American > British Glossary | J
Smoothing transatlantic communication
| Index of Americanisms |
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P Q R S T U V W X Y Z | Briticisms |
 American
term or expression |
 British
equivalent, or explanation |
|---|---|
| jackhammer | pneumatic drill |
| jail, jailhouse | gaol [old fashioned], prison |
| janitor | caretaker |
| jawbreaker (very large round hard candy) | gobstopper |
| Jell-O (a fruit-flavored gelatin dessert) | jelly |
| jelly | jam |
| jelly beans | bean-shaped, jelly-like fruit sweets similar to jelly babies |
| jelly roll | Swiss roll |
| jerk [slang] (contemptible man) | bugger, prat, wanker, tosser, toe-rag [all slang] |
| jerk off, jack off [slang] (masturbate) | toss off, wank (off) [both slang] |
| jersey | in the US, a knitted shirt, especially as part of a uniform |
| jewelry | jewellery |
| jimmy (short crowbar used by burglars) | jemmy |
| jock [colloq.] (derived from 'jockstrap') | an
athletic man (the well-built, rugged type); a person completed absorbed by one single pursuit |
| Joe Blow [colloq.] (your average citizen) | Joe Bloggs [colloq.] |
| a john [slang] | client of a prostitute |
| the john [colloq.] (lavatory, toilet) | the loo [colloq.], bog, carsy [both slang] |
| John Doe [colloq.] (your average citizen) | Joe Bloggs [colloq.] |
| John Q.
Public, Jane Q. Public (the common man, woman) |
Joe Public, Jane Public |
| jugs [slang] (female breasts) | knockers, bristols [both slang], boobs [colloq.] |
| jump rope | skipping rope |
| jumper | kind of sleeveless dress, usually worn over a skirt |
| jumper cables | jump leads |
| jumper dress | pinafore dress |
| junior (academic) | 3rd-year student/undergraduate on 4-year course |
