# The Great British English vs US English Playoff **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 10, 2018, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-british-english-vs-us-english-playoff/821123 "2018-09-10T20:45:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2018, 7:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-british-english-vs-us-english-playoff/821123/21 "2018-09-11T07:37:16Z")
> [@chaika](#): > > Another one: > > Brit: macaroni cheese > US: macaroni and cheese > > Result: US win. > Reason: Macaroni cheese just sounds odd. It would make as much sense to say fish chips, rather than fish and chips. …Or one-hundred-ten. I mean, it’s obviously one hundred _and_ ten, right? ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2018, 8:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-british-english-vs-us-english-playoff/821123/22 "2018-09-11T08:25:40Z")
Brit: Aluminium US: Aluminum Result: The British spelling wins, because apart from the US and Canada that’s what it’s called. ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2018, 8:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-british-english-vs-us-english-playoff/821123/23 "2018-09-11T08:39:37Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > Brit: dual carriageway > US: freeway > > This has to go to the Americans, just because “freeway” is so much more concise (though, TBCF, if you hear “duel carriageway”, it does describe traffic on the interstates rather well) I thought the US equivalent was “divided road” (which I suppose you win as more plainly descriptive),and the British equivalent of “freeway” was “motorway” (which we win because only motor vehicles can use it, and I take it bikes and animals are equally restricted from a “freeway”). ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2018, 8:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-british-english-vs-us-english-playoff/821123/24 "2018-09-11T08:51:48Z")
UK:Tap US: Faucet Win: UK - short and sweet. And even the US uses tap for the _important_ liquids. UK: boiler suit US: coveralls (South Africa: Overalls) Win: US. A Boiler suit sounds painful. UK: candyfloss US: cotton candy Win : UK. Candyfloss _sounds_ lighter and airier. UK: courgette US: zucchini Win: UK. Everything’s better in French. UK: fringe US: bangs Win: UK - I wouldn’t want explosions anywhere near my hair. Plus fringe is descriptive. UK: hairslide US: barrette Win: US - see _courgette_ UK: hen night US: bachelorette party Win: Neither - the UK one is horribly sexist, the US one has that horrible made-up pseudofrench word. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2018, 9:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-british-english-vs-us-english-playoff/821123/25 "2018-09-11T09:10:16Z")
Brit: Tuna US: Tuna fish Result: British. Do you need to say “bovine beef” or “chicken poultry” in the US? (As a Canadian this is interesting because we’re always caught in the middle of all this stuff.) ---
**Author:** ![Map\_Ylow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/map_ylow/32/85_2.png) [@Map\_Ylow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Map_Ylow)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2018, 9:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-british-english-vs-us-english-playoff/821123/26 "2018-09-11T09:27:41Z")
Well now I’ve got one. UK: aubergine US: eggplant I’m going to say UK wins this one, because it sounds _quite mysterious_. ---
**Author:** ![RobDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f07891/32.png) [@RobDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RobDog)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2018, 11:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-british-english-vs-us-english-playoff/821123/27 "2018-09-11T11:15:48Z")
UK: trousers US: pants UK win. Because it sounds better when verbified. Compare: “I gave him £5 to buy me some crumpets, but he trousered it” With “… pantsed…” ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2018, 11:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-british-english-vs-us-english-playoff/821123/28 "2018-09-11T11:39:42Z")
Speaking of clothes… UK: Jumper US: Sweater Result: Slight advantage to the US since is sounds marginally what we’re talking about. ---
**Author:** ![Filbert](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/filbert/32/3433_2.png) [@Filbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Filbert)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2018, 11:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-british-english-vs-us-english-playoff/821123/29 "2018-09-11T11:51:22Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > UK:Tap > UK: hen night > US: bachelorette party > Win: Neither - the UK one is horribly sexist, the US one has that horrible made-up pseudofrench word. I’m not sure the UK one is sexist; ‘hen’ is a pretty common friendly slang word in Scotland and some Northern areas for a woman, which seems to be especially commonly used by other women. Look a bit lost or upset and female, and ‘You alright hen?’ is something people, especially other women, will ask. Speaking as an English woman, I’ve encountered it far more as a neutral-positive term than the old ‘gossipy woman’ definition. UK: Car boot US: Car trunk Win: UK; a car trunk sale just sounds weird, plus it adds a layer of unnecessary confusion to Nellie the Elephant. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2018, 12:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-british-english-vs-us-english-playoff/821123/30 "2018-09-11T12:01:04Z")
Hen is perfectly fine in Scotland. Boot was already mentioned in post number 2. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2018, 12:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-british-english-vs-us-english-playoff/821123/31 "2018-09-11T12:03:20Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Brit: Lift > US: Elevator > > Result: Brit win. I mean, c’mon, it’s only one syllable and impossible to misspell. No contest. Plus then you can have the elevator company “Schindler’s Lifts”. ---
**Author:** ![Icarus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icarus/32/72_2.png) [@Icarus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icarus)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2018, 12:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-british-english-vs-us-english-playoff/821123/32 "2018-09-11T12:05:10Z")
UK: Maths US: Math Win: US, we don’t study the subjects of “Histories” or “Englishes”, so why would we study “Maths”? (Mathematics? Pshhh, fight me!) ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2018, 12:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-british-english-vs-us-english-playoff/821123/33 "2018-09-11T12:08:20Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > … > > Brit: Lift > US: Elevator. Is there an equivalent shortcut for escalator? ---
**Author:** ![chaika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chaika/32/405_2.png) [@chaika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chaika)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2018, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-british-english-vs-us-english-playoff/821123/34 "2018-09-11T12:19:20Z")
> [@Sangahyando](#): > > Brit here, coming out in defence of our usage (perhaps it’s just what I’m accustomed to): “macaroni cheese” makes perfect sense – a compressed version of “macaroni made more exciting by being cooked with cheese”. “Macaroni and cheese” strikes me as unnecessarily wordy and clumsy; with a bit of a suggestion of a load of cooked plain macaroni, with a hunk of cheese beside it on the plate. And the often-used American equivalent “mac-and-cheese” is to me, an abomination. My first encounter with that one, had me wondering “what in heaven’s name is this? The latest horror from McDonalds?” For me, “cheese macaroni” would make sense if one wanted to dispense with the conjunction. Then it would be analogous to cheese pizza or cheese sandwich or whatever. But we would never say pizza cheese or sandwich cheese, so macaroni cheese just sounds odd. But where do we all stand on the Canadian Kraft Dinner? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![chaika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chaika/32/405_2.png) [@chaika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chaika)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2018, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-british-english-vs-us-english-playoff/821123/35 "2018-09-11T12:32:25Z")
Some more: Brit: rubbish US: garbage Result: US win Reason: This one is difficult. Rubbish is a nicer word, but I think it sounds far too neat and tidy for what it signifies. Garbage sounds exactly like what it is. Especially effective when said in a broad New York accent. Brit: dummy US: pacifier Result: US win. Reason: Pacifier expresses the (perhaps naive) hope of the sleep-deprived parents that something (for-the-love-of-God-please-something) will actually soothe the baby. Dummy sounds vaguely insulting. Brit: loo (or toilet) US: bathroom Result: Brit win Reason: Without getting into all the class implications of these words in the UK, I think loo is a brilliant word and toilet certainly wins for directness. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2018, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-british-english-vs-us-english-playoff/821123/36 "2018-09-11T12:42:32Z")
Brit: Go to hospital. US: Go to the hospital. You don’t say “Go to store.” “Go to park.” Do ya’? US for the win. Note that things like “Go to school.” and “Go to work.” refer to a place you do the corresponding activity at. No one goes “to hospital” to do some “hospital(ing)”. ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2018, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-british-english-vs-us-english-playoff/821123/37 "2018-09-11T12:44:55Z")
> [@chaika](#): > > Brit: dummy > US: pacifier > > Result: US win. > Reason: Pacifier expresses the (perhaps naive) hope of the sleep-deprived parents that something (for-the-love-of-God-please-something) will actually soothe the baby. Dummy sounds vaguely insulting. When I was a wee lad a dummy was often given the full name of dummy-tit, which is nicely descriptive I think. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2018, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-british-english-vs-us-english-playoff/821123/38 "2018-09-11T13:21:33Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > Brit: Go to hospital. > US: Go to the hospital. > > You don’t say “Go to store.” “Go to park.” Do ya’? US for the win. > > Note that things like “Go to school.” and “Go to work.” refer to a place you do the corresponding activity at. No one goes “to hospital” to do some “hospital(ing)”. They[used to](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knights_Hospitaller)… And do you university at uni? Or college at college? And only theachers go to school _to school_. Pupils got to _be_ schooled. > [@Filbert](#): > > I’m not sure the UK one is sexist; ‘hen’ is a pretty common friendly slang word in Scotland and some Northern areas for a woman But “Hen party/night” isn’t just used Oop Norf and beyond… > [@](#): > > Speaking as an English woman, I’ve encountered it far more as a neutral-positive term than the old ‘gossipy woman’ definition. It’s sexist when you compare it to the male equivalent - women are hens, men are stags. The women I know took to calling them vixen parties, instead. That’s women in the UK, mind you. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2018, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-british-english-vs-us-english-playoff/821123/39 "2018-09-11T13:27:02Z")
Mr.Dibble, I grew up in the US (Northeast), and say “overalls.” I’ve barely heard of “coveralls,” and I’ve lived all over the US, but I haven’t been in many situations where the word would be used, since moving out of the northeast. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2018, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-british-english-vs-us-english-playoff/821123/40 "2018-09-11T13:29:01Z")
Brit: Fag US: Smoke Uhhhh… ETA: I can imagine the response if someone from the UK walked up to a stranger in the US and said “Can I bum a fag?” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-british-english-vs-us-english-playoff/821123.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-british-english-vs-us-english-playoff/821123.md?page=3)