Across the Pond

Following is a collection of terms that mean different things to those in the US than they do to those in the UK. For this document, I do not try to record what the other English speaking cultures think (Canada, South Africa, Australia or New Zealand for instance) since they more often than not simply agree with one of us. ;)

I will also gloss over differences in mere spelling, such as color/colour or pajama/pyjama and focus on entirely different words or phrases for things.

If you can think of any further terms or improvements for this page, email me at pond@lightsecond.com with your idea and how you would like to be credited if your submission is used. Thank you. :)

Term	How an Englishman would describe what this means to an American	How an American would describe what this means to an Englishman
Chips	Thin slices of potato deep fried until crispy. In Britain, "Crisps"	Strips of potato deep fried shy of crispy. In America, "French Fries"
Football	A ball game played with a brown oblong ball handled mostly by the hands. In Britain, "American Football"	A ball game played with a round black and white ball, handled by any part of the body except for your hands. In America, "Soccer"
Biscuit	A light, flaky, buttery baked good similar to a muffin or an unadorned scone.	A crispy baked good. Similar to a cookie, but not often sweetened.
Mum	A genus of about 30 species of perennial flowering plants in the family Asteraceae, native to Asia and northeastern Europe. Short for chrysanthemum.	Term of endearment for one's Mother. In America, "Mom".
"I have a bloody nose"	In Britain, "I have bloodied my nose"	In America, "Holy crap! I have a nose!"
Zed	A common name. Such as Rip Torn's character in Men in Black, or the original owner of the motorcycle in Pulp Fiction.	The letter "Z". In America, "Zee"