User:JackLumber/The Sucker

A

• accommodation. When it means "lodging" or "seating", it is singular in BrE and plural (accommodations) in AmE. In BrE, it can also mean "housing" <residential accommodation>. In the U.S., the accommodation train used to be a train that would stop at nearly all stations.

• accumulator. In the UK, a former term for a rechargeable battery; also a BrE term for a type of bet (AmE: parlay).

• ace.

• advocate. See s.v. lawyer.

• air marshal (not really "language")

• à la mode. French for "fashionable", the original meaning is old-fashioned in both dialects; in AmE it usually means "topped with ice-cream".

• alternate. As an adj., in AmE it is often used where BrE would only use alternative <use alternate routes>; it can also be used as a noun meaning "a substitute."

• amber. The colours of a traffic signal are red, amber and green in the UK, and red, yellow and green in the U.S. For AmE, see also AMBER alert.

• an(a)esthetist/an(a)esthesiologist: a physician trained to administer anaesthesia is an anaesthetist in the UK and an anesthesiologist in the US, where the word anesthetist refers to a nurse or technician trained to administer anaesthesia.

• anchor(man/woman): anchor to mean anchor(man/woman/person) is "especially American" in OALD. See news presenter for a description of the different roles of a newscaster, an American news anchor, and a British newsreader.

anchor anchorman/anchorwoman, a position in a tug-of-war team device for mooring ships by providing a firm fix to the seabed anchorman/anchorwoman, the last member of a relay team to compete anchorman/anchorwoman, a type of radio or TV presenter ("a news anchor").

• anorak: in BrE, a parka; in AmE, a hooded, rainproof outerwear that lacks a full-length zipper in the front (BrE cagoule). In BrE, also slang for a socially awkward person obsessively interested in something (a "geek" or "nerd", AmE also dweeb; etc.)

• apartment: the usual term for "a set of rooms in a building constituting a housing unit" is flat in BrE and (if rented) apartment in AmE (cf. s.v. condominium). In BrE, apartment in this sense implies luxury; the traditional (now rare) BrE meaning is "a suite of rooms set aside for a particular person."

• Asian: in BrE, originating from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh or Sri Lanka (South Asian); in AmE, originating from East Asia or continental Southeast Asia (BrE oriental)

• athletics: in BrE, not just sports in general, but more specifically running, throwing, and jumping competitions (AmE track and field); this also applies to the word athlete; the general BrE term is sportsman (sportswoman, sportsperson), sometimes also used in AmE.

• athletic shoes: depending on the actual type of footwear and/or the regional dialect, these go by various names: BrE trainers, plimsolls; AmE sneakers, tennis shoes, sneaks, etc.

• attorney: See s.v. lawyer.

• aubergine: BrE for the plant Solanum melongena (AmE eggplant); used in both varieties for the colour (called also eggplant in AmE)

B

• banger: in BrE, it can be a sausage, as in "bangers and mash", or an old car in a state of disrepair (similar to AmE beater, q.v.)

• bang(s): in AmE, locks of hair on forehead (BrE: fringe)

• barrister: see s.v. lawyer.

• base: the baseball sense generated many fig. senses in AmE; for example, off one's base "crazy", to get to first base (esp. in neg. constr.), "to get a first important result"; more recently (slang), a metaphor for one of three different stages in making out (q.v.) -- see baseball metaphors for sex; more s.v. home run

• bash: in BrE, to have a bash means "to have a try", but also (vulgar slang) "to masturbate" (also to bash one out).

• bath

as a noun: esp. in BrE, a plumbing fixture for bathing (AmE usu. bathtub); in old-fashioned BrE, the baths can also refer to a swimming pool. Esp. in AmE, a bath is a bathroom (see fol.); a half bath has sink and toilet but no shower stall or bathtub; a 3/4 bath has sink, toilet, and shower stall, but no bathtub.

In BrE, bath is also a verb, meaning "to bathe" or "to give a bath to".

• bathroom: in BrE, a room containing a (BrE)bath/(AmE)bathtub or shower, other washing facilities, and usu. (but not necessarily) a toilet. In AmE, a room containing a toilet, related washing facilities, and often, but not necessarily, a shower and/or bathtub; hence the idiom to go to the bathroom, which is equivalent to BrE to go to the toilet. In AmE, a room without shower or bathtub may also be known as a powder room, but this usage may be considered dated.

• beater: in AmE, it can mean a used car in very poor condition (BrE banger) or a wifebeater (q.v.), that is, a sleeveless undershirt.

• bill: at the restaurant, Americans most commonly ask for the check and Britons for the bill. In AmE, bill is the usual term for a piece of paper money; the BrE term note is used of foreign currencies in AmE, and is actually printed on US dollar bills (Federal Reserve Note). In BrE, The (Old) Bill is slang for the police.

• bin: the sense "container for waste" is mostly British <rubbish bin>. (OALD)(CALD)(Algeo); AmE typically has garbage can, trash can. BrE also uses bin as a verb meaning "to throw away." A BrE bread bin is an AmE breadbox.

• biscuit: in BrE, a baked cake-like item, usu. flat, which is hard when baked and softens over time; it can be sweet (AmE equivalent: cookie) or savoury (AmE: cracker). Cracker is also used in BrE, and chocolate chip cookies are so called everywhere. An American biscuit is a type of quick bread served with savoury foods (similar to a BrE savoury scone, or similar in consistency to a croissant). What takes the biscuit in BrE, takes the cake in AmE.

• blinder and blinker: a horse wears blinkers in BrE and blinders in AmE. In both dialects (OALD) the blinkers are the (BrE) indicators / (AmE) turn signals on a car. In BrE slang, a blinder is an excellent performance in a game or race <he played a blinder>.

• block: in American cities, the portion of a street between adjacent intersections (this usage is also found in BrE (OALD)) or an informal rough unit of distance derived from the length of the same. In British cities, a block is a building as in block of flats, office block; this sense was originally American (WNWCD).

• bloody: the traditional BrE expletive used to express anger <bloody car> or shock <bloody hell>, or for emphasis <not bloody likely>; it is only mildly vulgar today. It is now occasionally encountered in AmE as a euphemism for more emphatic swear words.

• bog: (BrE slang) a toilet, or (used with off) as a command meaning "go away" <bog off!>

• bogey (BrE) and booger (AmE) mean "nasal mucus". In AmE, a bogey is an unidentified aircraft,(W3) often assumed to be that of an enemy. (The golf sense is a can of worms.)

• boiler: the boiler in a home is often called a furnace in AmE. In BrE, a boiler is also an old fowl best cooked by boiling, or (derogatory) an ugly woman <old boiler>. A BrE boiler suit is called coveralls in AmE; see under overall.

• bomb: in BrE, to go (like/down) a bomb means to have a striking success. In AmE, if something (as a movie, show, etc.) bombed means it was a failure; but if it is the bomb (or sometimes da bomb), then it is outstanding.

• bonnet: in BrE, it covers a car's engine (AmE: hood).

• boob: in BrE, a blunder, or to blunder; in AmE, a stupid person; in both, slang for a woman's breast (usu. pl. and orig. AmE (WNW)).

• boob tube: in BrE, a woman's shoulderless, strapless top (AmE tube top); in AmE, slang for television.

• boot: the storage compartment of a car is the (BrE) boot / (AmE) trunk. A British car boot sale has no direct U.S. equivalent; in AmE, a car boot (or Denver boot) is a BrE wheel clamp. In AmE, boot is also used as a verb meaning "give the boot" (i.e., expel, dismiss).

• bottle: colloqual British uses of this word are 1) as a noun meaning "nerve, courage" <he's got some bottle> (similar to AmE moxie), 2) as a verb meaning "cease to do something through fear" <he's bottled out> <he bottled it>, probably from Cockney rhyming slang (bottle and glass = arse).

• box: many senses are peculiar to one dialect.

In BrE: a genital protector used in cricket (AmE similar: cup); a box stall in a barn; a gift in a box (hence Boxing Day); a signal box is the equivalent of an American interlocking tower; the witness box is the AmE witness stand; a telephone box (also call box, q.v.) is a telephone booth; the box is (orig. AmE (WNWCD), now BrE) slang for television; see also box junction.

In AmE: a box car is a type of railroad freight car similar to a BrE goods van; a box canyon is a canyon with vertical walls.

In sports, a box is one of various areas on many sports fields: see penalty box (hockey), penalty area (football/soccer; in BrE, the box refers to the penalty area), batter's box, catcher's box, coach's boxes (baseball).

• braces: In BrE, braces hold up trousers (AmE: suspenders), and suspenders hold up stockings (AmE: garters). In AmE, braces refer to metal leg supports (BrE: callipers). Braces are also used to straighten teeth in both dialects. See also below.

• brackets: (enclosing punctuation)

() are brackets in BrE, parentheses in AmE or formal BrE (OALD);

[] are square brackets in BrE, brackets in AmE;

{} are braces in both (OALD), also curly brackets in BrE.

• brilliant: used in colloquial BrE to mean "great, excellent".

• bud: in AmE, shortening of 'buddy', used to address strangers assuming a non-existent familiarity; similar to BrE mate. In AmE, also slang for marijuana.

• buffet: in BrE rail terminology, a railway carriage containing a refreshment counter selling snacks and drinks, esp. on a train on which a full (BrE)restaurant car/(BrE & AmE)dining car service is not provided; the term buffet car was originally American (OED). In AmE, buffet is a term for a type of sideboard.

• bug: According to The Columbia Guide to Standard American English, "The noun means “an insect,” especially pests (in Britain, specifically “a bedbug”), and the term is Standard but usually nontechnical." The OED (1989) tags this sense "now chiefly dial. or US"; C2CD still associates it with AmE, but COD does not; learner's dictionaries suggest it is more frequent in AmE. The word has always been particularly common in AmE, where it has spawned many different usages, some of which are now standard in BrE ("defect in software", "an enthusiast of something", "covert listening device", and "to annoy"); according to OALD and CALD, the following senses are more common in AmE than BrE: "an important person" <a big bug>; "someone crazy" (as in firebug, a pyromaniac); "to go away, depart, also from a responsibility" (to bug out). The AmE sense "to go away" <bug out!> derives from BrE bugger (see fol.) Also note AmE ladybug (BrE: ladybird) and lightning bug, a common AmE name for the firefly.

• bugger: this BrE slang item has many senses; the original meaning is "a sodomite" or "to engage in anal sex". It is also a form of address for either a person or item, either jocular <he's a generous bugger> or less so <he's a mean bugger>. Bugger up means "to make a mess of something"; bugger off is used as a command meaning "go away" (cf. AmE bug off, see prec.). Buggered can mean "broken, not working" (typically of mechanical devices) <the engine's buggered> or "bothered" <I didn't do it. I couldn't be buggered>. Bugger all means "nothing" <I got bugger all for it>.

In AmE, bugger can be used as a term of endearment, often used for children, humorously or affectionately.

• buggy: in the past, a horse-drawn lightweight carriage that was made with two wheels in Britain and four in the US. In the context of baby transport, it is synonymous with pushchair in the UK (AmE: stroller), and with baby carriage in the US (BrE: pram). In BrE, it can also refer to any of various light carts or cars <a golf buggy>; in the Southern US, it can refer to a shopping cart (BrE: trolley). The swamp buggy is American, and so is the set phrase horse and buggy (BrE: horse and carriage).

• bum: BrE slang for the buttocks; AmE butt, which is actually known in BrE, is similar. A BrE bum bag is an AmE fanny pack (more s.v. fanny). In BrE, bum is also a verb meaning "to have anal sex" (vulgar slang). In AmE, bum is a pejorative term for a vagrant or homeless person; as an adjective, it means "of poor quality"; also used as a verb meaning "to sadden", often with out. The verb sense "to sponge" is used in both varieties.

• bumps: two senses are peculiar to the UK: bumps race, a type of rowing race, and the bumps, a birthday tradition.

• bureau: in the context of furniture, it refers to a type of writing table in BrE and to a type of chest of drawers in AmE.

• burn: in Scotland and Northern England, a brook (see s.v. creek).

• bus: BrE distinguishes between a bus and a coach (q.v.). The sense "to clear (tables) in a restaurant" is American, and so is the related noun busboy.

• butcher, butchery: the original sense of butchery is "slaughterhouse", tagged as British by MW, but absent from learners' dictionaries. To have a butcher's is BrE slang for "have a look" (Cockney rhyming slang, from butcher's hook). In AmE, to butcher can mean "to botch" <butcher it up> <I butchered the spelling>; the related noun is butchery.

• butt: a "now chiefly North American colloquial" (C2CD) term for the buttocks, often used as an euphemism for ass; see s.v. bum. In AmE, butt in and butt out are complementary terms (meaning "to interfere" and "to stop interfering"); only the former is established in BrE, according to COD and C2CD.

• buzzard: in the UK, a hawk of the genus Buteo; in the US, a vulture (as the turkey vulture).

C

• call box: see s.v. telephone.

• call for: it can mean "to predict, anticipate" in AmE <the forecast calls for rain>; the sense "to require" is shared.

• campground and campsite: AmE campground equates to BrE campsite (or camping site); in AmE, a campsite is a spot for a particular person or group to camp, often within a campground (BrE: pitch).

• candy: the generic term for (certain types of) confectionery is candy in AmE and sweets in BrE. In BrE, candy is used in candy floss (AmE: cotton candy). In AmE, the word spawned eye candy (someone particular attractive in a sexy way) and the first name Candy. The verb candy is used in both dialects.

• canfield: BrE canfield is AmE Klondike, while AmE canfield is BrE Demon. (Both are (BrE) patience / (AmE) solitaire card games.)

• car: the general AmE term for a nonpowered unit in a railroad/railway train <a railroad car> <a passenger/freight/parlor/dining/baggage etc. car>. In BrE, car was used for street tramway vehicles; in railway contexts, the general terms are carriage, coach, and wagon, but car can be found in combination (as in restaurant car, a BrE synonym for dining car, which is used in both dialects; see s.v. buffet). In AmE, car also refers to a (BrE) lift / (AmE) elevator cage. A car is an automobile in both dialects; in BrE, the term motor car (or motorcar) is synonymous with this, while in AmE it refers to a a self-propelled railway car. Both COD and C2CD associate automobile with AmE.

• caravan: a towed vehicle used on (BrE) holiday / (AmE) vacation is a caravan in BrE and a (travel) trailer in AmE; BrE also uses caravan as a verb <to go caravanning>.

• caretaker: in England, one who takes care of a (usu. state-owned) building, as a school; called a janitor in the US and Scotland, also a custodian in the US. In the UK, a caretaker can also be “a person put in charge of a farm from which the tenant has been evicted” (The Times, 1868); on the other hand, the sense "one who takes care of real estate in exchange for rent-free living accommodations" is "especially American" in OALD.

• carnival: a BrE funfair is an AmE carnival. (Carnival is also a festival season in some cultures.)

• carriage: in BrE, a railway non-powered vehicle for passengers (see more s.v. car and coach); it can also refer to conveying of goods or the price paid for it <carriage-paid>, i.e. "handling." In AmE, a baby carriage is a BrE pram; in parts of New England and New Jersey, a (shopping) carriage is a (AmE) shopping cart / (BrE) trolley.

• cart: in AmE, it can refer to any of various lightweight wheeled vehicles, as for shopping, serving, carrying baggage, etc., and is similar to BrE trolley (but an AmE golf cart is a BrE golf buggy). In BrE, the cart can be a difficult or embarrassing state <he was put in the cart>. Horse-drawn carts (used to) exist in both countries.

• catapult: in BrE, it can also refer to the small Y-shaped handheld projectile weapon known as a slingshot in AmE.

• chap: In BrE, chap is used to refer to a man or boy; the plural chaps (as in <the chaps>, one's friends) is however increasingly used for people of either sex; the orig. AmE the guys has now become a more popular phrase in the UK; see further s.v. guy. In AmE, chaps (short for chaparejos or chaparajos, sometimes pronounced /ʃæps/) are leather leggings worn by cowboys and designed to protect the legs against thorns (sometimes pronounced shaps). In the UK, chaps can also refer to cheeks, as in Bath chaps, stewed pigs' cheeks.

• check: several senses are primarily American. At the restaurant, Americans most commonly ask for the check and Britons for the bill; the check or check mark is the mark ✓ known in BrE as a tick; to check can mean "to leave items in the care of someone else" (e.g. at a cloakroom) <check your coat>; hence checkroom. Finally, check is the U.S. spelling of UK cheque.

• checker: in AmE, a store or shop cashier (usu. a grocery store). The board game called draughts in BrE is called checkers in AmE. Finally, checker is also the US spelling of UK chequer "pattern of alternating coloured squares".

• cheers: a very frequent interjection in the UK, where it is used informally to express gratitude or on parting (both dialects use it as a toast or valediction). BrE cheerio, which is becoming old-fashioned, is used on parting.

• chemist: a BrE (dispensing) chemist is similar to an AmE druggist; hence BrE chemist's (shop) (or just chemist) and AmE drugstore. The word pharmacist is used in both dialects.

• chip in: esp. in BrE, it can be synonymous with chime in (as in a conversation); the sense "contribute (as money)", originally American, is used in both dialects.

• chips: AmE french fries are BrE chips; AmE (potato) chips are BrE crisps. In the UK, chips are usu. thicker cut than American fries; the thinner variant found in US-influenced fast food restaurants can be referred to as french fries. The (orig. British) phrase fish and chips usu. (but seemingly not always, see article) has the same meaning in the US.

• chippie, chippy: in BrE, slang for a carpenter or a fish-and-chip shop. In AmE, dated slang for a loose woman.

• chum: in AmE, waste products from fish processing (heads, tails, blood etc.) used to attract fish (often, sharks); to chum is to use chum to attract fish <we chummed the water all morning, but never spotted any dorsal fins>. It has some crossover usage metaphorically in non-fishing situations. In the UK, Chum (officially Pedigree Chum) is a brand of dog food. Chum "friend" is known (and old-fashioned) in both dialects.

• Cinderella: in sports, this term has opposite meanings in the UK and US. In BrE, a Cinderella team usually underachieves, or is overshadowed by successful neighbouring rivals; in AmE, a Cinderella is a lowly team or individual which enjoys an unexpectedly good run in a tournament.

F

• fire engine, fire truck: the first is used in Britain; both are used in the U.S. (albeit with different meanings for firefighters; see fire apparatus).

L

• lawyer. In the UK, there are two types of lawyers: a barrister (advocate in Scotland) is qualified to give specialist legal advice and argue a case in both higher and lower law courts; a solicitor advises clients, represents them in the lower courts, and prepares cases for barristers to try in higher courts. The U.S. legal system has a united legal profession, and a person licensed to practise law is an attorney at law, attorney, or just lawyer. The power of attorney and the Attorney General exist in both countries. In much of the U.S., the District attorney is the local public official who represents the government in the prosecution of criminals; the British equivalent is the Director of Public Prosecutions. In parts of the U.S., a solicitor may be the chief legal officer of a city or town; cities in other states simply have city attorneys. Some U.S. counties and states as well as the federal government have an official known as a Solicitor General who is actually more of an advocate than a solicitor in the traditional British sense. Finally, in non-legal AmE usage, a solicitor is "a person who seeks business or contributions from others; an advertiser or promoter" (Black's Law Dictionary, 7th edition); the BrE equivalent term is tout.

M

• mad. The meaning "insane" is more common in BrE, while the meaning "crazy" is more common in AmE (PETERS)(MFW). In (orig. hip-hop) AmE slang, also used as an adverb meaning "very".

O

• overall: in BrE, an overall (sing.) is a loose-fitting protective outer garment; BrE overalls (pl.) is similar to AmE coveralls; in AmE, overalls (pl.) are like BrE dungarees. More s.v. boiler.

P

• post: in AmE, mail refers to the postal system and the material it delivers; in BrE, post is more common for both senses, but mail is also used. However, the British and American national postal services are called, respectively, the Royal Mail and the United States Postal Service. To send a letter is to (BrE) post / (AmE) mail it. The person who delivers the post/mail is the postman in BrE (and sometimes in AmE), the mail carrier/letter carrier/mailman in AmE. The AmE term mailbox can refer to either a public box for outgoing mail (BrE: post box) or a private box for incoming mail (BrE: letter box). In the UK, several types of post boxes exist, such as the lamp box, the pillar box, and the wall box. (The traditional bright-red colour of a British pillar box is known as pillar-box red.) A BrE letter box can also be a slot in a door; this can be called a mail slot in AmE. Registered mail and mailbag are used in both dialects, but BrE has also registered post and postbag. AmE certified mail is recorded delivery in BrE. A BrE postal order is like an AmE money order (or postal money order if the context is ambiguous). Many other compounds are identical in both dialects (post office, parcel post, postcard, airmail, mail order, junk mail). BrE poste restante is AmE general delivery.

A mostly American meaning of the verb post is "to announce" <the company posted a first-quarter profit of $100 million>; the sense "to inform" (as in <keep me posted>) also is an Americanism, but is used in BrE as well. Finally, the AmE slang idiom to go postal means "to commit a sudden, irrational burst of rage".

The original meanings of the word mail ("chiefly Scottish" in MW) are "a payment (tax, rent, etc.)" and "a travelling bag or pack".

R

• rubbish, garbage, trash: In AmE, garbage and trash are sometimes interchangeable, although technically garbage is wet and trash is dry. In BrE rubbish covers both; it is also found in AmE as a technical term with a meaning similar to "trash." In BrE, to rubbish is also a verb meaning "to criticize." In compounds, dust is used in BrE, garbage or trash in AmE: dustbin / garbage can or trash can; dustman / garbage man, garbage collector, trash collector. Also, BrE bin bag / AmE garbage bag or trash bag.

S

• slate. As a verb, it can mean "to disparage" in BrE <many critics have slated the film>; the meaning "schedule" <slated for demolition>, originally American, is now found in BrE also; a mostly American sense is "to designate" (a candidate, as for political office). (OALD)

See also

Nothing to see. Move along.