Glossary of British terms not widely used in the United States: Difference between revisions
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{{Use British English|date=June 2020}}
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{{American and British English differences}}
This is a '''list of [[British English|British words]] not widely used in the [[American English|United States]]'''. In Commonwealth of Nations, Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Ireland, Canada, New Zealand, India, South Africa, and Australia, some of the British terms listed are used, although another usage is often preferred.
* Words with specific British English meanings that have different meanings in American and/or additional meanings common to both languages (e.g. ''pants'', ''cot'') are to be found at [[List of words having different meanings in American and British English]]. When such words are herein used or referenced, they are marked with the flag [DM] (different meaning).
* [[Asterisk]]s (*) denote words and meanings having appreciable (that is, not occasional) currency in American English, but are nonetheless notable for their relatively greater frequency in British speech and writing.
* British English spelling is consistently used throughout the article, except when explicitly referencing American terms.
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==0–9==
; [[999 (emergency telephone number)|999]] : Pronounced "nine nine nine", the UK [[Emergency phone number]]<ref>{{cite web |title=999 |url=https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/999 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160927020651/https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/999 |url-status=dead |archive-date=September 27, 2016 |website=Oxford Dictionaries |access-date=29 October 2018 |language=en}}</ref> (US [[9-1-1|911]])<ref>{{cite web |title=911 |url=https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/911 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181029071548/https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/911 |url-status=dead |archive-date=October 29, 2018 |website=Oxford Dictionaries |access-date=29 October 2018 |language=en}}</ref>
==
; [[abseil]] : to descend on a rope (US ''rappel'')<ref>{{cite web|url=https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/abseil|title=abseil Meaning in the Cambridge English Dictionary|website=dictionary.cambridge.org}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/abseil|title=Abseil definition and meaning - Collins English Dictionary|website=www.collinsdictionary.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/abseil|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180512181930/https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/abseil|url-status=dead|archive-date=May 12, 2018|title=abseil - Definition of abseil in English by Oxford Dictionaries|website=Oxford Dictionaries - English}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ldoceonline.com/dictionary/abseil|title=abseil - meaning of abseil in Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English - LDOCE|website=www.ldoceonline.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.macmillandictionary.com/dictionary/british/abseil|title=abseil (verb) definition and synonyms - Macmillan Dictionary|website=www.macmillandictionary.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/abseil|title=Definition of ABSEIL|website=www.merriam-webster.com|date=19 December 2023 }}</ref>
;[[Action Man]] : the [[action figure]] toy sold in the US as [[G.I. Joe]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/action_man|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180902011920/https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/action_man|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 2, 2018|title=Action Man - Definition of Action Man in English by Oxford Dictionaries|website=Oxford Dictionaries - English}}</ref>
; [[agony aunt]] or [[agony uncle|uncle]] : (informal) the author of an [[#Agony column|agony column]] (US ''advice columnist'')
; [[advice column|agony column]] : (informal) a newspaper or magazine column providing advice to readers' personal problems (US ''advice column'')
; [[aeroplane]]: any fixed-wing aircraft (US ''airplane'')
; afters: ''dessert'', informal<ref name="auto1">{{Cite web|url=https://chambers.co.uk/search/|title=Chambers – Search Chambers}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/afters|title=AFTERS definition and meaning | Collins English Dictionary}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/afters|title=Definition of AFTERS|website=www.merriam-webster.com}}</ref><ref name="auto2">{{Cite web|url=https://macmillaneducation.my.salesforce-sites.com/help/|title=Welcome to Macmillan Education Customer Support|website=macmillaneducation.my.salesforce-sites.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ldoceonline.com/dictionary/afters|title=afters | meaning of afters in Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English | LDOCE}}</ref>
; "all change" : the public-transportation announcement for the last stop (US ''All out'')
; amongst: a synonym of ''among'' acceptable in British English while seeming old fashioned or pretentious in American English<ref name=amongtheamongstmen/>
; [[anorak]]: a hooded coat (US ''parka''); a socially impaired obsessive, particularly [[Trainspotters in the United Kingdom|trainspotters]] (US ''[[geek]]'', ''[[trekkie]]'', ''[[otaku]]'', etc.)
; answerphone : an automated telephone-answering machine, [[genericised trademark|from the trademark]] [[Ansafone]] (US & UK ''answering machine'')
; anti-clockwise, anticlockwise : the direction opposite to clockwise (US ''[[counterclockwise]]'').
; approved school : (informal) a [[reform school]] for juvenile delinquents, from their pre-1969 designation; juvenile detention centres, whether Secure Training Centres for 15- to 18-year-olds or Young Offender Institutions for 18- to 21-year-olds (US ''juvie'')
; argy-bargy : (informal) a noisy disagreement<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/american_english/argy-bargy|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120725150559/http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/american_english/argy-bargy|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 25, 2012|title=argy-bargy: definition of argy-bargy in Oxford dictionary (American English)|work=oxforddictionaries.com}}</ref> ranging from a verbal dispute to pushing-and-shoving or outright [[fighting]].
; arse : [[buttocks]], backside or [[anus]] (more vulgar than US ''ass'')
; (fall) arse over tit : (vulgar) to fall head over heels
; (be) arsed : (informal) to be made to get off one's arse, usually as a negative or conditional (US ''be bothered to'')
; artic : an abbreviation of "articulated lorry" (US ''[[semi-trailer truck|semi]]'')
; as at: (before dates) on a particular date<ref>{{cite web |title=as at |url=https://www.ldoceonline.com/dictionary/as-at |website=Longman}}</ref>
; aubergine: US ''eggplant'' (both the fruit and colour)
; Auntie or Auntie Beeb: (affectionate) the [[BBC]]
; [[autocue]] : an automated system for providing scripts to actors and orators, from a [[genericised trademark]] (US ''[[teleprompter]]'')
==B==
; balls-up : (vulgar, though possibly not in origin) error, mistake, [[SNAFU]]. See also ''cock-up''. (US: fuck up, screw up, mess up)
; [[BAME]] : refers to people who are not white; acronym of "black, Asian, and minority ethnic"<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/bame|title=BAME | English meaning - Cambridge Dictionary}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/bame|title=BAME definition and meaning | Collins English Dictionary}}</ref> (US: ''[[BIPOC]]'')
; bank holiday : a statutory holiday when banks and most businesses are closed <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/bank-holiday|title=BANK HOLIDAY | English meaning - Cambridge Dictionary}}</ref> (national holiday; state holiday in U.S.)
; bap: soft bread roll or a sandwich made from it (this itself is a regional usage in the UK rather than a universal one); in plural, breasts (vulgar slang e.g. "get your baps out, love"); a person's head (Northern Ireland).<ref>{{cite book
| last =Pepper
| first =John
| title =John Pepper's Ulster-English Dictionary
| publisher =Appletree Press
| ___location =Belfast
| isbn =978-0904651881
| year =1981
}}</ref>
; barmaid *, barman : a woman or man who serves drinks in a bar. ''Barman'' and the originally American ''[[bartender]]'' appeared within a year of each other (1837 and 1836); ''barmaid'' is almost two centuries older (circa 1658).
; barmy : crazy, unbalanced<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/barmy |title=Barmy – Definition and More from the Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary |publisher=Merriam-webster.com |access-date=2014-08-22}}</ref> (US: balmy)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/balmy?show=0&t=1408718731 |title=Balmy – Definition and More from the Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary |publisher=Merriam-webster.com |access-date=2014-08-22}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/balmy |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120710041933/http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/balmy |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 10, 2012 |title=balmy: definition of balmy in Oxford dictionary (British & World English) |publisher=Oxforddictionaries.com |access-date=2014-08-22}}</ref>
; barney : a noisy quarrel, trouble; origin unknown<!--No it is not cockney rhyming slang derived from "Barney Rubble" and long pre-dates the Flinstsones. Do not re-insert this fallacy. -->.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/barney?showCookiePolicy=true |title=Definition of barney |publisher=Collins English Dictionary |access-date=2013-05-05}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.chambers.co.uk/search.php?query=barney&title=21st|title=Search Chambers|work=chambers.co.uk|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402114732/http://www.chambers.co.uk/search.php?query=barney&title=21st|archive-date=2015-04-02}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/barney|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130712030941/http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/barney|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 12, 2013|title=barney – definition of barney in English from the Oxford dictionary|work=oxforddictionaries.com}}</ref>
; [[barrister]] * : In England, [[Wales]], and Northern Ireland, this used to be the only type of lawyer qualified to argue a case in both higher and lower law courts; contrasts with ''solicitor''. For [[Scotland]], see [[advocate]]. Occasionally used in the U.S., but not to define any particular type of lawyer.
; bedsit (or bedsitter) : one-room flat that serves as a living room, kitchen and bedroom and with shared bathroom facilities (US: see ''[[single-room occupancy|SRO]]''; compare ''[[studio apartment]]'' (in British English a studio apartment – sometimes 'studio flat' – would have a self-contained bathroom) ''[[efficiency (apartment)|efficiency]]'')
; Beeb, the Beeb : (affectionate slang) the [[BBC]] (British Broadcasting Corporation). See also 'Auntie' (above). The British band [[Queen (band)|Queen]] released an album called [[At the Beeb]] in the UK and it had to be called "At the BBC" for US release.
; [[Belisha beacon]] : orange ball, containing a flashing light or now sometimes surrounded by a flashing disc of [[Light-emitting diode|LED]]s, mounted on a post at each end of a [[zebra crossing]] (q.v.); named after the UK Minister of Transport [[Leslie Hore-Belisha, 1st Baron Hore-Belisha|Leslie Hore-Belisha]] who introduced them in 1934.
; bell-end : the [[glans penis]] (slang, vulgar), a [[pejorative|term of abuse]].
; [[Wiktionary:berk|berk]], burk or burke : a mildly derogatory term for a fool or stupid person. An abbreviation of either '[[Berkshire]] Hunt' or '[[Berkeley Hunt]]', [[rhyming slang]] for [[cunt]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/berk?q=berk |title=berk noun – definition in the British English Dictionary & Thesaurus – Cambridge Dictionaries Online |publisher=Dictionary.cambridge.org |access-date=2013-08-01}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.chambersharrap.co.uk/ |title=www.chambersharrap.co.uk |publisher=Chambersharrap.co.uk |access-date=2013-08-01}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/berk?showCookiePolicy=true |title=Definition of berk |publisher=Collins English Dictionary |access-date=2013-08-01}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ldoceonline.com/dictionary/berk |title=berk – Definition from Longman English Dictionary Online |publisher=Ldoceonline.com |access-date=2013-08-01}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/berk?q=berk |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150622045405/http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/berk?q=berk |url-status=dead |archive-date=June 22, 2015 |title=berk: definition of berk in Oxford dictionary (British & World English) |publisher=Oxforddictionaries.com |access-date=2013-08-01}}</ref>
; [[bespoke]] *: custom-made to a buyer's specification (US:''custom-made'')
; bevvy : an alcoholic beverage
; biccie, bicky, bikky : a biscuit (US: "cookie")
; big girl's blouse : a man or a boy who behaves in a way which other men think is how a woman would behave, especially if they show they are frightened of something<ref name=FreeDictionary>{{cite web|url=http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/ |title=Idioms and phrases | The Free Dictionary |publisher=Idioms.thefreedictionary.com |access-date=2013-09-15}}</ref>
; [[Ibn (name)|bint]] : a condescending and sometimes derogatory term for a woman (from the Arabic for 'daughter').<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?search=bint&searchmode=none |title=''Etymonline'' |publisher=Etymonline.com |access-date=2013-01-24}}</ref> Usage varies with a range of harshness from 'bitch', referring to a disagreeable and domineering woman, to only a slightly derogatory term for a young woman.
; biro : {{IPAc-en|ˈ|b|aɪ|r|oʊ}} a [[ballpoint pen]]. Named after its Hungarian inventor [[László Bíró]] and the eponymous company which first marketed them. (US: "Bic")
<!-- biscuit: exists already in LowhdmiBaAE -->
; bits and bobs : sundry items to purchase, pick up, etc. (e.g. whilst grocery shopping); Britain and US: odds and ends
; [[black pudding]] : (US: ''blood sausage'')
; blag : (slang) to obtain or achieve by deception and/or ill preparation, to bluff, to scrounge, to rob, to wing it. A scam, tall story or deception. Derived from the French word blague.<ref>[[:fr:Blague|''blague'']]</ref>
; bleeder : derogatory term used in place of '''bloke''' ("what's that stupid bleeder done now?"); use has declined in recent years.
; blimey : (informal) an exclamation of surprise. (Originally ''gor blimey'', a euphemism for ''God blind me'', but has generally lost this connotation.)
; block of flats : a large building divided into flats (''apartment building'' in U.S.) <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/block-of-flats|title=BLOCK OF FLATS | English meaning - Cambridge Dictionary}}</ref>
; bloke : (informal) man, fellow. e.g. ''Terry is a top bloke.'' Also common in Australia and New Zealand. (US and UK also: ''guy'', US ''dude'').
; blower : telephone
; [[blues and twos]] : (slang) emergency vehicle with lights and sirens (emergency services in the UK generally use blue flashing lights and formerly used a two-tone siren) (US: ''lights and sirens'' or ''code'')
; bobby : police officer, named after Sir [[Robert Peel]], the founder of the [[Metropolitan Police]] in 1829. The word "peeler" of similar origin, is used in Northern Ireland.
; [[Bob's your uncle]] : "there you go", "it's that simple".<ref>[http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-bob1.htm "Bob's your uncle"], World Wide Words</ref> (Some areas of US have the phrase ''Bob's your uncle, Fanny's your aunt'')
; bod : a person <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ldoceonline.com/dictionary/bod|title=bod | meaning of bod in Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English | LDOCE}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bod|title=Definition of BOD|website=www.merriam-webster.com|date=16 December 2023 }}</ref>
; bodge :a cheap or poor (repair) job, can range from inelegant but effective to outright failure. e.g. "You properly bodged that up" ("you really made a mess of that"). (US: ''kludge'', ''botch'' or ''cob'', shortened form of ''cobble'') See [[Bodger]].
; [[boffin]] : an expert, such as a scientist or engineer
; [[bog roll]]: (roll of) toilet ("bog") paper (slang).
; bog-standard *: completely ordinary, run-of-the-mill, unadulterated, unmodified. (US ''vanilla'', ''garden-variety'').
; boiled sweet: type of confection (US: ''hard candy'')
; [[bollocks]] : (vulgar; originally '''ballocks''', colloquially also spelled as ''bollox'') testicles; verbal rubbish (as in "you're talking bollocks") (US: ''[[bullshit]]''). The somewhat similar ''bollix'' is found in American English, but without the anatomical connotations or vulgar sense meaning 'mess up'. The twin pulley blocks at the top of a ship's mast are also known as bollocks, and in the 18th century [[priests]]' [[sermon]]s were colloquially referred to as bollocks; it was by claiming this last usage that the [[Sex Pistols]] prevented their album ''Never Mind the Bollocks'' from being banned under British obscenity laws.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.everything2.com/index.pl?node_id=29788 |title=Everything2.com |publisher=Everything2.com |access-date=2013-01-24}}</ref> Related phrases include ''bollocksed'', which means either tired ("I'm bollocksed!") or broken beyond repair; ''bollocks up'', meaning to mess up ("He really bollocksed that up"); and [''a'']'' bollocking'', meaning a stern telling off. ''Compare '''dog's bollocks''', below''
; bonce  : head (informal)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/bonce|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190121232859/https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/bonce|url-status=dead|archive-date=January 21, 2019|title=bonce - Definition of bonce in English by Oxford Dictionaries|website=Oxford Dictionaries - English}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bonce|title=Definition of BONCE|website=www.merriam-webster.com}}</ref>
; bone-idle * : lazy
; botty, bot : a person's [[buttocks|bottom]] (informal or childish)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/bot|title=bot definition, meaning – what is bot in the British English Dictionary & Thesaurus – Cambridge Dictionaries Online|work=cambridge.org}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/botty?searchDictCode=all|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150110193634/http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/botty?searchDictCode=all|url-status=dead|archive-date=January 10, 2015|title=botty – definition of botty in English from the Oxford dictionary|work=oxforddictionaries.com}}</ref>
; [[Brass monkey (colloquial expression)|brass monkeys]] : cold – from "cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey". According to a popular [[folk etymology]], this phrase derives from cannonballs stowed on a brass triangle named after a "powder monkey" (a boy who runs gunpowder to the ship's guns) spilling owing to the frame's contraction in cold weather. (This is however incorrect for several physical and linguistic reasons.) The phrase is a 20th-century variant of earlier expressions referring to other body parts, especially the nose and tail, indicating that the brass monkey took the form of a real monkey.
; brekkie, brekky : (slang) synonym of [[breakfast]]
; breve : (musical) a note of two bars' length (or a count of 8) in 4/4 time (US: ''[[double whole note]]'')
; bristols : (vulgar, [[rhyming slang]]) breasts; from football team [[Bristol City F.C.|Bristol City]] = titty
; brolly : (informal) umbrella
; brown bread : (rhyming slang) dead; "You're brown bread, mate!"
; browned off : Fed up, annoyed or out of patience.
; bruv : clipping of ''brother'', used as a form of address for a man<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/bruv|title=BRUV definition and meaning | Collins English Dictionary}}</ref> (US: ''bro, bruh'')
; [[bubble and squeak]] : dish of cooked cabbage fried with cooked potatoes and other vegetables. Often made from the remains of the [[Sunday roast]] trimmings.
; [[budgerigar]] or (colloquial) budgie : a small Australian parrot (US: not distinguished from other ''parakeet''s)
; buggered : (vulgar, literally a synonym for 'sodomised') worn out; broken; thwarted, undermined, in a predicament, e.g. "If we miss the last bus home, we're buggered" (US: ''screwed''). Also used to indicated lack of motivation as in "I can't be buggered". (US: "I can't be bothered.")
; bugger all : little or nothing at all; "I asked for a pay rise and they gave me bugger all"; "I know bugger all about plants"; damn all. US: ''zip'', ''jack'' or (offensive) ''jack shit''. Usage is rare in the US.
; [[building society]] : an institution, owned by its depositors rather than shareholders, that provides mortgage loans and other financial services (US equivalent: ''[[savings and loan association]]'')
; [[bum bag]] : a bag worn on a strap around the waist (US: ''fanny ''[DM] ''pack'')
; bumble : to wander aimlessly or stroll/walk without urgency to a destination; usually synonymous with ''amble'' when used in the US.
; bumf, bumph : useless paperwork or documentation (from "bum fodder", [[toilet paper]])
; bunce : a windfall; profit; bonus
; bureau de change : an office where money can be exchanged (US: ''currency exchange'')
; burgle *: (originally colloquial, back-formation from ''burglar'') to commit [[burglary]] (in the US, ''burglarize'' is overwhelmingly preferred, although ''burgle'' is occasionally found).
; butty : (Northern England) a sandwich<ref>{{cite web|url=https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/butty|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160926143243/https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/butty|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 26, 2016|title=butty - Definition of butty in English by Oxford Dictionaries|website=Oxford Dictionaries - English}}</ref> (esp. '[[chip butty]]' or 'bacon butty').
; [[by-election]] : (US: ''special election'')
==C==
; cack : (slang) faeces (feces); nonsense or rubbish: "what a load of cack" could equally be used to describe someone talking nonsense or as a criticism of something of poor quality. Also spelt "kak" as used in Afrikaans and Dutch. Derived from an ancient Indo-European word, ''kakkos'', cognate with German word [[:de:Kacke|''Kacke'']], Welsh word "cach" and the Irish and Scottish Gaelic word "cac" which all mean 'shit'.
; cack-handed : (informal) clumsy *; left-handed. Derived from ''cack'', meaning "fæces (feces)", with reference to the tradition that only the left hand should be used for cleaning the 'unclean' part of the human body (i.e. below the waist).
; cafetière : device for making coffee (US: ''[[French press]]'')
; caff : abbreviation for a [[British cafe|cafe]]; now used mainly for the old-fashioned establishment to distinguish from [[Coffeehouse|coffeeshop]]s.
; [[Cagoule (raincoat)|cagoule]] : type of lightweight hooded waterproof clothing (US: windbreaker)
; call minder : (rare) telephone message recorder (US and UK also: ''answering machine''; ''voicemail machine'')
; candidature : synonymous with [[Candidate|candidacy]]
; candy floss : spun sugar confection (US: ''[[cotton candy]]''); "candyfloss culture" was also used around the late 1950s / early 1960s as a derisory term for the emerging American pop culture,<ref>See for example ''The Q Encyclopedia of Rock Stars'' by Dafydd Rees and Luke Crampton, Dorling Kindersley, 1999, entry for [[The Yardbirds]] on page 1088: "In response to playwright [[Ted Willis|Lord Ted Willis]] calling their type of music a 'cheap candyfloss substitute for culture' in the [[House of Lords]], the band goes to his house in [[Chislehurst]], [[Kent]], and plays in his back garden ..."</ref> similar to "McCulture" or "Coca-Cola culture" in more recent times
<!-- canteen : exists already in LowhdmiBaAE -->
; caravan park : area where caravans are parked (US: ''[[Trailer park]]'' for near-permanently-installed mobile homes, ''RV park'' or ''campground'' for areas intended for short term recreational vehicle parking. Trailer parks are typically low-income permanent residencies; RV parks/campgrounds are a holiday (vacation) destination.)
; car boot : storage area of car (US: trunk). Can also mean [[car boot sale]].
; car hire : car rental
; car park : area where cars are parked (US usually ''[[parking lot]]'' if outdoor, ''[[parking garage]]'' if indoor).
; carer : a person who cares for another, such as a child, elderly, or disabled person. (US: ''caregiver'')
; [[carriageway]] : the part of a road that carries the traffic; see also ''dual carriageway''
; cash machine : [[automated teller machine]].
; cashpoint : [[automated teller machine]]. Originally a brand name for [[Lloyds TSB]] ATMs, now [[Generic trademark|genericized]].
; caster sugar : Finely granulated white or pale golden sugar. (US: ''superfine sugar'')<ref>{{cite web|url=http://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/caster_sugar|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160929053002/https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/caster_sugar|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 29, 2016|title=caster sugar - Definition of caster sugar in English by Oxford Dictionaries|website=Oxford Dictionaries - English}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/caster+sugar|title=Definition of CASTER SUGAR|website=www.merriam-webster.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/food/caster_sugar|title=Caster sugar recipes - BBC Food|website=www.bbc.com}}</ref>
; [[cat's eye (road)|cat's eyes]] : reflectors used to mark lane divisions and edges of roads, also written '''cats-eye''', genericised from the trademark '''Catseye''' (US: ''[[raised pavement marker]]''; ''[[Botts' dots]]'' are similar)
; central reservation : physical barrier separating the two carriageways (on dual carriageways and motorways) (US: ''[[median strip]]'')
; chancer : (slang) an opportunist
; char, cha: (informal) [[tea]]. From Mandarin 茶 (chá).
; char : (informal) see ''charwoman''
; charlady : see ''charwoman''
; Chartered Accountant : one authorised to certify financial statements; the equivalent of an American ''CPA'' (''Certified Public Accountant'')
; charwoman : (dated) a woman employed as a cleaner
; chat up (someone) : talk flirtatiously with. Similar to American "come on to (someone)".
; [[chav]] : (slang, often derogatory, used primarily in England) typically a [[Social structure of Britain#Nouveau riche|nouveau riche]] or [[working class]] person, often of lowish intelligence, who wears sportswear or designer label (e.g. Burberry) copies, fake gold [[Bling-bling|bling]], and is a trouble-maker. "Chav" is used throughout England, though "charv" or "charva" was originally used in the northeast, deriving from the [[Romani people|Roma]] word ''charva'', meaning a disreputable youth.
; cheeky * : impertinent; noun form, ''cheek'', impertinence; a child answering back to an adult might be told "don't give me any of your cheek" (also there is the expression "cheeky monkey!" in reaction to a cheeky remark).
; cheerio! : (informal, friendly) exclamation of farewell (similar to 'seeya!' and 'ta-ra!'). No connection to the [[breakfast cereal]] [[Cheerios]].
; [[Chesterfield sofa]] : a deep buttoned sofa, with arms and back of the same height. It is usually made from leather and the term Chesterfield in British English is only applied to this type of sofa.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.chesterfieldsofas.com/the_history_of_the_chesterfield_sofa.html|title=Chesterfield Sofa | publisher=The Traditional English Chesterfield Company | access-date=2012-05-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120615063808/http://www.chesterfieldsofas.com/the_history_of_the_chesterfield_sofa.html |archive-date= 15 June 2012}}</ref>
; child-minder : (babysitter) a person who looks after babies and young children (usually in the person's own home) while the parents are working. Child-minders are a more professional type of babysitter, and in England are required to be registered with Ofsted, the government-sanctioned education regulation body. They must also have at least a Level 2 qualification in childcare. A babysitter does not require these qualifications.<ref>{{cite web|last=Ofsted|title=Factsheet: childcare – Requirements for the Childcare Register: childminders and home childcarers|url=http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/resources/factsheet-childcare-requirements-for-childcare-register-childminders-and-home-childcarers|work=Ofsted.gov.uk|publisher=Ofsted|access-date=2013-08-11|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130807155710/http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/resources/factsheet-childcare-requirements-for-childcare-register-childminders-and-home-childcarers|archive-date=2013-08-07}}</ref> Babysitter is more common in the UK.
; chimney pot : smoke-stack above a house. "Pot" refers to the cylindrical topmost part that is usually [[earthenware]]. The part below is the chimney or chimney stack.
; chinagraph pencil : pencil designed to write on china, glass etc. (US: ''grease pencil, china marker'')
; chip shop : (informal) [[fish and chips|fish-and-chip]] shop (parts of Scotland, Ireland: ''chipper''), also '''chippy''' (see also [[List of words having different meanings in British and American English]])
; chinwag : (slang) chat
; chuffed : (informal) proud, satisfied, pleased. Sometimes intensified as ''well chuffed''; cf. '''made up'''
; chunder : vomit<ref name="FreeDictionary" />
; chunter : (sometimes '''chunner''') to mutter, to grumble, to talk continuously;<ref>{{cite web|url=http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/chunter?q=chunter |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150621231547/http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/chunter?q=chunter |url-status=dead |archive-date=June 21, 2015 |title=chunter: definition of chunter in Oxford dictionary (British & World English) |publisher=Oxforddictionaries.com |access-date=2013-09-15}}</ref> "What's he chuntering on about?"
; clanger : (informal) a big mistake, blunder, bad joke or faux pas ("to drop a clanger") (US: ''to lay an egg'')
; clapped out : (informal) worn out (said of an object)
; cleg : [[horse fly]]
; climbing frame : a playground apparatus composed of bars for children to climb on <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/climbing-frame|title=CLIMBING FRAME | English meaning - Cambridge Dictionary}}</ref> (''[[jungle gym]]'' in U.S.)
; clingfilm : thin plastic film for wrapping food (US: ''[[plastic wrap]]'', ''[[Saran wrap]]'')
; cobblers *: shoe repairers; (slang) a weaker version of '''bollocks''', meaning 'nonsense' (often "a load of old cobblers"), from rhyming slang 'cobbler's awls' = balls
; cock-up, cockup * : (mildly vulgar) error, mistake.
; codswallop *, codd's wallop : "You're talking codswallop". Sometimes said to be named after Hiram Codd, the inventor of the Codd bottle, which was commonly used in the late 19th century for fizzy drinks ("Codd's wallop"), though this derivation is thought to be [[false etymology]].<ref>[http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/codswallop.html "A load of codswallop", The Phrase Finder]. Retrieved 23 March 2015</ref> (US: You're talking garbage)
; common or garden : of the usual or ordinary type.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/common+or+garden|title=Definition of COMMON OR GARDEN|website=www.merriam-webster.com}}</ref>
; communication cord : near-obsolete term for the emergency brake on a train. It is nowadays an alarm handle connected to a PA system which alerts the driver.
; community payback : court-mandated sentence of [[community service]] either in addition to or as a substitute for incarceration<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gov.uk/community-sentences/community-payback|title=Community sentences|work=www.gov.uk}}</ref>
; compère : (French) master of ceremonies, MC<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/compere|title=Definition of COMPERE|website=www.merriam-webster.com}}</ref>
; compulsory purchase : the power of the governmental authority to take private property for public use (similar to US: ''[[eminent ___domain]]'')
; conservatoire : [[music school]] (US usually ''conservatory'')
; cool box : box for keeping food and liquids cool (US and UK also: ''cooler'')
; cop off with : (slang) to successfully engage the company of a potential sexual partner, to "pull"; to copulate (have sexual intercourse) with.
; coriander * : when referring to the leaves, often called "[[cilantro]]" in the US
; cornflour : Finely ground flour made from corn, used as a thickener in cooking (US: ''[[corn starch]]'')<ref>{{cite web|url=http://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/us/corn_flour|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160924195010/https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/us/corn_flour|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 24, 2016|title=corn flour - Definition of corn flour in US English by Oxford Dictionaries|website=Oxford Dictionaries - English}}</ref>
; Cor Blimey : see '''Gor Blimey'''
; coster, costermonger : a seller of fruit and vegetables
; cotton bud : wad of cotton wool fixed to a small stick, used for cleaning (US: ''cotton swab'', ''Q-Tip'')
; council house/flat, also council housing or estate : public housing. In Scotland the term ''housing scheme'', or simply ''scheme'' is more commonly used. (US: ''projects'')
; counterfoil *: stub of a cheque, ticket etc. (US: ''stub'')
; counterpane : a decorative cloth used to cover a bed when it is not in use (US: ''bedspread'')<ref>"And just what the fuck is a counterpane? I wondered in a small, unhappy voice..." Bill Bryson ''Notes from a Small Island'' HarperCollins publishers 1995 {{ISBN|0-552-99600-9}}</ref>
; courgette : ([[French language|French]]) the plant ''Cucurbita pepo'' (US: ''[[zucchini]]'', from Italian).
; crack on(-to) : whereas "crack on" may be used in a generalised sense as "[to] get on with [something]" (often, a task), to "crack on to [some ''person'', specifically]" indicates one was, or planned to, engage in flirtation, to varying degrees
; crikey :(dated) exclamation of surprise (once a euphemism for ''Christ's keys'' or perhaps ''Christ Kill Me''). Popularized in the US by late Australian [[herpetologist]] [[Steve Irwin]])
; crimble, crimbo, chrimbo : Christmas, especially with regard to its more secular and commercial aspects.
; crisps : very thinly sliced fried potatoes, often flavoured, eaten cold as a snack (US: ''potato chips'')
; crotchet : a musical note with a duration of one count in a time signature of 4/4 (common time) (US: ''quarter note''; see [[Note value]])
; cuddly toy : [[soft toy]] (sometimes used in the US; also ''stuffed animal'', ''plush toy''). Occurs as the title of the Monkees' song "Cuddly Toy", written by [[Harry Nilsson|Nilsson]].
;cuppa : [cup of] [[tea]] (never coffee or other beverage)
; current account : personal bank account used for everyday transactions (US: ''[[checking account]]'')
==
; daft * : odd, mad, eccentric, daffy, crazy
; defeating the ends of justice : Scotland only;<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.scotland-judiciary.org.uk/8/802/HMA-v-RITA-HEYSTER|title=HMA v RITA HEYSTER - Judgments & Sentences|website=Judiciary of Scotland|access-date=2022-06-12|archive-date=2020-01-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200122184129/http://www.scotland-judiciary.org.uk/8/802/HMA-v-RITA-HEYSTER|url-status=dead}}</ref> England and Wales equivalent is ''[[perverting the course of justice]]'' (similar concept in US: ''obstruction of justice'')
; dekko : (informal) a look, reconnoître "I'll take a dekko at it later." – British military slang derived from the [[Hindustani language|Hindustani]] ''dekh''/''dekho'' meaning "to see". Also less commonly '''decco''', '''deccie''', deek, deeks.
; dene : wooded valley or seaside dune (mainly S W England)
; doddle : something accomplished easily – "It's a doddle", meaning "it's easy".
; dodgems * : funfair or fairground bumper cars<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dodgem|title=Definition of DODGEM|website=www.merriam-webster.com}}</ref>
; dodgy * : unsound, unstable, and unreliable (US: ''sketchy''). 'That bloke over there looks a bit dodgy'
; dogsbody : someone who carries out menial tasks on another's behalf; a drudge (US: ''grunt'')<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dogsbody|title=Definition of DOGSBODY|website=www.merriam-webster.com|date=29 December 2024 }}</ref>
; the dog's bollocks : (vulgar) something excellent or top quality, the "bee's knees", the "cat's whiskers". Sometimes just "the bollocks." (US: ''the shit''). In polite company this phrase may be toned down to "The mutt's nuts", or the phrase "The bee's knees" may be used as a polite substitute.
; dog's breakfast/dinner : something poorly executed; a mess<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dog%27s+breakfast|title=Definition of DOG'S BREAKFAST|website=www.merriam-webster.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/dog-s-breakfast?q=dog%27s+breakfast|title=A DOG'S BREAKFAST | English meaning - Cambridge Dictionary}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/a-dogs-dinner|title=A DOG'S DINNER definition and meaning | Collins English Dictionary}}</ref><ref name="auto2"/><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ldoceonline.com/dictionary/make-a-dog-s-breakfast-of-something|title=make a dog's breakfast of something | meaning of make a dog's breakfast of something in Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English | LDOCE}}</ref>
; dole * : (informal) welfare, specifically [[unemployment benefit]]. Sometimes used in the US, esp. older generation
; donkey's years : a very long time.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/donkey%27s-years?q=donkey%27s+years |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140508030715/http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/donkey%27s-years?q=donkey%27s+years |url-status=dead |archive-date=May 8, 2014 |title=donkey's years: definition of donkey's years in Oxford dictionary (British & World English) |publisher=Oxforddictionaries.com |access-date=2014-05-07}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/donkey's%20years |title=Donkey's years – Definition and More from the Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary |publisher=Merriam-webster.com |date=2012-08-31 |access-date=2014-05-07}}</ref> (originally "donkey's ears" as [[rhyming slang]]).
; [[
; doolally : (informal), mentally ill. From the former British Army [[Deolali transit camp]] in India<ref name=mad>{{Cite journal | pages = 94–95 | year = 2006 | pmid = 17175772| url = https://jramc.bmj.com/content/152/2/94 | issue = 2 | volume = 152 | title = The madness at Deolali | journal = Journal of the Royal Army Medical Corps | last1 = Martin | first1 = N. | doi=10.1136/jramc-152-02-05| s2cid = 5449940 | url-access = subscription }}</ref>
; dosh : (slang) money (US: ''dough'') "how much dosh you got on ya?"
; doss : to be lazy, "I've been dossing all day", also can mean to truant, "dossing off" (similar to bunking off). Additionally it can informally take the form of a noun (i.e. "that lesson was a doss", meaning that lesson was easy, or good (primarily central Scotland). Also "dosser", a lazy person, or a tramp (US ''bum''); "to doss down", to find a place to sleep, to sleep on some substitute for a bed such as a sofa, the floor, or a park bench; "doss-house", temporary accommodation for tramps or homeless people, cheap dilapidated rented accommodation with low standards of cleanliness (US: ''flophouse'')
; [[double first]] : an [[undergraduate degree]] where the candidate has gained First-Class Honours in two separate subjects, or alternatively in the same subject in subsequent examinations (see [[British undergraduate degree classification]])
; draper : a dealer in drapery (i.e. clothing, textiles, etc.) (US: ''dry goods'' [DM])
; [[draughts]] : the board game (US: ''checkers'')
; drawing pin * : pin with a large, flat head, used for fixing notices to noticeboards etc. (US: ''thumbtack'')
; dress circle : the seats in the first balcony of a theatre (US: ''balcony'' or ''loge'' although ''dress circle'' is used in a few very large opera houses that have many levels of balconies)
; [[Driving under the influence|drink-driving]]: operating a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol (US: ''drunk driving''; ''DUI'' [Driving Under the Influence]; ''DWI'' [Driving While Intoxicated/Impaired]; ''OWI'' [Operating While Intoxicated])
; driving licence : document authorising the holder to drive a vehicle (US: ''driver's license'', ''driver license'')
; [[dual carriageway]]: road, usually a major one, with the two directions of travel separated by a traffic-free, and usually slightly raised, central reservation. Each direction of travel (carriageway) comprises two or more 'lanes'. (US: ''divided highway'')
; dustbin : (sometimes used in the US) receptacle for rubbish, very often shortened to 'bin'. (US: ''trash can''; ''wastebasket'')
; dustbin man or dustman: rubbish collector, often shortened to 'binman'. (US: ''garbage man''; ''trash man''; ''sanitation engineer'')
; dustcart/dustbin lorry: rubbish/refuse collecting vehicle (US: ''garbage truck''; ''trash truck'')
==
; [[Ground (electricity)|earth]], earthed : connected to an electric common return (including but not limited to the physical earth), (US: ''ground, grounded'')
; [[Elastoplast]] : an adhesive bandage placed on a minor cut or scrape (UK also: ''plaster'' or ''sticking/sticky plaster'' [DM]; US: Adhesive bandage, ''[[Band-Aid]]'')
; electric fire : domestic electric heater (
; engaged tone
; estate agent * : a person who sells property for others (US: ''realtor'', ''real estate agent'')
; estate car : a [[station wagon]]
; [[exclamation mark]] *: (US: ''exclamation point'')<ref>{{cite news |last=Cowell |first=Philip |title=What overusing exclamation marks says about you |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/culture/article/20170301-what-overusing-exclamation-marks-says-about-you |access-date=2022-11-14 |work=BBC Culture |publisher=BBC |date=2017-03-02 |quote=In the Oval Office, exclamation points (the US term) are being issued more frequently than executive orders... It was the bibliophile Dr [Samuel] Johnson who then coined the term 'exclamation' for 'pathetical' sentences – those involving passions – from where it became the 'exclamation point' in the USA and 'exclamation mark' in Britain.}}</ref>
; ex-directory : (of a telephone number) unlisted; also informally of a person "he's ex-directory", meaning his telephone number is unlisted
; expiry date : (of a credit or debit card) expiration date
; extension lead : Extension cable typically refers to mains power but may refer to other cables like telephones, (US and UK also: ''extension cord'')
==F==
; faff : to dither, futz, waste time, be ineffectual, "I spent the day faffing about in my room". Also related noun ("That's too much of a faff").<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/faff?showCookiePolicy=true|title=Definition of "faff" – Collins English Dictionary|work=collinsdictionary.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/faff?searchDictCode=all|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129202032/http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/faff?searchDictCode=all|url-status=dead|archive-date=November 29, 2014|title=faff – definition of faff in English from the Oxford dictionary|work=oxforddictionaries.com}}</ref>
<!-- fag is listed in "List of words having different meanings in British and American English" and should not be listed here -->
; fag end : usually a cigarette butt, sometimes used to refer to the last part of something else
; fairing : a gift, particularly one given or bought at a fair (obsolete); type of cookie (biscuit) made in [[Cornwall]]
; fairy cake : a small sponge cake (
; fairy lights : [[
; fan-assisted oven : an oven that has fans to circulate air around food (US and UK: [[convection oven]])<ref>{{cite web|url=http://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/fan_oven|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201081356/https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/fan_oven|url-status=dead|archive-date=December 1, 2017|title=fan oven - Definition of fan oven in English by Oxford Dictionaries|website=Oxford Dictionaries - English}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.idealhome.co.uk/project-advice/how-to-buy-an-oven-74134|title=How to buy an oven - Ideal Home|date=16 May 2007}}</ref>
<!-- fancy dress is listed in "List of words having different meanings in British and American English" and should not be listed here -->
<!-- fanny is listed in "List of words having different meanings in British and American English" and should not be listed here -->
; fiddly * : requiring dexterity to operate ("the buttons on the tiny mobile phone were too fiddly")
<!-- [[Filth|the Filth]] is listed in "List of words having different meanings in British and American English" and should not be listed here -->
; fire brigade: fire department
; fish fingers : (US: [[fish sticks]])
; fiver : five pound note (bill)
; fizzy drink * : carbonated [[soft drink]] (US: ''soda'', ''pop'', ''coke'', ''tonic'' ([[New England]]) depending on the region)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.popvssoda.com/countystats/total-county.html |title=Popvssoda.com |publisher=Popvssoda.com |access-date=2013-01-24}}</ref>
; flex : electrical lead (UK); electrical cord (US)
; flight lieutenant : an Air Force officer rank (US: ''captain'')
; flob : to spit (informal)<ref>https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/flob</ref>
; [[flypast]] : ceremonial flight of aircraft (US: ''[[Flypast|flyby]]'') <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/flypast|title=Flypast – Definition of flypast by Merriam-Webster|work=merriam-webster.com|date=3 January 2024 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/fly-past?q=flypast|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924131109/http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/fly-past?q=flypast|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 24, 2015|title=fly-past – definition of fly-past in English from the Oxford dictionary|work=oxforddictionaries.com}}</ref>
; [[Overpass|flyover]] : a road crossing over another road (US: ''overpass'')
; footie : (slang) football (US: soccer)
; [[fortnight]] *: a period of 14 days (and nights) or two weeks
; freephone : a telephone number where the caller is not charged for the call (US: toll-free number)
; French letter : (slang) condom<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/french%20letter |title=Merriam-webster.com |publisher=Merriam-webster.com |date=2012-08-31 |access-date=2013-01-24}}</ref><ref name=SOED/>
; [[Travelling funfair|funfair]] : a travelling fair with amusements, stalls, rides etc. (US: ''carnival'' or ''traveling carnival'')
; [[full stop]] : (US: ''period'' (punctuation mark)
==
; [[Penny gaff|gaff]] : (slang) house, home. Also any other place: cheap music hall,
; [[Gaffer (boss)|gaffer]] * : (informal) old man; (informal) boss; football manager (US: soccer coach); Also in US: (professional) chief electrician on a theatrical or film set.
; gangway * : a path between the rows of seats in a theatre or elsewhere (US ''aisle''; ''gangway'' is a naval command to make a path for an officer)
; [[gaol]] : A prison, mostly historical (US and most modern UK usage: ''jail'')<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gaol |title=Gaol – Definition and More from the Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary |publisher=Merriam-webster.com |date=2012-08-31 |access-date=2013-04-30}}</ref>
; G clamp : A metal screw clamp (US: C clamp).
; gearbox : system of [[gear]]s in a vehicle or other machinery (US ''transmission'')
: In UK transmission typically refers to drive shafts.
; gear-lever / gearstick : handle for changing [[gear]]s in a vehicle or other machinery (US ''gearshift''<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gearshift |title=Gearshift – Definition and More from the Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary |publisher=Merriam-webster.com |date=2012-08-31 |access-date=2013-01-24}}</ref>)
; gen : (informal) information, info (short for "intelligence") (US: intel)
; get off with someone * : (colloquial) to begin a sexual relationship<ref>{{cite web|url=http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/get-off-with-sb |title=get off with sb – definition in British English Dictionary & Thesaurus – Cambridge Dictionary Online |publisher=Dictionary.cambridge.org |date=2013-04-16 |access-date=2013-04-28}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.chambersharrap.co.uk/ |title=www.chambersharrap.co.uk |publisher=Chambersharrap.co.uk |access-date=2013-04-28}}</ref>
; Geordie : a person from [[Newcastle upon Tyne]], or used as an adjective to describe the accent or culture of the surrounding [[Tyne and Wear]] region of England.
; get on [one's] tits: annoy or irritate.
; [[gherkin]] : a [[pickled cucumber]] (US: "pickle")
; [[git (slang)|git]] * : (derogatory) scumbag, idiot, annoying person (originally meaning illegitimate; from archaic form "get", bastard, which is still used to mean "git" in Northern dialects and is used as such in [[The Beatles]]' song "[[I'm So Tired]]")
; giro: (slang), social security benefit payment (US: ''welfare''), is derived from the largely obsolete Girobank payment system that was once used in Britain for benefit and state pension payments.
; glandular fever : mononucleosis
; gob : 1. (n.) mouth, e.g. "Shut your gob" (US: "Shut your ''trap/flap''")
: 2. (v.) [[phlegm]] or spit containing phlegm (US: ''loogie'')
; gobby : loudmouthed and offensive<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/gobby?showCookiePolicy=true |title=Definition of gobby |publisher=Collins English Dictionary |access-date=2013-02-06}}</ref>
; gob-shite : (vulgar, insult) slang term for a person who is being mouthy about something or someone
; gobsmacked : (slang) utterly astonished, open-mouthed
; gods (the): (informal) the highest level of seating in a theatre or auditorium, usually the "Upper Circle", as in "we have a seat up in the gods" (US: ''nosebleed section''<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nosebleed |title=Nosebleed – Definition and More from the Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary |publisher=Merriam-webster.com |date=2012-08-31 |access-date=2013-07-04}}</ref>)
; go pear-shaped : see '''pear-shaped'''
; [[golden syrup]] : Syrup of a golden-yellow colour.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/golden_syrup|title=golden syrup - Definition of golden syrup in English by Oxford Dictionaries|website=Oxford Dictionaries - English}}{{dead link|date=September 2022|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/golden+syrup|title=Definition of GOLDEN SYRUP|website=www.merriam-webster.com|date=3 March 2024 }}</ref>
; goolies : (slang) the testicles, from ''goli'' Hindi for ball.
; gor blimey : exclamation of surprise, also '''cor blimey''' (originally from "God blind me")
; Gordon Bennett! : expression of surprise, contempt, outrage, disgust, frustration.
; gormless : stupid or clumsy
; go-slow : a protest in which workers deliberately work slowly (US: ''slowdown'' or ''work to rule'')
; green fingers : talent for growing plants (US: ''green thumb'')
; [[greengrocer]] * : a retail trader in fruit and vegetables
; [[gritter]] : a truck that spreads sand or salt on roads when they are covered with ice (US: ''salt truck, salt spreader'')<ref>{{cite web|url=http://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/gritter|title=gritter Definition in the Cambridge English Dictionary|work=cambridge.org}}</ref>
; grotty : disgusting, dirty, poor quality (originally from ''grotesque'', though now rarely used with quite that meaning). In a scene from the 1964 film [[A Hard Day's Night (film)|A Hard Day's Night]], George Harrison has to explain the meaning and origin of the word; the impression is given that it was then considered modern slang, known only to trendy youngsters (this is no longer the case). George Harrison would have been familiar with the word as well-established Liverpool slang.<ref name="auto">SHAW, F; Spiegl, F: Lern Yerself Scouse; Liverpool, 1965, Scouse Press</ref>
; group captain : an Air Force officer rank (US: ''colonel'')
; [[Brake van|guard's van]]: (n.) (also known as a Brake Van or a Driving Van Trailer) the leading or trailing carriage on a train nowadays used for luggage storage (US: ''Caboose'')
; gumption * : initiative, common sense, or courage
; gutties : running shoes, tennis shoes, maybe from "gutta percha" old source of natural rubber
; guv'nor/guv: (slang) A contraction of "governor", used to describe a person in a managerial position e.g. "Sorry mate, can't come to the pub, my guv'nor's got me working late tonight". Heard mostly in London.
==
; half- : [as in 'half-eight'] meaning thirty minutes past the hour ([[Standard English]] and US: "Half past").
; [[hand brake|handbrake]] * : Parking brake operated by a hand control, usually a lever (US: ''Emergency brake''. In the US, the traditional "hand brake" is more often to be found on a bicycle or motorcycle as opposed to a car as in the UK.); ''[[handbrake turn]]'', a stunt where the handbrake is used to lock the rear wheels and the resulting oversteer enables the car to be turned rapidly in a small space (US related: ''[[J-turn]], [[bootleg turn]], [[U-turn]]''.)
; [[Halfpenny (British pre-decimal coin)|ha'penny]] : (pronounced "HAY-penny" or "HAYP-nee") half a penny; a coin of this denomination belonging to the predecimal coinage which is no longer in circulation. There was also a half penny in the decimal coinage introduced in 1971 which was 1/200 of a pound; these stopped being legal tender in 1985 and were removed from circulation.
; ha'porth : (pronounced "HAY-puth") halfpennyworth.
; hash sign : the symbol "'''#'''" (US: ''[[number sign]]'', ''pound sign'' [DM], ''hash tag'')
; headmaster, headmistress, headteacher, head *: the person in charge of a school (US: ''principal'' [DM]; headmaster and the like are usually used for private schools)
<!--DM helter-skelter : a helical slide found in fairgrounds, alternatively meaning great speed; to go 'helter-skelter'.-->
; [[Heath Robinson]] : (of a machine or contraption) absurdly complex (see [[Rube Goldberg machine]]).
; high street : primary business and shopping street (US: ''[[main street]]'')
; hire purchase: a credit system by which purchased articles are paid for in installments (US: ''installment plan'' or ''layaway'' if the item is kept at the store until the final payment is made)
; hoarding : a panel used to display outdoor advertisements, such as on the sides of buildings, or alongside highways (US ''billboard'')<ref name="ReferenceA">H.L. Mencken et al., The American Language, Abridged Version 1982</ref>
; hob : the hot surface on a stove (US: ''burner'')
;
<!-- holiday: exists already in LowhdmiBaAE -->
; holidaymaker : person on holiday [DM] (US: ''vacationer'')<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/holidaymaker |title=Holidaymaker – Definition and More from the Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary |publisher=Merriam-webster.com |date=2012-08-31 |access-date=2013-12-02}}</ref>
; hols : (informal) short for holidays [DM]
; hoover : vacuum [cleaner], to vacuum (archaic in the US); a [[genericised trademark]], from ''[[The Hoover Company]]'', the first main manufacturer of vacuum cleaners
; hot up : to become more exciting<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/hot?q=hot+up#hot__29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714162430/http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/hot?q=hot+up#hot__29 |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 14, 2014 |title=hot: definition of hot in Oxford dictionary (British & World English) |publisher=Oxforddictionaries.com |access-date=2014-08-22}}</ref> (US: ''heating up'').
; [[Sprinkles|hundreds-and-thousands]]: coloured sugar sprinkles used for dessert decoration (US: ''sprinkles'', ''[[non-pareils]], jimmies'')
==
; ice lolly : frozen fruit juice on a stick; (
; icing sugar : (US: powdered sugar)
; identity parade : [[police lineup]]
; [[industrial action]] : (see article; US: ''job action'')
; inverted commas : [[quotation mark]]s (see also [[American and British English differences#Punctuation|American and British English differences – Punctuation]])
; invigilator : person who monitors an examination (US: ''proctor'' [DM])
; ironmongery : ironware, hardware; hardware store
==
; jacket potato : baked potato
;
; jammy (git, cow) : (slang) lucky (person, woman)
; JCB : generic name for a mechanical excavator or backhoe loader, based on the [[J. C. Bamford|eponymously named company]] which manufactures such devices.
<!-- jelly is listed in "List of words having different meanings in British and American English" and should not be listed here -->
; jemmy : To break into a lock, from the [[Crowbar (tool)|tool]] that is used in such an occasion as burglary (US: jimmy)
; [[Jerry (WWII)|jerry]] : (slang) pejorative term for a German or Germans
; jerrybuilt ''or'' jerry-built : An improvised or unsafe building or piece of infrastructure (e.g. an electrical installation), probably in contravention of safety legislation; (US: ''jerry-rigged, jury-rigged'').
; jiggery-pokery : Trickery or dishonest behaviour.<ref>{{cite web |title=jiggery-pokery |url=https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/jiggery-pokery |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180820074523/https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/jiggery-pokery |url-status=dead |archive-date=August 20, 2018 |website=[[Oxford English Dictionary]] |access-date=19 August 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Definition of 'jiggery-pokery' |url=https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/jiggery-pokery |website=[[Collins Dictionary]] |access-date=19 August 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=jiggery-pokery - definition and synonyms |url=https://www.macmillandictionary.com/us/dictionary/american/jiggery-pokery |website=[[Macmillan English Dictionary for Advanced Learners|Macmillan Dictionary]] |access-date=19 August 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=jiggery-pokery |url=https://www.ldoceonline.com/dictionary/jiggery-pokery |website=[[Longman Dictionary]] |access-date=19 August 2018}}</ref>
; jimmy : ([[Rhyming slang]]) urinate, as in jimmy riddle – piddle
; [[jobsworth]] : (slang) Originally a minor clerical/government worker who refuses to be flexible in the application of rules to help clients or customers (as in "it will cost me more than my '''job's worth''' to bend the rules"). Also used more broadly to apply to anyone who uses their job description in a deliberately obstructive way.
; johnny : (slang) a ''condom'' (US: rubber [DM], Jimmy-hat)
; John Thomas : Better known as slang for penis or "dick" (US: ''cock'', ''dick'', or ''johnson'') From the novel [[Lady Chatterley's Lover]]
; Joey : Term of abuse used of someone perceived to be foolish, stupid, incompetent, clumsy, uncoordinated, ridiculous, idiotic. Originated with the appearances of [[cerebral palsy]] sufferer [[Joey Deacon]] on children's TV programme [[Blue Peter]]; still a popular insult among adults who saw the programmes as children.<ref name="joey">{{cite web|url=http://pigeonsnest.co.uk/stuff/joey-deacon.html |title=Remembering Joey Deacon |publisher=Pigeonsnest.co.uk |access-date=2013-01-24}}</ref>
; [[jumble sale]] : (see article; US: ''rummage sale'')
; jumper : a pullover *, sweater
; jump leads : booster cables used to jump-start a car (US: ''jumper cables'')
==
; Karno's Army: a chaotic, ineffective team
; kecks : (informal, also spelt ''keks'') trousers or underpants
; kerfuffle * : a disorderly outburst, disturbance or tumult; from [[Scots (language)|Scots]] ''carfuffle''<ref name=CSD>{{cite book|title=The Concise Scots Dictionary|year=1985|publisher=Aberdeen University Press|isbn=978-0-08-028492-7|page=85|editor=Mairi Robinson}}</ref><ref name=CED>{{cite book|title=Chambers English Dictionary|url=https://archive.org/details/chambersenglishd0000unse_g3x1|url-access=registration|year=1988|publisher=W & R Chambers|___location=Edinburgh|isbn=978-1-85296-000-1|page=[https://archive.org/details/chambersenglishd0000unse_g3x1/page/216 216]}}</ref>
; kazi : (slang) lavatory<ref name=CED2>{{cite book|title=Chambers English Dictionary|url=https://archive.org/details/chambersenglishd0000unse|url-access=registration|year=1988|publisher=W & R Chambers|___location=Edinburgh|isbn=978-1-85296-000-1|page=[https://archive.org/details/chambersenglishd0000unse/page/780 780]}}</ref> (numerous alternative spellings are seen, such as '''khazi''',<ref>{{cite web|title = Definition of "khazi" {{!}} Collins English Dictionary|url = http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/khazi|website = www.collinsdictionary.com|access-date = 2015-09-09}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title = khazi – definition of khazi in English from the Oxford dictionary|url = http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/khazi|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140130184802/http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/khazi|url-status = dead|archive-date = January 30, 2014|website = www.oxforddictionaries.com|access-date = 2015-09-09}}</ref> '''karzy''',''' karsey''', '''carzey''' etc.)
; kip : (slang) sleep.
; kirby grip : hair grip. (US: bobby pin)
; kitchen roll : paper towels
; knackered : (slang) exhausted, broken; the term may derive from either of two meanings of the noun ''knacker'' (see ''knacker's yard'' and ''knackers'' below), thus to slaughter or castrate <ref>OED (2nd Edition) entry at ''knacker (verb)''</ref>
; knacker's yard : premises where superannuated livestock are sent for rendering, etc. by a [[knacker]]. Sometimes refers to the same for vehicles, a scrapyard (US: ''junkyard'')
; knackers : (slang) testicles
; knickers : girls' and women's underpants (US: ''panties''): hence, "'''Don't get your knickers in a twist'''" (US: "don't get your panties in a wad", "keep calm", "hold your horses", "chill out")
<!-- knock you up: exists already in LowhdmiBaAE -->
==
;
; lag (usually "old lag") : an inmate in a [[prison]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.macmillandictionary.com/dictionary/british/old-lag|title = OLD LAG (Noun) definition and synonyms | Macmillan Dictionary}}</ref>
; landslip : A collapse of a mass of earth or rock from a mountain or cliff (US: ''[[landslide]]'')<ref>{{cite web|url=https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/landslip|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190113232353/https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/landslip|url-status=dead|archive-date=January 13, 2019|title=landslip - Definition of landslip in English by Oxford Dictionaries|website=Oxford Dictionaries - English}}</ref>
; launderette : self-service laundry (US: ''[[laundromat]]'', from an expired [[Westinghouse Electric (1886)|Westinghouse]] trademark)
; lav : (informal) lavatory, toilet; also, lavvy (in the US, airplane restrooms are typically called lavatories)
; lead (electrical, as on an appliance or musical instrument, microphone etc.) : electrical cord (US)
; learnt : past tense of "learn" (US: ''learned''); occasionally used in [[African American Vernacular English]]
; legacy accounts : funds left in a budget (US: ''funds remaining'')
; legless : extremely drunk
; lessons : classes (class used more commonly in US English)
; let-out : (n.) a means of evading or avoiding something
; [[letter box]] : 1. a slot in a wall or door through which incoming [[mail|post]] [DM] is delivered (US: ''mail slot'', ''mailbox'')
: 2. (less common) a box in the street for receiving outgoing letters and other mail (more usually called a ''[[postbox]]'' or ''[[pillar box]]'') (US: ''mailbox'')
: See also ''[[Letterbox (filming)|Letterbox]]'' (US & UK): a film display format taking its name from the shape of a letter-box slot
; life assurance: also described as [[life insurance]] regardless of coverage (US: ''life insurance'')
; liquidiser: [[blender]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/liquidizer|title=Liquidizer definition and meaning | Collins English Dictionary|website=www.collinsdictionary.com}}</ref>
; lock-in * : illegal gathering in a pub at night to drink after the pub is supposed to have stopped serving alcohol, where the landlord "locks in" his guests to avoid being caught by police. Unless the landlord charges for the drinks at the time, the people in the pub are considered his personal guests; if money is exchanged beforehand or afterwards then it is considered a gift from the guest to the landlord for the hospitality. Since the introduction of the smoking ban in England and Wales in 2007, a "lock in" can now mean a landlord locking the pub doors and allowing smoking inside the premises. Also called a stay-back or stoppy-back in Northern England. (US: may refer to a large and highly chaperoned "sleep over" at a church, school, etc.)
; lodger * : tenant renting a room rather than an entire property; typically lives with the renter and his/her family
; [[lollipop man]] / woman / lady / person : a school crossing guard who uses a circular [[stop sign]]
; lolly * : 1. lollipop /ice lolly (US: popsicle); (q.v.)
: 2. (slang) money
; loo : [[toilet]] (usually the room, not just the plumbing device) (US: ''bathroom'' in a home, ''restroom'' in a public place; occasionally ''washroom'' in the north, borrowed from Canadian usage)
; lorry : a large goods-carrying motor vehicle (US and UK also: ''[[truck]]'')
; loudhailer : [[megaphone]] (US: ''bullhorn'')
; lower ground : In houses, a floor below ground level but not fully underground, typically under a raised ground floor which has steps up from ground level to the main entrance. In offices and shops, a basement.
; [[Goon Show#Lurgi|lurgy]] : (hard 'g', originally spelled "lurgi")<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/lurgy|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120720085317/http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/lurgy|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 20, 2012|title=lurgy – definition of lurgy in English from the Oxford dictionary|work=oxforddictionaries.com}}</ref> 1. An imaginary illness allegedly passed on by touch—used as an excuse to avoid someone. (cf. US: ''[[cooties]]'') From an episode of the [[Goon Show]]. 2. (slang) A fictitious, yet highly infectious disease; often used in the phrase "the dreaded lurgy", sometimes as a reference to flu-like symptoms. Can also be used when informing someone one is unwell but one either does not know or does not want to say what the illness is.
==
; mains power, the mains : 230 V (Typically denoted on domestic electricals as the older 240 V standard) AC electric current, provided by the electricity grid to homes and businesses; also attrib. ("[[mains cable]]") (US: 120 volts AC, variously called: ''line power'', ''grid power'', ''AC power'', ''household electricity'', etc.)
; manky : (slang) feeling ill, rough, out of sorts; filthy, dirty, rotten. (of uncertain origin, poss. from French "manqué" – missed, wasted or faulty)
; mardy : (derogatory, mainly Northern and Central England) describes someone who is in a bad mood, or more generally a crybaby or whiner or "grumpy, difficult, unpredictable". Used, for example, by children in the rhyme "Mardy, mardy mustard...", and in the title of the [[Arctic Monkeys]] song "Mardy Bum". The verb ''to throw a mardy'' means to display an outburst of anger.
; maths : mathematics (US: ''math'')
; MD ([[managing director]]) : equivalent of US ''CEO ''(''[[Chief Executive Officer]]''), also used in the UK
; Mexican wave : simply called [[Wave (audience)|The Wave]] in the US
; mentioned in dispatches : a commendation through being identified positively in a military report<ref>{{cite web|url=https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/be_mentioned_in_dispatches|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180512044347/https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/be_mentioned_in_dispatches|url-status=dead|archive-date=May 12, 2018|title=be mentioned in dispatches - Definition of be mentioned in dispatches in English by Oxford Dictionaries|website=Oxford Dictionaries - English}}</ref><ref name="auto1"/>
; milliard (obsolete): one thousand million, or 1,000,000,000 (US: billion or 1,000,000,000)<ref name="ReferenceA"/> Has for a long time been superseded by the [[short scale]] usage of billion (1,000,000,000) and was never as commonly used in the UK as it still is in mainland Europe (where the long scale is still used); when the long scale was used in Britain, "a thousand million" was more commonplace.
; minge : (vulgar) (rhymes with singe) female genitals or pubic hair<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/minge|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121022203204/http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/minge|url-status=dead|archive-date=October 22, 2012|title=minge – definition of minge in English from the Oxford dictionary|work=oxforddictionaries.com}}</ref>
; [[wikt:minger|minger]]: (from the Scots ''ming'' "to smell strongly and unpleasantly";<ref name="Cally Merc">{{cite web|last=Kirkpatrick|first=Betty|title=Useful Scots word: mingin|url=http://caledonianmercury.com/2010/03/23/useful-scots-word-mingin/003933|work=Caledonian Mercury |access-date=2013-08-11}}</ref> rhymes with "singer") someone who is unattractive (i.e. minging, see below).
; [[wikt:minging|minging]]: (from the Scots ''ming'' "to smell strongly and unpleasantly";<ref name="Cally Merc"/> rhymes with "singing") disgusting, dirty; unattractive.
; minim : a musical note with the duration of two counts in a time signature of 4/4 (US: ''half note''; see [[Note value]])
; [[mobile phone]] : (US: cell phone)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/mobile-phone?q=mobile+phone|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924133221/http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/mobile-phone?q=mobile+phone|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 24, 2015|title=mobile phone – definition of mobile phone in English from the Oxford dictionary|work=oxforddictionaries.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/mobile-phone|title=Definition of "mobile phone" – Collins English Dictionary|work=collinsdictionary.com}}</ref>
; moggie, moggy : (informal) non-pedigree cat; alley cat; any cat regardless of pedigree; [[Morris Minor]] car; [[Morgan Motor Company|Morgan]] car
; [[Mole grips]] : trade name for [[locking pliers|(US: Vise-Grips)]].
; mong : (offensive) stupid person or one with learning difficulties; from [[Mongolian idiocy|Mongol]] in its sense as an obsolete term for someone with [[Down syndrome]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/mong|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180511215000/https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/mong|url-status=dead|archive-date=May 11, 2018|title=mong - Definition of mong in English by Oxford Dictionaries|website=Oxford Dictionaries - English}}</ref>
; monged (out) : (slang) being incapable of constructive activity due to drug use, alcohol consumption or extreme tiredness
; MOT, [[MOT test]] : (pronounced emm'oh'tee) mandatory annual safety and roadworthiness test for motor vehicles over 3 years old (from "'''M'''inistry '''o'''f '''T'''ransport", now renamed "[[Department for Transport]]")
; motorway : A [[controlled-access highway]], the largest class of road on the British road network, designed for fast, high volume traffic. Abbreviated to M, as in M25 or M1. (US: equivalent to ''freeway'')
; mouthing off : shouting, ranting or swearing a lot about something or someone. e.g.: "that guy was just mouthing off about something" (US [DM]: ''backtalk''; often shortened to ''mouth'' ["I don't need your mouth".])
; move house, move flat, etc. : to move out of one's [[house]] or other residence into a new residence (US: ''move, move out'')
; [[multi-storey]] : used as a noun, to refer to a multi-level parking structure.
; munter : an ugly woman (rarely, man); similar to minger
; muppet : an incompetent or foolish person<ref>[[James B. Stewart|Stewart, James B.]], [https://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/20/business/why-i-left-book-about-goldman-falls-short.html "A Tell-All on Goldman Has Little Worth Telling"], New York ''Times'', 2012-10-19. Described as "a mildly derogatory term common in British slang". Retrieved 2012-10-21.</ref>
==
; naff :(slang) lame, tacky, cheap, low quality (
; naff all : nothing, fuck all
; naff off : (dated slang) shove it, get lost, go away – a much less offensive alternative to "fuck off" (originally obscure ''[[Polari]]'' slang, made popular by prison sitcom ''[[Porridge (1974 TV series)|Porridge]]'' and famously used by [[Anne, Princess Royal|Princess Anne]])
; nail varnish : a varnish applied to nails to enhance strength and glossiness. (US: nail polish)
; nancy boy : an effeminate man, a homosexual (dated)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://english_dictionary.en-academic.com/31155/nancy_boy|title=nancy boy|website=Academic}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.macmillandictionary.com/dictionary/british/nancy|title=nancy|website=Macmillan Dictionary}}</ref>
; nark * : 1. (v.) (informal) irritate; also ''narked'', the adjective.
: 2. (n.) (slang) police informer (US: ''narc'', derived from ''narcotics agent'', but often used in a general sense)
; nappy : absorbent undergarment for babies (US: ''[[diaper]]'')
<!-- natter is listed in "List of words having different meanings in British and American English" and should not be listed here -->
; National Insurance: compulsory payments made to the Government from earnings to pay for welfare benefits, the National Health Service (see below) and the state pension fund.
; never-never : (slang) hire purchase (see above). Often used in the media as a derogatory term to describe credit or debt.
; newsagent : strictly a shop owner or shop that sells [[newspaper]]s, usu. refers to a small shop, e.g. [[corner shop]], [[convenience store]], [[newsstand]], or similar (US: ''newsdealer'')
; newsreader : someone who reads the news on TV or radio.
; nice one * : (slang) a way of thanking someone, or congratulating them.
; nicker : (colloquial) 1 pound, maintains singular form when used in a plural context ("it cost me 2 nicker"), rarely used in the singular
; niff : an unpleasant smell
; [[Nissen hut]] : hemicylindrical building of corrugated metal. Named for the designer. (US: ''Quonset hut'', named for the place of US manufacture)
; NHS : the [[National Health Service]], the state run healthcare system within the United Kingdom
; nob : 1. head
: 2. a person of wealth or social standing
; nobble : (v.) to sabotage, attempt to hinder in some way. E.g. "Danny nobbled my chances at the pub quiz by getting Gary to defect to his team."
; nonce : a slang term for a sex offender, especially one convicted of sexual offences against children.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/nonce|title=NONCE | English meaning - Cambridge Dictionary}}</ref><ref name="auto1"/><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/nonce|title=NONCE definition and meaning | Collins English Dictionary}}</ref> The supposed origin from the term "Not on normal courtyard exercise"<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Grieveson-Smith |first1=Jess |last2=Haygarth |first2=Dan |date=2022-03-28 |title=Origin of 'nonce' comes from prison holding 'cannibal killer' |url=https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/nonce-comes-origins-prison-holding-23527324 |access-date=2022-04-16 |website=Liverpool Echo |language=en}}</ref> is probably a [[backronym]].
; nosy (or nosey) parker * : a busybody (similar to US: ''butt-in'', ''buttinski'', ''nosy'')
;nought: the number zero, chiefly British spelling of ''naught''<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.dictionary.com/browse/nought|title=nought|website=Dictionary.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ldoceonline.com/dictionary/nought|title=nought | meaning of nought in Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English | LDOCE|website=www.ldoceonline.com}}</ref>
;[[Noughts-and-Crosses|noughts and crosses]]:game played by marking Xs and Os in a 3x3 grid (US: ''[[tic-tac-toe]]'')
;nowt : nothing; not anything. "I've got nowt to do later." Northern English. (see also 'owt' – anything; as in the phrase "you can't get owt for nowt" or "you can't get anything for nothing")
; number plate : [[vehicle registration plate]] (sometimes used in the US; also ''license plate'' or ''license tag'')
; numpty : (originally Scottish,<ref name="BBC News">{{cite news|title='Numpty' voted nation's best word |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/6520353.stm|work=BBC News|publisher=BBC |date=2 April 2007 |access-date=2013-08-11}}</ref> now more widespread) a stupid person
; nutter: (informal) a crazy or insane person, often violent; also used as a more light-hearted term of reproach ("Oi nutter!") (occasionally used in the US) (US and UK also: ''nut'', ''nutcase'')
==
; OAP : Old Age Pensioner (US ''senior citizen'')
; [[off-licence]] / offie: a store for [[alcoholic beverage]]s which must be imbibed elsewhere (US ''liquor store'')
; off-the-peg : of clothes etc., ready-made rather than made to order (US: ''off-the-rack'')
; off you/we go * : a command to begin something or to start moving (US: "let's go")
; [[offal]] * : the entrails and internal organs of a butchered animal.
; oi : coarse exclamation to gain attention, roughly equivalent to "hey" ("Oi, you!" = "Hey you!")
; oik, oick : an obnoxious or unpleasant person; can also mean someone who is [[working class]], and often considered offensive in this context
; [[Law enforcement in the United Kingdom|the Old Bill]] : (slang) The police – specifically the [[Metropolitan Police]] in [[London]], but use of the term has spread elsewhere in England
; one-off * : something that happens only once; limited to one occasion (as an adjective, a shared synonym is ''one-shot''; as a noun ["She is a one-off"; US: ''one of a kind''])
; on the back foot : outclassed; outmanoeuvred by a competitor or opponent <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/on-the-back-foot|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150804045757/http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/on-the-back-foot|url-status=dead|archive-date=August 4, 2015|title=on the back foot - Definition of on the back foot in US English by Oxford Dictionaries|website=Oxford Dictionaries - English}}</ref>
; on the piss : (vulgar) drinking heavily; going out for the purpose of drinking heavily; at a slight angle, said of an object that should be vertical
; on the trot : (idiom, informal) adverbial referring to actions done directly after each other in sequence or, alternately, with no pause <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/on-the-trot|title=ON THE TROT | English meaning - Cambridge Dictionary}}</ref> (alternately synonymous with ''in a row'' or ''continuously'' in U.S.); also used adjectivally to mean ''always busy'' <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/on+the+trot|title=Definition of ON THE TROT|website=www.merriam-webster.com|date=29 December 2024 }}</ref>
; orientate * : less common{{Citation needed|date=May 2012}} alternative to ''orient'', deprecated by some as an unnecessary [[back-formation]] from ''orientation''{{Citation needed|date=May 2012}}
; other ranks : members of the military who are not commissioned officers. (US: incorporates both [[enlisted rank]]s and [[Non-commissioned officer#United States|non-coms]] in the US usage of these terms)
; oughtn't : A contraction of "ought not" (US "shouldn't, ought not")<ref>{{cite web| url=http://oald8.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/dictionary/ought-to| title=ought to| publisher=Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary| access-date=2014-01-16}}</ref>
; overdraft * : money spent on a bank account that results in a debit (negative) balance; the amount of the debit balance, an "overdraft facility", is permission from a bank to draw to a certain debit balance. In US English, ''overdraft'' and ''overdraft limit'' are used, respectively.
; overleaf * : on the other side of the page (US: ''reverse'')
; owt : anything. Northern English. "Why aren't you saying owt?" See also 'nowt' – as in the phrase "can't get owt for nowt" meaning "can't get anything for nothing."
; oy: See "oi".
==
; [[P45 (tax)|P45]] : a form issued upon severance of employment stating an employee's tax code.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/P45?q=p45 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140203225444/http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/P45?q=p45 |url-status=dead |archive-date=February 3, 2014 |title=P45: definition of P45 in Oxford dictionary (British & World English) |publisher=Oxforddictionaries.com |date=2014-02-12 |access-date=2014-02-23}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/p45?showCookiePolicy=true |title=Always Free Online |publisher=Collins English Dictionary |date=2014-02-19 |access-date=2014-02-23}}</ref> (US: ''pink slip'') The idiom "to get your P45" is often used in Britain as a metonym for being fired or RIF'd.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/get-ones-p45#get-ones-p45_1 |title=Always Free Online |publisher=Collins English Dictionary |date=2014-02-19 |access-date=2014-02-23}}</ref> The alternate phrases "to get your cards", or "get your books" are often used – dependent on region.
; [[package holiday]] : a holiday in which transport, accommodation, itinerary etc. are organised by a travel company (US and UK less frequently: ''package tour''). Cf ''holiday'' [DM]
; [[Page Three]] : a feature found in some [[tabloid journalism|tabloid]] newspapers consisting of a large photograph of a topless female [[Glamour photography|glamour model]]
; Paki : a [[Pakistan]]i person; often loosely applied to anyone from [[South Asia]], or of perceived [[British Asian|South Asian origin]]. Now considered extremely offensive.
; Paki shop : a newsagent or general corner shop run by a person of Pakistani or other South Asian origin. No longer considered an acceptable term; edited out of repeat showings of an episode of ''[[Only Fools and Horses]]''. Not to be confused with "packie", used in some areas of the US such as New England, short for "package store", meaning "liquor store".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.universalhub.com/glossary/o-p|title=Universal Hub: Wicked Good Guide to Boston English |access-date=2013-08-11}}</ref>{{unreliable source?|date=October 2012}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://onlineslangdictionary.com/meaning-definition-of/packie|title=The Online Slang Dictionary |access-date=2013-08-11}}</ref>{{unreliable source?|date=October 2012}} As with some other terms (cf. [[fanny pack]]), this is a case where innocent US use of a term may be unintentionally offensive in the UK.
; panda car : (informal) police car. Small police car used for transport, as opposed to a patrol or area car (analogous to US: ''black-and-white'') Derives from a period in the 1970s when UK police cars resembled those of their US counterparts, only with blue replacing black.
; paper round : (the job of making) a regular series of [[newspaper]] deliveries (US: ''paper route'')
; paraffin : [[kerosene]]
; [[paracetamol]] : a common and widely available drug for the treatment of headaches, fever and other minor aches and pains (US: ''acetaminophen'', ''Tylenol'')
; parkie : (informal) park-keeper
; parky : (informal) cold, usually used in reference to the weather
; [[Cornish pasty|pasty]], Cornish pasty : hard pastry case filled with meat and vegetables served as a main course, particularly in Cornwall and in the north of England
; pear-shaped : usually in the phrase "to go pear-shaped", meaning to go drastically or dramatically wrong. cf '''tits-up'''
; peckish * : moderately hungry (usage dated in US)
; peeler : in Northern Ireland, colloquial word for "policeman". Similar to "bobby", q.v.
; pelican crossing : [[pedestrian crossing]] with traffic lights operated by pedestrians (formed from '''Pe'''destrian '''Li'''ght-'''Con'''trolled<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.idgo.ac.uk/design_guidance/factsheets/Pedestrian_Crossings.htm |title=Pedestrian Crossings |access-date=2013-08-11}}</ref><ref>Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/SUa7Le0ZrcM Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20140609001001/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SUa7Le0ZrcM Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SUa7Le0ZrcM |title=Pelican Crossing |website=[[YouTube]] |date=6 March 2008 |access-date=2013-08-11}}{{cbignore}}</ref>)
; people mover or people carrier : a [[minivan]] or other passenger [[van]]
; pernickety : fastidious, precise or over-precise (US: ''persnickety'')
; [[Perspex]] * : Trade name for [[Poly(methyl methacrylate)]] (PMMA), a transparent thermoplastic sometimes called "acrylic glass" (US: ''Plexiglass'', trade name of a form produced earlier in the U.S.)
; perverting the course of justice : England and Wales only<ref>{{cite book |url=http://www.cps.gov.uk/legal/s_to_u/sentencing_manual/perverting_the_course_of_justice/ |chapter=Perverting the Course of Justice |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140106160359/http://www.cps.gov.uk/legal/s_to_u/sentencing_manual/perverting_the_course_of_justice/ |archive-date=6 January 2014 |title=Sentencing Manual |publisher=Crown Prosecution Service}}</ref> (similar concept in US: ''[[obstruction of justice]]'')
<!-- ; [[Pete Tong]] = wrong? -->
; petrol : refined mixture of hydrocarbons, used esp. to fuel motor vehicles (short for ''petroleum spirit'', or from French ''essence de pétrole'') (US: ''[[gasoline]]'', ''gas''). Also variously known as ''motor spirit'' (old-fashioned), ''motor gasoline'', ''mogas'', ''aviation gasoline'' and ''avgas'' (the last two being a slightly heavier type designed for light aircraft)
; petrol-head, petrolhead : someone with a strong interest in cars (especially high performance cars) and motor racing (US: ''gearhead'' or ''motorhead'').
; phone box : payphone, public phone. See also "telephone kiosk" (''infra'') (US: ''phone booth'')
; [[photofit]] : a portrait created from photograph samples of facial features, relying on the accounts of witnesses of a criminal suspect, for the purpose of appealing to the public in the attempt to identify the suspect (trademark) <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/photofit-picture?q=photofit|title=photofit | English meaning - Cambridge Dictionary}}</ref> (no direct US equivalent but similar ''identikit'' and generic ''facial composite'' used in US and UK)
; [[Wiktionary:pikey|pikey]] : a pejorative slang term, used originally to refer to [[Irish Traveller]]s. Now refers to anyone whose lifestyle is characterised by itinerancy, theft, illicit land occupancy with destruction of amenities, and disregard for authority, without reference to ethnic or national origin.
; [[pillar box]] : box in the street for receiving outgoing [[mail]], in Britain traditionally in the form of a free-standing red pillar; also called ''[[postbox]]'' or, less commonly, ''[[letter box]]'' (US: ''mailbox'')
: See also ''[[Pillarbox]]'': the effect created when an image is not wide enough for the full width of the display screen (i.e. the vertical equivalent of the horizontal [[letterbox (filming)|letterbox]]).
; pillar-box red : the traditional bright red colour of a British [[pillar box]] (US: ''fire engine red'' or ''candy apple red'')
; pillock : (slang, derogatory) foolish person, used esp. in northern England but also common elsewhere. Derived from the Northern English term ''pillicock'', a dialect term for penis, although the connection is rarely made in general use.
; pinch * : to steal.
; pisshead : (vulgar) someone who regularly gets heavily drunk (cf. BrE meaning of [[List of words having different meanings in British and American English#P|''pissed'']]).
; pissing it down [with rain] : (slang, mildly vulgar) raining hard (sometimes "pissing down" is used in the US, as in "It's pissing down out there.") Also "pissing it down the drain" or "pissing it away" * meaning to waste something.
; [[Pitch (sports field)|pitch]] : playing field<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pitch |title=Pitch – Definition and More from the Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary |publisher=Merriam-webster.com |date=2012-08-31 |access-date=2013-07-27}}</ref>
; plain flour : Flour that does not contain a [[raising agent]]. (US: ''All-purpose flour'') <ref>{{cite web|url=http://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/plain_flour|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160925220224/https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/plain_flour|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 25, 2016|title=plain flour - Definition of plain flour in English by Oxford Dictionaries|website=Oxford Dictionaries - English}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/plain+flour|title=Definition of PLAIN FLOUR|website=www.merriam-webster.com}}</ref>
; plait * : braid, as in hair
; plaster : [[Band-Aid]]
; plasterboard : [[Drywall]]
; pleb *: (derogatory) person of lower class, from ''[[plebeian]]''; similar to ''townie''. Also commonly used to mean ''idiot''.
; plectrum : (US and UK: ''guitar pick'')
; [[plimsoll shoe|plimsoll]] : a type of shoe with a canvas upper and rubber sole, formerly the typical gym shoe used in schools. Now superseded by "trainer". (US: ''sneaker'' or ''Tennis shoe'')
; plod : policeman (mildly derogatory) – from PC Plod in [[Enid Blyton]]'s [[Noddy (character)|Noddy]] books.<ref name=SOED>{{ShorterOxfordEnglishDictionary}}</ref>
; [[Plonk (wine)|plonk]] : a disparaging term for cheap wine, especially cheap red wine, is now widely known in the UK and also to a lesser extent in the USA. Derives from French vin blanc and came into English use on the western front in [[World War I]].
; plonker *: (very mildly derogatory) [[Foolishness|fool]]. Used esp. in the south-east of England, although not unknown elsewhere (probably popularised in the rest of the UK by ''[[Only Fools and Horses]]''). Derived from a slang term for penis, and sometimes used in this fashion, ''e.g.'' "Are you pulling my plonker?" (to express disbelief) (US var: "Are you yanking my chain?")
; points : ''(n.)'' mechanical crossover on a railway, (US: ''switch''), hence the term "points failure" is a very common cause of delays on railways, such as the London Underground.
; polling day : ''(n.)'' synonym of [[election day]]
; ponce : ''(n.)'' (slang) someone with overly affected airs and graces; an effeminate posturing man; a pimp. Originates from Maltese slang. (related US: ''poncey'')
:''(v.)'' (slang) to act like a pimp; to cadge, to borrow with little or no intention of returning, often openly so ("Can I ponce a ciggie off you, mate?")
; ponce about/around : ''(v.)'' (slang) to act like a fop, to wander about aimlessly without achieving anything
; ponce off : ''(v.)'' (slang) to mooch, to hit up, to leave in a pompous manner
; pong: ''(n.)'' (slang) a strong unpleasant smell; ''(v.)'' to give off a strong unpleasant smell; ''(adj.)'' pongy
; poof, poofter : (derogatory) a male homosexual (US equivalent: ''fag'', ''faggot'')
; pouffe, poof, poove : A small drum-shaped soft furnishing used as a foot rest (related US: ''hassock'', [[Ottoman (furniture)|Ottoman]])
; porky, porkies: slang for a lie or lying, from rhyming slang "pork pies" = "lies"
; postage and packing, P&P : charge for said services (US: ''shipping and handling'', ''S&H''; the word ''postage'' is, however, used in both dialects)
; [[postal order]] : a money order designed to be sent through the post, issued by the UK [[Post Office Ltd.|Post Office]] (US: ''money order'', or ''postal money order'' if the context is ambiguous)
; [[postbox]], post box : box in the street for receiving outgoing mail (US: ''mailbox; drop box''); see also [[letter box]], [[pillar box]]
; [[UK postcodes|postcode]] : alphanumeric code used to identify an address, part of a UK-wide scheme. (US equivalent: ''[[ZIP Code]]'')
; [[poste restante]] : service whereby mail is retained at a post office for collection by the recipient (from French) (US: ''general delivery'')
; postie : (informal) [[mail carrier|postman]] (of either gender)
; pound shop : (US: [[variety store|dollar store]])
; power point : electrical outlet
; poxy : (slang) something that is unsatisfactory or in generally bad condition.
; prang : (slang) to crash a motor vehicle with generally minor damage (US: ''fender bender'')
; pram, perambulator : wheeled conveyance for babies (US: ''[[baby-carriage]]'')
; prat * : (slang) an incompetent or ineffectual person, a fool, an idiot
; [[press-up]] : a conditioning exercise in which one lies prone and then pushes oneself up by the arms (outside Britain: ''push-up'')
; pritt-stick: [[glue stick]], from the trademark of a common brand.
; proper * : Real or very much something. "He's a proper hero" (US: "He's a real hero")
; provisional licence, provisional driving licence : a licence for a learner driver, who has not yet passed a driving test (US: ''learner's permit'')
; prozzie, (occasionally prozzer): a [[prostitute]] (US: ''hooker'')
; pub : short for [[public house]] (US: ''[[bar (establishment)|bar]]'')
; publican : the [[Licensed victualler|landlord]] of a public house.
; pud : (informal) short for "[[pudding]]", which may mean dessert or occasionally a savoury item such as [[Yorkshire pudding]] or [[Blood sausage|black pudding]]; a fool (informal term usually used good-naturedly between family members). ''pulling his pud'', means male [[masturbation]] by a "pudknocker".
; pukka : legitimate, the real thing, of good quality (usually Southeastern England term,{{Citation needed|date=May 2012}} recently more widely popularised by [[Jamie Oliver]], but dating back to the 19th century). From Hindi-Urdu .
; punch-up : a fistfight
; puncture : ''(n.)'' A flat tire on a vehicle, as in "I had a puncture on my bicycle".
; [[punnet]] : small basket for fruit, usually strawberries
; punter : customer or user of services. Often refers to a naive speculator, bettor, or gambler, or a customer of a prostitute or confidence trickster.
; pushbike : (informal) bicycle (predates the modern safety bicycle q.v. [[velocipede]]) (often used in contrast to a motor bike)
; pushchair : forward-facing baby carriage (US: ''stroller'')
==
; [[quango]] : ''qu''asi-''a''utonomous ''n''on-''g''overnmental ''o''rganisation. A semi-public (supposedly non-governmental) advisory or administrative body funded by the taxpayer, often having most of its members appointed by the government, and carrying out government policy.
; quaver : a musical note with the duration of one half-count in a time signature of 4/4 (US: ''eighth note''). Also compound nouns semiquaver (US: ''sixteenth note''), demisemiquaver (US: ''thirty-second note''), hemidemisemiquaver (US: ''sixty-fourth note''); see [[note value]]. Also a variety of snack food [[Quavers|potato crisp/chip]].
; queue : A sequence or line of people (maybe in vehicles or whatever) awaiting their turn for a service or activity (similar to US ''line'').
; quid : (informal) the [[pound sterling]] monetary unit; remains ''quid'' in plural form ("Can I borrow ten quid?") (similar to US ''buck'', meaning dollar)
; quids in : (informal) a financially positive end to a transaction or venture "After all that, we'll be quids in!" (US: ''money ahead'')
; quieten : used in the phrase "quieten down" (US: ''quiet down'')
==R==
; [[rag-and-bone man]] : a collector of unwanted household items (US: ragman, old-clothesman, junkman, or junk dealer)
; randy : (informal) having sexual desire, (now more common in the US because of the ''[[Austin Powers (film series)|Austin Powers]]'' franchise) (US: ''horny'')
; ranker : an enlisted soldier or airman or (more rarely) a commissioned officer who has been promoted from enlisted status ("the ranks" *)
; rashers *: cuts of bacon
; rat-arsed : (slang) extremely drunk (similar to US ''shit-faced'')
; recce : (informal) reconnoître, reconnaissance (pronounced ''{{not a typo|recky}}'') (US: ''recon'')
; recorded delivery : certified mail (No longer in official use: replaced by "signed for on delivery".)
; [[red tops#Red tops|Red top]] : sensational [[Tabloid (newspaper format)|tabloid newspaper]]<ref>{{cite web|author=Frankie Dettori with Jonathan Powell |url=http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/red-top?showCookiePolicy=true |title=Definition of red-top |publisher=Collins English Dictionary |access-date=2013-01-24}}</ref>
; reel of cotton : in the US is ''spool of thread ''
; Register Office, Registry Office : government office where [[childbirth|birth]]s, [[marriage]]s, [[Civil partnership in the United Kingdom|civil partnership]]s, and [[death]]s are recorded; usually refers to local Register Office (in each town or locality). [[General Register Office]] is the relevant government department. In England and Wales until 2001, almost all civil (non-church) marriages took place in the local Register Office; different laws apply in Scotland and Northern Ireland. "Register Office" is the correct legal term, but "registry office" is in common informal use. (US: ''Office of Vital Statistics'')
;[[release on licence|Release on Licence]] : a term for [[parole]] in England and Wales<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-nottinghamshire-33706475|title=Man loses 'right to be forgotten' Google court bid|newspaper=BBC News|date=2015-07-30}}</ref>
; [[retail park]] : an out-of-town shopping complex populated mainly by large format stores, one of which is typically a supermarket. (US: ''[[strip mall]]'', or the specialised business jargon ''[[Power center (retail)|power center]]'', are roughly equivalent)
; return : A ticket that is valid for travel to a destination and back. A round-trip ticket.
; roadworks : upgrade or repairs of roads (US: ''construction''; ''roadwork'' [singular])
; rocket :(''[[eruca sativa]]'') leafy, green vegetable used in salads and sandwiches, (US: ''arugula'')
; [[rock (confectionery)|rock]] : (usually "a stick of rock") hard candy in cylindrical form, often sold at holiday locations and made so that the ___location's name appears on the end even when broken. (US: no exact equivalent, but similar to a candy cane)
; rodgering or rogering: (vulgar) to engage in a sexual act, or suggest it. e.g.: "I'd give her a good rodgering!"
; ropey : (informal) chancy; of poor quality; uncertain (see dodgy). Can also mean unwell when used in the form ''to feel ropey''
; row * : a heated noisy argument (rhymes with ''cow'')
; reverse charge call : a telephone call for which the recipient pays (US and UK also: ''collect call''); also ''v.'' '''to reverse charge''', '''to reverse the charges'''*, etc. to make such a call (dated in US, used in the 1934 American film [[It Happened One Night]] – US usually: ''to call collect'')
; rota : a roll call or roster of names, or round or rotation of duties
; (the) rozzers : (rare slang) Police ("Quick, the rozzers! Scarper!") – possibly from [[Robert Peel]], who also gave his name to two other slang terms for the police: '''peelers''' (archaic) and '''bobbies''' (becoming old-fashioned).
; rubbish * : worthless, unwanted material that is rejected or thrown out; debris; litter; metaphorically: bad human output, such as a weak argument or a poorly written novel (US: trash, garbage)
; rucksack *: a backpack.
; rug muncher *: lesbian.
; rumpy pumpy : [[sexual intercourse]], used jokingly. (Popularised in England by its usage in ''[[The Black Adder]]'' and subsequent series; the suggestion of actor [[Alex Norton]] of a [[Scots (language)|Scots]] term.)<ref>{{cite episode | title = Off the Ball | url = http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0079mcc | series = [[Off the Ball (radio series)|Off the Ball]] | credits = Presenters: [[Tam Cowan]], [[Stuart Cosgrove]] | network = BBC | station = BBC Radio Scotland | ___location = Glasgow | airdate = 18 February 2012 | work = [[BBC]]}}</ref><ref name=DSL>{{cite web|title=rump|url=http://www.dsl.ac.uk/|work=Dictionary of the Scots Language|publisher=Scottish Language Dictionaries |quote=rumpie-pumpie, a jocular term for copulation (Ayr. 1968) |access-date=2013-08-11}}</ref>
==
; sandwich cake or sandwich: (US: [[layer cake]])<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/english/sandwich?q=sandwich |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140322181917/http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/english/sandwich?q=sandwich |url-status=dead |archive-date=March 22, 2014 |title=sandwich: definition of sandwich in Oxford dictionary (British & World English) (US) |publisher=Oxforddictionaries.com |access-date=2014-03-22}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/words/british-and-american-terms |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121213110348/http://oxforddictionaries.com/us/words/british-and-american-terms |url-status=dead |archive-date=December 13, 2012 |title=British and American terms – Oxford Dictionaries (US) |publisher=Oxford Dictionaries |access-date=2014-03-22}}</ref>
; sarky : (informal) sarcastic (abbrev.) "Why are you being so sarky?" (US: ''snarky'')
; sarnie, sarny, sannie : (informal) sandwich (abbrev.)
; sat nav : [[GPS navigation device|GPS]], from ''satellite navigation''
; scouser : a person from [[Liverpool]], or the adjective ''scouse'' to describe anything or anyone from either Liverpool or Merseyside.
; scrubber : a lower class, (usually young) woman of low morals; a prostitute
; [[scrumpy]] : cloudy [[cider]], often high in alcoholic content. Stereotypically associated with [[South West England]].
; scrumping : action of stealing apples from an orchard; also ''v.'' '''to scrump'''
; [[self-raising flour]] : self-rising flour
; secateurs : gardening tool for pruning plants (US:''garden shears, pruners'' or ''clippers'')
; [[secondment]] : (/sɪˈkɒndmənt/) the temporary assignment of a person from his or her regular place of work to work elsewhere. From v. [[List of words having different meanings in American and British English#S|second]] (/sɪˈkɒnd/)
; selling-out shop : A North English form of ''[[#O|off-licence]]'' (US ''liquor store'')
; Sellotape : transparent adhesive tape (trademark) (US ''Scotch tape'')
; semibreve : a musical note with the duration of four counts in a time signature of 4/4 (US: ''whole note''; see [[Note value]])
; [[send to Coventry]]: ostracize, shun (US: ''send to Siberia, [[voted off the island|vote off the island]]'')
; [[Motorway service area|service station]]: A motorway service area, a ___location adjacent to motorways and major roads supplying fuel, food, and sometimes accommodation (US: ''rest stop'')
; serviette : (from French) table napkin [DM]. Regarded as a [[non-U]] word, but widely used by non-U people. Frequently encountered in Canada.
; shafted : broken beyond repair – can also be used to describe extreme exhaustion. Also cheated, ripped off: he got shafted
; shag : To have sexual intercourse
; shambolic : chaotic, disorganized<ref>{{cite web|url=http://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/shambolic|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171222162449/https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/shambolic|url-status=dead|archive-date=December 22, 2017|title=shambolic - Definition of shambolic in English by Oxford Dictionaries|website=Oxford Dictionaries - English}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-42385803|title=Winter Wonderland event cancelled|date=18 December 2017|work=BBC News}}</ref>
; [[shandy]] * : a drink consisting of lager or beer mixed with a soft drink, originally ginger beer but now more usually [[Red lemonade|lemonade]], in near-equal parts.
; shanks's pony : on foot, walking – as in "The car's broken down, so it's shanks's pony I'm afraid".
; shan't : A contraction of ''shall not'', considered archaic in American English (US and UK also: "won't").<ref>{{cite book| url=https://archive.org/details/mightyfinewordss00harg| url-access=registration| author=Orin Hargraves| title=Mighty Fine Words and Smashing Expressions| page=[https://archive.org/details/mightyfinewordss00harg/page/40 40]| publisher=Oxford University Press| date=2003| isbn=9780195157048}}</ref> Rarely used in Scotland.
; shirtlifter : homosexual.
; shite : (vulgar) variant of ''shit''<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/american_english/shite|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130208043815/http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/american_english/shite|url-status=dead|archive-date=February 8, 2013|title=shite: definition of shite in Oxford dictionary (American English)|work=oxforddictionaries.com}}</ref>
; [[shopping trolley]] : A cart supplied by a business for use by customers for transport of merchandise to the checkout counter during shopping. (US: ''shopping cart'')
; sixes and sevens : crazy, muddled (usually in the phrase "at sixes and sevens"). From the [[London]] [[livery company]] order of precedence, in which position 6 is claimed by both the [[Worshipful Company of Merchant Taylors]] and the [[Worshipful Company of Skinners]].
; sket : (slang) a promiscuous woman;<ref name="Routledge">{{cite book |editor-last=Dalzell |editor-first=Tom |editor2-last=Victor |editor2-first=Terry |title=The Concise New Partridge Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English |date=2014 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=9781317625124 |page=707}}</ref> US: slut, skank
; skew-whiff : skewed, uneven, not straight
; skint : (informal) out of money (US: ''broke'')
; [[Skip (container)|skip]] : industrial open-topped rubbish bin (US: ''dumpster'')
; [[baseboard|skirting board]] : a wooden board covering the lowest part of an interior wall (US: ''baseboard'')<ref>{{cite web|url=http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/baseboard?q=baseboard |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203012652/http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/baseboard?q=baseboard |url-status=dead |archive-date=December 3, 2013 |title=baseboard: definition of baseboard in Oxford dictionary (British & World English) |publisher=Oxforddictionaries.com |access-date=2013-09-15}}</ref>
; skive [off] : (informal) to sneak off, avoid work; to play truant (US: ''play hookey'')
; slag * : (slang) a promiscuous woman;<ref name="Routledge"/> US: slut, skank
; slag off * : to badmouth; speak badly of someone, usually behind their back
; slaphead : (informal) bald man
; slapper : a promiscuous woman<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/american_english/slapper|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130324112420/http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/american_english/slapper|url-status=dead|archive-date=March 24, 2013|title=slapper: definition of slapper in Oxford dictionary (American English)|work=oxforddictionaries.com}}</ref>
; sleeping
; sleeping policeman : mound built into a road to slow down vehicles (UK also: ''hump'' [DM]; US & UK also: ''speed bump'')
; [[slip road]] : (US: ''entrance ramp/onramp'' or ''exit ramp/offramp'')
; slippy : (slang) smooth, wet, with no friction or traction to grip something (US: ''slippery'')
; slowcoach : (slang) a slow person (US: ''slowpoke'')
; smalls : underclothing, underwear, particularly underpants
; smart dress: formal attire
; smeghead : (slang) idiot; a general term of abuse, from ''[[Red Dwarf]]''.
; snigger * : silly or unkind laughter at someone or something (usually ''snicker'' in U.S.) <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/snigger|title=SNIGGER | English meaning - Cambridge Dictionary}}</ref>
; snog : (slang) a [[French kiss]] or to kiss with tongues (US [DM]: deep kiss, not necessarily with tongues).
; soap dodger : one who is thought to lack personal hygiene
; sod off : (vulgar, moderately offensive) go away; get lost
; solicitor : lawyer, legal representative (US: ''attorney'')
; spacker, spacky, spazmo : (vulgar, offensive to many) idiot, general term of abuse: from "Spastic", referring in England almost exclusively (when not used as an insult) to a person suffering from cerebral palsy. (variant forms ''spaz''/''spastic'', are used in American English) See also '''Joey'''.
; spanner : (US: ''wrench'')
: (slang) an idiot, a contemptible person (US: a less pejorative synonym for ''tool''.)
; spawny : lucky
; spend a penny : (informal, old-fashioned) urinate<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/spend-a-penny|title=SPEND A PENNY | English meaning - Cambridge Dictionary}}</ref>
; spiffing : (informal) very good (old-fashioned, or consciously used as old-fashioned, associated stereotypically with upper-class people) (US: ''spiffy'')
;
; spliff * : (slang) a hand-rolled cigarette containing a mixture of marijuana and [[tobacco]], also ''joint''. (Also used in US; ''joint'', ''j'', or ''blunt'' more widely used.)
; [[spotted dick]] : an English steamed suet pudding containing dried fruit (usually currants), commonly served with custard.
; squaddie : (informal) a non-commissioned soldier (US: ''grunt'')
; square go : unarmed brawl<ref>{{cite web|url=https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/square_go |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170330175552/https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/square_go |url-status=dead |archive-date=March 30, 2017 |title=square go – definition of square go in English |publisher=Oxforddictionaries.com |access-date=2017-03-30}}</ref>
; squadron leader : an Air Force officer rank (US: ''major'')
; squidgy : (informal) soft and soggy (US: ''squishy'')
; squiffy : (informal) intoxicated (popularly but probably erroneously said to be from British Prime Minister [[H. H. Asquith]], a noted imbiber). The word can also be synonymous with skew-whiff.
; squiz : (rare) look, most often used in the form ''to have a squiz at...''
; stamp : (slang) National Insurance payments (e.g.: ''I have not paid enough stamps to get my full state pension'')
; [[star jump]] : a form of exercise (US: ''jumping jack'')
; sticky-backed plastic : large sheet of thin, soft, coloured plastic that is sticky on one side; generic term popularised by craft segments on the children's TV show ''[[Blue Peter]]'' (US similar: ''[[contact paper]]'')
; sticky wicket : (usually "batting on a sticky wicket") facing a difficult situation. From [[cricket]]: a sticky wicket is one that has a damp surface on top of a dry base, typically after rain.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://sccwa.tripod.com/cktlist.html/Dictionary-of-Cricket-Terms#QtoT|title=Dictionary of Cricket Terms|website=sccwa.tripod.com}}</ref> It causes the ball to bounce unpredictably and possibly dangerously for the batsman
; stockist : a seller (as a retailer) that stocks merchandise of a particular type, usually a specified brand or model (US: ''dealer'')
; stone the crows : exclamation of surprise (US ''holy cow, holy mother of pearl'')
; straight away : immediately (sometimes used in the US; also ''right away'')
; strong flour : flour made from wheat varieties which are high in gluten. Used for making bread. (US: ''bread flour'')<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/glossary/flour-glossary|title=Flour|website=BBC Good Food}}</ref>{{failed verification|date=August 2018}}
; stroke : to move one's hand slowly and gently over something e.g. stroke a dog. (US: ''pet'')
; strop : (informal) bad mood or temper
; stroppy, to have a strop on : (informal) recalcitrant, in a bad mood or temper
; sun cream : [[sunscreen]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/sun-cream?q=sun+cream |title=sun cream – definition of sun cream in English from the Oxford dictionary |publisher=Oxforddictionaries.com |access-date=2016-02-01}}{{dead link|date=September 2022|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>
; suck it and see : to undertake a course of action without knowing its full consequences (US: "take your chances")
; supply teacher : a school employee who teaches students when their usual instructor is absent. (US: [[substitute teacher]])
; suss [out] * : (informal) to figure out (from ''suspicion'')
; suspender belt: a ladies' undergarment to hold up stockings (US: garter belt)
; swot : 1. ''v.'' to study for an exam (US ''cram'')
: 2. ''n.'' (derogatory) aloof and unpopular schoolchild or student who studies to excess (US: ''nerd'')
; sweets : the same term for candy in US
; sweet FA : (slang) nothing (from "[[Fanny Adams|Sweet Fanny Adams]]", alternative: "Sweet Fuck All"), "I know sweet FA about cars!" (US: ''jack shit'')
; swimming costume: swimsuit or bathing suit; also ''{{not a typo|cozzy}}'' for short.
==
; ta : (informal) "thank you"
; Taff, Taffy : moderately offensive nickname for a Welshman
; tailback : A long line of stationary or slow-moving traffic extending back from a busy junction or similar obstruction on the road.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/tailback|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160925102452/https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/tailback|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 25, 2016|title=tailback - Definition of tailback in English by Oxford Dictionaries|website=Oxford Dictionaries - English}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/av/uk-england-norfolk-43234357/drone-footage-shows-snow-travel-chaos-in-norfolk|title=Drone footage shows snow travel chaos|work=BBC News}}</ref> (US: ''back up'')
; takeaway : food outlet where one can order food to go (or be delivered) (not usually applied to fast food chains). Usage: "we had a takeaway for dinner", "we went to the local takeaway". [DM]; (US: ''takeout'')
; take the piss <span style="font-weight:normal">(vulgar)</span> / take the mickey: (slang) to make fun of somebody or something; to act in a non-serious manner about something important. Can also mean to transgress beyond what are perceived as acceptable bounds, or to treat with perceived contempt
; takings * : receipts of money at a shop etc.
; [[Tannoy]] : [[loudspeaker]] ([[genericized trademark|a proprietary brand name]]), public address system
; [[tapping up]] : in professional team sport, attempting to persuade a player contracted to one team to transfer to another team without the knowledge or permission of the player's current team (US: "tampering")
; ta-ra! : (informal, friendly) exclamation of farewell (similar to 'seeya!' and 'cheerio!' (above)). Originally from [[Merseyside]] (see Scouser, above)
; telephone kiosk : payphone, public phone. See also "phone box" (''supra'') (US: ''phone booth'')
; tea towel : a cloth which is used to dry dishes, cutlery, etc., after they have been washed. (US: ''dish towel'')
; [[telerecording]] : a recording of a live [[television]] broadcast made directly from a [[cathode-ray tube]] onto [[motion picture film]]. The equivalent US term is [[kinescope]].
; telly : (informal) [[television]]
; tenner : ten pound note
; Territorial: a member of the [[Territorial Army (United Kingdom)|Territorial Army]] (in 2014 renamed the Army Reserve)(US rough equivalent is the Army Reserve and National Guard)
; tetchy * : irascible
; thick; thickie : stupid; person of low intelligence.
; throw a wobbly : (informal) to lose one's temper, throw a tantrum
; thruppennies : ([[rhyming slang]]) breasts/tits (from ''[[Threepence (British coin)|thrupenny bits]]'', obsolete British coin)
; tinned : canned as in "tinned soup" or "a tin of tuna"
; tip : a dump or to throw something away
; Tipp-Ex : white tape or liquid used to make corrections of ink on paper (US: [[Wite-Out]])
; tipping [it] down : raining hard<ref>{{cite web|url=http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/tip|title=tip Meaning in the Cambridge English Dictionary|work=cambridge.org}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/tip|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120713075354/http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/tip|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 13, 2012|title=tip – definition of tip in English from the Oxford dictionary|work=oxforddictionaries.com}}</ref>
; titbit : a bit of compelling information, or a morsel of tasty food (tidbit in U.S.)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/titbit|title=titbit Meaning in the Cambridge English Dictionary|work=cambridge.org}}</ref>
; titchy : very small; tiny (from ''tich'' or ''titch'' a small person, from [[Little Tich]], the stage name of [[Harry Relph]] (1867–1928), English actor noted for his small stature)
; titfer : ([[rhyming slang]]) hat (from ''tit-for-tat'')
; [go] tits up : (mildly vulgar) to suddenly go wrong (literally, to fall over. US: ''go belly up''). cf '''pear-shaped''' (appears in the US mainly as military jargon, sometimes sanitized to "tango uniform")
; toad-in-the-hole : batter-baked sausages, sausages baked in [[Yorkshire Pudding]]
; toff : (slang) member of the upper classes
; toffee apple : a sugar-glazed apple on a stick eaten esp. on [[
; toffee-nosed : antisocial in a pretentious way, stuck up
; [[Tommy Atkins]], Tommy : common term for a British soldier, particularly associated with [[World War I]]
; tonk : (informal) to hit hard, sometimes used in cricket to describe a substantial boundary shot: "he tonked it for six". In Southern England can also mean ''muscular''. (US: ''ripped'' or ''buff'').
; tosser * : (slang) Largely equivalent to "wanker" but less offensive; has the same literal meaning, i.e. one who masturbates ("tosses off"). (US: ''jerk'').
; tosspot : (colloquial, archaic) a drunkard; also used in the sense of "tosser".
; totty : (informal, offensive to some) sexually alluring woman or women (more recently, also applied to males). Originally a term for a prostitute in the late 19th century.
; tout : usually in the context "ticket tout"; to re-sell tickets, usually to a live event. Verb: to tout, touting. Ticket touts can usually be seen outside a venue prior to the beginning of the event, selling tickets (which may well be fake) cash-in-hand. Known as ''scalping'' in the US.
; tower block : high rise public housing building. In recent years the US term ''apartment building'' has become fashionable to create the distinction between stigmatised public housing projects, and towers built to contain desirable private accommodation. Equally the US word ''condominium'' could also be applied to a tower block.
; [[Trading Standards]] : local government departments responsible for enforcing laws regulating the conduct of businesses. The US equivalent is the [[Federal Trade Commission]].
; trainers : training shoes, athletic shoes. (US: ''sneakers'').
; [[transport cafe]] (sometimes "caff") : roadside diner on a highway used primarily by lorry (truck) drivers<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/transport-cafe?q=transport+cafe |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140203230324/http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/transport-cafe?q=transport+cafe |url-status=dead |archive-date=February 3, 2014 |title=transport cafe: definition of transport cafe in Oxford dictionary (British & World English) |publisher=Oxforddictionaries.com |date=2014-02-12 |access-date=2014-02-23}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/transport-cafe?showCookiePolicy=true |title=Always Free Online |publisher=Collins English Dictionary |date=2014-02-19 |access-date=2014-02-23}}</ref> (US: ''truckstop'')<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.chambers.co.uk/search.php?query=transport+cafe&title=21st |title=Search Chambers – Free English Dictionary |publisher=Chambers.co.uk |access-date=2014-02-23 |archive-date=2014-02-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140202101458/http://www.chambers.co.uk/search.php?query=transport%20cafe&title=21st |url-status=dead }}</ref>
; treacle : refined black sugar syrup (US: [[molasses]])
; truncheon * : a police officer's weapon (US: ''nightstick'' or ''billy'')
; tuppence : two pence, also infantile euphemism for [[vagina]]. cf '''twopenn'orth'''
; tuppenny-ha'penny : cheap, substandard
; turf accountant : bookmaker for horse races (US and UK: ''bookie'')
; turn-indicator : direction-indicator light on a vehicle (US: ''turn signal'')
; turning : A place where one can turn off a road. Not generally used where the turn would take one onto a more major road or for a crossroads. (US: ''turn''). "drive past the post office and you'll see a small turning to the right, which leads directly to our farm"
; turn-ups: an arrangement at the bottom of trouser-legs whereby a deep hem is made, and the material is doubled-back to provide a trough around the external portion of the bottom of the leg. (US: ''cuffs'')
; twee * : excessively cute, quaint, or "precious"<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/twee|title=Twee – Definition and More from the Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary|work=merriam-webster.com}}</ref> (Similar to US ''cutesy'')
; twopenn'orth, tuppenn'orth, tup'en'oth : one's opinion (tuppenn'orth is literally "two pennies worth" or "two pence worth", depending on usage); (US equivalent: ''two cents' worth'', ''two cents''). cf '''tuppence'''
==
; [[Ulster Scots people|Ulster Scots]] : Inhabitants of [[Ulster]], mostly in modern-day [[Northern Ireland]], whose ancestors were Scottish people who settled there, or residents of Northern Ireland who descend from those settlers<ref>{{cite web |title=What is Ulster-Scots |url=https://www.ulsterscotsagency.com/what-is-ulster-scots/ |publisher=Ulster-Scots Agency}}</ref> (US: ''[[Scotch-Irish Americans|Scotch-Irish]]'' or ''Scots-Irish'')
; uni : short for ''university'', used much like US ''college''
; up himself/herself : (informal) someone who is stand-offish, stuck-up, snobby. "He's a bit up himself." Euphemistic variation of ''up her/his own arse''. (US: ''snotty'', ''(so) full of himself/herself'')
; up sticks : (US: ''pull up stakes'')
; up the duff : (informal) pregnant; Australian in origin<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.dictionary.com/browse/duff|title=duff|website=Dictionary.com}}</ref>
==V==
; veg : shortened form of [[vegetable]] or vegetables.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/american_english/veg#veg-2 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131207051347/http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/american_english/veg#veg-2 |url-status=dead |archive-date=December 7, 2013 |title=veg: definition of veg (2) in Oxford dictionary (American English) |publisher=Oxforddictionaries.com |date=2013-11-27 |access-date=2013-12-02}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/veg |title=Veg – Definition and More from the Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary |publisher=Merriam-webster.com |date=2012-08-31 |access-date=2013-12-02}}</ref> (US: ''veggie'', ''veggies'')
; [[verger]] (virger, in some churches) : someone who carries the verge or other emblem of authority before a scholastic, legal, or religious dignitary in a procession; someone who takes care of the interior of a church and acts as an attendant during ceremonies.
; verruca : a wart on one's foot. (US: ''plantar wart'')
==
; [[WAGs|WAG]] : "wives and girlfriends", typically in reference to the [[significant other]]s of [[association football|footballer]]s (US ''soccer players'').
; wage packet : weekly employee payment, usually cash though now less commonly given as such (US ''paycheck'')
; wally : (informal) a mild form of idiot or fool (US ''dummy'')
; wanker : (offensive) a [[masturbation|masturbator]], used generally as a term of abuse in the fashion of the US ''[[jagoff]]'' or ''jerk''.
; WC : a "[[water closet]]", a [[#L|loo]], a public or private toilet without a bath (US ''bathroom'' or ''restroom'')
; washing-up liquid: liquid [[detergent]] used for washing dishes (US ''dishwashing detergent'' or ''liquid'', ''dish soap'')
; wazzock : an idiot, popularised (at least in Southern England) by the 1981 song "Capstick Comes Home" by [[Tony Capstick]], originated and historically more common in Northern England
; well: extremely, very. "He's well rich" (US "He's way rich")
; Wellingtons, wellies : [[Wellington boots]], waterproof rubber boots named after the [[Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington|Duke of Wellington]].
; welly : (informal) effort (e.g.: "Give it some welly" to mean "put a bit of effort into an attempt to do something" US: ''elbow grease'' (also UK), ''oomph''); also the singular of "wellies", for [[Wellington boot]]s (US: ''gumboots'', ''rubber boots'')
; What ho! : (interj.) Hello! (warmly) Now considered old-fashioned and (like "spiffing", above) stereotypically associated with the upper class (and in particular the works of [[P.G. Wodehouse]]).
; wheel brace : tool used to remove the nuts/bolts of the wheel of an automobile (US: ''Lug wrench'')
; whilst : A more restricted form of "while" which cannot be used as a noun, verb, or preposition. In the US, "whilst" is old-fashioned and pretentious to the point where it is now only appropriate for creating a dated effect, as in [[historical fiction]].<ref name=amongtheamongstmen>{{cite web|url=http://blog.oxforddictionaries.com/2013/02/among-amongst/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130210123551/http://blog.oxforddictionaries.com/2013/02/among-amongst/|url-status=dead|archive-date=February 10, 2013|title=Abolishing angst regarding among and amongst|publisher=OxfordWords Blog|date=2013-02-05}}</ref>
; whinge : (informal) complain, whine, especially repeated complaining about minor things (e.g. "Stop whingeing" meaning "stop complaining"); cognate with ''whine'', originated in Scottish and Northern English in the 12th century. Hence ''whinger'' (derogatory), someone who complains a lot.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dsl.ac.uk/ |title=Dictionary of the Scots Language |publisher=Dsl.ac.uk |access-date=2013-01-24}}</ref>
; whip-round : an impromptu collection of money.<ref>{{cite web|author=Tibballs, Geoff |url=http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/whip-round?showCookiePolicy=true |title=Definition of whip-round |publisher=Collins English Dictionary |access-date=2013-04-29}}</ref> (Uk and US: ''pass the hat round'')<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/pass-the-hat-round |title=Always Free Online |publisher=Collins English Dictionary |access-date=2014-04-01}}</ref>
; white coffee : coffee with milk or cream.
; [[white pudding]] : oat and fat sausage often eaten at [[breakfast]], common in Ireland and [[Scotland]]
; wide boy : see ''spiv'', above
; windbreaker : a series of small connected screens designed to break the wind at the beach, staked into the sand by wooden poles usually with the aid of a rubber mallet
; windscreen : (US: ''windshield'')
; wing commander : an Air Force officer rank (US: ''lieutenant-colonel'')
; wing mirrors : the external mirrors on a vehicle – though no longer normally attached to the 'wings' (US: ''fenders'') but to the doors (US: ''sideview mirrors'', ''side mirrors'')
; winkle : (slang) childish term for a penis (US: ''winkie'')
; witter : (informal) to continue to talk trivially about a subject long after the audience's interest has gone (assuming there was any interest in the first place). "He wittered on."
; wobbler, wobbly: (informal) tantrum
; write-off * : when cost of repair of a damaged asset (usually a car) is not feasible or exceeds its insurance value<ref name="merriam-webster.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/write-off|title=Write-off – Definition and More from the Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary|work=merriam-webster.com|date=February 2024 }}</ref> (US:''total loss'', ''totalled''; ''hull loss'' [for aircraft]) Is also used formally in the context of accounting, including in the US, to mean a permissible deduction applied to offset certain kinds of costs ("a tax write-off").<ref name="merriam-webster.com"/>
; [[Wog#As a racial epithet in British English|wog]] : (offensive, term of abuse) member of an ethnic minority, especially a brown one. The word can refer to a wide variety of non-Europeans, including Arabs, sub-Saharans Africans (and those of sub-Saharan descent), Iranians, Indians and Pakistanis, and Turks.
==
; Y-fronts: men's [[briefs]] with an inverted-Y-shaped frontal flap; originally a trademark (US: ''briefs'' or ''jockey shorts'' / ''jockeys''; US slang: [[wikt:tighty whities|''tighty-whiteys'']])
; [[Yob (slang)|yob]], yobbo : lout, young troublemaker (origin: ''boy'' spelt backwards)<ref name=SOED/>
; yomp : to move on foot across rough terrain carrying heavy amounts of equipment and supplies without mechanised support (Royal Marines slang popularised by the [[Falklands War]] of 1982, army equivalent is to tab). Also used informally for any walk across rough ground.
; yonks : a long time, ages. "I've not seen her for yonks." (colloquial)
==
; [[zebra crossing]] : a strip across a road, with wide black and white stripes, where vehicles must stop when pedestrians want to cross (similar to US ''crosswalk'')
; [[z]]ed : last letter of the alphabet, pronounced "zee" in the U.S.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/zed|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160925034110/https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/zed|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 25, 2016|title=zed - Definition of zed in English by Oxford Dictionaries|website=Oxford Dictionaries - English}}</ref>
; Zimmer, Zimmer frame : a trade name for a [[Walker (mobility)|walking frame]], from the American firm [[Zimmer Holdings]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/Zimmer?q=zimmer|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402122158/http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/Zimmer?q=zimmer|url-status=dead|archive-date=April 2, 2015|title=Zimmer – definition of Zimmer in English from the Oxford dictionary|work=oxforddictionaries.com}}</ref> (US, colloquially: ''walker'')
==See also==
* [[List of words having different meanings in British and American English: A–L]]
* [[List of words having different meanings in British and American English: M–Z]]
* [[List of American words not widely used in the United Kingdom]]
* [[Cockney rhyming slang]]
==References==
{{reflist|colwidth=30em}}
==Bibliography==
* Hargraves, Orin (2002). [https://web.archive.org/web/20071101084657/http://www.oup.com/us/catalog/general/subject/?view=usa&ci=0195157044 Mighty Fine Words and Smashing Expressions: Making Sense of Transatlantic English]. Oxford: Oxford University Press. {{ISBN|0-19-515704-4}}.
* Peters, Pam (2004). ''The Cambridge Guide to English Usage''. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. {{ISBN|0-521-62181-X}}.
==
*[http://www.bbc.co.uk/voices/ BBC.co.uk], A large project being undertaken by the BBC to document and chart the different word-usage and accents in the British Isles.
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20121213110348/http://oxforddictionaries.com/us/words/british-and-american-terms British and American terms], Oxford Dictionaries
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20060131065321/http://www.effingpot.com/index.shtml Effingpot.com] An American's guide to speaking British, written by a Brit living in Texas.
*[http://www.gardenphotos.com/gethitched/huhus.html Translating American to British] A guide to British slang.
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20060109005225/http://www.travelfurther.net/dictionaries/ American-British/British-American Dictionaries] An American to British dictionary and a British to American Dictionary.
*[http://septicscompanion.com/ The Septic's Companion: A British Slang Dictionary] An online dictionary of British slang, viewable alphabetically or by category.
[[Category:Lists of
[[Category:
[[Category:American and British English differences|*Words, British, not widely used in the United States, List of]]
[[Category:Wikipedia glossaries]]
[[Category:Wikipedia glossaries using description lists]]
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