# American vs. British English: brainstorm **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 24, 2003, 9:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-vs-british-english-brainstorm/183985 "2003-06-24T09:55:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Space\_Vampire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Space\_Vampire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Space_Vampire)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2003, 9:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-vs-british-english-brainstorm/183985/1 "2003-06-24T09:55:13Z")
I am an American teaching English in Hong Kong, where British English is the norm. I was familiar with many common differences, and some of them have made it into my vocabulary, like lift, flat, and mobile. But some of the things that are coming out in class are just mystifying me. I had no idea, for instance, that there was another pronunciation for “z” other than… well, “z.” And when I played a guessing game with students, the word I used was refrigerator… they couldn’t get it, and when I told them the word in Chinese they complained that “refrigerator” wasn’t the word they used, it was “freezer” or “icebox,” the former of which is something different to me, and the latter of which seems, to me, to have been appropriate say 90 YEARS AGO. So, I would like to call on the international community here to come up with as many British/American differences as possible, so I can definitively tell what is legitimate British English and what is just crap their teachers taught them. Thanks… ---
**Author:** ![amanset](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@amanset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanset)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2003, 10:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-vs-british-english-brainstorm/183985/2 "2003-06-24T10:13:07Z")
Are you sure they weren’t trying to say “fridge”. In my (25 years) experience that is the most common word for a refridgerator in British English. “Z” is pronounced “zed” as opposed to the US “zee” in British English. ---
**Author:** ![Angua](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8baadc/32.png) [@Angua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Angua)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2003, 10:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-vs-british-english-brainstorm/183985/3 "2003-06-24T10:20:01Z")
A refrigerator is commonly called a fridge. An icebox tends to be known as a freezer. Hono **u** r, colo **u** r, etc A fender (on a car) is a bumper. A cell phone is a “mobile”. I can’t think of any others, but I’ll direct the rest of the BritDopers to this thread, so they can chime in with anything… ---
**Author:** ![Angua](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8baadc/32.png) [@Angua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Angua)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2003, 10:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-vs-british-english-brainstorm/183985/4 "2003-06-24T10:22:29Z")
Oh, and legali **s** e, energi **s** e, you get the gist 😉 ---
**Author:** ![green\_bladder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/73ab20/32.png) [@green\_bladder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/green_bladder)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2003, 10:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-vs-british-english-brainstorm/183985/5 "2003-06-24T10:23:04Z")
American/British appetizer/starter backpack/rucksack lobby/foyer chips/crisps antenna/aerial 2 weeks/a fortnight bar/pub suspenders/braces [From this site, scroll down](http://www.scit.wlv.ac.uk/~jphb/american.html) ---
**Author:** ![MC\_Master\_of\_Ceremonies](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/bb73d2/32.png) [@MC\_Master\_of\_Ceremonies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MC_Master_of_Ceremonies)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2003, 10:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-vs-british-english-brainstorm/183985/6 "2003-06-24T10:26:03Z")
sidewalk = pavement yard = garden soccer = football football = American football chips = crisps fries = chips airplane, is prounced “air-plane” in the USA, where in the UK it’s prounced “aero-plane”. ---
**Author:** ![garius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e19b73/32.png) [@garius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garius)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2003, 10:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-vs-british-english-brainstorm/183985/7 "2003-06-24T10:26:53Z")
sidewalk/path and pants/trousers come to mind. ---
**Author:** ![Angua](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8baadc/32.png) [@Angua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Angua)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2003, 10:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-vs-british-english-brainstorm/183985/8 "2003-06-24T10:27:11Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by MC Master of Ceremonies \* > airplane, is prounced “air-plane” in the USA, where in the UK it’s prounced “aero-plane”. \*\* And in fact, spelt “aeroplane” as well 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Angua](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8baadc/32.png) [@Angua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Angua)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2003, 10:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-vs-british-english-brainstorm/183985/9 "2003-06-24T10:28:59Z")
In British English, suspenders means an entirely different thing to what the word means in American English. I think British “suspenders” translates closest to American “garter”, although I could be wrong. If you ask a British man if he’s wearing suspenders, you’ll get some very funny looks indeed… ---
**Author:** ![Aro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b3f665/32.png) [@Aro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aro)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2003, 10:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-vs-british-english-brainstorm/183985/10 "2003-06-24T10:29:50Z")
[Here’s](http://brandt.kurowski.net/projects/lsa/wiki/view.cgi?doc=400) agood list of most of the common differences. Hope this helps. ---
**Author:** ![MC\_Master\_of\_Ceremonies](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/bb73d2/32.png) [@MC\_Master\_of\_Ceremonies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MC_Master_of_Ceremonies)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2003, 10:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-vs-british-english-brainstorm/183985/11 "2003-06-24T10:30:52Z")
Your right Angua, that’s one of my own little quirks. Though I prounounce it as “aeroplane” I always spell it as “airplane”, I don’t know why. ---
**Author:** ![Angua](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8baadc/32.png) [@Angua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Angua)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2003, 10:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-vs-british-english-brainstorm/183985/12 "2003-06-24T10:34:02Z")
A chippy is a loose woman in the States? :eek: The phrase “I fancy going to the chippy” takes on a whole new meaning… ---
**Author:** ![MC\_Master\_of\_Ceremonies](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/bb73d2/32.png) [@MC\_Master\_of\_Ceremonies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MC_Master_of_Ceremonies)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2003, 10:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-vs-british-english-brainstorm/183985/13 "2003-06-24T10:36:53Z")
I don’t think there’s an American word for ‘innit’. ---
**Author:** ![Angua](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8baadc/32.png) [@Angua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Angua)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2003, 10:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-vs-british-english-brainstorm/183985/14 "2003-06-24T10:39:04Z")
Well, there’s not really a British word for “innit”, just if you’re a “wannabe rude-boy” 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Pebbles131](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/eada6e/32.png) [@Pebbles131](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pebbles131)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2003, 10:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-vs-british-english-brainstorm/183985/15 "2003-06-24T10:41:22Z")
Nappy - Diaper Plait - Braid Duvet - comforter (I think?) And SO got some VERY peculiar looks when he asked where he could get some fags! ---
**Author:** ![MC\_Master\_of\_Ceremonies](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/bb73d2/32.png) [@MC\_Master\_of\_Ceremonies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MC_Master_of_Ceremonies)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2003, 10:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-vs-british-english-brainstorm/183985/16 "2003-06-24T10:42:58Z")
But “innit” has been part of South London speech long before Ali G was ever thought of, my Grandad uses it as in " Cor blimey! it’s a cold day today, innit?" ---
**Author:** ![Angua](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8baadc/32.png) [@Angua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Angua)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2003, 10:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-vs-british-english-brainstorm/183985/17 "2003-06-24T10:44:26Z")
Aaah… OK… Not being a Londoner, I’d never really heard it. I think the closest the Americans get is “ain’t it”… ---
**Author:** ![kferr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/71e660/32.png) [@kferr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kferr)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2003, 11:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-vs-british-english-brainstorm/183985/18 "2003-06-24T11:14:31Z")
American/British pants/trousers underwear/pants suspenders/braces garter belt/suspender belt fanny pack/bum bag butt/bum fanny/bum female genitalia/fanny So an American in London saying “Her pants were riding so low on her fanny that she should have worn suspenders to hold them up” Will get you a big :eek: ---
**Author:** ![kferr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/71e660/32.png) [@kferr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kferr)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2003, 11:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-vs-british-english-brainstorm/183985/19 "2003-06-24T11:22:05Z")
And for car/bike parts and motoring American / British trunk / boot hood / bonnet convertible top / hood tire / tyre gas / petrol fender / wing side mirror / wing mirror windshield / windscreen freeway (or interstate) / motorway on ramp(off ramp) / slip road motorcycle (or bicycle) fender / mud guard bicycle / push bike ---
**Author:** ![Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6bbea6/32.png) [@Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laughing_Lagomorph)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2003, 12:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-vs-british-english-brainstorm/183985/20 "2003-06-24T12:06:25Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Angua \* > \*\*A chippy is a loose woman in the States? :eek: The phrase “I fancy going to the chippy” takes on a whole new meaning… \*\* That might be obsolete slang. I don’t think most Americans would know it meant that…I’ve sure never heard it before. Sounds like something a Hollywood gangster would say in a 1940s film. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-vs-british-english-brainstorm/183985.md?page=2)