaffeinated.

When you serve yourself coffee, the decaff will usually be indicated by an orange coloured button, lever or label.

Caffeine is also present in tea and cola. Some carbonated soft drinks now come in regular and decaff (or "caffeine free") versions, as well as diet and possibly even sodium free (i.e. salt free) versions, although the last option seems to have faded out in recent years.

Res

  1. Reservoir - an artificial lake retained by a dam.

  2. State reserve - an area very similar if not identical to a state park.

  3. Nature or wildlife reserve.

  4. Reservation - an Indian (Native American/First Nation) Reservation.

Reserve

  1. State reserve - an area very similar if not identical to a state park.

  2. Nature or wildlife reserve.

  3. Reservation - an Indian (Native American/First Nation) Reservation. According to one source, in this context the word reservation tends to be used in the USA and the word reserve in Canada.

Restricted Lane

See separate article.

Restroom

Toilet, even on a plane or a bus, where usage is most unlikely to be restful.

Résumé

Pronounced "rez-ooh-may" (in American mock French). A résumé is a C.V. (curriculum vitae), in other words a brief and supposedly factual summary listing a person's educational and employment history plus a fictitious description of their personality, supplied to a potential employer as part of an application for a job instead of a traditional application form. When spelt without accents, very easily confused with the English word "resume".

Revolutionary War

The American War Of Independence.

Rhubarb

Baseball slang for an argument or a fight.

RI

Rhode Island.

RIC

Airport code for Richmond International Airport, Richmond, Virginia.

Ride

Lift (in a car or other road vehicle). Don't even think of hitch-hiking in the USA or Canada. As well as being extremely dangerous, it is illegal and you would be very likely to be arrested by the police.

Ride Sharing

Ride Sharing is the organisation of groups of people, usually fairly close neighbours, who take turns at driving their cars on a commuter route into a large city, giving the other people in the group a lift. You often see signs giving the phone number to ring if you wish to participate in a ride sharing scheme. See also Car Pool.

Rider

A passenger on any form of public transport. For example, a bus rider is a bus passenger and a subway rider is a subway passenger. I think the term passenger is also generally understood, and is definitely used as in Britain for anyone other than the driver in a private motor vehicle.

Riding

The name given in Canada to a federal or provincial parliamentary constituency. My grateful thanks to Kate McDonnell of Montréal for this information. According to another source, a Canadian Riding is roughly equivalent to a congressional district in the USA.

Right

The word "right" in directions can be ambiguous. It can mean the opposite of left, or it can sometimes mean "immediately", for example the location of a motel might be described as being "right behind gas station" or "right in front of gas station".

River

In American English the word "River" usually follows the name of the river, for example the Colorado River, the Columbia River, the Mississippi River and the Rogue River. In British English the word "River" usually precedes the name of the river, for example the River Severn and the River Thames. In both American and British English the word "River" is often omitted where there is no ambiguity, for example the Columbia and the Thames.

Roads, Highways and Routes

See separate article.

Road Numbers

When referring to a road by its number, most people in the USA usually omit the definite article, for example I-5, not the I-5. Similarly the article is nearly always omitted in expressions such as "take US550 North", but sometimes included in expressions such as "traffic is heavy on the southbound I-15". In Britain the definite article is always included, for example the M25.

Roast Beef Sandwich

 Roast beef sandwiches consist of numerous layers of very thinly sliced roast beef, in a bun. The fast food chains Arby's and Hardee's both offer roast beef sandwiches, but Hardee's only operates in certain states.

See also Italian Beef Sandwiches.

Robe or Bathrobe

Dressing gown.

Robin

In the USA (and therefore presumably also in Canada) Robin is usually a girl's name, unlike in Britain where it is exclusively a boy's name. My thanks to Mark Baxter who pointed out that Robin can also be a boy's name in the USA, quoting the obvious example of Batman and Robin. Robin is also the name of the bird, of course.

RoBo

Remote-Office/Branch-Office. My thanks to Adrian Offerman of Leiderdorp in the Netherlands for this definition.

Rock Candy

Jason V. of Atlanta Georgia kindly sent me this description of rock candy:
"Rock candy" refers to large crystals of flavoured sugar, usually on a wooden stick. It looks quartz crystals on a stick.

Rock, The

A common nickname for the island of Newfoundland, because of its rocky terrain and high cliffs. My thanks to Carson Vincent for suggesting this entry.

Rockhound

An amateur or professional geologist; someone who is interested in or who collects precious or semi-precious stones.

Rockies

See separate article.

Rooming House

Boarding house.

Root Beer

A type of carbonated (fizzy) soft drink with a very distinctive taste which most people either love or hate. One of the best known brands of root beer is A and W, which is also the name of an associated fast food chain.

Mark Baxter sent me a message saying that American root beer is the same thing as British Dandelion and Burdock. Having tasted both, I would agree that they are indeed very similar but perhaps not quite identical.

Rope-A-Dope

A strategy of feigning weakness, in the hope that your opponent will exhaust himself, whereupon you can then easily defeat him. From boxer Mohammed Ali's strategy in his "Rumble in the Jungle" fight against George Foreman.

Rotary

Roundabout, traffic circle. Roundabouts are extremely rare in the USA and Canada. I think the term "rotary" is only used in the northeast of the USA and not generally understood elsewhere.

Round Trip

A return ticket.

Roundabout

  1. In "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" and "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn", Mark Twain uses the word "roundabout", apparently to refer to an item of clothing. Chambers Twentieth Century Dictionary, published in the UK, lists amongst the meaning of roundabout: cut evenly, without tails or train; a short jacket (US). This usage may be historical.

  2. The English meaning of the word "roundabout", to refer to an island in the road, around which traffic flows at a junction, is not generally understood in the USA or Canada, where such devices are extremely rare and when they do exist are usually called rotaries.

Routes, Highways and Roads

See separate article.

Row House

Terraced house.

"Rowt" (Route)

See separate article.

RR

Railroad (railway). Used as a general term, on road signs warning of railroad crossings, and the names of railroad companies (for example UPRR - Union Pacific Railroad).

RTD

Rapid Transit Department or Rapid Transit District, i.e. the public transport authority. In large cities some freeway lanes, indicated with an outline diamond shape, may be restricted to use by RTD vehicles (i.e. buses) and/or Carpools. Other names such as PTA (Passenger Transit Authority) are used in some cities.

Rubber Boots

Wellington boots.

Rubbing Alcohol

Surgical spirit.

Rube Goldberg

Heath Robinson. Rube Goldberg in the USA and Heath Robinson in Britain invented incredibly complicated and bizarre eccentric mechanical devices, with a multitude of unnecessary features.

Rummage Sale

See Yard Sale.

Run

  1. Ladder, in stockings.

  2. In the USA politicians run for office. In Britain they stand for office. Of course, on both sides of the Atlantic, once they are elected politicians neither run nor stand, they lie.

Run For The Roses

A commonly used nickname for the Kentucky Derby horse race.

Runners

I'm told that this word is used for trainers (the type of shoes) in Canada.

Rutabaga

Swede (the vegetable, not the nationality).

RV

 Recreational vehicle, in other words a motorhome. For a good description of the different types see RV America's RV Types (external link checked May-00).

See also Arby's, Hardee's, Harley's, Harvey's and RV's.

Rye (bread)

See separate article.
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Most recently modified 22-Sep-05