Earth - You will find appliances that say "this appliance must be earthed" for example. In the US, you would instead say they must be grounded. Or when wiring an electrical plug the third pin will be marked "earth."
Economy - When we travel in an aeroplane in the cheap seats we are travelling economy. In the US, you would say you're travelling coach.
Egg timer - Hour glass.
Eiderdown - Before Brits started to sleep under duvets, they would cover their sheets and blankets with an eiderdown. Similar to a comforter it does not have a removable cover and is just there to add extra warmth and to look nice.
Elastoplast - Bandaid. Also called a sticking plaster. Elastoplast is just a brand name that sometimes gets used instead of "plaster".
Electric fire - Heater (electric).
Eleven plus - This is the name of the exam that eleven year olds used to sit to determine if they went to grammar school or a secondary modern school.
Elevenses - Elevenses is an old fashioned habit with us Brits. It consists of stopping work for a cuppa and a bickie at around eleven in the morning, before carrying on till lunch time. Most people don't have time for elevenses any more though.
Emulsion - Our paint for the inside of houses is basically split into emulsion and gloss varieties. Emulsions for the walls and gloss for the woodwork and metal surfaces. Emulsions are water based and can come in matt or silk flavours, depending on whether you want a shine or not.
Engaged - The telephone term for busy. When you ring someone and they are already on the phone you will get the engaged tone. In other words, they will be engaged.
English muffin - Nobody seems to know why these are called this. Until recently, they were not available in England. Even now that some supermarkets stock them, most Brits think they are big, fluffy things you get in America.
En-suite - If you are looking at Bed & Breakfast listings in the UK you might see reference to an en-suite. This is the bathroom and means that it is connected directly to the bedroom and therefore not shared.
Entree - Appetizer. In France and the rest of Europe, the entree is the appetizer, not the main course. (The clue is in the name.)
Estate - This is short for a housing estate. You might call it a residential development or a subdivision. Basically it is a bunch of similar houses built far too close together and described as "highly desirable" by estate agents.
Estate agent - Realtor.
Estate car - Similar to a station wagon, this is an elongated version of a normal saloon car. Many cars have an estate version.
Eurovision song contest - Every year a terrible thing happens on TV right across Europe. One lucky unknown singer from each country vies for the title. The object is to unite Europe, which it does: Everyone in every country seems to hate it equally.
Excess - Insurance deductible. The amount you pay before your car insurance does. Insurance is one of the few things that is much cheaper in the UK than the USA.
Excuse me - What kids are taught to say when they belch in public. We are also taught to say "pardon me" if we fart out loud. (Unfortunately in American "excuse me" means you are encroaching in someone's personal space and you say "pardon me" when you don't hear someone properly.)
F
FA Cup - Superbowl of Soccer.
Faff - To faff is to dither or to fanny around. If a child procrastinates when getting ready for bed, the parents would say the child was faffing around.
Fag - Cigarette.
Fagged - If you are too lazy or tired to do something you could say "I can't be fagged". It means you can't be bothered.
Fagging - Fagging is the practice of making new boys at boarding schools into slaves for the older boys. If you are fagging for an older boy you might find yourself running his bath, cleaning his shoes or performing more undesirable tasks.
Faggots - Meatballs wrapped in a casing of intestine. A traditional British delicacy.
Fair - A carnival, typically with swings and roundabouts, big wheels and other rides amongst the hot dog and candyfloss stands. We also have country fairs with crafts and arts and sometimes animal displays, etc.
Fairy cake - Cupcake.
Fancy - If you fancy something then it means you like or desire it. There are two basic forms in common use - food and people. If you fancy a cake for example it means you like the look of it and you want to eat it. If you see someone of (hopefully) the opposite sex then you might fancy them if you liked the look of them and wanted to get to know them a little better.
Fancy dress - Fancy dress means dressing up in a costume, probably to go to a fancy dress party (a costume party in the US).
Fanny - This is the rude word for a woman's front bits (i.e., pelvic area).
Fanny around, fanny about - To procrastinate.
Father Christmas - Santa Claus.
Fete - Field day. Most schools and villages have a fete in the summer with side-shows, games, races, food and drink and a coconut shy.
Fiddle sticks - For those too well mannered to swear, this is a substitution.
Filch - To filch is to steal or pilfer.
Fillet - Fillet mignon. Pronounced "fill it".
Film - Movie. We don't go to the movie theatre to see a movie. We go to the pictures (or cinema) to see a film.
Finals - Your finals are the final exams you do at university. We don't have grade points - the result of your degree is generally dependant on the results of your finals. Some courses use continual assessment or coursework to avoid this process but finals do avoid the problem of having people study for hundreds of years collecting points and getting a degree when, frankly, they don't deserve one.
Fire brigade - The fire department.
Fire engine - Fire truck.
First floor - Second floor. The first floor above the ground-level floor. The lift always starts on the ground floor and goes up to the first floor then the second floor.
Fish and chip shop - The chip shop has been an important part of the British culinary experience. Mimicked badly on your side of the water nothing beats a good bag of cod'n'chips, some mushy peas and a saveloy.
Fish cake - Fish cakes in the UK are served in restaurants rather like they are in the US, made from nice fish, with a little salad and a fancy berry sauce as a starter. However, ask most Brits what a fish cake is and they will tell you it is something you get at the chip shop, because it's easier to eat with your fingers than a piece of cod, and cheaper too.
Fishmongers' - Fish store.
Fit - A fit bird means a girl who is pretty good looking or tasty. A fit bloke would be the male equivalent.
Fiver - Five pound note. Our notes are all a different colour and different size. This, along with subtle but bold shapes on each note, helps partially sighted people and blind people to handle money as well as the rest of us.
Flake - British chocolate, which is different to Hersheys. Cadbury's Flake is fabulous.
Flannel - Washcloth for your face.
Flat - Apartment.
Flat mate - Room mate, i.e., someone you share your flat with. Note: A room mate means someone you share a room with.
Flex - Electric cord or extension lead.
Flog - To flog something is to sell it. It also means to beat something with a whip.
Flower - A term of endearment.
Fluke - If something great happened to you by chance that would be a fluke. For example, if a woman loses her ring at the beach and goes back to the spot hours later and finds it in the sand, that's a fluke.
Flutter - I like to have a flutter on the horses. It means to have a bet, usually a small one by someone who is not a serious gambler.
Flyover - Overpass on a roadway.
Fog lights - In England, the very intense red lights on the back of a car, designed to make the car visible to cars behind it in a fog. (In the US, fog lights are white and are at the front of the car, low down.)
Football - Soccer. At school, usually called footy or footer.
Ford - If you see a sign saying "ford ahead" it means there is a low water crossing ahead.
Forehead - The same meaning as in the US, but pronounced forrid in the UK.
Form - Grade (as in school). This is the way we describe which grade we are in at school. In a normal school you would start at age eleven in the first form (or the first year). You would finish in the fifth form (or fifth year) and optionally stay on for two more years to do your A levels. These two years are called the lower sixth and the upper sixth. Sixth formers are the ones that study a bit harder because they generally chose to be there.
Fortnight - Two weeks.
Fresher - Freshman.
Fresher's ball - Every year there is a ball for the freshers to get to know each other. And, of course, the experienced students take the opportunity to check out the new talent.
Fringe - Bangs (as in hair).
Fringe - In the theatre, this is the equivalent of off Broadway. The most famous fringe is at the Edinburgh Festival, where some of the finest new acts are to be seen.
Frock - A dress. This term is generally only used by older people. Your posh frock would be your best dress.
Fruiterers' - Fruit store.
Fruit machine - Slot machine (as in gambling).
Full monty - It really has nothing to do with taking your clothes off. It just means the whole thing or going the whole way. (Clearly when applied to stripping it means not stopping at your underwear.)
Full of beans - This means to have loads of energy. It is a polite way of saying that a child is a maniac.
Full stop - Period (as in punctuation). Note: "Period" really only refers to menstruation.
G
Gaffer - Boss. This is a word for an old bloke or a workman's boss or the foreman of a team of labourers. A "good gaffer" would be a good boss.
Gagging - Desperate, in a fat slaggy kind of a way. Not nice.
Gallivanting - This means fooling around or horseplay.
Gallon - 1 gallon in England equals 1.25 US gallons.
Gammon - Ham.
Gander - If someone goes off for a gander, such as when visiting a new town or village, it means to look around.
Gangway - The gap between rows of seats, where one can walk - like in a restaurant. Or the thing you walk up onto a ship. Finally if you want a crowd to move out of the way because you are coming through, you would shout "gangway" at the top of your voice.
Gaol - Jail.
Garden - Yard (as in the property around a home). (Not just a flower patch, but the whole yard.)
Garibaldi - All kids know Garibaldi biscuits as "squashed fly biscuits". They are small hard biscuits with currants embedded in them that look just like squashed flies.
Gas - A substance used to cook with and to heat homes. Note: Cars use petrol, not gas.
Gas fire - Gas heater.
Gateau - A large, rich cake, usually brimming with fresh cream. It is normally served in slices on special occasions.
Gazumping - When you make an offer on a house and the seller accepts it, they are not allowed to then accept a higher offer from another potential buyer. That would be gazumping.
GCSE - General Certificate of Secondary Education. These are the exams that students in their 5th year of secondary school take when they are 16. After these, students may leave school or go onto the 6th form where they spend two more years studying for their A-levels, which are university entrance exams.
Gearstick - Stick shift of a car. Most cars in England come with a gearstick. If you learn to drive in one without a gearstick you may not drive one that does until you take the test in that sort too.
Geezer - Another word for bloke but mostly heard in London.
Gen - Gen means information. If you have the gen then you know what is going on.
Gen up - To research a subject or to get some information.
Gents - Men's room.
Geordie - Person from Newcastle.
Get lost! - Politely translated as go away, this is really a mild way of telling someone to f*** off!
Get stuffed! - Even politer way to tell someone to get lost is to tell them to get stuffed. However, this is still not a nice thing to say to someone.
Gherkin - Pickle. Not as popular in England as they are in the US.
Git - A jerk, an undesirable, a prat. "You ignorant git" is a popular use of the word.
Give us a bell - Call me. You often hear people use the word "us" to mean "me".
Give way - Yield. At a roundabout you give way to the right.
Glove box - The glove compartment in a car.
Gob - As a noun, it means your mouth, hence the gobstopper is used to fill it up. The other use is as a verb, meaning spitting up green stuff.
Gobsmacked - Amazed. Your gob is your mouth and if you smack your gob, it would be out of amazement.
Golden syrup - A very thick syrup (somewhat like corn syrup) used for sticky puddings and desserts.
Good value - This is short for good value for money. It means something is a good deal.
Goolies - Testacles.
Gooseberry - To be a gooseberry is to be the third person (fifth wheel) on a date. If two guys are in bar and one of them successfully chats up a girly, his mate becomes a gooseberry. You would feel a bit of a gooseberry if you accompanied a couple on a date.
Gormless - Clueless, stupid. A gormless person is someone who has absolutely no clue. You also could say someone is a total gorm or completely gormy.
Grammar school - When these existed they were the schools that brighter kids went to at age 11. To get to grammar school meant passing the eleven plus exam.
Granary - This is a kind of malted, brown bread with whole grains in it.
Gravy - A brown sauce made from the meat juices when you roast a joint.
Grem - The form of gob meaning to spit something out. e.g. Did you see him grem? Yuck. Usually associated with that ghastly noise as the content of the lungs are coughed into the mouth before gremming can take place. Grem is also the word that describes the green lump that is created in the process. You might call it hacking up a hacker.
Grill - To broil.
Grockles - Tourists.
Grub - Food. Similar to nosh. Someone might say "grub's up", to announce informally that dinner is ready. A grub is also an insect larva.
Guard - Conductor. When travelling by train, the man that collects your tickets is called a guard, not a conductor as you have in the US. Strangely if it was a bus we would call them a conductor.
Guard's van - Caboose.
Guide dog - Seeing eye dog.
Gum - Glue.
Gumby - This is mild insult that is safe to use in public when someone is not using their brain. Used with people you know, usually.
Gutted - If someone is really upset by something they might say that they were gutted.
Guv - An East End expression, short for "Governor," which roughly translates as Sir, used to address a man when you don't know his name.
H
Haggis - Haggis is made from offal and grain and is held together in a sheep's stomach. It can be grilled, fried, or boiled whole. It is absolutely delicious and is traditionally served with neaps and tatties (turnips and mashed potato).
Haggle - Barter, negotiate.
Hair pin - Bobby pin.
Handbag - A woman carries a handbag. Note: A purse which is something that goes in the handbag and contains money.
Hand basin - Sink, usually referring to the kind found in bedrooms in some older houses. They are intended for washing your hands and face, rather than the dishes.
Hand brake - Your parking brake. In the UK they are generally hand operated only.
Hanky panky - Making out. Also called "slap and tickle" by some older folks.
Hard - Ready to fight anything or anybody, or to take on any bet.
Hard lines - Hard luck, bad luck.
Hash - A pound sign (as in currency). Also a substance that is smoked (see wacky backy). Also, to make a real hash of something means you really screwed it up.
Have - In the US, you might as a waitress, "Can I get a refill" for more coffee. In the UK, you would say, "Can I HAVE a refill". If you say "Can I GET a refill" in the UK, the waitress might give you a funny look and tell you where to go and GET it - yourself.
Head lamp - Headlight, though we use either word.
Healthy - Healthful. For example, a healthy lifestyle and healthy food.
Hedgerow - Hedge (as in shrubbery).
Hen night - Bachelorette party, the equal and opposite of the stag night.
Herb - Herb. The only difference is the "H" is pronounced.
Her Majesty's pleasure - Being detained at Her Majesty's pleasure means being put in prison with no release date.
Hessian - Burlap. This material is what they make sacks from and use on the back of carpets.
High Street - Main street. Traditionally the centre of activity and shopping in each town. Today, the High Streets are quiet and the traders who occupy them are finding it more difficult to stay in business as the supermarkets and other shops are moving out of town.
High Street Shops - The national chains of shops that you would expect to find in every town's High Street. Sadly these days with the move to out of town shopping centres (Malls) these shops are moving out of the High Streets and leaving them somewhat desolate.
Hire car - Rental car. When hiring a car in England, remember to specify an automatic or you will get one with a gearstick.
Hire purchase - Credit.
Hiya - Short for hi there, this is a friendly way of saying hello.
Hob - The burner on a stove (stove is called cooker).
Hob nobs - One of the more popular British biscuits.
Hole in the wall - ATM.
Holiday - Vacation. We usually go on a two-week holiday every summer since the basic holiday entitlement in the UK is 4 or 5 weeks when you start work. We also get several bank holidays.
Homely - Pleasant.
Honking - Being sick or throwing up.
Hood - Vinyl top of a convertible.
Hooray Henry - Similar to yuppie, a phrase describing the young upper class. They talk like they have a plum in their mouths and say things like "OK yar!"
Hooter - Your nose. Also the horn on a car.
Hoover - Really a brand of vacuum cleaner but the word "hoover" is used to describe all vacuum cleaners.We use the hoover to do the hoovering.
Horlicks - This malted milk drink has been around for years. It is supposed to make you relax in the evening and sleep well.
Horses for courses - This is a common saying that means each to his own. What suits one person might be horrible for someone else.
Hospital trolley - Hospital cart, gurney.
Hot pot - A kind of one-pot stew that is made with lamb with sliced potatoes on top, that go a bit crunchy.
Housing estate - Subdivision, tenement.
How's your father? - This is a very old term for sex which plays on our apparent British sensitivity. Rather than saying the actual "sex" word you could refer to having a bit of How's your Father, instead.
HP sauce - Similar to A1 sauce, but it is used on cooked breakfast.
Hump - Caution: If you "have got the hump" it means you are in a mood. But if you are "having a hump," it means you are having sex.
Hunky-dory - Excellent. We would generally use it to mean that everything is cool and groovy, on plan, no worries and generally going well.
Hurling - A sport, played a lot in Ireland which is like a cross between hockey and rugby. The players try to get a hard ball into, or over, a goal with the aid of a stick.
Hypermarket - Huge supermarket.
I
Ice lolly - Popsicle.
Iced tea - Tea is only drunk hot and Brits are quite adamant about the way they do it.
Icing sugar - Confectioner's sugar or powdered sugar.
Identity parade - Lineup.
I'm easy - This expression means I don't care or it's all the same to me. Note: It does not refer to a person's sexual behavior.
Indicator - Turn lights. The little orange lights on each corner of your car that tell other road users your intended direction of travel, if not straight on.
In good nick - In good condition.
Insects - We don't use the word bugs like you do. We either refer to insects by name (ants, spiders, moths, etc.) or just call them insects.
Interval - Intermission.
Ironmongers' - Hardware store.
Irony/sarcasm - The cornerstones of British humour. This is one of the biggest differences between the nations. The sense of humour simply doesn't translate too well.
J
Jacket potato - Baked potato. Also referred to as "potatoes in their jackets", meaning their skins.
Jaffa cake - A little cake filled with orange jam and topped with chocolate.
Jam - Jelly. Note: "jelly" is gelatin.
Jam sandwich - This is a motorway police car, thus called because if it is white with a bright orange stripe along the side, that's just what it looks like.
Jammy - If you are really lucky or flukey, you are also very jammy. It would be quite acceptable to call your friend a jammy b****rd if they won the lottery.
Jammy beggar - You may hear people being called a jammy bugger, jammy beggar or jammy bastard. It just means they have been lucky.
Jasper - Another word for a wasp or a yellow jacket.
Jellied eels - In the east end of London, a local tradition and delicacy. They are eels cooked and left to set in their own jelly.
Jelly - Gelatin.
Jersey - Sweater.
Jimmy - Cockney rhyming slang for piddle (urine).
Job's worth - A job's worth is a person who is inflexible in their job, even if it means upsetting their customer. For example, if a restaurant served custard with apple pie and you wanted ice cream instead, a job's worth would be the kind of waiter who would refuse to give you ice cream because it wasn't listed like that on the menu. The excuse would be that it was more than their job's worth.
Johnny - A condom. Short for "rubber johnny." Note: "rubbers" are on the end of pencils.
John Thomas - Slang for a penis.
Joiner - Carpenter.
Joint - Roast. Either something containing wacky backy that you smoke to get high, or a piece of meat that is roasted on a Sunday with roast spuds, roast parsnips, veggies and gravy. Like roast leg of pork and crackling.
Jolly - You hear people use this in all sorts of ways, but basically it means very. So "jolly good" would mean very good. A common exception is where you hear people say "I should jolly well think so!" which is more to emphasise the point.
Juggernaut - An 18 wheeler or any large lorry (large truck).
Jumble sale - Yard sale.
Jumper - Sweater.
K
Kedgeree - A wonderful dish of smoked haddock, eggs and rice. Still served in some hotels, generally for breakfast.
Keeper - Curator.
Keep fit - Exercise class.
Keep your pecker up - Keep your chin up. Caution: In some places, "pecker" means penis.
Kerb - Curb.
Khazi - Another word for the toilet, generally used by older people.
Kip - A short sleep, forty winks, or a snooze.
Kipper - Smoked herring. Very popular eaten hot with breakfast or cold with a salad.
Kiss gate - If you wander across many of Britain's public footpaths, out in the country, you are likely to come across a kiss gate. These gates are designed to let people through but to keep animals in the fields. Only one person can get through at a time and the man is supposed to go first. In order for the lady to follow, the man has to let the gate go back, but not until he gets a kiss.
Kitchen towel - A paper towel.
Knackered - Exhausted. Basically worn out, good for nothing, tired out. Another way to describe it is to say you feel shagged.
Knickers - Ladies' panties.
Knob - Penis.
Knock off - To knock something off is to steal it.
Knock up - To wake someone up. It also means to make something out of odds and ends, such as to knock up a tree house from some planks of wood in the garage, or to knock up a meal from whatever is in the fridge.
Knockers - Breasts.
Knuckle sandwich - If somebody offers you a knuckle sandwich, they're about to thump you in the face.
Konk - An unkind way of describing someone's nose.
L
Lad - Boy.
Ladder - Run (in stockings).
Ladies' - Ladies' room.
Ladybird - Ladybug.
Lager - Sort of what you call beer. Usually a bit stronger and drunk from pint glasses rather than bottles. Served cold, but not that cold. American beer is not normally considered a manly drink by British males.
Lager lout - This famous British invention is male, between 18 and 23 and usually visits foreign football matches to make trouble, beat people up and vandalise the place.
Landlady - The lady owner (or these days
more often the manager) of a pub.
Landlord - The male owner (or these days more often the manager) of a pub.
Laundry basket - Laundry hamper. Note: A "hamper" is a thing full of food.
Lay-by - Rest stop. On the side of the road you will often find a lay-by, probably just a widening of the road without any kerbing, to allow you to stop and take a break. It doesn't quite qualify as a rest area as there are generally no facilities.
Lead - Leash (as in for dogs).
Leader - Editorial.
Leaving do - A going-away party.
Leg it - This is a way of saying run or run for it. It is usually said by kids having just been caught doing something naughty.
Legless - Drunk.
Lemonade - Carbonated beverage. A clear, sparkling, lemon flavoured drink that is either drunk as it is or added to lager to make shandy. Seven-up and sprite would both qualify as lemonade.
Letter box - A mail box, big and red and found loitering on street corners.
Level crossing - This is what you call a grade crossing, where a railway crosses a road.
Licence fee - In order to watch any TV in the UK you must pay a licence fee to the BBC. It's cheaper than your basic US cable package and gets you our five main channels. It means there are no ads on the BBC channels which is excellent. We also have cable and satellite TV channels at an extra cost.
Lift - Elevator. In England we don't talk in the lift, unless we are with close friends or colleagues. Even then, as soon as someone else steps in, all conversation stops. A lift is also something you get by hitch-hiking. Note: A "ride" refers to a sexual encounter with a stranger.
Lights - The little triangular windows on some cars.
Liver sausage - Liverwurst.
Loaf - To use your loaf means to use your head.
Local - Your local is the pub you visit the most. It actually doesn't have to be the one that is nearest to you. So if you hear someone saying that they are "off down the local" you know where they are going.
Loft - Attic.
Lollipop man (or lady) - Crossing guard.
Long sighted - Far sighted.
Loo - Toilet, bathroom.
Lorry - Truck. They are not allowed in the fast lane on England's motorways.
Lorry driver - Truck driver. Lorry drivers are also called truckers.
Lounge - Living room.
Lounge bar - Most pubs used to have a saloon bar and a lounge bar. The price of a pint was a penny or two more in the lounge and, unlike the saloon, it had proper carpets and comfortable seating.
Love bite - Hickey.
Lug holes - Ears.
Lurgy - If you have the lurgy it means you are ill, you have the flu.
Luvvly-jubbly - Another way of saying lovely.
M
Mac, Mackintosh, Macintosh - Raincoat.
Manual - A car in England is either a manual or an automatic (transmission). A manual has a gearstick. You would call them a stick or stick shift. When we say we drive a manual, instead of drive a stick.
Mange tout - Snow peas.
Marks and Sparks - This is how many people refer to the country's leading retailer Marks and Spencer.
Marmite - Yeast extract. Described as "salty tractor grease" this spread is made from the yeast gunk they scoop out of beer vats when they are finished with them. Usually used in sarnies with cheese.
Marquee - The large tent that people rent to hold the party after a wedding.
Marrow - Squash.
Mash - Short for mashed potato. As in pie and mash, bangers and mash.
Match - Game.
Mate - Friend, chum, buddy, friend.
Maths - Math. It is short for "mathematics."
Mean - Stingy. We often say people are mean if they are tight fisted, stingy or hold on to their money.
Mince - Ground beef or other ground meat. Mincing is also the way that certain effeminate men walk.
Mince pies - Popular at Christmas time, these are small pies filled with mincemeat and topped off with cream or served hot with brandy butter.
Mincemeat - A sweet product made from dried fruit and suet (a dry form of beef fat), used as a filling for mince pies, eaten at Christmas with brandy butter.
Minder - Babysitter. Also means bodyguard.
Mobile - Cellular phone.
Mobile home - Trailer home.
Momentarily - If something will happen momentarily, it means that it will happen for an instant, a very short space of time. It does NOT mean it will happen IN an instant or short time.
Morish or moreish - This word describe something that is simply not enough -- you want or need more. It applies to anything - not just desserts.
Morris dancer - Around May, you are likely to see a group of morris dancers, seemingly sane men who dress up in knee length britches, long socks, with ribbons flying from various parts of their bodies. They dance around poles with long sticks in their hands much to the amusement of passers by.
Mother - If a bloke says "Shall I be Mother?" when the family sits down to a pot of tea or a slice of cake, it means he is offering to pour or cut for everyone.
Motorway - Highway, freeway. Very strict rules apply to motorways, only drive faster than 100mph if you are happy to lose your licence (or are very good at haggling.). Always drive in the slow lane, unless overtaking (or risk being arrested). Always enter and exit via slip roads on the left hand side.
Muesli - Granola.
Muffler - A big, fluffy scarf.
Mug - If someone is a bit of a mug, it means they are gullible.
Multi storey - Short for multi-storey car park, which means a parking garage on several levels.
Mum - Mom.
Mushy peas - An English tradition, mushy peas are reconstituted dried peas that go all mushy. They are often served with fish and chips, or on their own with mint sauce.
Mutt's nuts - If something is described as being "the mutt's" then you'll know it is fantastic or excellent. "The mutt's" is short for "The mutt's nuts" which is clearly another way of saying the "dog's bollocks."
N
Naff - Worthless or unfashionable. If something is naff, it is basically uncool. Anoraks are naff, salad cream is also naff. You could also use it to tell someone to naff off, which is a politer way of telling them to f*** off!
Naff off - Go away.
Nail varnish - Nail polish.
Namby pamby - Wimp.
Nancy boy - If someone is being pathetic you would call them a nancy or a nancy boy. It is the opposite of being hard. For example in cold weather a nancy boy would dress up in a coat, hat, gloves and scarf and a hard guy would wear a t-shirt. It's also another word for a gay man.
Nappy - Diaper.
Nark - If someone is in a nark, it means they are in a bad mood, or being grumpy. It's also the word for a spy or informant.
Narked - In the UK you would say that someone looked narked if you thought they were in a bad mood.
Natter - Chat (noun or verb).
Naturist - Nudist.
Naughts and crosses - Ttic tac toe.
Naughty bits - Genitals.
Near side lane - The slow lane of a road.
Neat - If you are in the pub and you ask for your drink neat, it means it comes with nothing added. You might ask for it straight.
Nesh - To be a nesh wimp means being pathetic or a bit of a nancy boy.
Nice one! - If someone does something particularly impressive you might say "nice one."
Nick - To nick is to steal, or to catch a burglar. Also means prison. If something is "in good nick" it is in good condition.
Nicked - Something that has been stolen has been nicked. Also, when a copper catches a burglar red handed he might say "you've been nicked."
Nobby no-mates - An imaginary name for someone with no friends.
No entry - Where in the US road signs say "wrong way," they say "no entry" in the UK.
Nookie - Nookie is the same as hanky panky.
Normal - Pop in the UK is either "diet" or "normal" (not "regular"). Note: Regular refers to going to the loo every day.
Nosey parker - Someone who sticks their nose into everyone elses business.
Nosh - Food. You would refer to food as nosh or you might be going out for a good nosh up, or meal. If you were going out for some nosh it would mean you were going to get some lunch or dinner at a restaurant. Posh nosh is what you get at expensive restaurants. Note: If someone has just cooked you some nosh you might want to call it something else as it is not the nicest word to describe it.
Nosh-up - A feast.
Note - British paper money.A five pound note is called a fiver and a ten pound note is called a tenner. Strangely a twenty is called a twenty.
Not my cup of tea - This is a common saying that means something is not to your liking.
Nowt - This is Yorkshire for nothing. Similarly owt is Yorkshire for anything. Hence the expression "you don't get owt for nowt". Roughly translated as "you never get anything for nothing" or "there's no such thing as a free lunch".
Number plate - Licence plate. In the UK they tell you the age of the vehicle and have some coding to identify the area of the country the car was registered in. The format is G992 CAJ where the first letter tells you the car was registered between Aug 1 199x and July 31st of the following year. The following year will start with an H and so on. The UK makes big business from personalised number plates, just like in the US, but we need to keep them in the format. Our number plates generally stay with the car, whereas those in the US seem to stay with the person.
Nut - To nut someone is to head butt them.
Nutter - Kook, nutcase, someone who is crazy.
O
O-Level - At 16, school kids used to take around ten O-levels (O for Ordinary). These were the qualifications that got you into the sixth form, where you studied for your A-levels (A for Advanced). O-levels have been replaced by GCSEs which cover a broader range of educational ability (General Certificate of Secondary Education).
OAP - Senior citizen.
Off - Spoiled.
Offal - In English supermarkets you will see a sign in the meat aisle with "offal" on it. The most common offal is liver and kidney.
Off colour - If someone said you were off colour they would mean that you look pale and ill.
Off licence or "offy" - Liquor store.
Off your trolley - If someone tells you that you're off your trolley, it means you have gone raving bonkers, crazy, mad.
Old age pensioner - Senior citizen.
On about - "What are you on about?" means "What are you talking about?"
On the job - If you are on the job, it could mean that you are hard at work. Or in other circumstances, it means having sex.
On the piss - If you are out on the piss, it means you are out to get drunk, or to get pissed.
On your bike - A very polite way of telling someone to f*** off.
On your tod - If you are on your tod it means you are all on your own, or that you are Nobby no-mates.
One off - A one off is a special or a one time event that is never to be repeated.
Overtake - To pass another vehicle (as when driving). We can only do it on the right.
Over the moon - Elated. If you are over
the moon about something it means you are delighted.
Over the top - Carried away.
Owt - This is Yorkshire for anything. Similarly nowt is Yorkshire for nothing. Hence the expression "you don't get owt for nowt". Roughly translated as "you never get anything for nothing" or "there's no such thing as a free lunch".
Oxbridge - A short way of referring to Oxford and Cambridge universities. When you are at school and planning your university applications you would say you were applying to Oxbridge if you were applying to both.
P
Page three girl - Model (of sorts). One of the cheap and cheerful newspapers in the UK is The Sun. It is most famous for it's page three girl, a different topless girl every day.
Pancake roll - Egg roll.
Panda car - Police car.
Pantomime - A Christmas tradition, a pantomime is a show which takes normally mature, serious actors and actresses and sees them dressing up as members of the opposite sex to amuse children with popular stories. Usually has an evil man, a man dressed in drag as a widow and a dashing young male hero (really a woman in green tights). You spend most of your time shouting "It's behind you" and adults pretend they only go for the kids. A really disorganised event may also be described as something of a pantomime.
Pants - A man's underwear. It is now quite trendy to say that something which is total crap is "pants". For instance you could say the last episode of a TV show was "total pants."
Paper knife - A letter opener.
Paracetamol - Acetaminophen.
Paraffin - Kerosene. A paraffin lamp would be one of those old fashioned lamps with paraffin in the base and a wick which is really hard to light.
Paralytic - Drunk.
Parcel - Package.
Pardon me - What kids are taught to say if they fart in public. We are also taught to say "excuse me" if we belch in public. (Unfortunately in American "excuse me" means you are encroaching in someone's personal space and you say "pardon me" when you don't hear someone properly.)
Parkin - A sweet heavy cake made with treacle. Often served on bonfire night.
Parky - Either short for Michael Parkinson, or more likely a word to describe the weather as being rather cold.
Parsley sauce - A white sauce (like southern gravy in the US) with chopped fresh parsley in it. Sometimes served with ham or fish.
Parson's nose - The tail of the chicken or turkey.
Parting - Part.
Pass - This means I don't know. It comes from the old TV show, Mastermind, where contestants were made to say "pass" if they did not know the answer to the question.
Pastry base - Crust (as in pie crust).
Pavement - Sidewalk.
Pavement pizza - Vomit. Often found outside Indian restaurants early on a Sunday morning.
Pay packet - Pay check. These days, of course, many people are paid electronically.
Pay rise - Pay raise.
Pea fritter - These are made from mushy peas, rolled into a ball, covered in batter and deep fried.
Peanuts - If you say something is peanuts or costs peanuts, it means it is cheap. Also, the expression "if you pay peanuts, you get monkeys" is a fairly derogatory way of saying that manual labour doesn't need to be bright and doesn't need a lot of pay.
Pear shaped - If something has gone pear shaped it means it has become a disaster. It might be preparing a dinner party or arranging a meeting, any of these things can go completely pear shaped.
Peckish - Hungry. If you are a little peckish it means you are hungry and need to nibble at something.
Pelican crossing - Pedestrian crossing. The black and white bars across the road with a green and red man lighting up to show pedestrians when to walk and when to stay.
Pence - The one hundred pennies that make up a British pound are called pence. You will often hear people calling them "p". So if you are asked for 50p you are expected to hand over fifty pence.
Penny farthing - They are old bicycles with one huge wheel at the front and a tiny one at the back.
Perry - This alcoholic beverage is made the same way as cider except it is made from pears.
Petrol - Gasoline. Ask for a petrol station when you run out.
Petrol station - Gas station.
Photocopier - Copier machine. Don't call it a Xerox.
Pickle - No such thing in the US, or possibly relish. Visit any English home and say "bring out the Branston" - they will bring you a jar of brown, lumpy, spicy pickle. It is made from vegetables, spices & vinegar and is quite thick. It is eaten with cold meats, cheeses and pies. There is even a less lumpy version for sarnies. Branston is the name of the market leader in pickle.
Pickled eggs - Eggs that have been hard boiled and pickled. Pubs and chip shops are the best places to find them.
Pickled onions - A staple part of the British diet, every kitchen has a jar in the cupboard or the fridge and many people still make their own. Peeled little shallots in pickling vinegar and eaten with cheese and salads. These days they also come with chilli and other hot spicy things.
Pictures - The cinema or the movie theater.
Pie - Unless specified otherwise, a pie would default to a meat pie with a pastry lid. Of course, we also have apple pies and the like. Pie's always have lids. If there is no lid, it's a tart.
Piece of cake - Saying it's a piece of cake means it's a cinch.
Pilchards - Sardines.
Pile-up - Car wreck. What happens when a number of cars collide into each other.
Pillar box - Mailbox. It is another word for postbox.
Pillock - Another mildly insulting name for someone. If someone had just done something stupid you would say "you pillock". This one is safe in front of grandparents.
Pimms - A liquor that you mix with lemonade in a tall glass with slices of apple, orange and cucumber and some fresh mint leaves. It is a summer, outside sort of drink that people drink at home and at the races, Wimbledon, Ascot, Henley etc. It is fairly alcoholic.
Pinafore - A pinafore dress is what you might call a jumper in the US.
Pinch - To steal something. To "steal" is a bit more serious than to pinch. A kid might pinch a cake from the kitchen. A thief would steal something during a burglary.
Pinny - An apron to protect clothes when washing or cooking.
Pint - If you ask your mates to come to the pub for a pint, it means any form of beer or cider that could be purchased in quantities of one pint. The British pint is bigger than the pint in the US. (20oz rather than 16oz).
Pip pip - A out-dated expression meaning goodbye. Not used any more.
Piss poor - If something is described as being "piss poor" it means it is an extremely poor attempt at something.
Piss up - A piss up is a drinking session. A visit to the pub. There is an English expression to describe someone as disorganised which says that he/she could not organise a piss up in a brewery.
Pissed - Drunk. Most people go to the pub to get pissed. In fact the object of a stag night is to get as pissed as possible. Getting pissed means getting drunk. It does not mean getting angry. That would be getting pissed off.
Pissing around - Fooling about, in the sense of messing around or making fun or just being silly. Not terribly polite.
Pitch - Playing field.
Plait - Braid.
Plaster - Bandaid. Short for "sticking plaster."
Plaster board - Sheet rock, dry wall. In the UK, plasterboard is used to make ceilings and is also used to make internal walls, it is then covered in a thin layer of real plaster, except in cheap modern houses.
Plastered - Loaded, having had too much to drink.
Plimsolls - A type of sneaker, plimsolls or pumps were usually black and elasticated and you wore them during P.E. (Physical Education).
Plod - The police.
Plonk - Cheap wine. Normally you hear someone talking about "cheap plonk". Under £3 would probably get you cheap plonk, you need to pay a bit more to get decent wine. "Cheap plonk" suggests that the wine is not only cheap, but nasty too.
Plonker - Penis, John Thomas or dick. Or an inoffensive term for someone who is a bit of a wally. If someone is taking the piss, or making fun of you, they would also be "pulling your plonker."
Ploughman's lunch - You'll see these in pubs on the menu at lunchtime. Basically it's a chunk of cheese, some pickle, a pickled onion and a hunk of (hopefully) nice bread. Sometimes the cheese will be substituted with a piece of home baked ham.
Po-faced - Probably derived from "poker faced," to sit there po-faced is to keep a straight face.
Polo neck - Turtle-neck sweater.
Polystyrene - Styrofoam.
Polytechnic - This a kind of technical college. If you didn't get the grades to get into university, the second choice was to go to poly or polytechnic. Their degrees were the same as universities, but it was easier to get into them. Most polys are now converted to universities.
Pompey - The colloquial slang for Portsmouth.
Ponce - Poncey things and poncey people are a bit girlie. It is not exactly another word for gay but it's getting close. A ponce is also another word for pimp, who lives off a prostitute's earnings. And it also has another meaning and that is to scrounge so one might try to ponce a fag off your mate, meaning you would scrounge a cigarette.
Pontoon - Also known as 21 or blackjack where you have to get 21 to beat the bank.
Poofter - An extended version of the word "poof", this is how you could refer either to a gay man or to a guy who is being a bit of a nancy boy or woofter.
Pop - Soda. In the north, you will hear people talking about pop or fizzy pop which has the same meaning as soda, but it is rarely used in other areas. Usually, the brand name is used, such as Coke.
Porkies - Lies (as in fibs).
Pork pies - They are made from crusty pastry with a filling of minced pork and other ingredients. It is eaten cold with pickle.
Pork scratchings - Pork rinds.
Porridge - Doing porridge means to serve time in prison.
Porridge - Cooked oatmeal that you would have for breakfast.
Posh - Roughly translates as high class.
Post - The mail, or to mail something. The post arrives in the morning in the UK. It drops through your letter box onto your hall carpet.
Post mortem - Autopsy.
Postbox - Mailbox. They are on street corners as well as at the post office.
Postcode - ZIP code. Postcodes are in the form RG26 5AN where the first two letters tell you the main postal town (RG=Reading) and the rest narrows down your house to the nearest 6 houses. That means that with just your house number and postcode anything can be delivered anywhere in the UK. Many mail order companies just ask you your house number and postcode - the rest is printed by computer.
Postgraduate student - Graduate student.
Postman - Mailman. The chap who delivers your post on his bike or his little red van.
Posty - Mailman.
Potty - If you are potty it means you are a little crazy, a bit of a looney, one card short of a full deck.
Pound sign - The symbol which denotes the UK pound (or quid).
Power point - Electrical outlet or socket. Ours have three pins, not two. The big one is earth (known as ground in the US) and also serves to open the little doors where the other two pins go.
Pram - Baby carriage or big stroller, sometimes the top lifts off the wheels and can be used as a cot. That would then be called a "carry cot". Short for perambulator.
Prang - If you have a prang in your car - it means you have hit a car or another object. Prangs tend be less serious than write-offs as they can be fixed.
Prat - Jerk. Yet another mildly insulting name for someone. In fact, this one is a bit ruder than pillock so you probably wouldn't say it in front of Grandma.
Prefect - Peer students who are allowed to stay in at lunch times and guard the doors to keep the other students out in the cold and the rain - and that was just the summers. You might call them monitors though I'm not sure there is a direct translation.
Premium bonds - These are a government savings scheme that pay no interest. Instead of interest they pay out millions in prize money each month and keep their value exactly the same. It's like a lottery where each ticket lasts a lifetime or until you cash them in.
Prep school - Short for preparatory school, this is the school that kids go to before they go to public school. Normally from ages eight to thirteen.
Presenter - Newscaster.
Press up - Push up.
Primary school - From the age of 5 until 11, our kids go to primary school.
Property - Real estate.
PTO - This is an abbreviation for "please turn over". You will see it on forms where you would see the single word "over" in the US.
Pub - Bar. The cornerstone of British social life. Every village has a pub, or several. These tend to be friendly sociable places to go for a pie and pint, meet the locals, get a cheap meal and drink some of that nice British beer. They usually have a beer garden and maybe a skittle alley, pool table and always a fruit machine or two. Town and city pubs come in several varieties. There are the drinking men's pubs, where the guys who leave the missus at home go, to chat to their mates and have a fag. There are the trendy, loud, expensive yuppie pubs. There are the family pubs which have separate rooms where kids can go, and they have lots of food and a playground, and then there are the nice ones.
Pub crawl - A pub crawl consists of drinking a pint at as many different pubs as possible, one after the other. Towards the end of the evening the "crawl" bit starts to take effect. Often followed by a curry, and more pints of course. Similar to bar hopping in the US.
Pub grub - Pubs that do food will often advertise "pub grub" outside on a sign. It just means pub food. These days lots of pubs do decent food, not just sausage, egg and chips.
Public convenience - A "public convenience" sign points you to the nearest public toilet or restroom.
Public school - Private school. For those that can afford to opt out of the state education system, this would be the alternative.
Pudding - Dessert (of any type). What you call pudding is called banana custard in England.
Puff - A fart.
Puke - To vomit or to be sick. You may also hear someone say "you make me puke," meaning "you make me sick."
Pukka - Super or smashing.
Pull - To be "on the pull" means you are looking for birds (if you are male) or for chaps (if you are female).
Pullover - Sweater.
Pulses - Beans.
Pumps - A type of sneaker, pumps or plimsolls were usually black and elasticated and you wore them during P.E. (Physical Education).
Punter - Customers.
Purse - A woman carries a purse to contain her money - notes and coins. It goes inside a handbag.
Pushchair - A stroller.
Pussy - Cat.
Put a sock in it - This is one way of telling someone to shut up.
Put down - Put to sleep.
Put paid to - Put an end to something. For example you could say that rain put paid to the cricket match, meaning it stopped play.
Pylon - This is what we would call a high tension tower which carries 11,000 volts of electricity.
British-American Glossary 
