British > American Glossary | T
Smoothing transatlantic communication
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P Q R S T U V W X Y Z | Americanisms |
 British
term or expression |
 American
equivalent, or explanation |
|---|---|
| Ta! [colloq.] | Thanks! |
| Ta-ra! [colloq., esp. N. England] | See ya! [colloq.] Bye now! |
| Ta-ta! [colloq.] | See ya! [colloq.] Bye now! |
| tab [military] | British staff officer's collar marking |
| table (v.) | submit something for discussion at a meeting |
| table tennis bat | paddle |
| tabloid (newspaper) | a newspaper half the size of a British broadsheet |
| tadpole | polliwog, pollywog [dial.] |
| tailback | long line of traffic stuck behind obstruction |
| tailboard (on lorry) | tailgate (on truck) |
| tailplane (on an aircraft) | horizontal stabilizer |
| take something with a pinch of salt | take something with a grain of salt |
| take stock | make an inventory |
| take the mickey [colloq.] | make fun out of, tease, mock, ridicule |
| take the piss [slang] | make fun out of, tease, mock, ridicule |
| takeaway (fast food) | takeout, carryout, food to go |
| taken short [colloq.] | in urgent need of a visit to the lavatory |
| tallboy (piece of furniture) | highboy |
| tanker (type of lorry) | fuel truck |
| Tannoy™ | type of public address system |
| tap (running water outlet) | faucet |
| tarmac™ | blacktop, asphalt |
| tartan (Scottish pattern) | plaid |
| tart
[slang] (loose woman or prostitute) |
tramp, hooker
[both slang] |
| tart oneself up [colloq.] | dress up, usually gaudily |
| tatty [colloq.] | worn and shabby; in tatters [colloq.] |
| taxi | cab |
| taxi rank | taxi stand |
| tea, teatime (more than just a drink!) | a light afternoon meal with cakes, sandwiches, etc. |
| tea cloth | dishcloth, dishrag, dish towel |
| Teasmade™ | timer-controlled tea maker |
| teat | rubber or plastic nipple on baby's feeding bottle |
| tea towel | dish towel, dishcloth, dishrag |
| tea trolley | tea cart/wagon |
| telegram | wire [colloq.] |
| telegraph pole | telephone pole |
| telephone box, telephone kiosk | telephone booth |
| telephonist (switchboard or telephone exchange) | telephone operator (at telephone exchange only) |
| telly, the [colloq.] | the tube, the boob tube [both slang], TV set |
| term (one of three seasons in an academic year) | semester (two in a year) |
| terraced house | town house, row house |
| that takes the biscuit | that beats everything |
| third-party insurance | liability insurance |
| throw a sickie [colloq.] | falsely claim you are sick to get a day off work |
| throw a wobbly [colloq.] | become exceedingly angry and upset |
| tick √ (given for correct or 'yes' answers) | check (v.); check mark (n.) |
| tick
[colloq.] (if you buy something 'on tick' you can pay for it later) |
credit |
| tick [colloq.] (as in 'Janice will be here in a tick') | jiffy [colloq], short while, moment |
| tick someone off | scold, criticize someone's behavior to their face |
| thick (as in: 'That's a bit thick!') | unreasonable |
| ticket [colloq.] | certificate of discharge from the army |
| ticket barrier (at railway station) | gate |
| ticket collector | ticket taker |
| ticket office | ticket counter |
| ticket tout | ticket scalper |
| tickety-boo [colloq.] | all right, in order |
| tiddler [colloq.] | small fish (e.g. stickleback or minnow) |
| tiddly [colloq.] | very
small, tiny;
slightly drunk |
| tidy | neat |
| tie | necktie |
| tights | pantyhose |
| timber | lumber |
| timetable (bus, train, plane, etc.) | schedule |
| tin | food can |
| tinker [colloq.] | mischievous person or naughty child |
| tinkle [colloq.] ('I'll give you a tinkle later.') | phone call |
| tip (as in 'tip rubbish on a rubbish tip') | dump (as in 'dump garbage on a garbage dump') |
| tipper (lorry) | dump truck |
| Tipp-Ex™ (correction fluid) | Wite-Out™ |
| tissue (paper handkerchief) | Kleenex™ |
| titbit | tidbit |
| titfer [abbreviation of rhyming slang 'tit for tat') | hat |
| tizz [colloq.] (as in 'she was all in a tizz') | state of agitation or confusion |
| toad-in-the-hole | dish of sausages baked in batter |
| toboggan (a small sledge) | skeleton (a small sled) |
| toerag [slang] | a contemptible, worthless person |
| toff [colloq.] | a dandy or smartly dressed gentleman who either is or wants to be considered upper class |
| toffee apple | candy apple |
| togs [colloq.] | clothes |
| toilet | bathroom, restroom, washroom [all euphemisms] |
| tomato sauce | ketchup |
| tombola | raffle
with tickets bought from a spinning container; a winner's ticket number matches that on a prize |
| ton [slang] (as in: 'I did a ton on the motorway!') | a speed of 100 miles per hour |
| torch (battery operated) | flashlight |
| Tory | member of the Conservative Party |
| tosser [slang] (contemptible man) | asshole, jerk [both slang] |
| toss off [slang] (masturbate) | jerk off [slang], |
| tot up (figures, or items billed) | add up |
| tots up to (as in 'that tots up to 643') | amounts to |
| touch wood (said when hoping for good luck) | knock (on) wood |
| towel rail | towel rack |
| tower block | skyscraper |
| trade union, trades union | labor union |
| trading estate | industrial park |
| traffic lights | traffic light, traffic signal, stop light, stop signal |
| traffic warden | public official to police urban parking |
| train down | lose weight through exercise & dieting |
| trainers | sneakers |
| tram, tramcar | streetcar, trolley, trolley car |
| tramp | hobo, vagrant, bum [slang] |
| transport café, transport caff [colloq.] | truck stop |
| tributary (of a river) | creek |
| trilby | men's soft felt hat with a deep-folded crown |
| trolley (for carrying shopping, luggage, etc.) | cart |
| trouser
suit (smart women's outfit with matching jacket and trousers) |
pantsuit |
| trousers | pants; (if loosely cut) slacks |
| truncheon (policeman's baton) | nightstick |
| trunk call (originally, call made on trunk phone line) | long-distance call |
| trunk road | highway; parkway (in an open landscape) |
| Tube, the [colloq.] | nickname for the London subway system |
| tuck [colloq.] | light snack eaten by kids in school break |
| tuck in (at mealtime), tuck into (a meal) [colloq.] | start eating heartily |
| turf accountant | bookmaker, bookie [colloq.] |
| turn-ups (on trousers) | pant cuffs |
|
turtleneck
(of a jumper with high round collar that doesn't fold over on itself) |
mock turtleneck |
| twee (arty; pretentiously artistic or quaint) | artsy |
| twelve-bore shotgun | twelve-gauge shotgun |
| twig [colloq.](as in 'I later twigged what she meant') | understand, grasp, perceive |
| twit [colloq.] | jackass, silly or foolish person |
| twitcher [colloq.] | birdwatcher |
| tyke [colloq.] (as in 'Come here, you little tyke!') |
naughty or cheeky young child; rude man |
| Tyke [colloq.] | native of Yorkshire |
