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Index of Briticisms

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z   |   American-British

W

British

American

waistcoat vest
walking stick walking cane
wall-socket outlet
wallet (men's) billfold
wally [slang] completely dumb person
wank [slang] jack off / jerk off [both slang], masturbate
wanker [slang] asshole, jerk [both slang], contemptible man
wanted ad want ad
wardrobe closet
Warrant Officer (Royal Air Force) Chief Master Sergeant >
Senior Master Sergeant  (U.S. Air Force)
Warrant Officer 1st Class > Warrant Officer 2nd Class  (British Army & Royal Marines) Warrant Officer (U.S. Army &
U.S. Marine Corps)
washer-up dishwasher (the human variety!)
wash up do or wash the dishes
washbasin sink
washing powder laundry detergent, laundry soap
washing-up liquid dishwashing liquid
waterworks [colloq.]   
      (as in 'he's having trouble  with his waterworks')
urinary tract
way out (sign in car park, railway station, etc.) exit
WC (water closet) toilet
wellington boots, wellingtons, wellies [colloq.] rubber boots
Welsh dresser hutch (as an item of furniture)
wet (adj.) [colloq.] feeble, inept
wet (n.) [colloq.] a liberally inclined conservative
whack [slang] ('I'll have a whack at it!') go, attempt, try
whacked (out) [colloq.] exhausted, tired out
wheeze [colloq.]   
      (as in 'Skype has come up with a great wheeze  
              to persuade us to upgrade to Skype Pro') 
smart plan
whip-round (n.) [colloq.] internal raising of voluntary donations toward a gift for retiring/marrying employee, or similar deserving case
whiskey Irish or American whiskey
whisky Scotch
Whitehall the British Government
white spirit (light petroleum used as solvent/cleaner) turpentine
willie, willy [schoolboy slang] pecker [slang], penis
windcheater windbreaker
windscreen windshield
wing (on car) fender
Wing Commander (Royal Air Force) Lieutenant Colonel (U.S. Air Force)
wing mirror (on vehicle) side mirror
winkle-picker [slang] man's shoe with long pointed toe
wireless radio
witness box witness stand
women's hairdressing salon/hairdresser's beauty parlor/salon/shop
wonky [colloq.] weak, wobbly, unsteady, likely to collapse or fall over
woollen [adj.] woolen, wool
woolly [colloq.] knitted sweater
work double tides work twice as long or hard as usual
working week workweek
world record world's record
Wrap up! [slang] Shut up!
write to somebody (but 'write somebody a letter') write (to) somebody (often no preposition 'to' in AmE)
write-off, a [colloq.] something too badly damaged to be fixed

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z   |   American-British

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