# 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:** 8
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2024, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/141 "2024-10-18T17:29:19Z")
> [@Ponderoid](#): > > “public school” is another thing with two different meanings on either side of the pond For those not familiar, in the US “public school” means a taxpayer-funded school; parents aren’t on the hook for any fees\*. Such a school in the UK would be called a “comprehensive” (I think). A “public school” is a snooty, elite private school such as Eton or Whatever. In the US, a “private school” is a school in which the parents have to pay a fee for the kids to attend. In the UK I think they call such a school a “fee-paying school.” \*I’m aware that some/many/most “public” schools in the US still extract money from the parents in one way or another, such as fees for this or for that. ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2024, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/142 "2024-10-18T17:34:41Z")
“Slap-up.” To this American, it sounds like it should mean “hastily assembled,” not “sumptuous.” (Our closest equivalent is “bang-up,” but it’s not used much outside the idiom “doing a bang-up job.”) ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2024, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/143 "2024-10-18T17:54:18Z")
> [@HeyHomie](#): > > A “public school” is a snooty, elite private school such as Eton or Whatever. I saw a definition that said in the UK the “public” in " public school" means a school that is open to all pupils regardless of their religion or where they live. Does that mean that “public school” by definition has at least some boarders and “day school” would never be a “public school”? ---
**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, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/144 "2024-10-18T17:54:52Z")
> [@Cervaise](#): > > All of which is to say, it’s a little strange to claim this separates US from UK usage, when in my experience “entree” hardly has any currency on UK menus at all. I don’t think that’s necessarily the claim - the thread is just about things that seem confusing when seen from the other side of the pond - often they will be about words that exist both sides with different usage, but sometimes it’s going to be just weird things those other guys over there say that don’t make sense to us ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2024, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/145 "2024-10-18T18:00:09Z")
> [@PatrickLondon](#): > > Jelly is set with gelatin. Sorry, I think you’re wrong here. Jelly, in my experience, is gelled with pectin, as jam is. Wikipedia thinks so, too – > **[Fruit preserves](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fruit_preserves#Jelly)** > > This is an accepted version of this page > > Fruit preserves are preparations of fruits whose main preserving agent is sugar and sometimes acid, often stored in glass jars and used as a condiment or spread. > There are many varieties of fruit preserves globally, distinguished by the method of preparation, type of fruit used, and its place in a meal. Sweet fruit preserves such as jams, jellies, and marmalades are often eaten at breakfast with bread or as an ingredient of a pastry or dessert, whereas... ---
**Author:** ![The\_Stafford\_Cripps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_stafford_cripps/32/7167_2.png) [@The\_Stafford\_Cripps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Stafford_Cripps)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2024, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/146 "2024-10-18T18:03:29Z")
> [@HeyHomie](#): > > Such a school in the UK would be called a “comprehensive” (I think) No, the direct equivalent term is “state school”. State schools might be comprehensive, or they might be selective (ie, you need to pass an exam to get in - long abolished in Scottish state schools, coming back in English ones and I think never gone in Northern Ireland). “Private school” does actually mean the same in Britain as it does in America - such schools are much more numerous than “public schools”. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Stafford\_Cripps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_stafford_cripps/32/7167_2.png) [@The\_Stafford\_Cripps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Stafford_Cripps)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2024, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/147 "2024-10-18T18:06:26Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > Sorry, I think you’re wrong here. Jelly, in my experience, is gelled with pectin, as jam is. > Wikipedia thinks so, too – No, “jelly” means 2 different things - for probably most British people it means the gelatin containing dessert that PatrickLondon was talking about. It can also however mean the stuff contained in a jar, basically a jam without any solids, that you’re talking about, which is thickened with pectin. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Stafford\_Cripps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_stafford_cripps/32/7167_2.png) [@The\_Stafford\_Cripps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Stafford_Cripps)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2024, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/148 "2024-10-18T18:08:56Z")
> [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](#): > > “Slap-up.” To this American, it sounds like it should mean “hastily assembled,” not “sumptuous.” This term is obsolete - I’m approaching my mid-50s and not one person in my acquaintance has ever said it. ---
**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, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/149 "2024-10-18T18:13:23Z")
Yes, whilst the term entree is uncommon, it’s not unheard of. But even so everyone would understand it as a synonym for starter. Using it as a synonym for main course is just 🤷‍♂️ ---
**Author:** ![furryman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/furryman/32/99_2.png) [@furryman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furryman)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2024, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/150 "2024-10-18T18:16:02Z")
I live just down the road from Baltimore and have a hard time imagining that the “Balmar” accent would be unintelligible to any one. On the other hand, watching Doctor Who. The British accent combined with the tendency for them to mutter combined with the volume problems on my computer make it very hard for me to understand what’s going on. ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2024, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/151 "2024-10-18T18:23:13Z")
> [@The\_Stafford\_Cripps](#): > > This term is obsolete - I’m approaching my mid-50s and not one person in my acquaintance has ever said it. Good to know! “Rather” vs. “quite” threw me for a loop during my first trip to England - I was used to the former meaning “somewhat” and the latter meaning “very,” not the other way around. ---
**Author:** ![slumtrimpet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@slumtrimpet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slumtrimpet)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2024, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/152 "2024-10-18T18:47:13Z")
Pavement referring to sidewalks exclusively and not road surface. I’m not sure what the British term for road/street surface is. Also “gritting” and “gritters” for winter snow and ice clearing/melting. Don’t think they had any snowplows in Southeast England. Nor did they know what snow tires (sorry tyres) were. This former New Englander was amused. ---
**Author:** ![veryfrank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/87869e/32.png) [@veryfrank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/veryfrank)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2024, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/153 "2024-10-18T18:48:54Z")
> [@The\_Stafford\_Cripps](#): > > However, my point is that if used as an insult, “c\*\*\*” is not gender specific. A man is at least as likely to be called a “c\*\*\*” as a woman is, it’s just a more robust equivalent of “prick” or “dick”. Whereas “cow” is only ever used to insult women - it’s conceivable that someone could get in more trouble for calling someone a cow in the workplace than for referring to an acquaintance as a c\*\*\*. Though I’m conflict-averse enough to never use it in an argument, I can envision myself calling a man a c-word as an insult, in the British sense. I’d use “twat” for the same intent were I to refer to a woman. That said, I’ve also hear British comedians use “twat” as a verb meaning to hit/strike. > [@Dr.Drake](#): > > No comment on the strength of “cunt,” but only from British people have I heard “cunting” (as in “…then I fell off the cunting bike,”) more or less a stronger “sodding.” The comedian Rhod Gilbert uses “pissing” as his version of “sodding” and I find it pretty effective. He also introduced me to the expression “on the piss,” meaning “out with the mates for a rowdy drunken evening.” I took to using it myself while traveling (I was staying in Newcastle over the weekend and Saturday night you couldn’t move on the high street for everyone out on the piss for their stag do’s and hen nights). No idea if this is a Welsh, or even strictly a Carmarthen, thing. > [@psychonaut](#): > > IME (lived in London for about six years) they have no trouble understanding “bathroom”, and many even use this term themselves. “Washroom”, on the other hand, sometimes elicits confusion. The first time I visited London, I stayed with friends in their flat in Streatham, and was baffled by how they had two washrooms/bathrooms. One closet had the actual shower, the other had the toilet and the sink. > [@griffin1977](#): > > That’s something that catches me out a lot as I have kids in American “public school”, but if I say that to my siblings in England it means the most elite private schools, so I need to say “state school” instead Can someone from Over There confirm if this has started to change? I feel like I’ve heard some Brits start to use those terms more sensibly. ---
**Author:** ![mixdenny](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mixdenny/32/2962_2.png) [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2024, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/154 "2024-10-18T18:50:29Z")
Here in the US “marrow” is the edible center of beef bones. In England it is what I would call a zucchini. ---
**Author:** ![veryfrank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/87869e/32.png) [@veryfrank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/veryfrank)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2024, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/155 "2024-10-18T18:52:03Z")
In Van Morrison’s “Real Real Gone” he sings: _Real real gone_ _I got hit by a bow and arrow_ _Got me down to the very marrow_ I’d thought that “marrow” was universal, but then again I don’t eat zucchini. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Stafford\_Cripps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_stafford_cripps/32/7167_2.png) [@The\_Stafford\_Cripps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Stafford_Cripps)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2024, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/156 "2024-10-18T18:54:11Z")
> [@mixdenny](#): > > In England it is what I would call a zucchini. I think a zucchini in Britain would be a courgette, a marrow is the much bigger mature version. Marrow also means the inside of bones in Britain. ---
**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, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/157 "2024-10-18T18:59:00Z")
> [@slumtrimpet](#): > > I’m not sure what the British term for road/street surface is. Tarmac or ‘road’, or maybe when used in contrast to pavement(where it means footway), ‘carriageway’. I suppose this came about because UK roads were not paved like pavements were - they may have been cobbled or just packed earth. ---
**Author:** ![iamatractorboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iamatractorboy/32/21261_2.png) [@iamatractorboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamatractorboy)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2024, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/158 "2024-10-18T19:05:07Z")
Fair enough. I found one or two of the gang members tricky to understand if I didn’t concentrate. But I guess it’s what one’s used to. I didn’t realise that muttering was a perception of British speech (he mutters). ---
**Author:** ![spikebrennan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/838e76/32.png) [@spikebrennan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spikebrennan)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2024, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/159 "2024-10-18T19:14:09Z")
“I’m so pissed, I could murder a fag.” A friend from Sheffield said this to me in a bar in Philadelphia. I had to explain that his remark would not be taken in the way that he intended. ---
**Author:** ![spikebrennan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/838e76/32.png) [@spikebrennan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spikebrennan)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2024, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/160 "2024-10-18T19:18:08Z")
Also “pudding”. When my wife and I (both American) visited the UK for the first time, we were confused by the “pudding” section of a restaurant menu. In the US, the word “pudding” specifically means a custard-type dessert, and would never be understood to include baked goods, ice cream, or other sorts of dishes that are dissimilar to custard. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941.md?page=9)