
American > British Glossary | L
Smoothing transatlantic communication
Index of Americanisms |
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P Q R S T U V W X Y Z | Briticisms |
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labor union | trade union, trades union |
ladybug | ladybird |
ladyfinger (long soft sweet cake) | sponge finger |
lagniappe | free giveaway or gratuity |
last name | surname, second name |
Laundromat™ (coin laundry) | launderette |
laundry detergent, laundry soap | washing powder |
laundry room | utility room |
lawn bowling | bowls |
lawyer | solicitor
(general lawyer); barrister (lawyer granted the right to plead before the bar in higher courts) |
layer cake | sponge sandwich |
lease (rent out property or land) | let |
leastways | at least |
legal holiday | bank holiday (mostly on a Monday in the UK) |
level (tool) | spirit-level |
leverage (ratio of loan capital to share capital) | gearing |
liability insurance | third-party insurance |
license plate (on vehicle) | number plate, registration plate/number |
lieutenant colonel (U.S. Air Force) | wing commander (Royal Air Force) |
lieutenant general (U.S. Air Force) | air marshal (Royal Air Force) |
lieutenant junior grade (U.S. Navy) | sub-lieutenant (Royal Navy) |
light coffee (coffee with milk or cream added) | white coffee |
light pole | lamppost |
lightning rod | lightning conductor |
like crazy [colloq.] (very fast or hard) | like the clappers [colloq.] |
lima bean | butter bean (large, flat, creamy, yellow bean) |
line (of products) | range, product range |
line (of waiting people) | queue |
lineup | identity parade |
liquor | distilled alcohol, spirits |
liquor cabinet | cocktail cabinet, drinks cupboard |
liquor store | off-licence |
list shares on a stock market | list/quote shares on a stock market |
liverwurst | liver sausage |
living room | sitting room, lounge, living room; drawing room [formal] |
locker room (at sports or exercise venue) | changing room |
longshoreman | docker, dockworker |
lowboy trailer | low loader |
lulu [slang] (great-looking girl) | smasher, cracker [both colloq.] |
lumber | timber |
lumber
room
(small room
or large cupboard for storage of boxes, etc.) |
boxroom |
long-distance call | trunk call (call originally made on a trunk phone line) |
lost and found | lost property, lost property office |
lot | plot or allotment of land |