A Handbook of British-English Words and Phrases

Irish playwright and wit George Bernard Shaw once remarked that "England and
America are two countries separated by the same language." If you wonder what Shaw
was talking about, just peruse this handy "translating tool" of words, phrases, and
expressions in British and American English. Then when a British citizen points out a
"sleeping policeman" in the street, you'll stay calm, knowing it's just a speed bump (not
a body).

BRITISH ENGLISH AMERICAN ENGLISH

At School At School
A3 large paper
A4 notebook paper
biro pens ballpoint pens
brackets ( ) parentheses
call the register call the roll, take attendance
contract bus school bus
creche (day nursery) day care
deputy head vice principal
diary calendar
dining hall, cafeteria cafeteria
drawing pins pushpins or thumbtacks
full stop (.) period (.)
headmaster, headmistress, head
principal
teacher
home education homeschooling
induction day orientation day
ink printer rubber stamp
journal diary
marks grades
mark books grade papers
mark scheme grading key
maths math
"mucking around" off task
one-to-one teaching one-on-one teaching
open evening open house
pin board bulletin board
plasticene modeling clay
play time (younger students) recess
plimsolls gym shoes
practicals labs
Pritt Stix glue sticks
rubbers erasers
schedule timetable
school's finished (expression) school's out
spellings spelling
staff room teacher's lounge
term semester
ticks, tick marks check marks
trialling (verb) field-testing
to truant (verb) to skip school, to cut classes
zed (pronunciation of the letter
zee (pronunciation of the letter "z")
"z")
Food, Cooking, and Cleaning Food, Cooking, and Cleaning
aubergine eggplant
banger sausage
biscuit cookie
biscuit mixture cookie dough
caster sugar sugar
cooker stove
cookery book cookbook
cornflour cornstarch
courgettes zucchini
chips french fries
crisps potato chips
egg box egg carton
fairy cakes cup cakes
hoover, hoovering vacuum, vacuuming
hundreds and thousands sprinkles (on cakes)
ice lolly Popsicle
icing frosting
jam (a spread for bread) jelly or jam
jelly Jell-O, gelatin
jug pitcher
kitchen foil aluminum foil
pastry bowl mixing bowl
plastic film plastic wrap
polka dots chocolate chips
spring onions scallions
squash concentrate (as in Kool-aid)
sweets candy
tap faucet, tap
washing powder laundry detergent (powder)
washing-up liquid dishwashing detergent
Clothing and Appearance Clothing and Appearance
bunches pigtails
fringe bangs
homely (pleasant) homely (unattractive)
jumper sweater or turtleneck
knickers (women and children) lingerie
nappy diaper
pinafore dress jumper
plait braid
swimming costume bathing suit
trainers sneakers, running shoes
trousers pants
vest undershirt
waistcoat vest
Wellingtons, Wellies rain boots
zip zipper
Transportation Transportation
articulated lorries big rigs, semis
arctics (articulated lorries for
refrigerated trucks
refrigerated goods)
bonnet (of a car) hood (of a car)
boot (of a car) trunk (of a car)
buggy stroller
car park parking lot
contract bus school bus
hard shoulder pavement
lift elevator
lorry, lorry driver truck, truck driver
motorway highway, freeway
overtake a car pass a car
pavement sidewalk
pedestrian crossing crosswalk
petrol gasoline
petrol station gas station
pram baby carriage
carriage railroad passenger car
reverse a car back up a car
sleeping policemen (named after
the appearance of the former
speed bumps
London "bobbies" in their tall,
rounded hats)
transport transportation
Miscellaneous Miscellaneous
American football football
back garden back yard
boot sale (selling goods from the
n/a
boots, or trunks, of cars)
cardboard plate paper plate
charity shop thrift shop, second-hand store
cot (child's bed) crib, baby bed
cotton reel spool
cotton-wool balls cotton balls
cutting (noun, news clipping) clipping (noun, news clipping)
day diary appointment book or calendar
DIY store hardware store, home building center
doctor's surgery doctor's office
dog basket dog bed
dummy (for a baby) pacifier
dustbin garbage can, trash can
elastic band rubber band
electricity board power company, electric company
estate agent real estate agent
first floor second floor
flat apartment
flex electric cord
football soccer
foyer (of a building) lobby
ground floor first floor
rummage sale, garage sale, flea
jumble sale
market
hire (v.) rent, lease
holiday (go on holiday) vacation (go on, or take, a vacation)
hose pipe hose
landslip landslide
lead (for a dog) leash
letter box mailbox, postbox
litter bin wastebasket, wastepaper basket
loo restroom
ministry (government body, e.g., department (e.g., Dept. of
Ministry of Agriculture) Agriculture)
mum, mummy (for "mother") mom, mommy
newsagents newsstand
ordinary regular
packaging packing suitcases
packet carton, box
picture house movie theater
pitch field
post (verb) mail (verb)
postal code zip code
to queue to line up

ring (verb) call or phone (verb)

roundabout merry-go-round, carousel

rubbish garbage
skipping rope jump rope
skittles bowling pins
sleep-over slumber party
stick (verb) paste
take-away take-out
torch flashlight
Expressions Expressions
Give it a go. Try it. / Give it a try.
I'm knackered. I'm tired.
Spot on! You've got it!
That's wicked! / That's wicked
That's great!
good!
"winding me up" or "taking the
"pressing my buttons" (teasing)
mick"
To suss somebody out To figure somebody out
Abbreviating Dates and Times Abbreviating Dates and Times
Date: 9/8/00 (day/month/year) Date: 9/8/00 (month/day/year)
means 9 August 2000 means September 8, 2000
Time: 10.05 (uses a period) Time: 10:05 (uses a colon)
Spelling Spelling
aeroplane airplane
aluminium aluminum
analyse analyze
appertaining pertaining
artefacts artifacts
behaviour behavior
centimetre centimeter
centre center
coat-hanger coat hanger
colour color
defence defense
favourite favorite
forwards forward
jewellery jewelry
kilometre kilometer
metre meter
mould (as in "fungus") mold
programme program
tonnes tons
travelled traveled
traveller traveler
tyres tires

British Sayings/idioms

'Bob's your uncle'

It is added to the end of sentences to mean that something will be successful.

Origin of Bob's your Uncle

"Bob's your Uncle" is a way of saying "you're all set" or "you've got it made." It's a
catch phrase dating back to 1887, when British Prime Minister Robert Cecil (a.k.a.
Lord Salisbury) decided to appoint a certain Arthur Balfour to the prestigious and
sensitive post of Chief Secretary for Ireland.

Not lost on the British public was the fact that Lord Salisbury just happened to be
better known to Arthur Balfour as "Uncle Bob." In the resulting furor over what was
seen as an act of blatant nepotism, "Bob's your uncle" became a popular sarcastic
comment applied to any situation where the outcome was preordained by favoritism.
As the scandal faded in public memory, the phrase lost its edge and became just a
synonym for "no problem."
By James Harris

'Keep your pecker up'

Remain cheerful - keep your head held high.
'Big girl's blouse'
A weakling; an ineffectual person.

'Burning the Candle at Both Ends'

Working for many hours without getting enough rest

'Eyes are bigger than your belly'

Think you can eat more than you can
'My eyes were bigger than my belly, I couldn't eat every thing I had put on my plate'

'Sleep Tight'
Have a good nights sleep

'Gordon Bennett'
An exclamation of surprise

'Stone the crows'

An exclamation of annoyance.

'Tie the Knot'

Get Married

'Talk the hind legs off a donkey'

A person who is excessively or extremely talkative can talk the hind legs off a donkey.

'I'll put the Kettle on'

Let me make you a cup of tea

'Do you want a brew?'

Do you want some tea?

'Leg it'
Run extremely fast

'As queer as a nine bob note'

Odd or unusual

'Popped his/her cloggs'

He/she has passed awat (died)

British Proverbs

'Every cloud has a silver lining'

There's always something good in bad times.

'A stitch in time saves nine'

Act early and you can save a lot of time.

'Nothing ventured nothing gained'

You have to try or you won't get anything.
'Out of the frying pan into the fire'
From one problem to another.

'One man's meat is another man's poison'

People often don't like the same things.

'Don't look a gift horse in the mouth'

Don't question good luck.

'You can lead a horse to water, but you cannot make it drink'
You can give a person a chance, but you can't make him or her take it.

'The grass is always greener on the other side'

You always think that other peoples lives are better than yours.

'The best things in life are free'

We don't have to pay for the things that are really valuable, like love, friendship, good
health etc.

'Don't cross your bridges before you come to them'

Don't worry about problems before they arrive.

'It was the last straw that broke the camel's back'
There is a limit to everything. We can load the camel with lots of straw, but finally it
will be too much and the camel's back will break. And it is only a single straw that
breaks its back - the last straw.

This can be applied to many things in life. People often say "That's the last straw!"
when they will not accept any more of something.

'Where there's a will there's a way'

If we have the determination to do something, we can always find the path or method to
do it.

'Marry in haste, and repent at leisure'

If we get married quickly, without thinking carefully, we may be sorry later. And we
will have plenty of time to be sorry.

'The best advice is found on the pillow'

If we have a problem, we may find the answer after a good night's sleep.

People also say: "I'll sleep on it."

'You can't judge a book by its cover'

We need to read a book to know if it's good or bad. We cannot know what it's like just
by looking at the front or back cover. This proverb is applied to everything, not only
books.

'Bad news travels fast'

'Bad news' means news about 'bad' things like accidents, death, illness etc. People tend
to tell this type of news quickly. But 'good news' (passing an exam, winning some
money, getting a job etc) travels more slowly.

'Birds of a feather flock together'

Birds of a feather means birds of the same type. The whole proverb means that people
of the same type or sort stay together. They don't mix with people of another type

'Live and let live'

This proverb suggest that we should not interfere in other people's business. We should
live our own lives and let others live their lives.

'The way to a man's heart is through his stomach'

Many women have won a man's love by cooking delicious meals for him. They fed his
stomach and found love in his heart.

'Better untaught than ill taught.'

This proverb drops the verb "to be". But we understand: "It is better not to be taught at
all than to be taught badly." It's better not to learn something than to learn it badly.

'Soon learnt, soon forgotten'

Something that is easy to learn is easy to forget.

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