British English/American English Glossary

At the hotel

En Suite – Private bath.

Engaged – Busy (telephone).

First floor – Second floor.

Flannel – Face cloth, wash cloth.

Ground floor – First floor.

Half tester – Semi four-poster.

Lift – Elevator.

Left luggage – The baggage room.

Service flat – Rental apartment with cleaning service.

Sponge bag – Plastic bag for toilet articles.

Two singles – Twin beds.

Way out – Exit.

At the Restaurant and Pub

Aubergine – Eggplant.

Barley wine – Extremely strong ale.

Beef Pudding – meat pie that has been boiled or steamed.

Beetroot – Beets.

Bill – Check.

Biscuits – Crackers. Sweet biscuits are usually commercially packaged cookies.

Bitter – Dry ales made with pale malt and enough hops to produce a good `bitter' bite.

Bloater – A smoked herring. Bloater paste is a sandwich spread.

Brawn – Pickled meat, often similar to headcheese.

Bread Sauce – A limp but tasty mixture of bread crumbs, milk and onions. Frequently accompanies roast chicken.

Broad beans – Lima bean like beans.

Bubble and Squeak – Reheated leftover beef and mashed potatoes, freshly-cooked greens (usually cabbage) and a bit of onion. Tastes better than it sounds.

Cawl O Gig Dafad – Welsh leek soup.

Caws Toast – Welsh rarebit.

Champ – Irish mashed potato dish with scallions.

Cheddar Cheese – Ranges from mild to sharp. Some varieties are white.

Chips – French fried potatoes

Cider – Alcoholic apple cider; nonalcoholic cider is called apple juice.

Cig Der Cymru – Welsh roast lamb.

Cockles – Shellfish similar to oysters.

Coffee, white – Coffee with cream.

Colchesters – Oysters from the famous beds at Colchester.

Collops – Small, boneless pieces of meat.

Cornish Pasties – Beef, potatoes and onions in a pie crust turnover.

Couregettes – Zucchini.

Crisps – Potato chips.

Crumpets – Tea-time delicacy; these airy muffins are eaten with lots of butter and jam.

Cuppa or cupper – Cup of tea.

Demerara sugar – Crystallized brown sugar, mostly for coffee.

Devonshire Cream – A thick clotted cream often combined with jam as a tea-time spread for bread or scones.

Dover Sole – Undoubtedly, the best fish you will ever eat.

Exeter Stew – Combination of beef, onions, dumplings.

Finnan Haddie – Smoked haddock; a breakfast specialty.

Flan – Tart filled with fruit or custard.

Fool – Any fruit that has been pureed and mixed with sugar and cream.

Fry – A "pig's fry" or a "lamb's fry" is a savory mixture of heart, eyes, liver and sweetbreads.

Gammon – Lean bacon, usually boiled.

Haricots – Dried beans.

Hot Pot – A stew of beef, tripe and vegetables.

Hwyader Hallt Ferwedig – Welsh boiled, salted duck.

Ice – Ice cream.

Iced lolly – Popsicle.

Jelly – Jell-O.

John Dory – A fish similar to turbot.

Kedgeree – Breakfast dish of fish and boiled eggs.

Kippers – Small salted, smoked herrings.

Lager – Lighter than bitter; the closest equivalent to American beer.

Laver – Edible seaweed gathered in Wales and used as a breakfast dish, as an hors d'oeuvre and in salads.

Lemon Cheese – Like the filling in an American lemon pie. Used to fill tiny tarts, or as a toast spread.

Licensed – Alcohol is served.

Maize – Corn.

Marrow – Squash.

Melton Mowbray Pie – Cubes of tongue, veal, pork, with hard-boiled eggs, mustard, pickles, gravy, etc., topped with a thick crust.

Mild – Sweetish, dark ale.

Mince – Ground beef.

Mulled – Heated, sweetened and spiced. Usually applies or wines.

Mustard – Careful! The English version much hotter than the American.

Neat – Straight, without ice.

Pastai Cig Moch a Chenin – Welsh leek and onion pie.

Pastai Penfro – Welsh mutton pie.

Pasty – Pastry turnover, especially Cornish, filled with potatoes, turnips, and often meat.

Pimm's Cup – A gin drink served on ice with mint and slices of cucumber and lemon; primarily an up-scale drink.

Plaice – A good fish similar to sole.

Poor Knights Of Windsor – French toast flavored with wine.

Porter – A weak stout.

Porridge – Oatmeal.

Pub (public house) – A tavern. A free house belongs to the proprietor; a tied house is owned by a brewery.

Public bar – The stand-up section of a pub; slightly cheaper than the saloon.

Pwdin Yrwyddfa – Welsh steamed fruit pudding.

Real ale – Draft beer, brewed using traditional methods, stored in a wooden keg and hand pumped.

Saloon – Portion of a pub with seats and slightly higher prices; still considered in some circles the only proper side for a lady.

Sausage – A generic term that even includes frankfurters. Cocktail sausages sometimes appear at breakfast with scrambled eggs.

Savoury – Richly seasoned tidbit of meat, fish, eggs or cheese that follows a sweet dessert.

Scone – Type of biscuit.

Scratchins – Cracklings.

Serviette – Table napkin.

Shandy – Lemonade mixed with bitter.

Soda – Soda water only.

Spotted Dick, plum duff – Suet pudding with raisins or currants.

Squash – Fruit-flavored drink.

Squashed flies – Flat raisin cookies.

Star Gazy Pie – Deep-dish Cornish pie stuffed with herrings.

Stilton Cheese – You can tell it's aristocratic by its blue veins, similar to blue cheese.

Stout – Dark, heavy-bodied brew made like ale, but with roasted barley or malt added.

Sultana – Raisin.

Swede – Rutabaga, yellow turnip.

Sweet – Dessert.

Sweetmeats, Sweets – Candy.

Swiss roll – Jelly roll.

Take-away – A restaurant which serves food to go.

Tart – Round pastry, may range in size from 2" in diameter to a full-size pie.

Teisen Berffro – Welsh shortbread.

Teisen Lys – Welsh cranberry tart.

Tipsy Pudding – Rum soaked pudding.

Toad-in-a-Hole – Sausage baked in batter.

Treacle – Molasses.

Trifle – Glorious combination of sponge cake, jam, wine, whipped cream and custard and jelly.

Welsh Cawl – Like a New England boiled dinner, but the meat is apt to be mutton.

Whisky – Scotch; Irish whiskey has a less smoky flavor.

Wholemeal – Whole wheat.

On the road

AA – Automobile Association.

Bobby – Policeman.

Bonnet – Car hood.

Boot – Car trunk.

Charabanc – Sight-seeing bus.

Circus – Traffic circle.

Coach – Bus.

Dipped headlights – Dimmed lights, low beams.

Diversion – Detour.

Double bend – S-curve.

Dual carriage way – Divided highway.

Estate car – Station wagon.

Flyover – Highway overpass,

Give way – Yield.

Headway – Overhead clearance.

Kerb – Curb.

Lorry -- Truck

Motorway – Freeway.

Mud guard – Fender.

Number plate – License plate.

Overtake - Pass.

Panda – Black and white police car.

Pavement – Sidewalk

Petrol – Gasoline.

Priority – Right of way.

RAC – Royal Automobile Club.

Round about – Traffic circle.

Saloon (car) – Sedan.

Silencer – car muffler.

Sleeping policeman – Speed bump.

Spanner – Monkey wrench.

Tip – Dump garbage or trash; No tipping.

Tyre – Tire.

Verges – Road shoulders.

Way out – Exit.

Windscreen – Windshield.

Wing – Fender.

Zebra crossing – Pedestrian crossing.

Out and about

Badge – Slogan button like a political button.

Bank holiday – Public holiday, usually a Monday.

Bank note – Paper money.

Barrister – A lawyer who argues in court.

Bath-chair – Wheelchair.

Bathroom – A room with a tub or shower, but not always a toilet. See lavatory.

Bespoke – Custom made.

Biro – Ball-point pen.

Bobby – Policeman.

Bomb – In reference to a performance, a hit.

Braces – Suspenders.

Brolly – Umbrella.

Caravan – Camping trailer.

Chemist shop – Drug store, pharmacy.

Cinema – Movie theater.

Cloakroom – Restroom.

Cotton – Thread; a reel of cotton is a spool of thread

Daft – Slightly insane, ill-advised; also barmy, bonkers, crackers, round the bend.

Dear – Expensive.

Drawing pin – Thumbtack.

Dustbin – Trash can.

Elastoplast – Band-aid.

Estate agent – Real estate agent.

Fag – Cigarette.

Flat – Apartment.

Football – Soccer.

Gamp – Umbrella.

Garden – Yard.

Gramophone – Phonograph.

Headway – Overhead clearance.

Hire purchase – Buy on the installment plan.

Hoover – Vacuum cleaner.

Ill – Sick, not well.

Interval – Theater intermission.

Ironmonger's – Hardware store.

Jumper – Pullover sweater.

Knock up – In a hotel or B & B, to wake up: Would you knock us up at 8 a.m.?

Lavatory – Bathroom.

Left luggage – The baggage room.

To let – For rent.

Lift – Elevator.

Loo – Toilet.

Mackintosh, mac – Raincoat.

Mad – insane, not angry.

Nappy – Diaper.

Newsagent – Newsstand.

Nought – In reference to numbers, zero.

OAP – Old Age Pensioner.

Off-license – Liquor store.

Panda – Black and white police car.

Pants – Men's underpants, not trousers or slacks.

Pavement – Sidewalk

Pillar box, Post-box – mailbox

Pinafore dress – Jumper.

Plimsolls – Sneakers.

Polo neck – Turtleneck.

Post – Mail.

Pram (perambulator) – Baby carriage.

Public school – Private school.

Pushchair – Baby stroller.

Queue – Line of people.

Quid – Slang for a pound (£).

Redundant – Out of work, laid off.

Ring up – To call on the telephone.

Rubber – Eraser.

Sellotape – Cellophane tape.

Service flat – Rental apartment with cleaning service.

Shopping trolley – Shopping card.

Sick – Nauseated.

Single or return – One-way ticket or round-trip.

Solicitor – A lawyer who outside the court room.

Stalls – Orchestra seating.

State School – Public school.

Sticking plaster – Band-aid or adhesive tape.

Subway – Pedestrian underpass.

Surgery – A doctor's or dentist's office.

Suspenders – Garters.

Ta – Thanks.

Telephone box, kiosk – Phone booth.

Telly – Television.

The pictures – Motion pictures, movies.

Tights – Panty hose.

Tin – Can of food.

Torch – flashlight.

Trunk call – long distance.

Tube – Subway.

Twee – Cutesy.

Underground – Subway.

VAT – Value-added tax.

Vest – Undershirt.

Waistcoat – Vest.

Water closet, wc – Toilet.

Way out – Exit.

Wellingtons, wellies – Knee-high rubber boots.

Windcheater – Windbreaker.

Zed – The letter "z".

Thanks to Mike Richardson of Oxford for his comments on the Glossary.