My English friends would not consider what they speak as “old” nor what we speak in America as “new” but I enjoy giving them a hard time. There are some distinct differences. Sometimes if you choose the wrong words there is an awkward silence – they don’t know what you are saying…or you may not know what they are saying. Here is just some of the differences.
Chip and pin – type of debit card with a computer chip on it (they do not use swipe cards in many places but you have to have a chip on your credit card.)
Money – UK uses the “pound” (5 pound note is smallest paper denomination with 1 pound coins). It is also called the British sterling and the quid. They are not on the Euro and it is a very sensitive issue.
Petrol – gasoline
Litre – unit measurement for gasoline/petrol in UK. 1 gallon = 4.5 litres (almost all cars are standard shift and many are diesel)
Lovely (luvelee), brilliant, fantastic (fann tastic)– cool, awesome, great, terrific
Crisps – potato chips
Chips – French fries
Biscuit – cookie
Snog – make out or kiss
Slap – makeup
In order to be a city it must be formerly approved by the government. There are Burroughs (areas and purely ceremonial), shires (counties), villages (small towns without a steepled church), townships and cities.
Watford gap – just north of London and separates the north (considered proper Englishman in the south) and the North (working class people with funny accents). Was surprised to find out the difference between north and south may be a bigger deal in England than even in the north/south in the U.S.
Gardening – landscape (they all like to garden but to many Americans gardening is growing vegetables). Gardening here is just yard work or landscape work. The garden is typically the back yard where many will sit and enjoy the evening.
Ice/no ice – forgetting asking for ice You will get “one” cube. If you ask for a lot of ice you will get “two” cubes.
Popcorn (sweet or salty) – at the theatre they ask which one you want and have both. They don’t taste exactly like movie popcorn in America. Most theatres have ice cream and candy shops in addition to the concession stand.
Cinema – movie theater
Pub – bar or restaurant and bar (there is no a distinct difference in some pubs and American restaurant/bars and that is relatively new. High end pubs are the same as American Restaurant/Bars but look like traditional pubs. “Wet” pubs are the old boozer clubs where people go to drink and socialize
Diversion – detour (on street signs)
Give way – yield (on street signs)
Motorway – highway
Chemist – pharmacist
Boot – car trunk
Queue – lines or traffic
Lorrie – truck, 18 wheeler
Ring road – service road
Toilet – bathroom
To let – to rent
Satnav – GPS (direction finder)
Post code – address finder (not like zip code. It is a series of six numbers and letters that will take you to a specific location. It is terrific.)
Cash machine – ATM (if you say ATM they will have no idea what you are talking about)
Chili – chili pepper (very confusing in restaurants. When you see a chili sauce in a restaurant it isn’t Tex Mex but probably some sort of sweet chili peppers and may taste like Indian food)
Jacket – potatoes
Chicken burger – two types of burgers (very few places have chicken sandwiches. If you say “burger” they will ask if you want beef or chicken)
Lager – beer (regular beer)
Tellie – TV
Mash – mashed potatoes
Mushy peas – What it sounds like, mashed English peas. Yuk
Curry – better know your Indian food they love it here