John Cletheroe's
USA and Canada Holiday Hints

American English to British English Dictionary - V

VA

  1. Virginia.

  2. Veterans Administration, the US Government bureau that administers to veterans' (i.e. war veterans') needs. (My thanks to Major Jim Collins of the USAF who kindly supplied this information.)
    "Went down to see my VA man"
    He said, "Son don't you understand now."
    - Born In The USA, Bruce Springsteen

VAB

Vertical Assembly Building. The large building at NASA's Kennedy Space Centre where rockets are assembled.

Vacation

An employee's annual leave and the breaks between school terms (etc). In the USA, the word "holiday" is restricted so as to only refer to statutory holidays.

Vacuum Tube

Electronic valve. Both terms are now virtually historical of course.

Valance

Pelmet (at the top of windows).

Van Camper

A type of RV (recreational vehicle, i.e. motorhome) - see RV America's RV Types (external link checked May-00).

Van Conversion

A type of RV (recreational vehicle, i.e. motorhome) - see RV America's RV Types (external link checked May-00).

Vaudeville

Music hall, variety.

VCB

Visitor And Convention Bureau. An organisation which promotes tourism in a town, city, county or region, etc, mainly by providing information for visitors.

Vest
  1. Waistcoat - a sleeveless garment worn outside a shirt by some men.

  2. What the British would call a vest - a thin under-garment worn next to the skin on the upper half of the body by some men and women. I have received comments saying that people in the USA would not understand the British meaning of the word vest and that the word undershirt is used instead, but packets labelled "vests" manufactured by companies such as Fruit of the Loom and sold in shops such as K-Mart and Wal-Mart throughout the USA definitely contain what the British would call vests.

Vet

  1. War veteran.

  2. Veterinarian. Lisa Fournier of Columbus, Ohio kindly informs me that in the United States veterinarians have the title "Doctor", not "Mr" as in Britain.

VFD

Volunteer Fire Department.

VFW

Veterans of Foreign Wars, an organisation similar to the British Legion.

Virga

Rain which evaporates before it reaches the ground, due to the extreme heat of the atmosphere. I don't think this term is well known or commonly used.

Visa

In the USA and Canada, as in Britain, the word "visa" can refer either to the official endorsement to your passport which enables you to enter another country (see Immigration) or to the brand of credit card.

VLF

Vehicle Licence Fee.

Volstead Act

The common name for the National Prohibition Act, the act which introduced prohibition in 1920. The name comes from that of the congressman who introduced the act.

Volunteer State

Tennessee.

Voyageurs

A historical term. The voyageurs were French-Canadian trappers and pioneers in the seventeenth and eighteenth century who travelled through the system of lakes and rivers between Lake Superior and Lake Winnipeg, including Lake Of The Woods and the areas which are now Voyageurs National Park and the Boundary Waters Canoe Area in northern Minnesota.

VT

  1. Vermont.

  2. Video tape (the abbreviation is probably used far more within the television industry than by the general public).
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Most recently modified 28-Mar-04