A

Word British English meanings Meanings common to British American English meanings and American English Alcoholics Anonymous

AA

The Automobile Association (US: AAA) the accident and emergency (casualty) department of a hospital (US: emergency room, ER)[1] rechargeable battery (archaic)[2] one that accumulates, as a type of computer processor register or a hydraulic [2] a type of bet [3] (US: parlay) accumulator good, excellent (1980s slang) a one in a suit of playing cards someone who is very good at something. A term in tennis for a point won for the server without the opponent returning his or her serve. fighter pilot who has shot down at least 5 enemy aircraft someone who supports or speaks for a particular position generic term for a lawyer (v.) to recommend or support an undercover law enforcement officer on board a commercial aircraft, also known as a sky marshal fashionable

A&E

Arts & Entertainment (name of a television network)[1]

accumulator

ace

(v.) to perform outstandingly *; esp., to achieve an A (on a school exam) the best starting pitcher in a rotation on a baseball team

advocate (n.)

Scottish also the Isle of Man, Channel Islands and South African lawyer who appears in higher courts (rest of UK: barrister) a senior air force officer (equivalent to a USAF Lt. General)

air marshal

la mode

with ice cream (ex. Apple pie la mode) (adj.) constituting an alternative, offering a choice (UK usu. & US also

alternate

(adj.) done or occurring by turns; every second, every other ("on alternate weeks")

(n.) one that alternates with another

alternative) ("use alternate routes") "alternative", unconventional ("alternate lifestyles") (n.) an alternative *; a substitute

amber

traffic light of this colour (US: yellow light)

orange-yellow colour fossilised resin; a material used in the construction of some tobacco pipes' stems, female given name; (sealed in amber) state of being oblivious to changing circumstances a critical care experienced graduate level educated Registered Nurse who is nationally certified to induce anesthesia

ansthetist (UK), anesthetist (US)

physician trained to induce someone who induces anesthesia (US: anesthesia. anesthesiologist)

anchor

(1) a position in a tug of war a type of radio or TV team presenter ("a news anchor"). See news presenter for a (2) device for mooring ships description of the different by providing a firm fix to the roles of a newscaster, an American news anchor, and seabed (3) (anchorman/anchorwoman) a British newsreader. the last member of a relay team to compete a parka hooded, rainproof outerwear (slang) a socially awkward that lacks a full-length zipper person obsessively in the front (UK: cagoule) interested in something (syn. US: geek, nerd; dweeb; etc.) suite of rooms set aside for a particular person (rare), usu. rented housing unit in a larger building implying luxury (In other words a narrower definition than the usu. rented housing unit in a larger building (usu. flat in UK) cf. s.v. condominium

anorak

apartment

US.) appropriate to take (money) to oneself, to take and assign (money) to dispense (money), to (v.), to filch or misappropriate (there is considerable overlap budget appropriation but difference of emphasis) (n.) Asian originating from India, originating from the continent originating from East Asia or Pakistan, Bangladesh or Sri of Asia continental Southeast Asia Lanka (South Asian) donkey slow-witted or stupid person, often in combination (dumbass) (often vulgar) buttocks (UK: arse); also, by synecdoche, the person ("your ass is dead"); also (vulgar) anus (short for asshole) (vulgar) sex ("get some ass") (adv.) a postpositive intensive (i.e., to add emphasis to an adjective) ("He drove a big-ass truck") kick-ass: to beat up or beat, e.g. "I am going to kick his ass" or, more positively, something that beat (did better than) everything else, e.g. "The opening band was kick-ass." (vulgar) someone acting inappropriately or offensively ("That guy was an ass!") Athletic sports in general, (e.g. College athletics)

ass

athletics

Sport comprising the events in track and field, cross country running, road running and racewalking an agent or representative authorised to act on someone else's behalf ("attorney-infact", "power of attorney") (Attorney General) main legal advisor to the government

attorney

(or attorney-at-law) a lawyer (UK: barrister (England, Northern Ireland, Wales)/advocate (Scotland) or solicitor, depending on the actual profession) (District attorney, prosecuting attorney) local public official who

represents the government in the prosecution of criminals (archaic in Br. Eng. for lawyer) aubergine the plant Solanum melongena, or the fruit thereof (US: eggplant) an aubergine-like colour (US also: eggplant)

awesome

inspiring awe, spectacular

great, "cool" *(largely used in the 1980s, recently revived; can have various connotations depending on context compare UK brilliant)

B
Word British English meanings Meanings common to British American English meanings and American English

balmy (adj.)

insane (although usually spelt (usu. climate) pleasantly barmy today) warm a type of firework a particularly club-friendly beat or song a gang member (gang-banger)

banger (n.) a sausage, as in "bangers and mash" an old motorcar in a state of disrepair (US: beater) bang(s)

small explosions or reports; locks of hair on forehead (v.) have sexual intercourse (UK: fringe) with (vulgar slang) ( e.g. "bang some chick" or "he's banging her") foundation, starting point; in baseball, one of the three many meanings in sciences, places a runner can stand in architecture, politics, military safety; hence in many fig. installation, etc.; see base senses, 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

base

sex; more s.v. home run bash masturbate (vulgar slang) (usu.Bash one out or Have a bash) (but Have a bash more often means the same as Have a go to try to achieve something, as in "have a bash at this crossword") an improvised shelter (shortened form of 'basha') (usu. pl.) swimming pool (v.) to bathe, or give a bath to, example have a bath (US: take a bath meaning bathe) to strike physically to attack verbally a party or celebration "they're having a little bash this weekend" (orig. US, but now probably more common in UK than US)

bath

(n.) plumbing fixture for bathing *(US: bathtub) (n.) the act of bathing a (financial) loss

(n.) a bathroom (esp. a half bath which has a sink and toilet but no shower stall or bathtub, or a 3/4 bath which has a sink, toilet, and shower stall, but no bathtub) room, in a home or hotel room, containing a toilet, related washing facilities, and often, but not necessarily, a shower or bathtub (Hence "Going to the bathroom" is a euphemism for going to the toilet even in a setting where one would not expect to find a bath, e.g. a restaurant or shop *) (a room without shower or bathtub may also be known as a powder room, but this usage may be considered dated)

bathroom

room containing a bath (US: bathtub) or shower, other washing facilities, and usu. (but not necessarily) a toilet

batty

arse, homosexual (orig. Jamaican word)

crazy, insane (slang)

beaker

drinking vessel without a flat-bottomed vessel, with a handle, or one (with or without lip, used as a laboratory handles) made of unbreakable container. plastic for the use of children (US: sippy cup) person who flushes game from concealment so it can be shot at by 'the guns' something or someone that used car or bicycle in very poor condition (UK: banger) (slang) wifebeater (q.v.) a sleeveless undershirt (from

beater

beats

the stereotype that poor men who wear them beat their wives, perhaps from Jackie Gleason in "The Honeymooners" TV series (50s/60s U.S.) or more likely from the costume of the character Stanley Kowalski in the play "A Streetcar Named Desire (play)") (UK: vest) female pubic hair (slang)

beaver

beard; a bearded man (archaic aquatic rodent known for slang) building dams woman's undepilated external genitalia (obscene slang) derogatory expression for a gay man, referring to the act of bending over to permit buggery. an expression for a binge drinking spree, referring to the act of bending over to vomit.

bender

bespoke

(esp. of apparel) made to the pret. of bespeak customer's specification (US: custom-made, tailor-made) The bill=the police (slang, poss. from Old Bill) invoice; request for payment a piece of paper money (UK: (also US: check, tab) note/banknote) a proposed law before it is voted on by a legislature thousand million (109) (now 109 most common in both UK and US) (traditional UK: milliard) (see also Long and short scales) (1) a waste container (2) a usu. large receptacle or container for storage ("a grain bin"; "Scrooge McDuck's money bin") insulting hand gesture involving shaking one's fist towards someone with knuckles pointing towards the

bill

billion

(traditionally) a million millions (1012) (US: trillion)

bin

(v.) to throw away. (bread bin) container for storing bread (US: breadbox)

bird (n.)

one's girlfriend or any young avian creature female (slang; getting rarer[4] an aircraft and considered derogatory by some)

prison sentence (slang)

person being insulted and the middle finger extended (used chiefly in flipping someone the bird) (slang) type of quick bread served with savory foods (UK: similar to a savoury scone, or similar in consistency to a croissant)

biscuit (n.) baked sweet or savoury cakelike item, usu. flat, which is hard when baked and softens over time (colloquially bikkies for sweet biscuits) (US: cookie (sweet biscuit), cracker savoury biscuit) (to take the biscuit) to be very surprising (US: take the cake) blinder (n.) excellent performance in a game or race (slang) "e.g. he played a blinder"

either of two flaps on a horse's bridle to keep it from seeing objects at its sides (UK: blinker, also used in US) (wear blinders) (colloq.) state of being oblivious, unresponsive to changing circumstances. Myopic, tunnel vision.

blinkers

leather flaps on a bridle used to restrict a horse's lateral vision*(US usu.: blinders) a building (block of flats, office block) a solid piece of something to obstruct

lights on a car that indicate the direction about to be taken *(UK: indicators) in a city, the portion of a street between adjacent intersections*or an informal rough unit of distance derived from the length of the same considered a euphemism for more emphatic swear words

block (n.)

bloody

expletive used to express anger having, covered with or ("bloody car") or shock accompanied by blood ("bloody hell"), or for emphasis ("not bloody likely") (slang, today only mildly vulgar) *(similar US: damn ("damn car")) to break wind to perform oral sex upon

blow off

to not turn up to meet somebody (UK: blow out) ("I'm just too busy, I'll have to

blow you off for this evening.") bog (n.) toilet (slightly vulgar slang) (bog off) go away (slightly vulgar slang, often jocular) wetland that accumulates appreciable peat deposits A plot of artificially floodable farmland used to grow cranberries (a cranberry bog) an unidentified aircraft, often assumed to be that of an enemy alternate spelling of "Bogie" (nickname of Humphrey Bogart) boiler (n.) 1.an old fowl best cooked by boiling; 1. device (usu. oil or gasfired) for heating water for central heating or hot water 2. (derogatory) an ugly woman *, "central heating boiler" (US furnace); (usually in the phrase "old boiler") vessel in which steam is generated bomb a striking success; used in the an explosive weapon phrases "go (like) a bomb" and "go down a bomb"; Go like a bomb also means, when used of a vehicle, to go very fast (v.) to be a failure ("the show bombed"); also as n. (n., used with the) something outstanding ("that show was the bomb"); sometimes spelled da bomb crew member of a bomber responsible for assisting the navigator in guiding the plane to a bombing target and releasing the aircraft's bomb load see Bombardier (air force) (UK: bomb aimer) blow to the head (n. and v.) to suffer glycogen depletion in an endurance sporting event; see hitting the wall A car (1930s slang)

bogey

dried nasal mucus usu. after the score of one over par in extraction from the nose (US: golf booger) (informal)

bombardier corporal in the Royal Artillery see Bombardier (rank)

bonk

act of sexual intercourse, or to have sexual intercourse (slightly vulgar slang) (US: boink) bonking off to masturbate.

bonnet

hinged cover over the engine in a car (US: hood) various types of Scottish or Irish soft hat

hat tied under chin worn by a baby or (archaically) a woman

boob (n.)

a mistake (slang); (v.) to make woman's breast (slightly a mistake (US: blooper) vulgar slang) woman's shoulderless, strapless top (US: tube top)

stupid person

boob tube

(the boob tube) television (slang) to (figuratively) lift up; to to (literally) lift up, especially improve, increase, revitalize. a person: booster cushion*, a cushion used to increase the height of a seat (esp. in a car) to steal, especially from a retail establishment (i.e., shoplift)

boost

boot

storage compartment of a car (US: trunk)

footwear covering lower leg (Denver boot, car boot) to kick something hard device used to render cars to start up a computer immobile (UK: wheel clamp) to expel (UK: give someone the boot *)("I have been given the Order of the Boot", Winston Churchill) to vomit (slang) the person you report to at work cool, totally awesome (slang) e.g. "That is a boss Zefron poster"

boss

bottle

courage ("he's got some bottle") (slang) (US: moxie) to fail to do something through fear ("he's bottled out", "he bottled it") (slang) to attack somebody with a broken bottle (slang) Give it some bottle=put some effort into it

container for liquids (the bottle) alcohol, heavy drinking (synecdochical slang)

box

a gift in a box, hence Boxing Day genital protector used in cricket (US similar: cup)

(n.) rigid container (v.) to attack using one's fists (n.) general-purpose computer (e. g. "this box

any of various areas on a baseball diamond (as for the batter, or the pitcher, the catcher, etc.)

(the box) television set (slang) (US: idiot box, boob tube) a box stall in a barn any of various box-like structures, such as: signal box (US: switch/signal/interlocking tower) telephone box (US & UK also: telephone booth), more at call box witness box (US: witness stand) either one of the two marked areas adjacent to the goalmouth on an association football pitch (see here) see also box junction brace bracers braces over-the-shoulder straps to support trousers *(US usu. suspenders, q.v.)

needs its hard disk reformatted") (think "out of the box") to be original, inventive, innovative (cliched phrase)

female genitalia (obscene slang) * (box canyon) a canyon with vertical walls (boxcar) a type of enclosed railroad freight car (UK: goods van), a three-ball "frame" for one player in candlepin bowling (New England)

support that steadies or strengthens something else devices for straightening teeth

leg supports (UK: callipers) tertiary enclosing punctuation: { } (UK: curly brackets)

brackets

enclosing punctuation: ( ) (US supports for shelves, etc. & UK also: parentheses); more attached to a wall at braces tea

secondary enclosing punctuation: [] (UK: square brackets) beer coffee

brew (n.)

brilliant

excellent, of the highest quality (rarely sarcastic)

very bright (of a light or a brain) very intelligent undeveloped shoot which marijuana (slang) normally occurs in the axil of hand-rolled marijuana a leaf or at the tip of a plant cigarette (slang), compare stem joint shortening of 'buddy', used to address strangers assuming a non-existent familiarity (UK: similar: mate)

bud

buffet

railway carriage containing a

refreshment counter or bar;

a type of sideboard

refreshment counter selling a meal set out on a table, etc. snacks and drinks, esp. on a for diners to serve train on which a full restaurant themselves car (US: dining car) service is not provided bug insect of the order Hemiptera pathogen, bacteria, germ covert listening device (orig. US) defect in software (orig. in a machine) (orig. US) an enthusiast of something (orig. US) Volkswagen Beetle (v.) to apply a covert listening device (orig. US) any of various insects *(nontechnical usage) an important person ("a big bug"); also, someone crazy (as in "firebug", a pyromaniac) (v.) to annoy (colloquial) * to go away, depart, also from a responsibility (used with out) (bug off) to go away (often as a command) (from UK bugger, q.v.) term of endearment, often used for children (slang) (in spoken English, the British "bugger" is sometimes misheard by Americans as "booger")[citation needed]

bugger

to engage in or someone who engages in anal sex 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") (slang) (buggered) 1. broken, not working (typically of mechanical devices, e.g. "the engine's buggered") (slang); 2. syn. for bothered (e.g. "I didn't do it. I couldn't be buggered.") (slang) (bugger up) to make a mess of something (slang) (bugger off) (imperative) go away, leave me alone (slang) 2-wheeled horse-drawn (slang) an automobile (orig. lightweight carriage US) baby transport vehicle also see baby transport for details called (UK) pushchair (US: see also dune buggy stroller) any of various light cart or cars ("a golf buggy")

buggy

4-wheeled horse-drawn lightweight carriage baby transport vehicle also called (US) baby carriage (UK: pram) regional (esp. South) for shopping cart (UK: trolley) (marsh/swamp buggy) a type of motor vehicle for

marshland (slang) caboose (horse and buggy) something obsolete (as from before the invention of the automobile) bum to engage in anal sex (vulgar slang) (1)to cadge ("can I bum a cigarette off you?") (slang) (2) buttocks (slang) (US: butt) bumps a type of rowing race a method of marking someone's birthday (see Birthday customs and celebrations) to be absent without authorization: a set of small protuberances hobo, homeless person poor quality (slang) to sadden (often used with "out")

bunk

type of bed, where two small beds are stacked on top of each other (UK bunk (up) bunk off, to play truant from with implies sharing a bed, rather than merely a room) school (US: play hooky) do a bunk, to abscond (US: go nonsense as in "History is bunk" (from bunkum) on the lam) a type of writing table a public office or government agency

group of plain beds used as no-frills lodging (UK: dormitory, qv); also used as a verb ("I bunked with them in their room"; "The cabin could bunk about 18")

bureau

a type of chest of drawers

burn (n.)

(Scotland and Northern wound caused by heat, or England) narrow river, stream chemical agents, etc. more s.v. creek (the act of smoking) a cigarette to travel by bus

clearing (as in a forest) made by burning vegetation

bus (v.)

to clear (as tables) in a restaurant; to work as a busboy

butcher

(have a butcher's) to have a to kill and cut up an animal to make a big mess of things; look (rhyming slang: butcher's for meat botch ("butcher it up"; "I hook=look) to kill messily, or someone butchered the spelling") who does so one who cuts and sells meat slaughterhouse, abattoir a cruel massacre a butcher's trade a botch

butchery (n.)

butt (n.)

(n.) the (larger) end of anything, a stub; also, a cigarette a sudden blow given by the head of an animal a large wooden cask a person mocked by a joke (v.) to strike bluntly (as with the head) (butt in) to interfere when uncalled for (orig. US) a hawk of the genus Buteo

(colloquial) buttocks (UK usu. bum); hence butthead * (n.) (butt-in) one who butts in (v.) to cut off the end (of a log) (butt out) to stop interfering

buzzard

vulture (slang)

C
Word British English meanings Meanings common to British and American English American English meanings

callbox (n.)

telephone booth (UK also telephone box) to require or advocate

roadside emergency telephone

call for (v.)

to predict or anticipate ("The forecast calls for rain") can (v.): to fire someone from a job (UK: sack) can (n.): bathroom (slang), jail (UK: gaol)

can (n.)

small metal container

canteen (n.)

basic food service location usually at a work place or institution (US:Cafeteria).

a box with compartments for storing eating utensils, silverware etc. a military mess kit water bottle, typically used for military or camping purposes.

campsite (n.) area or park for people to camp in (US: campground)

spot for a particular person or group to camp, often within a campground (UK: pitch) (v.) to sugarcoat, or boil (eye candy) (derog.) someone

candy (n.)

(candy floss) heated sugar

spun into thin threads and collected into a mass, usually on a stick; something pleasing but having little worth (US: cotton candy for both senses)

with sugar (as fruit) to sweeten edible, sweet-tasting confection containing sugar, or sometimes artificial sweeteners, and often flavored with fruit, chocolate, nuts or artificial flavours; a piece of candy (UK: sweets, confectionery)

particular who is physically attractive (See also arm candy.)

canfield (n.)

a patience (solitaire) card game (US: Klondike) railway vehicle, only in motorcar (n.) (UK, combination (e.g. "restaurant q.v.)/automobile car", except London Underground "carriage") (archaic) street tramway vehicle

a patience (solitaire) card game (UK: Demon) nonpowered unit in a railroad or railway train ("railroad car"; "a passenger/freight/parlor/dinin g/baggage etc. car") (see s.v. motor car, trolley; UK: cf. s.v. carriage, coach, wagon) elevator (q.v.) cage

car (n.)

caravan

towed recreational vehicle containing accommodation (US: travel trailer) to take such a vehicle on holiday

overland trading convoy

caretaker (n.) one who takes care of a building, usu. a state-owned building, i.e. school (US: janitor; cf. s.v. custodian) one put in charge of a farm after eviction of tenant carnival (n.) the festive days just preceding Lent (US: Mardi Gras)

one who takes care of someone or something stopgap government or provisional government

one who takes care of real estate in exchange for rentfree living accommodations *

(adj.) suggesting a festive atmosphere

(n.) a travelling circus or fair (UK: funfair) comprising amusement rides

carousel (n.)

a moving luggage/baggage a rotating fairground ride display unit, most often at (UK: merry-go-round, airports roundabout) railway coach (q.v.) designed 4-wheeled horse-drawn for the conveyance of (baby carriage) baby transport vehicle featuring the

carriage (n.)

passengers private passenger vehicle the conveying of goods or the price paid for it ("carriage-paid"); "handling"

infant laying down facing the pusher (UK: perambulator, pram) more s.v. buggy a shopping cart (primarily in North Atlantic states) luggage that can be carried aboard an aircraft, bus, or train (UK: hand luggage or baggage)

carry-on, carryon

(colloquial) carrying-on, unruly behaviour

cart

a difficult or embarrassing state ("he was put in the cart")

usu. 2-wheeled one-horse vehicle (as that used in farming)

a lightweight wheeled vehicle, as for shopping, serving, carrying baggage, etc. (UK: trolley) cartridge (primarily related to video games) The type of coffin with upholstery and a half-open lid, any coffin

casket (n.)

a small box, as for jewels, particularly an antique

casualty (person)

often, someone who has been generally, someone who has often, someone who has been wounded; hence casualty been injured or killed killed; see also casualty department (US: emergency insurance room) small Y-shaped handheld a type of medieval siege projectile weapon often used engine by children (US: slingshot) an aircraft catapult men or boys (but increasingly used for people of either sex; in the singular it still almost exclusively refers to a male, "Guys" has become a more popular phrase in the UK) (US & UK: guys) one's friends ("the chaps") (US & UK: the guys) cheeks as in Bath Chaps stewed pigs' cheeks, a delicacy examine for a particular purpose (v.) rise quickly

catapult

chaps [?]

leather leggings worn by cowboys and designed to protect the legs against thorns (sometimes pronounced shaps), short for "chaparajos"

check

leave items in the care of someone else (e.g. at a

a pattern of coloured squares cloakroom; hence checkroom) a warning given in chess (also check mark) mark used to denote 'correct' or indicate one's choice (UK: tick, q.v.) request for payment, especially at a restaurant; bill written order for a bank to pay money (UK: cheque) checker one that checks (e.g. an inspector) a store or shop cashier (almost always a grocery store) (checkers) a popular board game (UK: draughts) to mark with alternating colored squares (UK: chequer)

cheers said to express gratitude in (interjection) England, or on parting (slang). Also cheerio. chemist

used as a toast or valediction

pharmacist, pharmacy (US student or researcher of similar: druggist, drugstore) chemistry an expression of incredulity, a crack, fissure (A chink in similar to crap in American one's armor)weak spot, vulnerability English[dubious discuss] a racial slur for those of Chinese or east Asian ancestry to express one's opinion (as to contribute (as money) in a conversation); to "chime (orig. US) in" Long cuts of deep fried potato, usu. thick cut resembling American steak fries carpenter (slang); fish-and-chip shop (slang) (Scot, Ire: chipper) French fries, in (orig. UK) phrase fish and chips thin slices of fried potato*(UK: crisps)

chink

chip in

chips (food)

chippie, chippy

loose woman (dated slang); the N. American bird Chipping Sparrow

chum

A popular brand of canned friend (sometimes sarcastic) (n.) waste products from fish dog food (officially Pedigree processing (heads, tails, blood

Chum) bum chum a derogatory term for a male homosexual sexpartner.

etc.) often used for shark fishing (v.) to spread fish entrails etc. in the hope of luring sharks. "We chummed the water all morning, but never spotted any dorsal fins." Has some cross-over usage metaphorically in non-fishing situations. a nonalcoholic drink derived from apples a lowly sports team or individual which enjoys an unexpectedly good run in a tournament a usually large or important municipality governed under a charter granted by the state (however most smaller towns in the US are cities); an element of a standard mailing address (UK "postal town")

cider

an alcoholic drink derived from apples (US: hard cider) a team which underachieves, fairy tale character or is overshadowed by successful neighbouring rivals* a large town, in particular a town created a city by charter and containing a cathedral "The City": the City of London, London's financial centre, hence financial markets and investment banking more generally (c.f. US Wall Street) administrative worker

Cinderella

city

clerk

(or salesclerk) store or shop worker (UK: shop assistant) hotel employee at the reservation desk (UK: receptionist) a cabinet or wardrobe, as for utensils or apparel; in the latter case oftenest built-in; hence e.g. walk-in closet, linen closet, and skeleton in the closet *(UK also: in the cupboard) * extracurricular sports teacher at a school (UK: PE teacher) lowest class on a passenger

closet

any small room (esp. Northern England, Scotland, & Ireland); hence water closet, a room containing a flush toilet, later the toilet itself

a private chamber for retirement in secret; (come out of the closet) to reveal what was secret (especially in relation to homosexuality)

coach

bus with of higher standard enclosed horse-drawn of comfort, usually chartered passenger carriage or used for longer journeys* sports trainer

tutor, usu. private, who prepares pupils for examinations * railway carriage * cob (mainly Northern & Central Eng.) a type of bread roll ("Chip cob", "ham cob", "pack of six cobs please") (pl.) large globules of sweat ("I'm sweating cobs") (n.) form of address to a man to gain attention or greet e.g. "Wotcha cock!" a popular personage e.g. Cock o' the North (v.) (cock up) *to make a mess of things; cock-up (n.) is the act or the resulting state of affairs The portion of a corn plant around which the kernels grow. a building material a type of horse a male swan (n.) a male bird; esp., an adult male chicken (US oftenest rooster) (n.) penis (vulgar slang) (v.) to set the hammer or firing pin of a loaded firearm ready for firing; likewise, to "cock the shutter" of an old, springactivated camera (n.) A type of tap, faucet, or valve (e.g., a stopcock). (v.) to gather together, to pick up; (orig. US) to pick up a person or thing (n.) short prayer read during the first part of a church service as practised by certain parts of the Christian faith; mainly Anglican and Roman Catholic.

aircraft (UK: economy)

cock

collect

To win a bet (from the idea of picking up the winnings)

(adj., adv.) charged to the receiver ("to call collect", to reverse the charges) ("a collect call") [from collect on delivery]

college

part of the name of some constituent part of some state secondary schools (US larger universities, approx.: high school) and especially ancient many independent schools universities (US approx.: prep school) educational institution between school and university (e.g. sixth form college, technical college, college of further education) vocational training institution

professional association which usu. grants some form of professional qualifications, mostly in the medical field (e.g. Royal College of Surgeons, American College of Surgeons) an independent institution of higher education (as a small university or a division of a university) granting bachelor's degrees

generic term for higher education, but only at the undergraduate level comforter a baby's dummy (q.v.) one who comforts quilted bedspread (UK: duvet) political head of a police department member of any commission

commissioner professional head of the Metropolitan Police Service and City of London Police (US: chief of police) commode small cabinet portable toilet for use in a room without plumbing the act of compensating damages awarded for a legal wrong (workers' compensation) payment to injured workers

normal toilet, in a bathroom (q.v.) remuneration received by employees (unemployment compensation) compensation paid to an unemployed person (as a laid-off worker), arising from government resources a lease or grant of premises or land for a particular use, or the so contracted-out service, as in concession stand, i.e. a counter, stand or area at public entertainment venues where snacks or drinks are sold, often at inflated prices a concession stand (also condo) a type of joint ownership of real property (as an apartment building) in which portions of the property are commonly owned and other portions are individually owned; an apartment in a condominium peace officer in a township without an organised police department official who serves summonses (UK: bailiff or

compensation

concession

reduction in price (discount) the action of conceding for a certain category of in politics, the action of a person candidate yielding to another an area within one country that is administered by another

condominium

a political territory (state or border area) in or over which two sovereign powers formally agree to share equally dominium (in the sense of sovereignty) and exercise their rights jointly

constable

technically, a police officer of any rank, but usu. understood to mean a police officer of the lowest rank (one who holds no other more specific rank) (US:

officer or patrolman) construction the act or process of building or constructing; a structure; the construction industry from construe: the assigning of meaning to ambiguous terms

sheriff's officer) road construction and maintenance work; roadwork ("a construction area/zone") (UK: roadworks)

cooker

an appliance for cooking a pot or utensil for cooking a person who cooks (UK food (US: cookstove, stove, in ("pressure cooker", "rice always cook) range); see also AGA cooker cooker", "slow cooker") a cooking apple, a large sour apple used in cooking a bun (Scotland) a biscuit of a particular variety, usually containing chocolate chips (often referred to as a "chocolate chip cookie") a small packet of a small, flat baked cake *(UK information stored on users' usu. biscuit, q.v.) computers by websites fellow, guy *("a tough cookie"); also, an attractive girl * (that's the way the cookie crumbles) that's how things go (to toss one's cookies) to vomit (cookie-cutter) trite, banal a cook (army slang) (cop a plea) (law, orig. slang) to plead guilty to a lesser offence to not be tried for a graver charge; compare plea bargain (cop a squat) to take a seat (slang)

cookie

cop

to take ("cop a look at this", police officer (short for "cop one of these") (slang) "copper") (slang) to be blamed for, be caught (cop a feel) to grope (slang) ("he'll cop it!") (slang)

copper

low value coin, brown or the metallic element copper 'copper' coloured (currently police officer (slang, orig. 1p and 2p coins) UK) large copper vessel used for heating water and washing clothes (archaic)

coriander

the leaves of the coriander the plant Coriandrum plant, used as a herb (US: sativum cilantro or Chinese parsley) dried seeds of this plant wheat in England, oats in Scotland and Ireland any of various cereal plants or grains (US usu.: grain), also in combination (e.g. cornfield, a field of any cereal) (see also US) in both dialects, the Zea mays; originally known principal crop cultivated in a as Indian corn (q.v.; UK usu.: particular region maize or sweetcorn); hence Indian corn, in corn on the cornfield, cornstarch (UK: cob, corn flakes, popcorn corn flour), cornbread, horny swelling on the foot cornball, cornblade, etc. something corny *, hence cornball

corn

cot

infant bed; hence cot death (US: crib)

camp bed

coulee

a (solidified) stream of lava (chiefly Western, orig. Canadian) a deep steep-sided ravine formed by erosion, or a small valley or stream a women's dress shoe with a heel (US: pump, q.v.) a type of athletic shoe used for sports played on an indoor court, such as volleyball or squash (UK similar: plimsoll or regionally pump) a legendary archetype found a cowhand working with in Wild West genre works livestock (UK: drover) (derog.) one who is reckless, uncontrollable.

court shoe

cowboy

an unscrupulous or unqualified tradesman

cracker

small parcel that makes an thin, hard, unsweetened an unsophisticated, typically explosive report when pulled biscuit (formerly chiefly US, rural white person (also white from both ends, traditionally now common everywhere) cracker; derogatory slang, pulled at Christmas southeastern US); also, attractive woman (slang) someone from Georgia or anything good ("the new Florida product is a cracker") (slang) day care, day nursery nativity scene, manger scene, crib (q.v.) * any inland stream of water

crche

creek

tidal channel through a

coastal marsh (orig. sense)

smaller than a river (other terms: UK: rill, gill; N. Eng. & Scot.: burn; Eng. & New Eng.: brook; Midland US: run) body of people manning a rowing as a sport vehicle of any kind gang of manual workers (e.g. road crew) group of friends or colleagues ("I saw him and his crew at the bar")

crew

crib (n.)

nativity scene, crche (q.v.) * a manger or rack, or stall for cattle a plagiarism, as of a student ("crib sheet") cribbage

small enclosed bedstead for a child; hence crib death (UK: cot) (informal) one's house or apartment a bin for storing maize a structure of logs to be anchored with stones; used for docks, dams, etc. (orig. Canada) a small raft of timber a term to sunburning. For example: Because he didn't have sunscreen, Jack was burnt to a crisp.

crisp

fried potato slices with salt, when something sounds sometimes with flavour (US: clear and dry. potato chips)

crumpet

an attractive female (slang)

A savoury waffle-like cake made from flour or potato and yeast

cubicle

A compartment in a A compartment in a larger bathroom with low walls that area separated from similar contains a toilet. (US: stall) adjoining compartments by low walls, such as in an office area. The ends of a garment's sleeves, furthest from the wearer short for handcuffs An arrangement at the bottom of trouser-legs, in which the material is folded back upon itself to form a trough externally around the bottom

cuffs

of the leg. (UK: turn-ups) cunt offensive (or sometimes vagina (usu. obscene) indulgent) term often applied to men an association football goalkeeper a keeper or guardian of a person or thing offensive, obscene term usu. applied to women

custodian

one who cleans and maintains a building; a building superintendent, a janitor

D
Word British English meanings Meanings common to British American English meanings and American English daddy long-legs spider Opiliones

daddy crane fly longlegs, daddylong-legs davenport a type of writing table *

[both prob. from the names of a type of couch, often their resp. manufacturers; both convertible into a bed old-fashioned]

dead

(of a cup, glass, bottle or deceased cigarette) empty, finished with completely, perfectly ("dead very, extremely ("dead good", straight", "dead on", "dead "dead heavy", "dead rich") right") extremely quiet (e.g. business or nightlife) (dismissive usage) boring an idler; someone who does not pay their debts, often in construction ("deadbeat dad") (slang) District of Columbia

dead beat, exhausted (slang) (US: dead deadbeat tired)

DC

Detective Constable, a police direct current officer who works in or with a (see also other expansions) branch of CID. (n.) the floor or level of a ship or other types of vehicles the roadway of a bridge a recording device (v.) to decorate for a festivity

deck

a pack of cards a wooden, raised platform adjoining a house, usu. enclosed by a railing a packet of narcotics (slang)

("deck the halls with boughs of holly", "decked out with flags") to hit a person hard enough such that they fall to the floor (orig. US)

(v.) to pile up (logs) on a deck of logs or a skidway (on deck) in baseball, the hitter due up next ("Albert is on deck, so they must be careful to not walk this batter."). A general usage connotes availability, e.g. "Who's on deck?" (Who is available to do this?). Occasionally used to indicate who is next in line. a character and comic strip developed by Hank Ketcham, debuted in March 1951

Dennis the a character and comic strip Menace developed by Ian Chisholm and Davey Law, debuted in March 1951 (US: Dennis) depot a location (large building or piece of land) where buses, trams or trains are stored when not in use and maintained (pronounced /dpo/) a storehouse or depository; a location for the storage of military or naval supplies (pronounced /dpo/ in BrE, /dipo/ in AmE) A slow-release drug injection (usu. psychiatric) (pronounced /dpo/ in both dialects)

a railroad station or bus terminal or station; also, an air terminal (pronounced /dipo/)

DI diary

Detective inspector (police) personal calendar *(US: appointment book, appointment calendar, datebook) personal journal

Drill instructor (military)

digital radio die (n.)

any radio that receives a digital signal tool used in metalworking to form a part under pressure

a radio with a digital display

singular of dice, numbered cube used in games of chance (UK: dice for both singular and plural) to lower a vehicle headlight's beam, typically when approaching vehicles travelling in the opposite direction at night (UK: dip);

dim (trans. v.), dimmer (switch)

to reduce the intensity of a domestic, industrial or other light; hence dimmer (switch)

hence dimmer switch (UK: dip switch) diner one who dines ("a picky diner") railroad dining car (UK: restaurant car) a type of restaurant, traditionally but not necessarily often resembling a dining car to use smokeless tobacco

dip (trans. to lower a vehicle headlight's v.), dip beam, typically when switch approaching vehicles travelling in the opposite direction at night (US: dim); hence dip switch (distinguished from DIP switch) (US: dimmer switch) (n.) a pickpocket (slang) dirt

to lower into a liquid; esp., a sheep or dog in chemical solution; to lower and then raise

substance(s) rendering something unclean incriminating evidence ("we've got the dirt on him now") deviation; recreation; tactic used to draw attention away from the action

earth, soil *

diversion circuitous route to avoid roadworks (US: detour)

dock

water between or next to a (v.) to reduce an employee's pier or wharf (US: berth, also wages, usu. as discipline used in UK, or slip) section of a courtroom where the accused sits during a trial * dockworker, stevedore *(US: one that docks (as tails of longshoreman) animals) various kinds of public sexual pursuing diligently as a dog activity would

constructed place to moor a boat or engage in water sports (largely interchangeable with pier or wharf, although often with a modifier, such as "ferry dock", "swimming dock", etc.)

docker

dogging

insulting in a persistent fashion, often referring to the dozens pursuing someone persistently

dollar

5 shilling coin or equivalent amount (obsolete; used in

major unit of currency of the

slang until early 1970s, USA especially in "halfdollar"=half-crown, but some re-stamped Spanish dollar coins were used in the UK in the late 18th/early 19th century) dormitory, (n. or usu. adj.) (part of) a dorm town where commuters live, usually dormitory town (US: bedroom or bedroom community) (n.) large sleeping-room with many beds,*typically in a boarding school ("a sleeping dormitory"; usu. abbreviated to dorm) building with many small private rooms, as for housing the students of a college (UK: hall(s) of residence, hostel) dormitory car railway sleeping car dough money (slang); also in the same sense, "bread". (v.) to hang limply an act of drawing, or something drawn a game result in which no player/team wins (also tie) (n., usu. pl.) curtain a ditch that draws water off an area of land a shallow valley or gully

drape draw (n.) cannabis (slang)

dresser a type of cupboard or (furniture) sideboard esp. for kitchen utensils * drop (of liquid) several (fluid) ounces ("just a droplet (less than a milliliter) drop of tea, please") (meiotic usage) a score of zero by a batsman in cricket, supposedly derived from the zero-like shape of a duck's egg. Hence to "break one's duck": to score one's first run. c.f. US: "get the monkey off one's back" a term of endearment duff of poor quality a type of pudding non-functional coal dust (up the duff) pregnant (slang, (n.) a bird of the family Anatidae (v.) to lower the head or body suddenly, to dodge (v.) to plunge under the surface of water (n.) a heavy cotton fabric

a chest of drawers, usu. with a looking glass (mirror) (UK: dressing-table)

duck

vegetable matter on the forest floor *(also in Scotland)

originally Australian) dummy rubber teat for babies (US: pacifier) mannequin, especially for automobile crash tests fake, usu. legal idiot (slang) the contract bridge player who faces his hand after the bidding/auction

buttocks (colloquial)

dungarees

sturdy protective bib trousers (slightly dated) jeans (blue (cf. s.v. bib overall) denim jeans) composed of two parts two direction (electronical signalling) (or duplex house) an often vertically divided two-family dwelling * (or duplex apartment) an apartment on two levels * (duplex locomotive) a large steam locomotive with two sets of driving wheels

duplex

E
Word British English meanings Meanings common to British American English meanings and American English

earth

safety connection of an the planet Earth electrical circuit, or to soil connect (an electrical device) the burrow of some animals to this (US: ground) the quality of being efficient (or efficiency apartment) a minimal often furnished apartment, similar to a studio apartment (UK: compare bedsit) an elevated railway (as that of Chicago or the now-defunct Third Avenue El in New York City)

efficiency

el

(L) letter identifying a learner the letter L driver; see L-plate

elevator

flap on the back of an platform or cage moved aeroplane used to control pitch vertically in a shaft to transport moving belt to transport grain, people and goods to various

hay bales, etc.

floors in a building (UK: lift) building for grain storage (in full grain elevator) (UK: silo) wapiti (Cervus canadensis), the second largest species of deer

elk

moose (Alces alces), the largest species of deer in use of a toilet/bathroom committed; involved in stall (US: occupied; but the something opposite is vacant in both); of betrothed a telephone line (US & UK also: busy), hence engaged tone (US: busy signal) of or pertaining to England the English language

engaged (adj.)

English

(adj.) the foot-pound-second system of units[citation needed] (UK: Imperial) English (n.) spin placed on a ball in cue sports (UK: side)

engineer a technician or a person that mends and operates machinery entre starter (q.v.) of a meal (traditionally, the course served between the fish and the joint, but now used for any starter) any defined area of real property, as in housing estate (US: subdivision), council estate (US: housing project) or trading estate (US: industrial park) car with van-shaped body (US: station wagon)

one employed to design, build one who operates an engine, or repair equipment esp. a locomotive (UK: engine practitioner of engineering driver) (usu. "the entre") right of entry, insider-type access main course of a meal

estate

grounds of a large piece of real property which features a mansion and beautiful landscaping property left by a deceased person

evergreen

non-deciduous, a nondeciduous plant eternally youthful, new etc.

(n.) branchlets or sprigs of an evergreen tree, usually a conifer such as pine, spruce or fir, often used as a Christmas decoration wrapped around human-made structures

[edit] F Word British English meanings Meanings common to British American English meanings and American English division of a university, academic staff of a school, dealing with a specific group college or university of disciplines (e.g. faculty of arts) cigarette (slang) * male homosexual (short for (in England; obs.) young faggot) public schoolboy who acted as a servant for older pupils drudgery, chore ("it is such a fag I come back tired to death" J. Austen) kind of meatball (see faggot Male homosexual vulgar (food)), bundle of sticks, usu. slang (see faggot (slang)) for use as firewood (oldfashioned; often spelled fagot) to become pregnant. (Either as descend or tumble autumn in 'I fell pregnant' or as in 'She become sick, come down with fell for a baby.'); an illness ("he fell ill") (uncommon in US) prove attractive ("fall for someone", "fall in love") US colloq. equiv. of "to fancy" is "to like" something or someone (or regarding tastes and preferences, "to love"); "fancy" as a verb is now used in the US almost solely by UK ex-pats, but was once oft-used by Southern gentility (landed gentry) (colloq.) "formal" wear (usu. tuxedos for men and ball gowns for women.)

faculty

fag

faggot

fall

fancy (v.) (v.) exhibit a fondness or preference for something; exhibit an interest in or willingness to: date/court someone, commit some act, or accept some item of trade

fancy dress

a costume worn to impersonate a well-known character, animal etc., typically at a fancy dress party (US: costume party) vagina (slang), vulva (vulgar

fanny

buttocks (colloquial); hence

slang) (fanny about or fanny around, vulgar slang) to mess about or procrastinate ("Stop fannying about and hit it with the hammer") featherbed bed or mattress stuffed with feathers (usually 2 words) (v.) to pamper, to spoil to require that more workers are hired than are needed, often by agreement with trade unions

fanny pack (UK: bum bag)

quilt, or comforter, stuffed with feathers for use on top of the mattress (but underneath a sheet and the sleeping person) (UK: mattress topper) fender (vehicle): the part of an automobile, motorcycle or other vehicle body that frames a wheel well (UK: mudguard or wing) a frame fitted in front of a vehicle (locomotive or automobile) to absorb shock (UK: bumper see Bumper (automobile)) bottle of spirits ("a fifth of bourbon"), traditionally 1/5 of a US gallon to "plead the Fifth (Amendment)", i.e. refuse to testify against oneself in an incriminating manner

fender

a fire screen a cushioning device to protect the side of a boat, ship, or dock

fifth

ordinal number 5 one of five equal parts into which something is divided

filth

(the filth) the police (derogatory slang)

dirt, disgusting substance obscene material the least serious category of burn (see article) the most serious category of a crime; of murder, carries a lifetime prison- or deathsentence (also informal murder one; see article) the floor at ground level (often, but not always, the same floor as a building's lobby) (UK: ground floor)

first degree

first floor the floor above ground level (of a (US: second floor) building)

fit (adj.)

(of a person) attractive, sexy (slang)

(of a person) in good physical condition suitable for some purpose (usu. followed by for or to) to repair (orig. US) to adjust or prepare, esp. food to sterilise (an animal) or beverage *("I'll fix you a to manipulate usually sandwich") underhandedly ("To fix a fight (esp. South) to get ready ("I'm by paying a boxer to take a fixing to retire") dive.") to get even with (someone) [1] (fix up) to provide pancake

fix (v.)

to make firm, fasten, or attach *(the original sense, no longer very common in US) to set or arrange (as a date) *("A time has been fixed")

flapjack

flat oat cake (US: granola bar) a cloth for washing the face or particular type of body (US: washcloth) fabric/material used for the manufacture of trousers or suits, but more commonly recognised in America as a fabric used in warm winter night clothes and sheets (n.) self-contained housing (adj.) level and smooth unit (US: apartment) structured at a single level, (adj., of a battery) discharged, not hierarchical exhausted, dead

flannel

flat

(n.) a flat tyre/tire * an apartment that occupies the entire floor of a small building (upstate New York and San Francisco); used also in phrases such as railroad flat an about-face or U-turn (UK also: about-turn), as in politics liquid measure equal to 29.57 milliliters

flip-flop

a type of footwear a type of electronic circuit

fluid liquid measure equal to 28.41 ounce (fl. millilitres oz.) flyover elevated road section (i.e. long road bridge, US: overpass)

ceremonial aircraft flight (UK: flypast) an elongated left-turn ramp passing over or under the whole highway interchange Flyover country is a term for (unsophisticated, poor, rural) middle America, as distinct

from the 'coasts'. football (usually) Association football (US: soccer). Less frequently applies to Rugby football (espec. Rugby union in English private schools). a paved strip for pedestrian a narrow trail suitable only use, especially along the side for foot traffic of a road (US: sidewalk) the number 4 10 a 40-acre (160,000 m2) parcel of land, specifically one sixteenth of a section, constituting the smallest unit of agricultural land commonly surveyed ("back 40", "front 40"). an undeveloped plot of land (as on a farm, ranch, etc.) of unspecified size. in an urban or youth setting, "a 40-ounce beer". a position in basketball, nowadays split into power forwards, who tend to play closer to the basket, and small forwards, who tend to either shoot from the perimeter or drive from the perimeter to the basket. American football

footpath

forty (40)

forward

one who plays in a forward an area to the front position in rugby, i.e. one who takes part in scrums. an outgoing disposition a position in football (soccer) in front of midfielders

fourth

next after third (e.g. the fourth one of four equal parts into person, fourth floor) which something is divided (UK & US sometimes also quarter, q.v.). A musical interval (proper noun, used with the) short for The Fourth of July (America's Independence Day)

fringe

arrangement of locks of hair on the forehead (US: bangs)

the outer area of something a decorative border e.g. on clothing holding an extreme political position ("lunatic fringe")

(rare vulgar; chiefly 1980s) vulva ("He's gonna get some fringe.") q.v., US: trim

frock

(or smock-frock) outer habit of monks and friars garment formerly common in rural Europe, see also overall (also frock coat) a style of gentleman's jacket or coat, cut (also short frock) indoor at knee length, usually worn garment for children and as an outer garment. young girls * a woman's dress or gown (dated) * French person (insulting slang)* punctuation mark used at the end of a sentence, sometimes used in speech for emphasis ("Whom does he support? Arsenal, full stop!") (US: period, q.v.) large hearth or container for heating or melting metal, usually for an industrial process an amphibian

frog

full stop

the state of automobiles barely moving in heavy traffic (also, a "dead stop") [2]

furnace

principal domestic heat source in central heating. (UK: boiler)

[edit] G Word British English meanings Meanings common to British and American English American English meanings

gagging

(especially as in gagging for choking it) desperate, especially for fighting the urge to vomit sex ("that was so disgusting, I was gagging") 4.54609 litres (about 6/5 of US gallon) a participant in a "gang 3.78541 litres (about 5/6 of UK gallon) gang member; group rapist

gallon

gangbanger

bang", a group sex activity garage (see also pronunciation differences) fuel filling station, e.g. "a Texaco garage" (also petrol station, US: gas station) a genre of music place where vehicles are repaired building attached to or in the grounds of a residence for storing a car (parking garage) building serving as a public parking facility (UK: multistorey car park or just multistorey)

garden (n.)

area around a residential structure (US: yard)

area within a yard (land) for growing plants or vegetables (UK: vegetable garden, vegetable patch) (n. (v.)) (to add) decorative (v.) to take (as a debtor's or savory touches to (food wages) by legal authority or drink) (v.)to furnish state of matter (see gas) natural gas gasoline, hence gas station (UK: petrol) gas pedal (UK: accelerator) flatulence air trapped in the stomach or intestines (UK: wind) old person (derogatory; UK: old geezer [not derog.]) The basics of a subject. The highest rank in the US Army.

garnish

gas

geezer

gangster, man (esp. Cockney) The second highest rank in the British army (second to Field Marshal).

general

give way

to give the right of way (to to retreat; to break down vehicles, pedestrians, etc.)[5]; hence give way sign (US: yield [the right of way] sign) general term for thin shiny a slippery coating of ice (also coatings applied to food, known as sleet, q.v.); a stretch painted surfaces, clayware, of ice etc.; a glossy surface (n.) mouth; (v., slang) to spit lump a large amount ("gobs of") (slanglittle used since the 1940s) a sailor

glaze

gob

go down (fig.) to leave a university (as Oxford) to come down (with an illness)

to be accepted or remembered (e.g. go down in history) to fail, esp. of a computer go down on, to engage in oral sex

to go on, happen (often a major event, e.g. a drug bust "it's going down right now!" or "it went down last week". But also used as a greeting, "What's going down?")

goods

items to be transported (as useful objects or services; by railway) ("a goods train") products; merchandising; (US & UK also: freight) personal property incriminating evidence ("we have the goods on him") supernumerary third person a green hairy summer fruit preventing a couple from (Ribes hirtellum in the courting (US: third wheel) USA), (Ribes grossularia in Europe) boss (sometimes shortened to guv'nor), colloquial a local official the top official in a US state

gooseberry

governor

government

the cabinet or executive the act or office of branch (US: the governing administration) the political party supporting the cabinet in parliament a level of music examination (n. & v.) teacher's ("Guitar grade 4". Usually assessment of a student's refers to ABRSM. work (UK also mark)

the collective agency through which government is exercised (UK: the state) all such individual agencies (UK: the public sector) level or year of a student in elementary, middle, or high school ("in 10th grade") (UK equiv.: year); hence grader, a student in a specified grade ("a 10th grader") (grade school, the grades) elementary school see also Grade Point Average (n.) slope, gradient, or elevation; also ground level ("at grade", "over grade"); hence grade crossing (UK: level crossing) (v.) to level (as a roadbed), hence grader, construction

grade (education)

grade (other)

(n.) a rating, degree, or level; (v.) to lay out in grades [US meaning generated grade separation and the idiom make the grade]

machine for doing this * graduate (v.) (education) graduate (adj.) (education) to finish university with a degree relating to a student at the point of gaining, or who has recently completed, a degree to move from a lower to higher stage; to effect change in steps; to mark with units of measurement or other divisions. to finish studying at any educational institution by passing relevant examinations relating to a student taking a higher degree (UK equiv.: "postgraduate"), e.g. graduate school a form of political-economic corruption

graft

hard work

to join or connect two separate but similar items (typically in biology, especially medicine and horticulture) green ground cover marijuana

grass

an informant (often to the police) (to grass on) to tell on somebody (US: to squeal) a type of secondary school, normally a selective state funded school

grazing; to feed (livestock) with grass (UK: at grass, to put out to grass)

grammar school

elementary school (less common today)

grill

to cook directly under a dry to question intensely heat source (US: broil) (informal). to interrogate.

to cook over a gas or coal fire (UK and US: barbecue) a flat cooking surface a restaurant (freq. as "bar and grill") lower of two floors that are each at a different ground level due to sloping terrain (UK: lower ground floor) military division used to help the country after a disaster in football, one of two offensive positions on either side of the center or a defensive position across from the center (nose-guard) one of two positions in basketball, usually players who are the best ball-handlers and

ground floor (of a building)

the floor at ground level (US usu.: first floor)

guard

the official in charge of a to watch over for security railway train (US & now UK one who guards also: conductor) a protective device

shooters. Usually smaller than the forwards or center. Most common division is between point guards (playmakers) and shooting guards (more often score-first). guff extraneous or useless things, ideas, or paperwork/documentation; also to break wind ("Have you guffed, Dr Watson?") cement consisting of a sticky a type of confectionery substance that is used as an composed of chicle used for adhesive (US usually: glue) chewing the soft tissue around the teeth, or to chew something with no teeth (also, gum at) disappointed and upset (informal) past tense of gut: eviscerated; plundered; despoiled; made powerless or ineffectual (of a building) stripped of interior structure, leaving only frame and exterior walls (e.g.by fire) gyroscope a sandwich, the Greek gyro, more familiar to Americans than the similar Turkish dner kebab, which is more common in Britain nonsense, insolent talk, back talk

gum

gutted

gyro

(see also giro)

[edit] H Word British English meanings Meanings common to British and American English American English meanings

haberdasher

a dealer in small items and accessories, as for sewing; hence haberdashery (US: notions)

a dealer in men's apparel and accessories; hence haberdashery

half halfway house

half pint of beer, cider or lager fifty percent/0.5 times. a place where victims of child drug rehabilitation or sex abuse, orphans or teenage offender centre. (Archaic) runaways can stay, a shelter An inn half way between two towns, still seen in many pub names. large basket for food (especially picnic hamper, Christmas hamper) number sign, octothorpe (#) (US: pound sign). Also 'to make a hash' of something is to mess it up. to impede or hinder basket for clothes that need washing (UK: Linen basket or laundry basket)

hamper

hash

hashish Hash (food), beef and other ingredients mashed together into a coarse paste

highway

(chiefly in official use) public (highway robbery) main road (as between road; see Highway Code something too expensive; cities) see also highwayman (divided or dual highway) a road with two roadways and at least four lanes (UK: dual carriageway) (highway post office) in the past, a bus transporting mail that was sorted en route a usu. recreational walk an increase in amount (as in wages) * (to take a hike) to go away (also used as a command) a person who is recruited

hike

hire

to rent moveable property (e.g. to employ, recruit * a car) *; rental (hire purchase) a purchase carried out over time by making regular payments (US: installment plan) the flat top surface of a cooking stove (US: cooktop) a part of a fireplace an elf a German wine ("down their four-and-twenty throats went trouble (as in "raising hob" chiefly US) (UK has less common "playing hob") hock (zoology)

hob

hock

pawn (n. & v.) ("I can borrow a dime from the

four-and-twenty imperial pints of such rare old hock" Charles Dickens) (US: Rhine wine) Hocktide, an ancient holiday

barber, an' I got enough junk to hock for a blowout" Jack London); prison (both from Dutch) * debt the end of a smoked ham * to hock-a-loogie, to spit (esp. mucus as opposed to saliva). hockey played on a hard hockey played on ice with a surface (e.g. concrete) or puck (ice hockey) * indoors to take more than one's fair share of something (road hog) motorist who holds up other traffic by driving slowly or out of lane; any bad driver adult pig motorcycle, especially a large one such as a HarleyDavidson (derived from Harley Owners Group, a club for Harley-Davidson motorcycle owners.) a small, out-of-the-way place, as a restaurant, with a negative connotation. However, often used to preface a compliment, e.g. "just a hole-in-the-wall place you've never heard of, but they serve the best steak in the city." see Federal holidays in the United States (the Holidays) the days comprising Christmas and New Year's Day (and Hanukkah), and often also Thanksgiving (used esp. in the phrase "happy Holidays") festival, whether or not generally entailing a public holiday: "Halloween is my favorite holiday"

hockey

hockey played with a ball on grass (field hockey) *

hog

(dialect) a yearling sheep

hole-in-the-wall automated teller machine, cash machine (informal)

holiday

see Bank holiday day when people are (often pl.) time taken off from generally exempt from work, school, etc., including work, school, etc. the period between school terms (US: break, vacation) recreational trip away from home (US: vacation)

home

(noun): condition of domesticity, or one's permanent and regular shelter, but not the physical structure or property.

In AmE widely used also to mean the physical structure and property, and references to them, e.g., "home loans", "homeowners", and "tract homes". This usage is overwhelmingly predominant in commercial language and public discourse, e.g. "the home mortgage crisis". a success (from baseball) (also homer) a four-base hit in baseball (slang) sexual intercourse; more s.v. base (only used of a person) plain, ugly

home run

final part of a distance, final effort needed to finish (US: homestretch)

homely

(of a house) comfortable, cozy, rustic (US: homey) (of a person) home-loving, domesticated, house-proud the folding fabric top on a convertible car (US: convertible top) head covering forming part of a garment component of academic regalia

hood

hinged cover over the engine in a car (UK: bonnet) a contraction of neighborhood, especially regarding a poor neighborhood short for hoodlum, a tough, destructive young man, or generically any criminal female genitalia prostitute (informal) *

hoo-ha hooker

argument in rugby football, the player position in the centre front of the scrum steam whistle or siren in a factory or other large workplace sounded as a signal for beginning or ceasing work car horn nose (Hull) Kingston-upon-Hull, a large city in the north-east of the outer skin of a ship,

hooter

(hooters) female breasts (vulgar slang)

hull

the seed-case of various edible plants (maize, nuts,

England*

tank, aeroplane, etc.

etc.) (v.t.) to remove the seedcase from (a nut, etc.) hulled (adj.) (of a nut, etc.) having the seed-case removed (UK: shelled) (n. & v.) (to make) a vigorous effort ("hump yourself", "to get a hump on") (regional) (n.) a mountain barrier to be crossed (as by air) (hump day) Wednesday

hump

a state of depression (dated) ("to be in a hump") a state of annoyance ("to get the hump") a traffic calming tool ("a speed hump") *(US & UK: speed bump) to move a heavy load by human effort a short distance

a rounded mass sticking out from its surroundings (v., vulgar slang) engage in sexual intercourse, animals breeding or trying to breed see also Glossary of rail terminology

[edit] I Word British English meanings Meanings common to British and American English cabinet containing ice for food refrigeration American English meanings

icebox

refrigerator

ice pick

ice axe, a tool with a pointed small awl-like tool for end used by climbers on ice breaking ice into small pieces for drinks

immediately (conj., informal) as soon as ("I (adv.) directly; in no time await your call immediately after you get this message") Indian corn Zea mays (historical or A particular variety of technical; usually, UK maize maize/corn, with or sweetcorn, US corn, q.v.) multicolored kernels, used for decorations direction-indicator light on a vehicle (US: turn signal) lowest supervisory rank above sergeant (rough US equivalent: lieutenant) one that indicates

indicator

inspector (police)

senior rank in some police departments (rough UK equivalent: superintendent)

intern

replacement

(v.) to confine (as during a war, or to a hospital) (adj., archaic) internal

(n.) one (as a graduate or college student) temporarily employed for practical training, e.g. in the science, engineering, or technology fields; esp., in the medical field, a physician (rough UK equivalent: houseman) in their first year of postgraduate training (v.) to work as an intern

international

Pertaining to or common to Foreign, not from the USA. more than one country. ("International version of software for country xxx", in British English this is a contradiction in terms.) break between two a gap in space or time; see performances or sessions, as in interval (music), interval theatre (US: intermission) (mathematics), interval (time) itemisation of goods or objects (of an estate, in a building, etc.) (esp. New England, also spelled intervale) low-lying land, as near a river (US also bottomland) the stock of an item on hand in a store or shop the process of producing an inventory in a store or shop (UK: stocktaking) Individual Retirement Account

interval

inventory

IRA

Irish Republican Army [not abbreviated in U.S. without context]

[edit] J Word British English meanings Meanings common to British and American English American English meanings

jab

an injection with a hypodermic (informal) to stab, thrust, or needle, as in the case of an penetrate. biting remark, inoculation (US: shot) sarcasm. an officer in a Masonic Chapter (specialist language) a person employed to oversee the cleaning and security of a building (UK: caretaker)

janitor

jelly

a fruit flavoured dessert set with gelatin (US: Jell-O (trademark) ) a type of condiment, e.g. mint jelly

a clear or translucent preserve (occasionally) fruit preserve made from the liquid of fruits with fruit pieces (UK: Jam) boiled in sugar and set with pectin, specifically without pieces of fruit (e.g. 'crab apple jelly')

Jesse

(often as Big Jesse, derogatory A male name (uncommon in insult for a man) Non-macho, the UK). effeminate, sometimes gay. A shortening of the female name Jessica. a Scotsman or a Scottish Terrier (Scottie) (slang) a private soldier (slang) (UK: squaddie) piece of meat for carving * (slang) hand-rolled cigarette containing cannabis and tobacco slang term for an athlete slang term for the undergarment called an athletic supporter or jockstrap connection between two (slang) hand-rolled cigarette objects or bones containing only cannabis an establishment, especially a (slang) prison ("in the joint") disreputable one ("a gin joint"; "let's case the joint") (slang, orig. US) happy; jovial

jock

joint

jolly

very (informal) (as in jolly good)

jug

any container with a handle (jugs) breasts (slang) and a mouth or spout for liquid (US: pitcher) jump shot in basketball Non-permanent electrical connection, especially on a PCB

large container with a narrow mouth and handle for liquids (similar to UK pitcher) pinafore dress jump suit

jumper a knitted upper body garment (US: sweater)

just

(When used at the end of a fair, equitable sentence, as in: "I survived, but merely, simply, exactly, barely only just") barely (when used before word it modifies)

K
Word British English meanings Meanings common to British and American English American English meanings

kebab

commonly a dner kebab (sometimes doner or donner kebab), strips of meat (usu. lamb or chicken) cooked by being heated on a revolving device and served stuffed in a pita bread (In the US, the Greek varieties souvlaki or gyro are better known than the Turkish dner) eager or intent on, example: he is keen to get to work on time.

(often spelled "kabob" in the US) meat served on a skewer together with onions, tomatoes, etc. (e.g. shish kebab)

keen

desirable or just right, example: "peachy keen" "That's a pretty keen outfit you're wearing." (slang going out of common usage) one that keeps (as a gamekeeper or a warden) a type of play in American football ("Quarterback keeper") a person well-suited for a successful, usu. romantic, relationship. (Don't let him go he's a keeper) something of significance ("that's a keeper"). Can be used in many contexts. Often used in sports fishing to refer to a fish not released.

keeper

a curator or a goalkeeper

kit

clothing, esp. a sports uniform any of various sets of a group of person or objects (e.g. football kit) equipment or tools ("the whole kit and (ca) a set of parts to be assembled, boodle/billing") e.g. into a scale model affectionate term for a housecat piggy bank vagina (vulgar slang) ("Singin' 'hey diddle diddle' with your collective source of funds (esp. kitty in the middle" Aerosmith, Walk this Way) for a group of people) (slang) a fool, idiot[dubious
discuss]

kitty

klaxon

Trademark (somewhat generic) for a mechanical alarm or horn used in submarines and early automobile models

kleenex

specific brand of disposable any disposable paper paper handkerchief (Kleenex) handkerchief (from tradename, example of a Genericized trademark) knickerbocker

knickers women's underwear (US: panties) or men's underwear (US: briefs) knob The penis, or specifically the glans (slang, vulgar) ("polishing the knob" * ) a rounded door handle fool, idiot, dim-witted person to tip over something to cause an object to fall over. knock up to practise before tennis to awaken or summon by knocking

knock over

to rob (esp. a store, slang) ("He knocked over a gas station.")

to prepare quickly ("Knock us to impregnate*(slang, up something to eat" L.M. sometimes vulgar) Alcott)

L
Word British English meanings Meanings common to British American English meanings and American English a vertical or inclined set of rungs or steps. closet in passenger vehicles (e.g. trains) containing a toilet and washbasin/sink. (v.) to lay aside to stow washbasin, place for washing

ladder

a run (vertical split) in the fabric of tights toilet

lavatory

lay by (v.), (n.) roadside parking or rest lay-by (n.) area for drivers

(n.) a last cultivating in the growing of a crop (v.) to cultivate (a crop) for the last time (n.) a clue or potential source of information (esp. in context of journalistic investigation) * a pipe for carrying water ("rain water leader")

lead

(rhyming with "speed") a cable (US: cord), or a dog's leash newspaper editorial main violin in an orchestra (US: concertmaster) see also Leader of the

to guide through

leader

one who leads

Opposition lecturer the entry-level academic rank someone who gives a lecture at a university (below Senior Lecturer, Reader, and Professor) non-carbonated drink made by mixing lemon juice, sugar, and water (UK: traditional lemonade) allow, give permission. (let out) to end (of school, leave (as in let him be or let it meetings, etc.) be) ease (as in let up on the accelerator) indicate (as in don't let on) a first bad serve which is allowed to be retaken, as in tennis, table tennis, and volleyball an embankment on a river (as the Mississippi River) the steep bank of a river, or border of an irrigated field (esp. Southern & Western US) a landing place or quay take advantage of a capability (business) the use of debt finance (UK: gearing)* knowledge not immediately revealed to be used to one's advantage *

lemonade clear, carbonated, lemonflavoured drink similar to Sprite and 7 Up (lemon and lime flavoured) let to rent (as real property) *("rooms to let") (n.) the act of renting; rented premises (let out) to reveal

levee

an early afternoon assembly a reception in honour of a held by the King or Queen, to particular person which only men were admitted (Always leve, with accent)

leverage

mechanical advantage of a lever

liberal (politics)

a person who generally supports the ideas of the UK Liberal Democrats, a centre left-party

a person who holds the a person who advocates political ideals of Liberalism. modern liberalism; see Liberalism in the United States

life a type of weapon for selfpreserver defence (US: blackjack)

life vest, personal flotation device (UK: lifebelt or lifejacket)

lift (n.)

platform or cage moved vertically in a shaft to transport people and goods to various floors in a building (US: elevator)

ride as a passenger in a an elevation in mood, "I got a vehicle (as in, to give lift just talking with her." someone a lift) item placed in shoe to increase the height of the wearer, normally plural (lifts, elevator shoes) a breadthless length a group of persons, usually waiting for something, arranged in order of arrival (UK: queue) a lie, short for a line of bull a phrase used for hitting on women, short for pickup line to hit a line drive (a hard straight shot) in baseball a distilled beverage * (hard liquor) strongly alcoholic beverage; spirits (liquor store) retail establishment selling liquor (usu. for consumption off the premises) (UK similar: offlicence) ("I held up and robbed a hard liquor store" Paul Simon) the state of a firearm with bullets or shells in its firing chamber. bearing a load. (slang; of a person) rich drunk or high

line

(see also track)

liquor

the broth resulting from the prolonged cooking of meat or vegetables. Green liquor is traditionally served with pie and mash in the East End of London

loaded

lolly

Frozen water-based dessert on (short for lollipop) candy on a a stick (US: popsicle). stick. (a lot) a great deal a number of things (or, informal, people) taken collectively fate, fortune a prize in a lottery (the lot) the whole thing a measured plot of land; a portion of land set for a particular purpose ("a building lot"), e.g. for parking ("parking lot") or selling ("used car lot") automotive vehicles. But also a "vacant lot"

lot

a film studio lounge a room for relaxation and entertainment in a house (lounge bar) part of a pub a room for relaxation in a public place a bar

love (in informal term of address addressing people) loveseat a seat which accommodates two people facing in opposite directions. Can be wooden or padded.

beloved person, darling (often a term of endearment)

a two-seater couch

lox

liquid oxygen (engineering)

thin-sliced smoked salmon, commonly consumed on bagels; Yiddish from German 'Lachs', salmon. a lug nut fastens a tire to the wheel, (UK wheel nut). a "big lug" is usually a term of endearment for a large shy, goofy man. (n.) timber that has been sawed and (partly) prepared for construction or woodworking; hence lumberyard (UK: timberyard), lumber camp, lumberjack, lumberman, lumber wagon, lumber town, etc. (v.) to log and prepare timber to make a rolling sound (dated) an alcoholic *especially female

lugs (n.)

ears (lugholes)

a small projection (engineering)

lumber

(n.) disused items (as (v.) to move awkwardly or furniture)*; hence lumber heavily ("he lumbered out the room door") (v.) to encumber (as with such items) ("I was lumbered with work")

lush attractive (usu. used by luxuriant (slang; of women in reference to men a person) principally West Country)

M
Word British English meanings Meanings common to British and American American English meanings

English mac abbr. of raincoat (Mackintosh) a brand of Apple Inc. (Slang; proper n.) A term of computers; abbreviation of informal address used with Macintosh. male strangers; generally implies more unfriendliness or disapproval than the more neutral 'pal' or 'buddy': "Get your car out of my way, Mac!" UK generally 'mate'. Cf. 'Jack.' Macintosh, a brand of Apple Inc. computers (often shortened to Mac) (wrongly) McIntosh Red, a type of apple insane enraged * very, or a large amount of something (slang, as in "he has mad skills")

Mackintosh, raincoat (Mackintosh, often Macintosh, shortened to mac) or McIntosh

mad

eccentric *

mail

(used in Royal Mail, the name (n.) the postal system of a (v.) send a letter (UK: post or of the British postal system; nation send); noun originated mail cf. postal) letters, packages, etc. sent carrier & mailman (UK: (Scot.) a payment (tax, rent, by post; as delivered to postman), mailbox (UK: etc.) individual, orig. US, UK postbox; letter box), mail slot, (Scot.) a travelling bag or pack often post mail drop, etc. (n. & v.) e-mail, (n.) armour, as in "chainmail" mail box a file for storing electronic mail (or related computing or voicemail usage) an item of street furniture serving as a receptacle for outgoing mail (UK: post box; letter box; pillar box); a receptacle for incoming paper mail (UK: letter box) a railroad's primary track, or a primary artery, route, road, or connection Pennsylvania Main Line mainline Protestant churches (n.) a college/university student's main field of

mailbox

main line

a major railway line (as the West Coast Main Line); compare trunk

a major vein (as for drug injection purposes) (orig. 1930s US slang); also used as a v.

major

(in the past, in English public important or significant schools) used to denote the (n.) rank between captain

eldest of two or more pupils with the same surname ("Bloggs major")

and Lieutenant Colonel in the army and marines.

specialization ("his major is physics"); the student himself ("he is a physics major"); (v.) to pursue a major ("he majored in physics") (compare minor; UK: compare read) (n.) rank between captain and Lieutenant Colonel in the air force (UK squadron leader) and in some police agencies (UK approx. superintendent). more than half of all votes (UK: absolute majority)

majority (politics)

the greatest number of votes difference of votes between first and second place (US: plurality) to snog to draw up, to seek to make it appear, to fabricate a story to see with difficulty; to understand the meaning of

make out

to kiss (see Making out) to succeed or profit ("She made out well on that deal.") *

manual

(adj.) performed by hand, e.g. "manual labour"; (n.) instruction book (n.) a car with a manual transmission ("I drive a manual.") (US: stick shift, stick) a sauce containing seafood, usu. in a tomato base a sauce containing tomatoes and herbs, with no seafood or meat (UK: napolitana sauce) signage placed over the entrance to a hotel, theatre, or cinema (attrib.) the ability (of a show) to draw audience, "box office" ("marquee value") a prominent celebrity or athlete ("marquee player") animal's sexual partner spouse or partner checkmate, the winning of a game of chess an officer on a merchant ship of inferior quality, unpleasant, unkind, vicious *

marinara sauce

marquee

large, open-sided tent installed outdoors for temporary functions *

mate

friend (US: pal or friend) informal term of address ("hello mate")

mean (adj.) stingy, miserly, selfish *

contemptible a statistical average (see mean) median a statistical average (see median) geometric median median nerve to face (as a situation), experience ("If you can meet with triumph and disaster, and treat those two impostors just the same" Kipling) the portion of a divided highway used to separate opposing traffic (UK central reservation) to have a meeting with (as people) ("Vice president meets with Iraqi officials", CNN) *(UK generally meet (transitive) or meet up with) [1]

meet with

mezzanine

intermediate floor between lowest balcony in a theatre, or main floors of a building the first few rows of seats thereof (UK usu. dress circle) middle of the Atlantic coast of the USA (exact definition of Mid-Atlantic States may vary)

mid-Atlantic in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, half-way between UK & US; an English-speaking accent with features of both British and American speakers middle class better off than 'working class', but not rich, i.e., a narrower term than in the U.S. and often negative military relating specifically to the British Army (dated) relating to armed forces in general

ordinary; not rich although not destitute, generally a positive term

(adj.) relating to any of the individual branches of the armed forces (n.) armed forces

minor

(in the past, in English public schools) used to denote the youngest of two or more pupils with the same surname ("Bloggs minor")

not very important (n.) secondary academic see minor (law), major and subject (compare major) ("has minor a major in biology and a (n.) a person under the age minor in English"); (v.) to of 18 years, generally, and study as one's minor ("she for legal reasons more minored in English") specifically (as in "the name minor league; of the defendant is withheld because he is a minor"), or under an age legally required for certain behavior

(such as purchasing alcohol), or under the age of consent. miss out to omit to lose a chance; usu. used with on decorative structure suspended so as to turn freely in the air (US: cell phone)

mobile (n.)

mobile phone

mobile home a mobile, non-motorised piece of equipment with living facilities; a caravan (q.v.)

a type of manufactured dwelling transported to the home site using wheels attached to the structure for a moment (adj.) monophonic (of reproduced sound, e.g. radio or CD player using a single speaker) monochrome (adj.) debatable ("a moot point") (v.) to bring up for debate (these meanings are fading from use in US English) see also moot court in a moment; very soon (n.) infectious mononucleosis, a disease caused by EpsteinBarr virus (UK: glandular fever)

momentarily mono

moot

(adj.) irrelevant ("a moot point") (orig. legal, now in common use) (v.) to make irrelevant (incorrect/uneducated usage)

mortuary (n.) building or room (as in a hospital) for the storage of human remains (US: morgue) motorbike a motorcycle

funeral home, funeral parlour

a lightweighted, small motorcycle a self-propelled railway vehicle Military police other expansions Northern Mariana Islands (ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 country code and U.S. postal abbreviation MP)

motor car, motorcar MP

(formal) a car (motor vehicle) (US: automobile) Member of Parliament

Missouri Pacific Railroad (reporting mark MP) muffin a thick round baked yeast roll, usually toasted and served with butter (US: English muffin) a confection similar to a cupcake but unfrosted and less sweet, sometimes even savory (e.g., corn muffin) *(UK: American muffin) a scarf device to silence an automobile (UK: silencer) or gramophone

muffler

mum

mother, as addressed or referred to by her child (US: mom) mother, as addressed or referred to by her child (US: mommy) Ancient Egyptian mummy, a chemically preserved corpse any preserved corpse (Mexican mumia)

mummy

[edit] N Word British English meanings Meanings common to British American English meanings and American English piece of paper used to protect garments, (oftenest, sanitary napkin) absorbent piece of material worn by a woman while menstruating *(UK usu. sanitary towel)

napkin

nappy (q.v.), diaper (dated, not piece of material used to well known) protect garments from spilled food or to remove food residues from around the mouth [formerly esp. US; alternative UK term serviette is obsolescent] folded cloth or other absorbent material drawn up between the legs and fastened around the waist, usu. worn by infants to counter incontinence (US: diaper) unsightly, disgusting

nappy

twisted or kinked, considered insulting when applied to hair, esp. that of persons of African descent (also called napped)

nasty

(do the nasty) (slang) have sex

natter

Idle, pleasant chatter (US: small talk, chitchat) nervous, fidgety * The National Health Service, a government-run health care plan funded by British taxpayers and available to all citizens.

(natter on) Constant, annoying chatter bold, presumptuous The National Honor Society, an American scholastic organization open to high schoolers (in grades 10 - 12, see grade) who excel in academics, leadership skills, citizenship, and character.

nervy NHS

nick

prison or police station (slang) small cut to steal (slang) (computer jarg.) nickname to arrest (slang) the metallic element (Ni) 5 cent coin (also 'nickle') five dollars (slang) unfazed (incorrect usage)

nickel

nonplussed

bewildered, unsure how to respond a sex offender; in particular, a the present moment child molestor (slang) a word used only once a single-use token in a cryptographic protocol neither ("'She didn't come.' 'Nor did he.'") (Scotland & Ireland) than ("someone better nor me") and not, or (not) ("neither sad nor happy"; "he never eats, nor does he ever feel hungry") concept, conception, inclination

nonce

nor

notion

(pl.) small items and accessories, esp. for sewing (UK: haberdashery, q.v.); hence notion store, notion counter, etc.

[edit] O Word British English meanings Meanings common to British American English meanings and American English a place of business; a position the place where a physician or or function

office

(cap.) a government department ("Colonial

Office", "Foreign and Commonwealth Office") (pl.) the outbuildings and dependencies of a dwelling (as an estate) optician (dispensing optician) professional who dispenses lenses and spectacles (ophthalmic optician) professional who tests eyes and prescribes lenses (US: optometrist)

a particular division of an administrative unit ("Patent Office")

dentist practises (UK: surgery)

professional who dispenses lenses and spectacles

optometrist

ophthalmic optician

in the U.S., optometrist and ophthalmologist are separate, opticians are the same as UK dispensing opticians a person from anywhere in Asia, other than Western Asia or Russia. Considered pejorative. Polite US speakers use Asian instead, even for people from China and Korea. the act of forcing the removal of someone from a position of influence or power the part of the road nearest the edge, used especially by slower-moving vehicles (UK: inside lane)

Oriental

a person from East/SouthEast a thing from Asia e.g. Asia. Contrast 'Asian', "Oriental Carpet". meaning a person from South Asia.

ouster

a person who ousts

outside lane the part of the road nearest the (in both cases the term vehicles going in the opposite applies to the rightmost lane direction, used especially by in the direction concerned) faster vehicles (US: inside lane) overall (n.) loose-fitting protective outer garment (US: coverall)

(in pl.) sturdy protective bib trousers; dungarees, bib overalls

[edit] P Word British English meanings Meanings common to British American English meanings and American English something or somebody that rubber teat for babies (UK:

pacifier

brings peace panda police car (slang) (US: zebra, black-and-white) Type of animal (black and white), e.g. Giant Panda, Red Panda

dummy)

pantomime traditional Christmas time holiday theatre

silent acting, usu. without props, by mime artist (UK: mime) usually, any trousers, exc. in "to get into her pants", etc., in which it denotes women's underclothing* (wear the pants in the family) be masculine, be the breadwinner, perform the husband's role (derog.) (spoken esp. of a wife, usage becoming obsolete) a waxy fraction of petroleum commonly used to make candles (UK: paraffin wax) relating to or affected by paralysis outdoor area for recreational uses ("Central Park", "Hyde Park") national park (orig. US) any of various areas designated for certain purposes *, such as amusement park, theme park, industrial park, trailer park, memorial park (a cemetery) (sports) enclosed ground for ball games, oftenest the baseball park a level valley among the mountains (as the Rocky Mountains); also, an area of open grassland, or one for cultivation, esp. if among the woods

pants

underpants (also briefs or boxers) of poor quality (slang) (of a situation) bad, unfortunate (slang). Although refers to trousers in parts of Northern England.

paraffin

kerosene

paralytic

extremely drunk (slang)

park

a tract of ground kept in its natural state, about or adjacent to a residence, as for the preservation of game, for walking, riding, or the like (esp. Scotland) a pasture or field area for the parking of motor vehicles ("a car park") (sports) a soccer or rugby field see also country park

parking

the act of parking (a vehicle) To engage in romantic intimacy in a parked vehicle.

(regional) turf strip between sidewalk and street (many regional synonyms exist; there is no standard name). parkway a railway station with parking areas intended for commuters generally, an open landscaped limited-access highway (q.v.) (see article) regional term for parking (q.v.) to die (esp. a car or other machine) * to distribute * patience any of a family of one-player the quality of being patient card games (US: solitaire, q.v.) a paved strip at the side of a road, reserved for pedestrians (US: sidewalk) police constable politically correct personal computer other expansions penis (slang) the road surface *

pass out

to graduate from a training to become unconscious centre of a disciplined service (military, police etc.)

pavement

PC

pecker

courage, pluck (slang, used in the phrase "keep your pecker up", remain cheerful) slightly hungry, snackish * (n.) (often clothes peg) a wooden or plastic device for fastening laundry on a clothesline (US: clothespin) (v.) to fasten (laundry) on a clothesline (n.) a cylindrical wooden, metal etc. object used to fasten or as a bearing between objects (v.) to fix or pin down (v.) to hit with a projectile

peckish peg

irritable or angry (rare) (n.) a throw (as in baseball) (v.) to identify or classify (as someone) *

penny

(pl. pence, or, when referring to a small amount usu. in coins, pennies) 1/100 contrast to a larger one (formerly, 1/240) of the Pound ("Penny wise, Pound Sterling [listed here to reflect foolish", common phrase in ordinary usage] both British and American usage) section of time menstruation row of the periodic table

(pl. pennies) a cent (esp. the coin) (penny-ante) trivial, smalltime.

period

punctuation mark used at the end of a sentence (interj.) used at the end of a statement to emphasise its finality *("You are not going to that concert, period!") (UK: full stop for both senses) about 5/6 of British (Imperial) measure, 16 US fluid ounces (16.65 Imperial fl. oz), 473 ml

pint

about 6/5 of US measure, 20 Imperial fluid ounces (19.2 US fl. oz.), 568 ml pint of beer, lager or cider ("Pour us a pint") (on the piss) drinking heavily, going out for the purpose of drinking heavily (to take the piss) to mock (to piss off) to go away intoxicated, drunk*(often pissed as a newt; sometimes pissed up) outdoor site for a stall or some other business site for a tent (US: campsite, q.v.) playing field for a particular sport (football pitch, rugby pitch, cricket pitch, etc.) (US: field) urine (usu. vulgar) urinate (usu. vulgar) low-quality beer (vulgar) (to piss off) to incite to anger, to enrage urinated (usu. vulgar) (pissed off) angry, irritated

piss

pissed

pitch

an attempt to persuade somebody to do something, usu. to accept a business proposal a sticky black substance obtained from tar the slope of a roof rotation on a lateral axis (as an aircraft or spacecraft) the frequency of a sound to erect a tent to discard (in various card games, e.g., bridge)

in baseball, the delivery of a baseball by a pitcher to a batter "pitching a tent" (slang): to have an erection (describes the shape of the fabric covering one) (slang) to dispose a brief summary of a broader work or idea meant to be attractive to a third party e.g. "What's the pitch?"

pitcher

a large container (often

any container with a handle

earthenware), usually round with a narrow neck, used for holding water or another liquid [2] (US: jug)

and lip or spout for liquids*[3] (UK: jug) baseball player who pitches (throws) baseball towards the batter (UK: bowler) (LGBT slang, from baseball) a top or dominant partner the man that stands in a pit a connecting rod (as in a when sawing timber (with sawmill) another man standing above) a master barbecuer, the person responsible for managing a barbecue pit. a vegetable organism, a factory a pastelike mixture that hardens when applied to walls and ceilings; plastered - drunk

pitman

a miner working in a pit

plant

machinery, industrial equipment an adhesive bandage placed on a minor cut or scrape (UK also: sticking/sticky plaster, Elastoplast; US: Band-Aid); a cast of plaster of Paris ("a leg in plaster") noun: a rubber-soled cloth shoe; a sneaker.

plaster

plimsoll, plimsol, plimsole.

waterline to show the level the water should reach when the ship is properly loaded [syn: load line], named after Samuel Plimsoll piece of land jutting into any body of water, esp. a river ("points and bends"); a prominence or peak (of mountains, hills, rocks), also an extremity of woods or timber

point

(pl.) railway turnout *(US: (see article) switch) (power point) electrical socket (US: outlet) cape or promontory jutting into sea (full point) syn. with full stop (q.v.) blackjack, twenty-one to place or put ("I popped the book on the table") a buoyant device a sharp explosive sound pop music carbonated soft drink (US usage is regional; also: soda, soda pop)

pontoon pop

father (colloquial) (v.) to kill (n.) a sudden increase (as in price) (orig. Stock exchange)

(pop in) to arrive unexpectedly porter doorman, gatekeeper, or bearer of burdens building maintenance worker * a style of beer to send a letter *(US: mail) to display on a noticeboard or bulletin board, Internet forum, etc.

railway sleeping car attendant

post (v.)

to announce ("the company posted a first-quarter profit of $100 million") to inform ("keep me posted") * (used in the name of the United States Postal Service; see mail) (going postal) to commit a sudden, irrational burst of rage (slang)

postal

related to the paper mail system

pound sign

symbol of the Pound Sterling number sign, octothorpe (#) () (GBP) (UK: hash sign) a pedestrian zone in a city or town ("a shopping precinct") a space enclosed (as by walls) subdivision of a county, town, etc. for the purpose of conducting elections section of a city patrolled by a police unit; the police station in such a section fee-paying private senior school (which prepares pupils for university) (UK: public school or independent school) one who operates a printing press

precinct

prep(arator (in England) fee-paying private y) school junior school (which prepares pupils for public school)

pressman, a journalist employed by a presswoma newspaper (US: n newspaperman/newspaperwom an (rare), or by specific job) pressurise (UK), pressurize (US & UK) insistently influence, or attempt subject a volume of gas or to influence, someone else liquid to physical pressure, as ("The manager pressurised his the atmospheric pressure assistant to work late") (US & within an aircraft ("To UK also: pressure) protect the Aircraft's structure, the plane was pressurized to 8000 ft.")

proctor

variant of the word procurator, is a person who takes charge or acts for another. holder of a chair in a university, the highest academic rank (the usual order being Lecturer, Senior Lecturer, Reader, Professor)

an examination supervisor (UK: invigilator)

professor

academic faculty of all ranks: Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, and (Full) Professor (the latter being largely equivalent to the UK meaning) a plan; a temporary endeavour undertaken to create a unique product or service publicly subsidised usu. lowincome housing development see public housing (UK: cf. s.v. estate) dance/party held for pupils to celebrate the end of a school year/graduation, a shortening of 'promenade', a formal parade *

project

prom

shortening of 'promenade concert', originally one of a series of concerts (The Proms) held as part of a classical music festival that takes place in the late summer based around the Royal Albert Hall in London, but now also used elsewhere shortening of 'promenade', a raised walk next to the beach in seaside resorts to forcefully express an opinion, to advocate: "The prisoner protested his innocence."

protest (v.t.)

to campaign or demonstrate against: "The prisoner's friends protested the judge's decision." (UK: protest against) tax-supported school controlled by a local governmental authority (UK: state school) *(also in Scotland & Northern Ireland)

public school

long-established and prestigious fee-paying independent school in England or Wales (note that not all private schools are classed as public schools) (US: prep school) short for pudding, especially in "Christmas pud" (pronounced / pd/) dessert course of a meal

pud

slang term for penis (pronounced /pd/) (from 'pudendum') a creamy dessert

pudding

a heavy dessert or main course (e.g. steak and kidney pudding), often suet-based used in the name of some other savoury dishes (e.g. black pudding, pease pudding) pull

term of affection

to persuade someone to be to move something towards to carry out a task (esp. milit.) one's date or sex partner (slang) oneself ("to pull guard duty") (on the pull) seeking a date or an injury to a muscle, tendon, sex partner (slang) or ligament, e.g. "I've pulled authority, influence ("He's got my hamstring." pull in that office.") (pull rank) the act of a supervisor exercising authority over a subordinate.

pull off pump (shoe)

(of a vehicle) to start moving (regional) a plimsoll (US: sneaker)

to succeed in a task the word (of unknown usu. women's high(ish) origin) has variously denoted heeled shoe (UK similar: a pantofle, a low thin sole court shoe, q.v.) shoe, a formal men's shoe (Reebok Pump) a brand of athletic shoe with an internal inflation mechanism

punk

follower of Punk rock

worthless person; from conventional societal perspective any young outlaw or tough; from perspective of outlaws and others valuing physical fighting, a coward to play a prank or practical joke on someone

purse

feminine money container or wallet (US: coin purse)

in boxing etc., the money to handbag be awarded in a prize fight a cat (becoming less common in the US, due to the other meanings) Slang term for vagina a weakling

pussy

pylon

electricity pylon, part of an electric power transmission

A large architectural feature, traffic cone; temporary traffic usually found as one of a pair lane separator.

network *(US: mast or transmission tower)

at the entrance to ancient support structure for Egyptian temples - see Pylon suspension bridge or highway (architecture)

[edit] Q Word British English meanings Meanings common to British and American English American English meanings

quart

1/4 (UK) gallon or 2 (UK) pints. Liquid measure approximately 1.136 litres (6/5 of an American quart).

1/4 (US) gallon or 2 (US) pints. Liquid measure equal to 0.946 litres (5/6 of a British quart). one of four equal parts into 25 cents (a fourth of a dollar) which something is divided, as a quarter hour or, especially for financial purposes, a quarter of a year; in generic usage (as in fractions), US usu. fourth

quarter

queue

a group of persons, usually waiting for something, arranged in order of arrival *(US: line)

an ordered sequence of objects, from which the first one in is also the first one out (cf. Queue (data structure))

quid

colloquial term for pound a measure (mouthful) of sterling (plural is quid also; in chewing tobacco Ireland it can refer to the punt or Euro) (related US: buck) to some extent or degree, e.g. in the phrase "quite good" meaning "mediocre, acceptable" or "good, well done" (a meiotic usage, depending on voice intonation) agreeing with a given statement, often expressing reluctant agreement or disbelief ("I'm innocent, and this document proves it!" "Quite.") according to intonation) to the fullest extent or degree ("All art is quite useless" Oscar Wilde) to a great extent or degree

quite

[edit] R Word British English meanings Meanings common to British American English meanings and American English (n.) the animal rabbit, a lagomorph (rabbit ears) (slang) TV antenna (usage becoming obsolete)

rabbit

(v.) (slang) to talk at length, usually about trivial things; usually to 'rabbit on' tramway (obsolete)

railroad

(v.) to coerce the general term for the system to convict with undue haste of mass transit using trains or with insufficient evidence running on rails: see usage of the terms railroad and railway (v.) to work on the railroad to transport by railroad see also at underground tramway

railway

the general term for the system of mass transit using trains running on rails: see usage of the terms railroad and railway (UK usage excludes currants a large dark grape, dried and sultanas) one that rambles (as a hiker), a type of rose see Ramblers one who talks excessively, often without making cohesive points (to ramble on) a slang term meaning sexually aroused (American horny)

raisin

any dried grape

rambler

a style of house, usu. a ranchstyle house (see also Rambler (automobile), Nash Rambler)

randy

a male or female given name or nickname deriving from the names Randall, Randolph, or Miranda a series of things in a line (as a cooking stove with an oven mountains) and burners on the top surface an open area for the grazing of a sequence or scale between livestock a series of townships (q.v.), a limits Public Land Survey System a place where shooting is unit of land east or west from a practised an area over which a species Principal meridian of animal or plant is found

range

a line, collection, etc. of products or merchandise, as in top of the range (US: top of the line) a type of kitchen stove like that featured on the TV programme The 1900 House

raunchy

Lewd, vulgar, sexually explicit

foul-smelling, dirty raunch (n.): stench, miasma

read

to study a subject at to peruse written material university* ("he is reading physics". US: "He is studying law") (roughly approximate US: major (in)) the second highest academic one who reads rank at a university, below professor (US equivalent: associate professor) a teaching assistant who reads and grades examination papers.

reader

receptionist hotel reservation desk worker front desk employee in (US: clerk) see also business establishments, concierge organisations, or hospitals recess (time) remission or suspension of business or procedure pause between classes at school (UK: break, playtime, Lunchtime) a baggage porter (as at a train station)

redcap

a military police officer

redundant

laid off from employment, unnecessary; repetitive usu. because no longer needed ("The company made 100 workers redundant") (US: laid off) normal, customary of an ordinary kind; also, nice following a uniform pattern or agreeable ("a regular guy") in space or time (of a geometric shape) having of an ordinary or medium size equal sides and angles * frequent unmodified, especially nonone who frequents a place dietary/sugar-free/fat-free * a full-time professional non-decaffeinated coffee member of a military lowest grade of gasoline organisation (see Structure of (historically: leaded gasoline) the British Army and Regular army) (US: active duty) (n.) set of responsibilities (v.) to defer; in law, to ("within my remit"; "to have transfer a case to a lower

regular

remit

a remit") (pronounced / rimt/)

court; to send money; to cancel. (pronounced /r mt/) to pay money in exchange for to pay money in exchange for the right to use a house, land the right to use moveable or other real property (BrE property such as a car (BrE "let") "hire")

rent (v.)

restroom

a room for staff to take their breaks in; a staffroom (US: breakroom)

a room in a public place, containing a toilet

retainer

amount of money paid in a device for straightening teeth order to retain the services of (UK: brace) another, a person who part of a retinue (v.) to go backwards, a period of group withdrawal especially (military) to move for study or instruction under a away from the enemy; to group leader withdraw (n.) a period of withdrawal from society for prayer or meditation to reassess, inspect, perform to study again (as in preparing a subsequent reading for an examination) (UK: to write a review revise), hence review (n.) to study again (as in to inspect, amend, correct, preparing for an examination) improve, esp. written (US: review), hence revision material to call (someone) by telephone to sound a bell (ring up) *to total up a customer's purchases on a cash register

retreat

review

revise

ring (v.)

rise (increase) roast

an increase in wages (US: raise) (colloquial) to reprimand severely.

an increase in amount, value, price, etc. (v.) to cook in an oven; (n.) meat so cooked (n.) an event where an individual is ridiculed for the sake of comedy; (v.) to host or perform such an event

roommate

a person with whom one shares a bedroom

(also roomie) a person with whom one shares a house or apartment (UK: housemate or flatmate) to cheer ("I will be rooting for you"); to dig or look for (root around) *

root (v.)

to have sex with (vulgar slang) (orig. Australian) *

to fix; to rummage; to take root or grow roots

rotary

a machine acting by rotation a circular road intersection (cap.) organisation whose (US also traffic circle, UK usu. members comprise Rotary roundabout; see articles) Clubs a detour or circuitous path a circular road intersection a type of men's jacket used in the past (see e.g. Mark Twain)

roundabout a merry-go-round

row (n.)

(Pronounced /ra/, to rhyme with "cow") a noisy quarrel *; a continual loud noise ("Who's making that row?")

(Pronounced /ro/, to a series of prison cells ("death rhyme with "toe") row") a line of objects, often a particular street or area of a regularly spaced (as seats in a town (as in skid row, theatre, vegetable plants in a dilapidated neighbourhood garden etc.) haunted by vagrants, misfits, etc.) a series of row houses a line of entries in a table, etc. (as opposed to a column) (row house) town house, q.v. an instance of rowing (as in a boat) the duration of a match in certain games (e.g., bridge) condom waterproof rain boot (but only in the plural: "rubbers") (UK: wellington)

rubber pencil eraser (countable noun)

rug

a (usually thick) piece of a small covering for a floor fabric used for warmth (slang) a wig; hairpiece (especially on a bed); blanket (n.) a leisure drive or ride ("a (v.) senses orig. US and now run in the car") common are: to be a candidate in an election (UK also stand); to manage or provide for (a business, a family, etc.); the idioms run scared, run into. More s.v. home run; see wiktionary for (v.) to propose (someone) as a candidate to drive past ("to run a red light") to hunt (as the buffalo or the deer) (n.) an instance of running for office

run

additional meanings, a type a creek (q.v.) of cage which is made so that animals (e.g. Hamsters, rabbits, Guinea pigs, etc.) can run around in it. run-in the final part of a race; approach to something, also run-up (q.v.) a reduction (as of an establishment) an argument or altercation * a chance meeting (negative connotation) a detailed summary (orig. US a type of play in baseball slang) tired, depressed. a sudden increase (as in price) (orig. Stock exchange) *

rundown (n.) run-up

the period preceding an event the act of running up (as an election) *

[edit] S Word British English meanings Meanings common to British and American English American English meanings

saloon

closed car having two or officers' dining room on a (usu.) four doors, a front and merchant ship rear seat and a separate boot/trunk (US: sedan) (saloon bar) posh bar within a pub or hotel passengers' lounge on a liner or luxury train (US approx.: parlor car) to cut the scalp off; to take something away

bar, especially in the American Old West bar that serves only spirits and no food a room in a house used for receiving guests; a salon

scalp (v.)

to resell (as tickets) at higher prices (UK: tout)

(n.) trophy, spoils of victory to trade (as stocks) for quick (informal) profits scheme official systematic plan (as of a plan, often secret or the government) ("a pension devious; a plot ("criminal scheme") scheme") (Scotland) Low-cost public housing (US: project) place of primary or grouping of departments or any educational institution; large department within a in school: state of being a

school

secondary education

university faculty (among other meanings, e.g., a group of experts sharing perspective or methods, or a group of fish)

pupil in any school normally serving minor children of any age, or in a college or university at any level; at school: usually, physically present on campus. (UK: at school for both) bellicose or fightingly determined a scrappy player is one who compensates for a lack of size or speed with grit and determination.

scrappy

not neatly organised or poor fragmentary a scrappy player is one who sometimes plays well, but often plays badly.

second (v.)

to transfer temporarily to alternative employment (pronounced /sknd/, to rhyme with "beyond") to detain under the Mental Health Act 1983 On section, detained in a mental hospital.

to endorse, support, or bring reinforcements

section (v.t.)

to cut or slice into sections

sedan

a chair or windowed cabin, a common car body style carried by at least two (UK: saloon, q.v.) porters in front and behind with the seeds left in having had the seeds removed (uncommon usage) (also seedless, used in UK) semi-trailer truck (UK: articulated lorry)

seeded (grapes, etc.)

semi

semi-detached house (US: duplex), semi-erection (vulgar) a single batch of episodes of a complete production, i.e. a television programme (US: the programme itself season) a triangular object used in technical drawing (US: triangle)

series (television)

all of the episodes of a particular television program

set square

a T-square (also used in technical drawing)

shade

penumbra, partial obscurity; window blind nuance (pl.) sunglasses (orig. US); reminder of the past to copulate, or copulate with [understood in some (but certainly not all) demographics in the US also, see Austin Powers] a seabird (various members of the cormorant family) a kind of a dance, associated with "beach music," esp. from the Carolinas (orig. US) a kind of fabric with a thick, long strands; often used in carpets long, matted hair (cf. Shaggy from the ScoobyDoo cartoon) a type of shredded coarse tobacco broken into many small pieces. devastated emotionally a type of frozen dessert (also spelled sherbert) elected chief legal officer of a county, usu. also in charge of the county's law enforcement service; elsewhere any member of a county (vs. state or local) police sign proclaiming one's name and calling ("hang a shingle out") to cover something like a shingled roof (v.) to chase after; to chase and fetch (as a fly ball in baseball) a style of long hair with numerous layers (not matted or untidy)

shag

shattered

exhausted

sherbet

a fizzy powdered confectionery chief royal peace officer of a county, now (as high sheriff) largely only a ceremonial role (England and Wales) local judge, in full sheriffdepute or sheriff-substitute (Scotland) pebbles, particularly those on to cut a woman's hair in an the seashore * overlapping style (shingles) a painful disease of the skin, caused by the chickenpox virus wooden roof tile to cover a roof with wooden tiles To transport goods by sea, movement of goods by sea

sheriff

shingle

ship (verb), shipping

To transport goods, movement of goods Shipping & handling,

Relationship (fandom)

standard form of charge for delivery of goods (UK: Postage & packing) small or specialized consumer retail establishment (e.g. coffee shop, dress shop) workshop; practical class at school taught in a workshop; US auto shop = Br. garage, car mechanic.

shop

consumer retail establishment of any size (US: store); hence shopfront (US: storefront), shop-soiled (US: shopworn), shop assistant (US: (sales) clerk) workshop, only in combination ("machine shop") strong alcoholic drinks short trousers (US: short served in multiples of 25 ml, pants) sometimes with mixers (US & UK also: shots)

shorts

underpants, boxers (take it in one's shorts) endure a painful situation ("He really took it in the shorts that time.")

shower

spray of water used to wash a celebratory party where oneself gifts are given to an individual e.g. a baby shower to celebrate an imminent a short period of rain birth Latin for "Thus", "just so" pronunciation spelling of states that the preceding "seek" used as a dog quoted material appears command, and by extension exactly that way in the as a verb meaning to set (as a source, usu. despite errors of dog, etc.) to attack someone spelling, grammar, usage, or ("I'll sic my attorney on fact. you") (off sick) not at work because of illness (n.) vomit ("a puddle of sick") (to be sick) to vomit (slang) disgusting (corruption of sickening) (slang) cool, good, interesting unwell (out sick) not at work because of illness

sic

sick

sideboard

(pl.) sideburns, side-whiskers an item of furniture also known as buffet a dead-end railway track a short section of railroad leading off the main line and track connected by switches used to store rolling-stock with a main track, enabling

siding

trains on the same line to pass (UK: loop) external wall covering, cladding, weatherboarding silencer device to silence a device to silence a firearm car/automobile (US: muffler) a Queen's Counsel material made from the silky, pistillate flower of unwound silkworm cocoons corn (maize) a parachute (orig. slang of (silky) smooth, having the the United States Air Force) texture of silk (cf., silky words) eating implements (spoon, fork, knife) (UK: cutlery; US also flatware)

silk

silverware

things made from silver, including bowls, spoons, etc. Also trophies won by a sports team (i.e. FA Cup, Challenge Cup...) (regional dialect) a frying pan a type of stir-fried food item

skillet

a frying pan, often cast iron a long-handled stewing pan or saucepan, often having short legs or feet one who disappears without paying their debts ("finding a good skip tracer is harder than finding your debtors") (UK: Gone Away)

skip (n.)

large rubbish container (US an act of leaping or approx: Dumpster) omitting; see skip (radio), skip (in audio playback)

skive (v.)

to avoid work or school (play v. to cut or pare truant) leather/rubber; n. an indentation made from skiving a scullery maid or lowest servant doing menial work, somebody at the bottom of the pecking order [origin of both senses is (pl.) men's underwear unknown; they are likely (colloquial) unrelated] [note that skivvy has a third distinct meaning in Australian English]

skivvy

slag

(derogatory) promiscuous woman (US & UK also: slut) a general insult directed at someone of either sex (colloq.) an act of urinating ("to have a slash")

A product from the ironsmelting blast furnace; mainly used in tarmac production to cut drastically the symbol '/' (orig. US) (also virgule, solidus; UK also: oblique, stroke) an open tract in a forest strewn with debris, especially from logging a swampy area

slash

slate

(v.) to disparage ("many (n.) a type of rock; a greyish (v.) to schedule *("slated for critics have slated the film"), colour demolition") hence slating (v.) to cover with slate to designate (a candidate, as for political office) (n.) a list of candidates A horizontal member which lies beneath, and binds together, the rails of a railway. (US: railroad tie, crosstie) snow that has partially thawed on its fall to the ground A railway vehicle providing sleeping accommodation (a sleeping car). Sleeper agent - A deep cover secret agent Sleeper (automobile), an automobile modified for high performance but with a normal-looking exterior (UK: Q-car) (partially) frozen raindrops, ice pellets; a mixture of rain and snow or hail; also, glaze (q.v.) a marshy area, a swamp a secondary channel; a small backwater; a pond (usu. pronounced /slu/ and often spelled slew) a fruit-flavored tablet candy produced by Ce De Candy, Inc

sleeper

sleet

slough (wetland)

(usu. pronounced /sla/, to rhyme with "plough")

Smarties

a sugar-coated chocolate confectionery manufactured by Nestl (similar to US M&M's) beaten, destroyed as in "it was smashed" a system (as a pipe) for venting hot gases and smoke: such a system on buildings, locomotives (UK primarily: chimney or funnel), and ships (UK &

smashed

Exceedingly drunk

smokestack

(attrib.) heavy industry, manufacturing industry *("smokestack industries", "smokestack stocks")

US also: funnel) smudge a blurry spot or streak a smouldering mass placed on the windward side to protect from frost or keep insects away (as in smudge pot)

snout

police informant tobacco (slang)

pig's nose nose (slang) turf

sod

unpleasant person, originally layer of grass and earth (in short for sodomite ("He's a UK in a formal/literary sod, isn't he?") sense), cf. 'sodden' unfortunate person when prefixed by 'poor' ("The poor sod's had his wallet nicked.") or 'silly' ("The silly sod really got it knackered."); also an exclamation of frustration, esp. as a euphemism for "fuck": "Sod it!" carbonated water, or any non-alcoholic drink made with it, but not usu. one sold ready-mixed any of various chemical compounds containing sodium (as sodium bicarbonate or sodium carbonate), carbonated water

soda

(regional) carbonated soft drink, usu. one sold readymixed (also 'pop,' 'soda pop') (UK: fizzy drink or colloquially (fizzy) pop)

solicitor

lawyer who advises clients, represents them in the lower courts, and prepares cases for barristers to try in higher courts *(considered overly formal in US)

one that solicits (e.g. contributions to charity), an advertiser, a salesperson, a promoter; often annoying chief law officer of a city, town, or government department any of a family of one-player card games (see solitaire) (UK: patience)

solitaire

peg-jumping puzzle game (see peg solitaire)

sort (v.)

to deal with; hence sorted as to arrange or classify; often expression of appreciation; used with out (slang) to be adequately

supplied with narcotics all used with out: to arrange or take care of (something) * to solve an esp. difficult situation (also reflexive) * (informal) to set (someone) straight, or to get even with (someone) sorted, to have or get fixed, have problems worked out, so things are working correctly ("He's really got it sorted now.") spanner general term for a tool used for turning nuts, bolts, etc. (US: wrench, q.v.) something interfering (US: (monkey) wrench) (offensive) Incompetent, useless, disabled person (from spastic, person with cerebral palsy) a wrench with holes or pins at its end for meshing with the object to be turned (UK: C spanner)

spaz

uncoordinated, hyperactive, messing something up. Can be used self-referentially. Has less offensive connotations in American usage. a spile in a cask a tap or faucet

spigot spook

a ghost; a spy, government a black person (insulting) undercover agent (both orig. US) pimply ("a spotty teenager") of inhomogeneous quality ("a spotty record") alfalfa sprouts courage, daring, or enthusiasm sport (squash (sport))* vegetable (squash (plant))*(UK also gourd) (n.) nothing (slang; short for

spotty

sprouts (n.) spunk

brussels sprouts (vulgar) seminal fluid (US: cum) fruit cordial drink (squash (drink))

squash (n.)

squat

(n.) premises occupied by

squatters (v.) diddly-squat) to occupy (as premises) (more at cop) illegally to bend deeply at the knees while resting on one's feet (n.) the act of squatting an exercise in weightlifting stabiliser (pl.) additional wheels to (UK), help learner cyclists (US: stabilizer (US training wheels) & UK) stall (enclosure) (pl.) front seats in a theatre (US: orchestra) something that stabilises, as stabilizer (aircraft) or stabilizer (chemistry)

compartment for an animal in a barn a booth or counter (as in a marketplace) seat in a church's choir

compartment containing a shower or toilet (UK: cubicle) a marked-off parking space enclosure for a locomotive in a roundhouse (box stall) compartment in a barn where an animal can move untethered (UK: loose box)

stand (v.)

to be a candidate in an election *(US: run)

to be vertical; to remain stationary; to buy (someone) (something) one that starts (as a device to transportation dispatcher or start an engine) elevator (q.v.) dispatcher starting pitcher (baseball) the official who starts a track race. (n.) a hiding place, or something (esp. drug or liquor) stored away*

starter

first course of a meal *(US usu. appetizer); more s.v. entree

stash

(v.) to quit, put an end to ("to (v.) to store away [old stash it") criminals' slang revived in US] (pl. usu. stone) 14 pounds in a small rock weight (14 lb), normally used when specifying a person's weight ("My weight is twelve stone four", meaning 12 stone and 4 pounds; US "172 pounds") (colloquial, mainly Northern past tense and participle of

stone

stood

English) standing ("I've been stand stood here for an hour") stoop A post or pillar, especially a forwards bend of the spine gatepost. (Rare except in bringing the shoulders in dialect). front of the hips dive of a predatory bird towards its prey raised porch or entrance veranda (orig. Dutch; esp. Northeast). Also refers to the external stairs leading up to a row house, "Sitting on the stoop." consumer retail establishment of any size (UK: shop), e.g. grocery store, hardware store, convenience store, dime store; hence storefront (UK: shopfront), storekeeper (UK: shopkeeper) (or cookstove) appliance for cooking food * compare range (UK usu. cooker) see also Franklin stove (solid) a straight (in a road, racecourse, etc.) to temporarily stop working (often as part of a union) knock down all pins in bowling to ignite a match to miss, as to miss the ball with the bat in baseball, (strike three, three strikes) (colloq., from baseball) gone, fired, ejected; said of someone especially after they've been given three chances to improve their (presumably) bad behavior ("Strike three, he's out!") person studying at any educational institution *

store

place for storage of items not large consumer retail needed for immediate use* establishment (as department store or superstore)

stove

a hothouse or greenhouse for wood- or coal-burning plants room-heating appliance the grate of a fireplace

straight away, (usu. spaced) immediately, straightaway right away * strike a good solid shot, as in scoring a goal in soccer (Strike off) to remove a professional's license (e.g., for attorneys: US disbar) ("What do you call a priest who's been stricken off?" Dick Francis)

student

person studying at a postsecondary educational institution

stuff (v)

to have sex - often used as a milder form of "fuck", e.g. "Get stuffed!" *(for "Fuck off!"), "Our team got stuffed in the match", etc. to subsidise (pay for something in place of someone else - often used for any sort of informal loan) (in newspaper publishing) edit copy for length or house style (in full: sub-edit) subscription (UK: membership dues, as in an association or club) sub-lieutenant (Royal Navy rank) subaltern (British Army second lieutenant or lieutenant)

to pack tightly with, especially with food: "I'm stuffed"="I've eaten too much".

sub

subscription: a purchase by prepayment for a certain number of issues, as of a periodical submarine (n. & v.) substitute (usu. in sport) (sexual) submissive

substitute teacher (UK: supply teacher) to teach in place of the normal teacher (regional) submarine sandwich*

subdivision

the process or an instance of the division of a tract of land subdividing into lots (q.v.) for the purpose of sale, or the tract of land so divided. (UK:estate, development) pedestrian underpass Glasgow subterranean railway (Subway) restaurant chain for submarine sandwiches underground commuter railway (UK: underground or tube) A lollipop any person or thing (used either humorously or in annoyance)

subway

sucker

One who sucks (lit. and fig.): fool, dupe, gullible person Secondary shoot produced from the roots of a plant (n.) froth, lather; (v.) to lather

suds

(v.) to form suds; hence sudser (a soap opera) and adj. sudsy (in both lit. & fig. senses) (n.) beer, less commonly root beer person in charge of a

superintendent senior police rank (US

senior official in various

approx.: deputy inspector)

undertakings (railways, public works, etc.)

building (UK: caretaker) the head of a school district or a State Department of Education sometimes, the head of a police department (dated) a train conductor

surgery

the place where a physician act of performing a medical or dentist practises (US: operation (doctor's) office) elasticated support for stockings (US: garter) Swedish (yellow) turnip (US: (Swede) a person from rutabaga) Sweden (n.) An after-meal dessert, more s.v. candy (adj.) Sweet-tasting; (adj.) to (n.) Short for sweetheart. describe someone who is Also, to be sweet on kind, gentle, or giving someone is to have a crush on them. (adj.) used to describe something as good ("That car is sweet!") (n.) see switch, telephone switch, network switch (v.) to operate a switch to exchange, swap, make a shift (n.) mechanism that allows a railway vehicle to change tracks (UK: points); hence switch engine or switcher (UK: shunter), switchyard (UK: marshalling yard), switch tower (UK: signal box) (v.) to change tracks by means of a switch see also bait and switch a zigzagging road or railway, usu. in the mountains; also, a hairpin turn in a road or trail elasticated support for trousers (UK: braces, q.v.)

suspenders

swede

sweet

switch

switchback

a road or railway that alternately ascends and descends a roller coaster

[edit] T Word British English meanings Meanings common to American English meanings

British and American English tab a cigarette (Geordie) a small projection, flap, etc. to run; often used in the an informal credit account, military to refer to double-time usu. at a bar ("Put it on my or quick-time marching. From tab") the abbreviation Tactical The tab key, 	 Advance to Battle. a formal account for services at a restaurant or bar ("May I have the tab?", "Pick up the tab") (UK always bill in this context) A brand of soft drink (keep tabs on) monitor the activity of a person or thing (also lay on the table) to suspend from consideration, to shelve; (colloquial) to postpone

table (verb) (also lay on the table) to raise (as a for consideration parliamentary procedure or in the context of a meeting) tailback queue of vehicles, traffic jam (US: gridlock, backup) jumper (US: sweater) without sleeves slang for a pre-decimalisation one who tans sixpence coin or sixpence value valve through which liquid is a spile or spigot in a cask; a drawn and dispensed *(US device for dispensing beer usu.: faucet, spigot) from a keg (phone tap) a device for listening to other people's telephone calls (tap up) to covertly enter negotiations ("The manager accused the other team of tapping up his player") (tap dance) A type of dance e.g. "I go to tap every Saturday" female prostitute (In US, generally understood but not generally used except in pop tart [overly sexualised (adj) sour-flavoured, sarcastic (n) any of several forms of sweet dessert or snack

offensive backfield position in American football sleeveless t-shirt (UK: vest, q.v.) (also see wifebeater) *

tank top

tanner

tap

to select, designate; esp. to publicly select for a special honour from one's peers as in the (possibly apocryphal) American Indian ceremony ("She was tapped for the position of CEO") and as in being designated a college fraternity pledge. vulgar slang for "have sex with"

tart

female singer])

consisting of filling (usually fruit) in a pastry shell saucy, promiscuous woman (derog.)

tea

afternoon snack (US: late lunch) evening meal (sometimes called high tea)

a hot beverage made by infusing Camellia sinensis leaves (hot tea); Herb tea a tea-like beverage made from herbs (UK infusion (archaic))

Iced tea sometimes taken with lemon or sugar

on the telephone

having a working telephone (now rare, since most people do)

talking on the telephone

teller

one that tells (as stories) a person who counts the votes in an election

a bank clerk or cashier who receives and pays out money *; hence automated teller machine

terrace

row of identical or mirrorimage houses sharing side walls *(US: row house, townhouse)

a type of veranda or (regional) parking (q.v.) walkway or area close to a building see also terrace (agriculture), terrace garden, fluvial terrace

terrier

member of the Territorial one of various smallish Army (slang). Also, record of breeds of dog land ownership (e.g. by local authority).

theatre (UK & (or operating theatre) hospital a place where stage plays cinema ("movie/motion US), theater room for surgical operations are performed; the dramatic picture theater") (US) (US: operating room) art in general ("He got his training in theatre.") a principle region of conflict in a war through (time) For a period of time, during. For example it is open through the night means it is open during the night time. More usual in British English is to Up to, until. The shop is open through lunch means it closes at lunch time, whereas in British English it would mean it is open including at

say "Open until 6pm Monday". tick the symbol (US: check mark) a moment ("just a tick") credit ("on tick") to admonish blood-sucking arachnid (see tick) sound of an analogue clock

lunch time.

tick off

to annoy to keep a record of tasks ("He ticked off a list of things that needed to be done beforehand.")

tie

a game between two teams e.g. Manchester won the tie against London

an article of clothing worn around the neck a game result in which neither player/team wins (also draw) skin-tight, often opaque, trousers (UK: leggings) or one-piece trousers and top (UK: unitard), such as worn by gymnasts (n.) pointed or narrow end (tip one's hand, from Poker) advice to disclose one's intentions or voluntary gratuity paid (as opinions at a restaurant) (v.) (tip off) to advise (v.) to (cause to) lean to one side woman's breast (vulgar slang)

tights

nylons, usu. sheer, which also cover the groin (US: pantyhose if sheer)

tip

(n.) a place where rubbish is disposed (US: dump (also UK), landfill) (v.) to pour

tit

various species of small bird of the genus Parus (US: chickadee, titmouse) idiot (slang)

toasted (v)

lightly cooked on both sides somewhat drunk (e.g. of a slice of bread) (related toast) in trouble ("When the boss catches him, he's toast!" "Oh man, we're toast!") room containing a toilet apparatus for excretion

toilet

(US:restroom) "I left my comb in the toilet," is perfectly acceptable in UK but likely to provoke a visual in American English tom prostitute -- hence tomming (pp.), the activity of prostitution a private in the Parachute Regiment (slang) handheld device that emits light (US: flashlight) unneutered male cat

torch

flaming club used as a light (v.) commit an act of arson. source (n.) an arsonist. not a hoarder; someone who gets rid of things i.e. "are you a keeper or tosser?" that's unfortunate (short for "tough luck")

tosser

idiot *(literally, someone who one that tosses masturbates, a derogatory term similar to wanker) I don't care

tough (interj.)

tout

(v.) to resell tickets at higher (v.) to importune, solicit, or (v.) to promote, recommend prices (US: scalp) canvass ("the movie was touted as a to get and sell information on (n.) one who does this [the masterpiece") racehorses n. appears to be in more (n.) one who resells tickets general use in UK; cf. s.v. (US: scalper) US solicitor] one who gets and sells information on racehorses (n.) a police informer (mainly used in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland [4] [5]) (US: stool pigeon, England: grass) a fortified keep, too small to be named a "castle", e.g. along the English/Scottish Border ("a peel tower"), along the English coast & elsewhere (inc. occas. U.S. Eastern Seaboard) ("a Martello tower"), around the Jersey (Channel Islands) coast ("a Jersey tower"); man-made structure, taller than it is wide (see control tower, watchtower, water tower) power line transmission structure (UK usu. & US occas. pylon, q.v.); railroad building containing levers for working switches (q.v.) and signals ("an interlocking tower") (UK: signal box) hence towerman, person in charge of any such tower

tower, tower block

tower block a high-rise block (q.v.) of flats townhouse, town house historically, residence of a a house in town (as opposed peer or member of the to one in the country) aristocracy in the capital or major city (Scots) town hall (modern usage) a fashionable urban house, usu. terraced

(UK, for a signal box: signalman) one of two or more singlefamily houses of uniform design and joined by common sidewalls *(US also rowhouse, UK usu. terraced house for more than two, or semi(-detached) for two joined houses) an approx. 36-square-mile (93 km2) division of land comprising 36 sections a unit of local government, see civil township a trail a footprint awareness ("keep/lose track") recorded material distance between wheels of a vehicle a racetrack or racecourse the rails of a railway (UK often: line) used in railway stations (as with following number) to denote the place where a train arrives at and departs from ("Is that the Chattanooga choo choo, track 29?") (UK: platform) track and field, athletics, esp. the sports performed on the running track categorisation of students according to their needs

township

in the past, a subdivision used to administer a large parish (Scotland) a very small agricultural community

track

tradesman, a person who sells goods in a tradesperson store; a person who travels to customers' homes to sell things or who delivers goods to a customer's home trainer a padded sport shoe (US similar: sneaker) one who trains

(n.) a skilled manual worker in a particular field; a journeyman

tramp

homeless person who loose or promiscuous woman moves (tramps) from town (see also tramp stamp); to town (US also: hobo) prostitute * act or instance of passing means of public

transit

see astronomical transit, transportation (q.v.) (esp. of navigational transit, transit people) ("mass transit", (surveying) "rapid transit", "public transit") see Public transport transport the system or the business of the act of transporting transporting goods or an emotion ("transports of passengers or the vehicles delight") used in such a system ("public transport") * the act of transporting penal transportation the system or the business of transporting goods or passengers or the vehicles used in such a system * a quadrilateral with no parallel sides

transportation

trapezium

a quadrilateral with one pair of parallel sides

trapezoid

a quadrilateral with no parallel in anatomy, the trapezoid a quadrilateral with one pair sides bone and trapezoid ligament of parallel sides * (n.) an action intended to deceive an effective way of doing something (traditionally) million million million million (1012) million (1018) (US & modern (traditional UK: billion, UK: quintillion) now rare) good condition ("in trim") clothing, decoration a finishing haircut adjustment (as of sails on a vessel or airfoils on an aircraft) an automobile interior ornamentation or upholstery (orig. US) woodwork, frameworks etc. in a house storefront or shopfront display (slang, somewhat offensive) Female genitalia (usu. as "Get some trim") (n.) what a prostitute does for a client (adj.) unstable (of a joint of the body) *

trick

trillion

trim (n.)

triplex

composed of three parts, as a 3-storey apartment or 3a type of cardboard, a apartment dwelling (see cinema, etc. duplex)

a large steam locomotive with three sets of driving wheels trolley cart or wheeled stand used for a mechanism that rolls conveying something (as food along a suspended rail or or books) ("a supermarket track trolley"; "a tea trolley") (US: see s.v. cart, wagon) (off one's trolley) insane (trolleyed) very drunk to carry (the flag or colors) in a group of persons, a ceremonial way before particularly in a military or troops scouting context. Generally, a group of two or more platoons and headquarters staff. (pl.) soldiers, members of the military (we sent 3000 troops) cavalry horse troopship (obs.) rank held by a private in the Household Cavalry, Royal Armoured Corps or SAS state police officer ("state trooper") (slang) a heroic person that prevails against the odds or takes on a difficult labor without complaint (originally 'trouper') any of various vehicles for carrying esp. things or animals, as a forklift truck or a pickup truck motor vehicle for carrying heavy cargo *(UK usu. lorry); see also garbage truck (UK: dustcart), truck stop (UK: transport cafe) produce grown for the market; hence truck farm (UK: market garden) a hand truck (UK: trolley) in a railroad car, the undercarriage assembly incorporating wheels, suspension, and brakes (UK: bogie) (v.) to transport by or drive a truck; to move around carelessly (or trolley car) a streetcar (UK: tram) electrically powered by means of a trolley; hence trolley line, trolley road, and trackless trolley (a trolleybus)

troop

trooper

truck

railway vehicle for carrying goods; can be open ("a coal truck") or covered ("a cattle truck") cf. s.v. wagon

trunk

primary road (trunk road) (trunk call) long-distance telephone call (dated)

the human torso the main stem of a tree large (person-sized) container (also travelling chest) proboscis, particularly that of an elephant

storage compartment of a car (UK: boot) (trunk line) a main railway line (as from Chicago to New York City) (UK: main line)

tube

(often cap.) the London a cylindrical structure or subterranean railway system device ("the London Underground"); (sometimes incorrectly applied to that of other cities, e.g. "the Berlin tube") strike, walkout number of people taking part in an event ("voter turnout") a railroad switch or point equipment output

television

turnout

a place along a highway for slower cars to pull over, in order to let others pass, or for brief parking (UK: layby)

twat

someone who is being stupid vulva (vulgar) *(offensive; considered vulgar (pronounced /twt/) by some) to hit someone or something hard ("say that again and I'll twat you!" (pronounced /twt/) something that twists; see also Twister (game) someone from Yorkshire (informal, sometimes disparaging) term of endearment for a child, like "little rascal"

(chiefly late 1970s, early 1980s) a jerk; someone acting inappropriately; an ass (q.v.)

twister

a tornado

tyke

a young animal

[edit] U Word British English meanings Meanings common to British American English meanings and American English subterranean illicit a subterranean space or channel (Underground Railroad or Railway) (before 1863) the network of clandestine routes by which slaves were helped

underground (often cap.) subterranean railway system, esp. the ones in London & Glasgow (US: subway or metro) -- see

also tube

grapevine (in the sense of an informal communication network)

to escape to free states and Canada

us

objective case of I (i.e. objective case of we ("he saw alternative to "me") us") (informal), esp. in the North of England ("lend us a tenner")

[edit] V Word British English meanings Meanings common to British American English meanings and American English period between university terms (n.) time off from work or school recreational trip away from home (UK: holiday for both senses) (v.) to take a vacation

vacation

(UK also: vac)

valve

Vacuum tube, as in pre-1960 electronics

a device to control the flow of liquids or gases pride in one's appearance a sink-unit in a bathroom sleeveless garment worn over a shirt (UK: waistcoat) (e.g. ballistic vest *)

vanity vest garment, usu. sleeveless, worn under a shirt (US: undershirt or beater) sleeveless garment worn as an only visible top

vet

(n.) veterinarian (v.) to appraise or verify for accuracy or validity (a.) pertaining to the medical science of caring of animals

war veteran or a person who has served honorably in the military

veterinary (n.) veterinarian

visit (v.)

(trans.) to go and see (a person (intrans.) to pay a visit, stay as or place) a guest, or be engaged in informal conversation ("visiting together", "visit with a friend")

[edit] W Word British English meanings Meanings common to British American English meanings and American English A type of pancake with a (v.) to equivocate, waver, pattern of square dents in it, speak evasively made in a waffle iron. 4-wheeled orig. animaldrawn vehicle (UK also spelled waggon esp. in the past); state of abstaining from alcohol (orig. US slang) a delivery van ("the milk wagon") (v.) to leave a meeting in protest to strike (orig. US) to abandon someone, or to drop out ("she walked out on me") (orig. US) (n.) a kind of strike action (orig. US) the act of leaving a meeting in protest (n.) a stick to aid with walking any of various officials *(a "traffic warden") an official in certain universities to wash the dishes; to clean after eating food, hence washing-up liquid (US dish soap) (orig. sense, now nontech.) a (fig.) a turning point ridge of hills (which "sheds water") separating two river drainage basins; water parting *(old-fashioned or gener., one in charge of something small wheeled food service table (UK: trolley); see also paddy wagon (used in the UK, but non PC), station wagon, chuckwagon, wagon train

waffle

(v.) to speak to no purpose; ramble

wagon

railway vehicle for transporting goods (US: freight car)

walk out, walkout

(v.) "walk out with", to be romantically involved with (archaic)

(adj.) (of a room in a building) featuring outdoor access; (n.) such an access ("full walkout basement", "walkout to the deck") (n.) one who goes out of a store or shop without buying anything

walking stick warden

(n.) a type of insect (UK : Stick Insect) official in charge of a prison *(UK usu. governor) in compounds: fire warden

wash up

to wash one's hands and face; to clean before eating food

watershed

a drainage basin/water catchment area (shift from orig. sense) *

nontechnical in US; US usu. divide) the time of day before which programme content of an adult nature, or of a specific or implied kind, may not be screened and after which it is permissible (US: safe harbor) well really (colloquial, used for emphasis) ("that was well funny") adverb of good healthy, in good form pit sunk to obtain water or oil (adj.) evil; fierce; roguish; vile (adverb) very (esp. New England) ("Wicked good")

wicked

(interjection) used for something very good, astounding or interesting ("Wicked!")*

wifebeater, (slang) the beer Stella Artois (wife beater) one who beats a sleeveless shirt (such as that wife-beater (perh. also related to "A up his wife worn by Marlon Brando in "A Streetcar Named Desire") Streetcar Named Desire") *(also Scotland) wing (vehicles) panel of a car that encloses the wheel area (US: fender) apparatus used to create lift in aeronautics a type of spoiler (on racecars) the act of carrying out an activity with little or no planning, To wing something, "Let's wing it!" (slang) a duty title for an air force officer, typically a full colonel or a brigadier general, who commands a wing (Note American wings are larger formations than British wings) (n.) a nut with projections to (n.) (mild) a crazy or strange allow application of greater person torque with the fingers a type of tree Wingnut (politics), an uncomplimentary term for someone of right-wing or

wing air force officer rank (US commander equivalent: lieutenant colonel)

wingnut

(n.) derogatory term for a person with prominent, sticking out, ears

conservative views wink (n.) "winker", slang term for a (n. & v.) the closing of one turn indicator (US: see eye blinker) to bicker or quarrel angrily and noisily (esp. West) to herd horses or other livestock; backformation from wrangler to achieve through contrivance; to wangle a usu. major road, rail, or air accident or collision

wrangle (v.)

wreck (n.)

shipwreck that which remains of something wrecked someone who is unwell or out of sorts (e.g. "nervous wreck") a sudden pull or twist emotional distress

wrench

a tool used for tightening nuts and bolts *(used in UK chiefly in combination, e.g. torque wrench) something disrupting (often monkey wrench) ("that will throw a monkey wrench into my plans") (UK usu. spanner for both senses)

[edit] X Word British English meanings Meanings common to British and American English the Xerox Corporation American English meanings

xerox

(n.) A photocopied document * (v.) To photocopy *

[edit] Y Word British English meanings Meanings common to British and American English someone from the U.S. American English meanings

yankee, (sometimes disparaging, esp. yank when shortened to yank)

(n.)1. A patriot from the American Revolution; 2. a New Englander; in the

South, someone from the Northern US (often disparaging). A Minnesotan would not consider himself a Yankee or use the word regularly, but would consider someone from Connecticut to be a yankee; a Texan would consider both yankees, but not himself, and would be much more likely to use the word; 3. a player for the New York Yankees baseball team yard a courtyard an enclosed space used for a particular activity (as a railway service area, a lumberyard or timber yard, a junkyard, etc.) a unit of length enclosed area of land surrounding a dwelling, usu. comprising lawn and play area (UK usu.: garden) (yard sale) see garage sale a campus (e.g. Harvard Yard) a place (as in a forest) where deer gather in winter 100 dollars (slang) a billion (slang, finance) go yard, to hit a home run

[edit] Z Word British English meanings Meanings common to British and American English the last letter of the alphabet American English meanings

(pronounced /zd/)

(pronounced /zi/) a nap ("to catch some z's") zero or no ("I have z cash right now.") a referee (as in American football) (from their striped uniforms) (pronounced /zibr/) police car (slang)

zebra

(zebra crossing) a type of pedestrian crossing (pronounced /zbr/) *

an African equine mammal

zip

(short for zip fastener) a fastening device (US: zipper)

a sharp, hissing sound zero (often in scores, similar to impetus the UK's nil) file format for compressed files (often all cap.) the ZIP code ("archive.zip") (from Zone Improvement

Plan), the postal code used by the USPS