American > British Glossary | C
Smoothing transatlantic communication
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P Q R S T U V W X Y Z | Briticisms |
 American
term or expression |
 British
equivalent, or explanation |
|---|---|
| cab | taxi |
| cabana | beach hut |
| cabinet | cupboard |
| caboose (railroad) | guard's van; on goods train a carriage for workmen |
| calico | patterned, usually cheap cotton cloth |
| call collect | reverse the charge(s), have recipient pay for a call |
| campaign bus | battle bus (for politician in national election) |
| campground | campsite, camping site |
| calendar (for business appointments) | diary |
| can (food type) | tin |
| candy | sweet, sweets |
| candy apple | toffee apple |
| candy store | sweetshop |
| canned food | tinned food |
| captain (U.S. Air Force) | flight lieutenant (Royal Air Force) |
| car driver | motorist, car driver |
| caravan | covered lorry or wagon; convoy of such vehicles travelling together for security |
| card file | card index |
| caregiver | carer |
| carnival (traveling outdoor amusement show) | funfair; sometimes a fête |
| carryall
(long cloth or leather travel bag with two tough handles) |
holdall |
| carryout (food to go) | takeaway |
| cart | trolley (for shopping or luggage) |
| casket [euphemism] | coffin |
| cast ('He had his arm in a cast [of plaster of Paris] ') | plaster [U] ('He had his arm in plaster.') |
| cell phone | mobile, mobile phone |
| cement truck | cement lorry, cement mixer |
| certified mail | recorded delivery, registered post |
| charity bazaar | fête (outdoor), jumble sale |
| check (n.) | cheque (form of payment); bill (in restaurant, etc.) |
| check (v.); check mark (n.) | tick √ (given for correct answers) |
| check pattern | checked pattern |
| checker (at a supermarket) | cashier |
| checkers (board game) | draughts |
| checking account | current account, cheque account |
| checkroom (in hotel, restaurant, theater, etc.) | cloakroom |
| cheesecloth | butter muslin |
| chesterfield | a sofa with arms and back of the same height and which is curved outward at the top |
| chicory, chicory crown | endive, curly endive |
| chick [slang] (girl) | bird [slang] |
| chief executive officer (or CEO) | managing director, chief executive |
| chief financial officer (or CFO) | chief financial director, finance director |
| chief master sergeant (U.S. Air Force) | warrant officer (Royal Air Force) |
| chief operating officer (or COO) | within job sphere of managing director in the UK |
| chief warrant officer (U.S. Air Force) | pilot officer (Royal Air Force) |
| chief warrant officer (U.S. Army/U.S. Marine Corps) | 2nd lieutenant (British Army & Royal Marines) |
| chief warrant officer (U.S. Navy) | acting sub-lieutenant (Royal Navy) |
| chipper | cheerful |
| chips, potato chips | crisps, potato crisps |
| chowder | a rich, usually sea-food based soup |
| chum | chopped fish used as bait |
| chutes and ladders (children's board game) | snakes and ladders |
| cinder block | breeze block |
| circuit (breaker) box | mains, the |
| citation (legal term) | official notice issued by a law court |
| claims adjuster (investigates insurance claims) | loss adjuster |
| clambake | seafood picnic, esp. beach party |
| clapboard (to protect a house from bad weather) | weatherboard |
| claw (e.g. on a crab) | pincer |
| cleat | metal or hard plastic stud on sole of shoe |
| clerk (in office or store) | assistant |
| climate control system | air-conditioning |
| clinker [colloq.] (U.S. meaning is negative) | clanger [slang] (as in 'to drop a clanger'), blunder |
| closet | cupboard; wardrobe |
| clothes pin | clothes peg |
| coach class | economy class |
| coaster (small mat under a glass to protect table) | drip-mat |
| coat check girl | cloakroom attendant |
| coffee light (coffee with milk or cream added) | white coffee |
| coin laundry | launderette |
| coin locker | left luggage locker |
| collar stay | collar stiffener |
| collect call | reverse charge call |
| collect on delivery (COD) | cash on delivery (COD) |
| college | university |
| college graduate | postgraduate |
| colonel (U.S. Air Force) | group captain (Royal Air Force) |
| combine (n.) | combine harvester |
| comforter (thick, soft quilt with detachable cover) | continental quilt, duvet |
| commencement | graduation ceremony |
| commode | lavatory (the receptacle itself) |
| common stock (investment) | ordinary share |
| commuter pass | season ticket |
| concert master | leader, leading violinist |
| condominium | flat (individually owned) |
| conductor (on train) | guard |
| confectioners' sugar | icing sugar |
| container (of yoghurt, cream, etc.) | pot |
| cookbook | cookery book |
| cookie | bickie [colloq.], biscuit |
| cookie sheet | baking tray |
| cooler | fridge, refrigerator; cool box |
| cop [colloq.] (police officer) | copper,
cop; peeler [archaic]; the fuzz (police force) [all colloq.] |
| copy editor | sub-editor, subeditor |
| cord (electrical) | flex, wire, lead |
| corn | in the
U.S., maize plants and their grain; sweet corn, corn on the cob |
| cornstarch | cornflour |
| corporal > specialist 4 (U.S. Army) | corporal (British Army) |
| correction fluid (to hide typing errors, etc.) | Tipp-Ex™ |
| costumes party | fancy dress party |
| cotton balls, cotton batting | cotton wool |
| cotton candy | candyfloss |
| cotton swab | cotton bud |
| couch | sofa, settee |
| cougar (panther) | puma |
| counter | worktop, work surface (e.g. in a kitchen) |
| counter-clockwise | anti-clockwise |
| county fair | agricultural show (with funfair and entertainments) |
| court
tennis (the ancient game from which modern-day tennis is derived) |
real tennis |
| coverage (insurance) | cover |
| cover letter | covering letter |
| coveralls | boiler suit |
| cracker (unsweetened biscuit) | cheese biscuit, cracker |
| cram (study hard before an exam) | swot, mug up [slang] |
| crane fly | daddy longlegs [colloq.] |
| crap [slang] | shit [slang], poo [colloq.], faeces |
| crawfish | crayfish |
| crazy bone | funny bone |
| cream of wheat | semolina (pudding) |
| creek | tributary (of a river) |
| crescent moon | new moon |
| crib death (sudden infant death syndrome, or SIDS) | cot death |
| critter [colloq.] | creature |
| crossing guard | lollipop
man, lollipop lady [both colloq.], school crossing patrol officer |
| crosswalk | zebra crossing, pedestrian crossing |
| cup noodles (Japanese English?) | pot noodles |
| curb | kerb |
| cuspidor (receptacle for spit) | spittoon |
| cut in line | jump the queue |
