
American > British Glossary | S
Smoothing transatlantic communication
Index of Americanisms |
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 | Briticisms |
![]() |
![]() |
---|---|
sack lunch | packed lunch |
sack time [colloq.] (sleep) | kip [colloq.] |
sailboat | yacht, sailing boat |
sales clerk | sales assistant |
sales tax | VAT (value added tax) |
sandbox | sandpit |
sanitary napkin | sanitary towel |
Santa Claus | Father Christmas |
saw (carpenter's tool) | handsaw, saw |
sawed-off shotgun | sawn-off shotgun |
scab (one who continues working during a strike) | blackleg, scab |
scale (weighing implement) | scales |
scallion | spring onion |
scarf, scarf down [colloq.] (eat quickly and greedily) | wolf, wolf down; scoff, scoff down; bolt, bolt down; |
scarf up [colloq.] (nab) | snap up |
scatological humor | lavatorial humour |
schedule | timetable (bus, train, plane, etc.) |
schoolyard | playground |
Scotch | whisky |
Scotch tape™ | Sellotape™, sticky tape |
scouring pad | scourer |
scratch pad | jotter, jotting block or pad, scribbling block or pad |
scratch paper (bit of used paper to write notes on) | scrap paper |
screwball [colloq.] (strange or eccentric person) | oddball, weirdo [both colloq.], freak |
scrub brush | scrubbing-brush |
seaman (U.S. Navy) | able seaman (Royal Navy) |
seaman recruit (U.S. Navy) | junior seaman (Royal Navy) |
seat (on bicycle) | saddle |
second floor (U.S.) | first floor (UK) |
second
lieutenant > chief warrant officer (U.S. Air Force) |
pilot officer (Royal Air Force) |
second
lieutenant > chief warrant officer (U.S. Army & U.S. Marine Corps) |
2nd lieutenant (British Army & Royal Marines) |
section (subdivision of town or city) | district |
sedan | saloon car, family saloon |
self-rising flour | self-raising flour |
semester (1 of 2 seasons in the academic year) | term (1 of 3 seasons in the academic year) |
semi [colloq.], semi-trailer | articulated lorry, juggernaut |
senior | senior
citizen, OAP (old-age pensioner); 4th-year student/undergraduate on 4-year course |
seaman apprentice (U.S. Navy) | ordinary seaman (Royal Navy) |
senior master sergeant (U.S. Air Force) | warrant officer (Royal Air Force) |
Sergeant
(various U.S. Army categories): first sergeant > master sergeant > specialist 8 > sergeant 1st class > specialist 7 > staff sergeant > specialist 6 > sergeant > specialist 5 |
sergeant (British Army) |
sergeant
(various U.S.
Marine Corps categories): first sergeant > master sergeant > gunnery sergeant > staff sergeant > sergeant |
sergeant (Royal Marines) |
sergeant
major > master gunnery sergeant (U.S. Marine Corps) |
colour sergeant (Royal Marines) |
sergeant major > specialist 9 (U.S. Army) | staff sergeant (British Army) |
server | waiter, waitress |
service area (on freeway) | service station (on motorway) |
set the table | lay the tale |
sewage treatment plant | sewage works, sewage farm |
shade [C] (on window) | roller blind |
shades [colloq.] | sunglasses |
shareholders' (or shareowners') equity | shareholders' funds |
shaving cream | shaving-foam |
shebang [colloq.] (as in 'the whole shebang') | the works [colloq.] (everything to do with the matter) |
sheer curtains, sheers | net curtains |
sherbet ice cream | sorbet |
shoeshine | shoe polish |
shoestring | shoelace |
shooter | gunman |
shooting stick | stick or bipod/tripod to rest rifle on to steady a shot |
shopping
bag (the strong disposable paper or plastic type supplied by a store) |
carrier bag |
shopping cart | shopping trolley |
shopping mall | shopping centre |
shopworn | shop-soiled |
shot [colloq.] (injection) | jab [colloq.] |
shoulder (fringe area) | hard
shoulder (on motorway); verge, grass verge (strip of land bordering road, path, or even flowerbed) |
shrimp | prawn, shrimp |
shucks
[exclam.] (as in 'Shucks, Mr. Miller, I don't deserve this gift. You're too kind!') |
an expression of modesty, regret, disappointment, and occasionally annoyance |
side mirror (on vehicle) | wing mirror |
sideburn, side-whiskers (hair on side of man's face) | sideboard |
sidewalk | pavement |
siding | weatherproof cladding for house exteriors |
signal tower (alongside railroad) | signal box |
sink | sink (in a kitchen); basin or washbasin (in a bathroom) |
silent
partner (person investing money in a business but not given any managerial role) |
sleeping partner |
sirloin steak | rump steak |
sixteenth note (music) | semiquaver |
skeleton (small sled) | toboggan (small sledge) |
skeleton
in the closet (embarrassing detail from one's past) |
skeleton in the cupboard |
skid row [slang] | run-down area of town frequented by vagrants and alcoholics |
skillet | frying pan |
skim milk | skimmed milk |
skyscraper | tower block |
slammer, the [slang] (jail, prison, penitentiary) | nick, the [slang] |
slate (v.) | schedule
or arrange an event, lay something on; adopt/nominate/propose someone for public office |
sled | sledge |
sleeping car, sleeper | sleeping carriage |
slingshot | catapult |
slipcover (removable cover for chair, sofa, etc.) | loose cover |
slot machine | fruit machine, one-armed bandit, slot machine |
slowdown (labor union work-to-rule
in order to push a wage claim) |
go-slow |
slowpoke [colloq.] (person who works/acts slowly) | slowcoach [colloq.] |
small-game hunting | shooting (In the UK, the only type that's legal!) |
smokestack (on ship or steam engine/locomotive) | funnel |
smooch [colloq.] | kiss, hold and touch someone very affectionately |
snag (v.) (as in 'police snagged the kidnapper when he came to collect the ransom') |
catch or obtain by quick action or good luck |
snap | popper,
press stud; cinch [colloq.] (a very simple task) |
sneakers | plimsolls, trainers |
snit [colloq.] (as in 'she went off in a snit') | huff [colloq.] (as in 'she went off in a huff'), angry mood |
snow pea | mangetout |
So fun! (in U.S. 'fun' often treated as an adjective) | Such fun! |
soccer (association football) | football, soccer |
soccer field | football pitch |
soccer mom | politically significant, your average middle-class mother who accompnies her kids to sports events and such |
soda (beverage) | fizzy drink, pop [both colloq.], effervescent soft drink |
solid pattern (textiles and clothes) | plain pattern |
solitaire (card game for lone player) | patience |
someplace [colloq.] | somewhere |
sophomore | second-year student or undergraduate |
sorority | university society for female students |
sound system | hi-fi (system) |
soybean | soya bean |
space heater | any type of portable electric fire or heater designed to warm up a small area of the home |
spackle compound | Polyfilla ™ |
specialty | speciality |
splash guard | mudflap |
split [slang] (run away) | scarper [slang] |
sponge bath (given to bedridden person) | blanket bath |
spool of thread | cotton reel |
squash (vegetable) | a vegetable similar to a marrow |
Staff Sergeant (U.S. Air Force) | Sergeant (Royal Air Force) |
stand (e.g. in a market or at a trade fare) | stall |
stand in line | queue |
state fair | agricultural show (with a funfair and entertainments) |
station wagon | estate car, shooting brake |
stick shift | gear lever in a vehicle with manual transmission |
stock [U] (company) | shares, stocks |
stock option | share option |
stockholder | shareholder |
stomp (put a foot down heavily and noisily) | stamp |
stop light, stop signal | traffic lights |
stopper (in a sink or bath) | plug (in a washbasin, kitchen sink or bath) |
store (retail outlet) | shop |
store brand | own-brand product, own-label product |
store clerk | shop assistant |
store owner | shopkeeper |
story [pl. stories] (a floor in a building) | storey [pl. storeys] |
stove (kitchen stove with oven and grill) | cooker |
strainer (kitchenware) | sieve |
streetcar | tram, tramcar |
string bean | runner bean |
stroller | pushchair |
student | In the U.S. a learner of any age or level. |
studio apartment | bedsit, bedsitter, bedsitting room |
subdivision (residential area) | estate, housing estate |
subway | underground (railway); in London 'the Tube' [colloq.] |
subway stop | underground station |
superhighway | motorway |
supertitle | surtitle |
supplemental | supplementary |
Sure thing! (expressing consent or agreement) | Righto! Right-ho! Righty-ho! |
suspenders
(shoulder straps to hold up men's pants) |
braces |
sweater | jersey, jumper, woolly [colloq.], sweater |
sweep something under the rug [idiom] | sweep something under the carpet |
sweet pepper (vegetable) | pepper |
swell [old-fashioned slang] (very good, excellent) | spiffing [19th century slang] |
swing-arm lamp | Anglepoise™ lamp |
switchblade | flick knife |
switches (for changing tracks on a railroad) | points |
switchman | pointsman |