American > British Glossary | K
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 |
|---|---|
|
kennel (the place where you leave your dog to be cared for while you are away) |
kennels (plural) |
| kerosene | paraffin |
| ketchup | tomato sauce, ketchup |
| kettle | In the U.S. a kettle is a metal cooking pot with lid (as in 'fish kettle'). Americans refer to the British type for boiling up water as a 'teakettle'. |
| kibitz (v.) | chat;
offer unwanted advice, esp. during card games |
| kindergarten | first
year at school in the U.S. (corresponds to infant school in the UK) |
| kindergartner | infant (a UK schoolchild under 7) |
| kitchen counter | kitchen bench, worktop, work surface |
| kitchen shears | kitchen scissors |
| kitchen stove (with oven and grill) | cooker |
| Kleenex™ | tissue, paper handkerchief |
| knickers | knickerbockers; plus fours (these are baggy) |
| knock (on) wood (said when hoping for luck) | touch wood |
| knock someone up [slang] (make pregnant) | put in the family way [colloq.] |
| knucklehead [colloq.] (idiot, stupid person) | blockhead, pinhead, jackass, twit [all colloq.], oaf, cretin |
