# What Britishisms most baffle Americans? What Americanisms most baffle Brits? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 18, 2024, 8:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941 "2024-10-18T08:53:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Chad\_Sudan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chad_sudan/32/4509_2.png) [@Chad\_Sudan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chad_Sudan)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2024, 8:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/1 "2024-10-18T08:53:01Z")
On the TV show _Slow Horses_ (set in the UK), a character announced he was going to get some kip, and the meaning completely eluded me. Likewise when, ages ago in a bar, some friends mentioned totty. We are truly separated by a common language. What do you think are the most impenetrable Americanisms/Britishisms for those on the other side of the pond? ---
**Author:** ![colinfred](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colinfred/32/21338_2.png) [@colinfred](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/colinfred)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2024, 8:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/2 "2024-10-18T08:57:50Z")
Calling the main meal an entree is the one I find most bizarre. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2024, 9:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/3 "2024-10-18T09:11:32Z")
> [@Chad\_Sudan](#): > > What do you think are the most impenetrable Americanisms/Britishisms for those on the other side of the pond? I don’t know if it’s impenetrable exactly, but if you’re not aware of it and/or not being careful, the divergent definition of the word “fanny” can get you into serious trouble. Also, in the UK, what an American calls “pants” are worn _under_ the pants, which are called trousers. In the US, by contrast, you can say trousers, but you’re more likely to say pants, and under your pants, you (obviously) wear underpants. And back in the UK, a Brit will hear this usage, and think American vocabulary is pants. ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2024, 9:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/4 "2024-10-18T09:37:51Z")
Don’t ask Brits where the bathroom is unless you actually intend to take a bath. And what they call bacon doesn’t look like bacon I am used to. More of a combination of a piece of bacon connected to a piece of ham. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2024, 9:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/5 "2024-10-18T09:39:28Z")
> [@colinfred](#): > > Calling the main meal an entree is the one I find most bizarre. Is that an Amerianism or a Britishism? That’s not quite the way I’ve heard “entree” used in the U.S. ---
**Author:** ![colinfred](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colinfred/32/21338_2.png) [@colinfred](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/colinfred)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2024, 9:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/6 "2024-10-18T09:39:46Z")
An Americanism. No Brit would call the main course an entree. ---
**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:** [October 18, 2024, 9:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/7 "2024-10-18T09:40:07Z")
‘Sketchy’ and ‘Mooch’ have tripped up a few Americans when I have used them; the most common meanings appear to be: UK: **Sketchy** : Vague, poorly-defined, inexact (figuratively: as though roughly sketched, rather than clearly drawn). **Mooch** : To wander or amble without urgency or clearly defined purpose. USA: **Sketchy** : Unsafe, dishonest, untrustworthy. **Mooch** : To beg, or borrow without any intent to repay; to exploit the generosity of others. I think both sets of meanings exist on both sides, but there is a difference in the default/common meaning. ---
**Author:** ![colinfred](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colinfred/32/21338_2.png) [@colinfred](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/colinfred)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2024, 9:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/8 "2024-10-18T09:42:31Z")
There’s also waffle: Brit: drone on about something interminable American: Fail to make a decision and stick to it. ---
**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:** [October 18, 2024, 10:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/9 "2024-10-18T10:08:36Z")
Oh, I suppose a mandatory inclusion in this thread is _pudding_. It can mean a wide range of things in the UK. Here is an incomplete list: **Pudding** (as a word on its own): The dessert course of any meal **Pease pudding** : Dried yellow split peas cooked to a savoury paste (often cooked alongside a boiled ham so as to acquire some of its flavour) **Yorkshire pudding** : Batter baked until light and puffy **Christmas pudding** : Basically, a sort of moist, hot, rich steamed fruitcake **Bread & butter pudding** : Sweetened French toast with raisins, baked in a dish **Bread pudding** : Similar to the above, but with the bread broken up into pieces, spiced, and the the whole thing baked into a loaf **Rice Pudding** : Short grain rice cooked (usually baked in a dish) with milk, cream, butter, sugar and spices until thick and creamy **Summer pudding** : Cooked fruits (usually berries) encased in bread or cake, saturated with fruit juice, sometimes set with gelatin **Bakewell pudding** : A tart made from puff pastry, filled with jam and almond-infused custard (exact ingredients subject to debate) **Sticky toffee pudding** : Hot cake, with a warm caramel sauce **Eve’s pudding** : Sponge cake baked in a dish with a layer of apple underneath **Malvern pudding** : Apples baked in a sweet, spiced white sauce **Queen of Puddings** : Custard, fruit and cake or bread crumbs, baked with a meringue topping **Suet pudding** : A dome-shaped sort of cake/pastry, cooked by steaming; may be served with syrup, jam or other sweet stuff **Steak & kidney pudding** : As above, but not sweet, and filled with meat and gravy **Black pudding** : Blood sausage (the original ‘pudding’, since the word derives from the French ‘Boudin’) **White pudding** : Sausage, similar to the above, but with less blood **Hog’s pudding** : Like white pudding, without any blood (basically a particular kind of sausage) Notably absent from UK ‘pudding’ terminology is the milk custard confection known in the USA as ‘pudding’ (where indeed, it may be the only meaning of ‘pudding’). ---
**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:** [October 18, 2024, 10:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/10 "2024-10-18T10:13:57Z")
Also _flan_ - in the UK, it’s pretty much a synonym for _tart_ - a shallow, usually open-topped pie, with a crust, with either a sweet or savoury filling. I understand that the USA meaning of _flan_ is what we call _creme caramel_. Also _custard_ - In the UK, this is typically thickened with cornstarch and may not contain egg (this is a second layer of confusion that occurs when I use the term ‘custard’ to describe USA _pudding_). We do have egg custard too, but custard can be either. ---
**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:** [October 18, 2024, 10:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/11 "2024-10-18T10:49:42Z")
Colours associated with political parties in the USA are weird to me. Left is red here and right is blue. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2024, 10:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/12 "2024-10-18T10:58:28Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > I think both sets of meanings exist on both sides, but there is a difference in the default/common meaning. Have the distinctly different meanings of **pissed** and **knock up** on either side of the Atlantic become common knowledge by now? ---
**Author:** ![pjd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pjd/32/3009_2.png) [@pjd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pjd)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2024, 11:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/13 "2024-10-18T11:00:45Z")
**Fag** - Brit: - Slang for cigarette. - Drudgery; toil. - A younger pupil in a British public school required to perform certain menial tasks for an older pupil. American: - Something else. ---
**Author:** ![Tibby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tibby/32/17030_2.png) [@Tibby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tibby)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2024, 11:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/14 "2024-10-18T11:11:08Z")
Ever notice how the Brits have the most whimsical names for car parts? It’s like they’re in on a secret mission to make every vehicle sound like it’s about to attend afternoon tea. Take the hood, for instance—they call it a “_bonnet_.” I mean, who wouldn’t want their engine sporting a stylish little hat? And the trunk? Oh, that’s a “_boot_,” because apparently, British cars are always stepping out in fashion-forward footwear. As for “_wings_” instead of fenders? Well, clearly, British cars are just waiting for their moment to soar! And let’s not even talk about how they spell “_tyre_.” They just threw in a ‘y’ to make it look extra posh, like they sat down one day and thought, _“The word ‘tire’ feels a bit… tired. Let’s jazz it up with a bit of flair!”_ My mum, bless her, was a British war bride from WWII, and we had to teach her _proper_ English. 😀 ---
**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:** [October 18, 2024, 11:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/15 "2024-10-18T11:15:04Z")
> [@Tibby](#): > > Take the hood, for instance—they call it a “_bonnet_.” I mean, who wouldn’t want their engine sporting a stylish little hat? What is a hood? ---
**Author:** ![Tibby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tibby/32/17030_2.png) [@Tibby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tibby)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2024, 11:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/16 "2024-10-18T11:17:07Z")
_“I’m from the hood”_ (neighborhood). That’s urban cool. ---
**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:** [October 18, 2024, 11:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/17 "2024-10-18T11:17:54Z")
_Hood_ noun 1. a soft or flexible covering for the head and neck, either separate or attached to a cloak, coat, or the like. So, a stylish little hat. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2024, 11:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/18 "2024-10-18T11:23:00Z")
If anyone’s interested, there’s a youtube channel called Lost In The Pond that covers exactly this topic. It’s done by a guy that’s spent half is life in Britain and half of it in the midwest USA. > **[Lost in the Pond](https://www.youtube.com/@LostinthePond)** > > I'm on a quest to uncover all of the memos that Britain and America Lost in the Pond. > > I'm also on Twitter: @lostinthepondUS ---
**Author:** ![Tibby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tibby/32/17030_2.png) [@Tibby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tibby)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2024, 11:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/19 "2024-10-18T11:24:10Z")
_“The rapper wore a hood (hoodie) during his performance”_ sounds better than _“the rapper wore a bonnet during his performance.”_ ---
**Author:** ![chappachula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d2c977/32.png) [@chappachula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chappachula)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2024, 11:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/20 "2024-10-18T11:28:18Z")
This is the Dope, we fight ignorance proudly and openly. So how has nobody yet had the courage to say “cunt” ? Brits use it as a mild, slightly impolite word. I think they use it to describe any person, male or female, who is a bit irritating to talk to, maybe a bit obnoxious, or, at worst, acting stuck-up and condescending to you. Americans…don’t use it that way. 🙂 > [@Cervaise](#): > > te divergent definition of the word “fanny” can get you into serious trouble. Yeah, and if you’re gonna carry a pack there, I do prefer the Britishim “bum bag”. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941.md?page=2)