英国英文和美国英文不同的词

以下这个表很全，左边是英国，右边是美国的说法。

BRITISH TO AMERICAN

Accumulator (automotive) = battery, car battery

Alsatian (dog) = German shepherd

Articulated lorry = tractor-trailer (truck), a "semi"

Ass = donkey; U.S. ass = G.B. "arse," i.e. one's backside (in addition to normal "donkey")

Athletics (an ... meet) = track and field

Backlog = log-jam, pile-up (of business orders, for example). U.S. backlog = comfortable reserve of orders — difference between the two is in opposite interpretation or connotation of same basic situation.

Bank holiday = holiday

Bap = bun, hamburger bun, hamburger roll

Mrs. Beeton = Fanny Farmer (standard cooking, household reference book)

Bespoke = custom-tailored, tailor-made

Big Dipper = roller coaster (at a "Fun-Fair" = "Amusement Park"

Bilberry = blueberry

"Bird" = "chick"

Biro = Papermate (ball-point pen trade name which equals "generic" name)

Biscuit = cookie (U.S. "biscuit" is a baked bread, "bap," "scone"

Blancmange = vanilla pudding

Block, block of flats = apartment building (U.S. term "block" [city block] unknown as such in British English, though usually understandable.

"Bomb" (theater terminology) = a "hit," a great success. U.S. "bomb" = G.B. failure, critical disaster, i.e. the two are exact opposites in sentences like "The play was a bomb!"

Boiler suit = overalls

Bonnet (automotive) = hood (of a car...)

Boot (automotive) = trunk (of a car...)

Bottom drawer = hope chest

Bowler (hat) = derby (special connotations & different pronunc.)

Braces = suspenders; U.S. suspenders = G.B. garters, stocking fasteners

Brambleberry = blackberry

Bottom of the street = end of the street

Box (TV) = Tube (both slang, colloquial terms)

Bull = "mickey mouse" (unnecessary military drill); U.S. bull = G.B. cock

Bum = ass, rectum; U.S. bum = G.B. tramp, derelict

Bun in the oven = pregnant, eating for two

Call box = (tele)phone booth

Camp bed = cot; U.S. cot = G.B. baby bed

Car park = parking lot

Caretaker (for a building) = janitor (not same as "vahtimestari")

Carriage (railway) = railroad car, subway car

Carrier bag = shopping bag

Caucus = permanent group in a political party; U.S. caucus = G.B. ad hoc planning meeting of a group in a political party

Central reservation = median strip (between halves of a divided highway)

Charge sheet = police record

Chemist (drugstore) = druggist

Chips = french fries; U.S. chips often = dried buffalo, cow dung (other cases, i.e. poker chips, wood chips, the same)

Chucker-out = bouncer (doorman or "enforcer" in a bar/restaurant

"In the City" = "on Wall Street" (in main financial district)

City editor = financial editor; U.S. city editor = G.B. "community news editor"

Cloakroom = toilet; U.S. cloakroom = clothes closet, garment storage area

Coach = intercity bus

Combinations = union suit (colloquial for long underwear)

Comforter = scarf; U.S. comforter = heavy quilt, blanket

Compére = Master of ceremonies, M.C. (of TV game show, etc.)

Constable = (police) officer

"To cop" = "to get" something unpleasant, i.e. "to cop a 15-pound fine." U.S. "to cop" = to plead guilty to a lesser charge in order to avoid prosecution & probable conviction on a more serious charge ("to cop a plea" = "plea-bargaining")

Corn = all grain crops; U.S. corn = G.B. "maize" only.

Costermonger = pushcart seller

(Sent to) Coventry = ostracized

Crisps = potato chips

Cupboard = closet; U.S. closet = G.B. w.c., or toilet

Davenport = antique folding writing desk; U.S. davenport = large sofa, often which folds out into a bed at night.

Deposit account = savings account

Dinner jacket = tuxedo ("black tie" formal dress)

Dormitory = bedroom; U.S. dormitory = G.B. residence hall

Dresser = kitchen sideboard; U.S. dresser = bedroom drawers, vanity

"Duck" = "goose egg" (a zero on the scoreboard of a sports match)

Dumb = mute; U.S. dumb usually means "stupid" rather than "mute," which is a secondary meaning in U.S. usage.

Dustbin = garbage can, ashcan (exterior waste-disposal unit)

Dynamo (automotive) = generator (within automobile engine)

Earth wire = ground wire (in electricity, electronics)

Elastic band = rubber band

To Enjoin = to compel, to legally force; U.S. enjoin = to legally forbid — i.e. same term in same general contextual usage has precisely the opposite meaning

Ex-serviceman = veteran; U.S. veteran = G.B. old ex-serviceman; (U.S. term has no special age connotation, only that the person have had prior military experience sometime)

Fag = (a) cigarette; (b) public-school underclass "servant"; U.S. fag = low-slang term for male homosexual.

Fanny = vagina (vulgar usage); U.S. fanny = light euphemism for "backside," either male or female.

First floor = second floor, etc. (Britain walks in ground floor, goes up 1 set of stairs to first floor; U.S. ground floor and first floor are the same.

Fish slice = pancake turner, spatula (kitchen tool); U.S. spatula = G.B. tongue depressor (medical instrument)

Fitted carpet = wall-to-wall carpeting

Flan = pie, fruit pie

Flannel = washcloth; U.S. flannel = heavy warm cotton fabric; "flannels" would be long underwear made from such heavy warm fabric.

Flat = apartment; U.S. flat = tenement flat = poor-standard slum apartment.

Flick knife = switch-blade knife, a switchblade

Flyover = overpass (as in a bridge over a road); U.S. flyover = airplane passing over a certain place, as in military parade "flyovers"; verb is "to overfly."

Form (school) = grade [i.e. first form = first grade in school]

Garden = yard; U.S. garden = vegetable garden, fljower garden, i.e. area of special cultivation. U.S. yard = G.B. paved area (lorry yards)

Goods (car, train) = freight; U.S. goods = supplies, commercial stock

Grind = sexual intercourse; U.S. grind = slang for "hard (routine) work."

Haberdasher = notions seller; U.S. haberdasher = men's clothing seller

To Hack = to (deliberately) kick; U.S. to hack = to chop, cut viciously.

High street = Main street

To Hire = to rent (in most cases); U.S. to hire = to employ Hire-purchase = (the "never-never") = installment plan

Hoarding = billboard (large advertising sign alongside road)

Hold up = traffic jam; U.S. holdup = robbery at gunpoint.

Homely = home-loving, domestic, pleasant; U.S. homely = plain- looking (female), therefore often "left" at home.

To Hoover = to vacuum (carpets, etc.) "Hoover" in the U.S. is a brand name only, never used as a verb.

Inland = internal, domestic (Inland Revenue = Internal Revenue)

Inverted commas = quotation marks (GB = 'xx'; USA = "xx")

Inquiry agent = private detective

Jelly = Jello (deriving from brand name Jell-O, gelatin dessert)

"On the job" = having sexual intercourse; U.s. "on the job" = while working, learning, i.e. "on the job training."

Joint = pot roast; U.S. "joint" = marijuana cigarette

Juggernaut lorry = a very large truck, an overlong truck, a "double semi" truck

Jumble sale = rummage sale

Jumper = light pullover (sweater); U.S. jumper = type of knee- length woman's dress worn over blouse or sweater

Kirby grips = bobby pins (to fasten long hair ...)

A Knock-up = (tennis) to warm up, to volley a few, to practice-volley

To Knock up = to awaken, call early in the morning; U.S. "to knock up" is colloquial for "to impregnate"

Lacquer = hairspray; U.S. lacquer = wood varnish, shellac (high-gloss), i.e. protective decorative wood coating

Ladder = (in women's stockings" = a runner, a run

Lay-by = (beside a road) = a pull-off, a rest area.

Left-luggage office = check room, baggage check (room)

Level crossing = railroad crossing.

Lift = elevator

Lip balm = chapstick

Logic-chopping = splitting hairs, hair-splitting

Long jump (in athletics) = broad jump (in track and field)

Lorry = truck

Loud-hailer = bullhorn, amplified megaphone

Lucky dip = grab bag (children's party game or activity ...)

Lumber room = spare room, storage room (in a home)

Mackintosh = raincoat, overcoat, trenchcoat

Mains = ordinary built-in home electrical network (no special word as equivalent in U.S.)

Market garden = truck farm

Marrow (vegetable) = squash, gourd

Mason = stoneworker; U.S. mason can be stone- or brickworker

Marriage lines = marriage certificate

Mean = stingy, tight with money; U.S. "mean" normally means nasty, spiteful, ill-meaning in action toward another

Mess kit = formal military dress for ceremonial dining; U.S. mess kit = army or boy scout utensils for cooking or eating a meal on the trail.

Minced meat = hamburger meat, ground beef; U.S. mincemeat = sweet, spicy ground meat/fruit/nut combination used for making pies, especially around Thanksgiving/Christmas

Mineral water = any carbonated soft drink; U.S. mineral water = bottled natural water (containing normal minerals) from spring or health spa, Perrier water, etc.

Mistress = teacher in girls' school; U.S. mistress = lover (extramarital)

Mob = gang, group (neutral); U.S. mob = angry crowd; "the mob" = Mafia

Motorist, motoring = driver, driving

Music Hall = vaudeville (generic entertainment type/place name)

Nappy = diaper (for infants not toilet-trained)

A Neat drink = a straight drink, i.e. "give me a straight whiskey" = whiskey without water or other additives

Nervy = nervous, jumpy; U.S. nervy = bold, impertinent, i.e. nearly the opposite of the British usage

Night club = private membership club; U.S. nightclubs are public (commercial) entertainment places

Number plate = license plate (on automobiles)

Off-license = liquor store

Old boy (girl) = alumni, alumnus, alumna [of a school]

Pantechnicon = moving van

Panda car = police patrol car, police cruiser

Patience (card game) = Solitaire

Pecker (keep your pecker up) = keep your chin up; U.S. pecker = penis

Pram (peramulator) = baby carriage, baby buggy, stroller, walker

Petrol = gasoline, gas (to go in automobiles, airplane, etc.)

Pie = meat pie; U.S. pie is always a fruit or fruit-derived pie, unless "a meat pie" is specifically indicated

Pillar-box = mailbox, post office box, letter box, letter drop

Pissed (he was really...) = drunk; U.S. "pissed = angry, upset

Pitch (soccer) = field (football) [GB "football" = US "soccer"]

Plimsolls = sneakers, tennis shoes, gym shoes

Point = electric outlet, railroad switch (depending on context)

Polka dots = chocolate chips (food product for baking)

Prawn = shrimp

Prom, prom concert = music concerts where most of the audience is standing; U.S. prom = dance, semi-formal, especially at end of year in high schools, colleges

Rates = local, municipal property taxes

Redundant = laid off (from a job); U.S. redundant = superfluous (no connotation of connection with jobs at all)

Return ticket = round-trip ticket

Ringway = circular road (around a city), bypass

Rise = raise in salary

To Roger = to "screw," have sex with; to exploit, take advantage of, to use

Roll neck (pullover) = turtleneck (sweater).

Roundabout = traffic circle

Rubber = eraser; U.S. rubber = condom, prophylactic device

Saloon = "sedan" car (automobile); US saloon = western-style bar

Saloon bar = one section of an English pub

Sanitary towel = sanitary napkin, feminine hygienic item

A good screw = a good salary; U.S. "good screw" equals good "fuck" or good sexual experience

To Screw = to cajole, persuade, extract money from; U.S. "to screw" = to have sex with, fornicate

Season ticket = commuter (train, bus) weekly or monthly ticket; U.S. season ticket is admission ticket to all home games in one season of a particular sports team

To Second to = to temporarily loan staff to another job or unit

Sellotape = Scotch tape (both brand names now used as "generics"

"Semi" = duplex, duplex house; U.S. "semi" = tractor-trailer truck rig

Seminary = Roman Catholic seminary only; U.S. Seminary can be ANY religion, i.e. Lutheran, Methodist seminaries

Sherbet = powdered, fruit-flavored candy; U.S. sherbet = G.B. sorbet (pronounced "soorbay")

Shorthand-typist = stenographer

To shy = to throw something (he shied a rock at the stray dog...)

Sideboards = sideburns (in a hairstyle)

Single = one-way ticket; U.S. "single" in context would mean "only one" as opposed to "several" tickets

To Snog = to neck (i.e. kissing, hugging, etc., esp teenagers)

Spinster = any unmarried woman; U.S. spinster is always OLD unmarried woman

Standard lamp = floor lamp (as opposed to table or wall lamp)

S.T.D. (subscriber trunk dialling) = direct distance dialling [on the telephone, as opposed to dialling through operator]

Steps = ladder; U.S. "steps" always would mean staircase, built- in stairway or staircase

To stream (pupils in a school) = to track (streaming = tracking)

Stroke (punctuation) = diagonal, slash

To Stuff = to fornicate, have sex with; U.S. "I'm stuffed..." = to be comfortably, pleasantly full of food, satiated

Sub-editor = copy reader or rewrite person, in journalism

Subs = dues, as in union dues, etc.

Subway = underground walking passage, underpass, pedestrian tunnel; U.S. subway = G.B. "underground," i.e. underground railway system for public transportation

Superannuation scheme = retirement pension plan

Supply teacher = substitute teacher

Supertax = surtax

Surgery = a doctor's office, office hours, reception time; U.S. "surgery" refers to "surgeon" operating on a patient

Suspenders = garters, for socks or stockings only; U.S. suspenders = G.B. braces, for holding up trousers

Sweet = dessert, or piece of candy

Sweetshop = candy store

To Table (parliamentary procedure, conference terminology) = to put on agenda for immediate handling; U.S. "to table" = to put aside [indefinitely], to delay further handling

Tannoy = public address (p.a.) amplification system

Teat = baby bottle nipple; US teat = GB nipple = breast nipple

Terrace house = row house, garden apartment, town house

Are you Through? (telephone) = are you connected; U.S. "are you through"? = are you finished, completed, with your call

To tick = to check, place check mark beside

Tights = hose, panty hoseh, nylons, nylon stockings; U.S. tights = leotards, skin-tight exercise suit, knit stocking pants

Tinkle = telephone call [give me a tinkle sometime]; U.S. "tinkle" = children's talk for "to urinate"

Tip = garbage dump; U.S. tip = hint, advice, clue

Torch = flashlight; U.S. torch = burning, flaming light or weapon

Touchline = sideline (in sports, such as on soccer pitch, etc.)

Tower block = high-rise apartment building

Trade union = labor union (but usually organized by "trades" in England, by "industry" in the U.S. — US "Auto Workers' Union" would be represented by different "trades" in GB)

Tram = streetcar, trolley car

Transport cafe = truck stop (roadside cafeteria, restaurant, popular with truck [lorry] drivers

Traveller = travelling salesman

Treacle = molasses

Trousers = pants; U.S. pants = G.B. underwear shorts

Trunk call = long-distance call (on a telephone)

Turn it up (colloquial) = stop it, cut it out! U.S. "turn it up" = increase the volume

Undercarrige = landing gear (aircraft)

Underdone = rare (extent to which you wish your meat cooked)

Underground= subway (cf "subway")

Vest = undershirt; U.S. Vest = G.B. waistcoat

Windscreen (automotive) = windshield

Wing (automotive) = fender, bumper (pre-70s designs...)

White spirit = turpentine, paint thinner; U.S. "white lightning" (spirits) = potent home-distilled backwoods alcohol!

Wholemeal = whole-wheat (bread, flour, etc.)

Yankee/Yank = any American in general, U.S. Yankee = Northeast erner ONLY, i.e. specific regional, historical definition

Zebra crossing = crosswalk, pedestrian crossing (Ped Xing)

"Zed" = "Zee" (pronunciation of last letter in alphabet)

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