Talk:List of British words not widely used in the United States

Fake entries

Lived here for 21 years and have never heard the following

carrier rocket char, cha Char charlady char-wallah choong cleg coolybox dekko kecks loopty-swoops nesh Nissen hut nobble nutty gum twopenn'orth, tuppenn'orth, tup'en'oth twee

They should be deleted — Preceding unsigned comment added by Nipponcarisbestcar (talk • contribs) 12:57, 19 December 2011 (UTC)

coolybox, loopty-swoops, nutty gum - are fake, I have removed them.

char-wallah, Nissen hut, twopenn'orth, tuppenn'orth, tup'en'oth - are old sayings, maybe you have the pleasure of being too young to have encountered them.

carrier rocket, choong, cleg - I haven't personally come across either, but I believe they are genuine.

the others you list are genuine and still very much in use.  ⊃°HotCrocodile...... + 17:12, 21 December 2011 (UTC)

Minor Disputes

hand brake - I hear that in the US.

The American equivalent of Chav isn't Wigger. It's closer to white trash, but (as with wigger), chavs don't have to be a particular ethnicity. There doesn't seem to be a more direct parallel though. --Spacehedgehog (talk) 01:05, 15 July 2010 (UTC)

I don't know the British Tiger Nuts but the American Dingleberries refers to the feces, not the toilet paper. Does the British really mean paper?Stan996 (talk) 21:38, 19 September 2009 (UTC)Stan996

I don't know why no one has brought this up before, but the US usage listed for that is wrong. 'Stick shift' is normally used to denote manual transmission vehicles -- e.g., "She used to drive a stick shift, until her husband bought her an automatic." Americans call the device itself the 'gear shift'. Actually, I'm not sure whether it's one or two words. Anyways... 19:02, 29 February 2008 (UTC)

Well, hell, now I'm just reading the page and seeing all kinds of stuff. I'd like to further dispute the place for 'toilet' on this list. On the one hand, it's true that in the UK public bathrooms are nearly exclusively called 'toilets', whereas in the US they're nearly always called 'restrooms', since toilet is considered less formal. However, the title of this list is 'British words not widely used in the United States', and you'd be hard-pressed to find an American who doesn't understand the word 'toilet', whereas few if any might understand most of the other words on this list.

Uni - used much like US 'college': I think this is misleading. I know a lot of kids in the US talk about 'going to college' whether they're at a college or university, but the two words nonetheless have distinct meanings, at least in America. A university offers postgraduate courses, while a college only operates at the undergraduate level. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.131.159.4 (talk) 19:51, 29 February 2008 (UTC)

Also, 'joiner' is missing from the list. NEVER hear that one in the US, but I hear it quite commonly in Scotland at least. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.131.159.4 (talk) 19:56, 29 February 2008 (UTC)

'Nits' as well. Americans only call them lice, and wouldn't understand you if you told them you had to 'de-nit' your child's hair. 86.131.159.4 (talk) 20:04, 29 February 2008 (UTC) (incidentally this entire section up till now was written by me, and I'm trying to remember to give SineBot a break...)

Actually, Americans understand 'nits' to be lice eggs (as well as typographical problems, as in "i have nearly finished the article, but I have to correct a few nits").

• Nits are the eggs. The hatched critters are called lice. We (Britons) use the two words interchangeably, but they do mean different things. KillerKat (talk) 00:08, 10 February 2009 (UTC)

I have found something that needs correcting and yet being waht I believe you americans call computer retarded. I cannot correct it myself. If anyone who knows how reads this; will they please place the Union Jack above the american flag? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.62.199.62 (talk) 20:54, 1 March 2009 (UTC)

For alight, I'd recommend changing "deboard" to "disembark". I personally feel it's a more common term, although the former is generally understood. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 63.252.23.200 (talk) 19:51, 5 March 2009 (UTC)

I'm a new user, so apologies for the amateurish nature of this edit! For Doss it states "from docile", I believe this is wrong. Is it not from DoSS (Department of Social Security (Now DWP))? Meaning that it describes people on benefit with nothing to do. User:Kingpants (talk) 01:01, 25 October 2009 (UTC)

Aggro is now commonly used in America due to the MMORPG World of Warcraft. It's used in the same manner as described in this article, to mean aggression or aggressive behavior. PlasticSai (talk) 11:00, 14 January 2010 (UTC)

I'd disagree. In WoW, one says "I got aggro" to say "the monster is attacking me"; in the UK, you would rephrase the subject/object to be "He's giving me aggro", when in WoW that means "He is transferring his threat to me", aggro meaning "the amount of threat/hate the object has towards you". It's the same general area, and the word is definitely used more widely now, but it's not the same meaning. --Spacehedgehog (talk) 01:05, 15 July 2010 (UTC)

I suspect there are very large numbers of North Americans who say 'nitpicking' without any idea that the 'nit' syllable has any independent meaning in isolation. Varlaam (talk) 20:31, 1 September 2010 (UTC)

Jiggery-pokery

I had British professor sub for one of my classes for a few days and he used the term "jiggery-pokery" when talking about rearranging an equation. I'm not sure how to describe what the phrase itself would mean though. --141.209.225.91 20:06, 25 October 2007 (UTC)

It means expertly tinkering or playing about with, in a way the casual observer cannot understand 81.157.125.245 15:58, 2 November 2007 (UTC)

I use that here in Canada. Varlaam (talk) 20:27, 1 September 2010 (UTC)

Curry

curry '

• "currency, specifically small change in coins. " - is this made up? It's a new one on me. Jooler 12:26, 6 August 2007 (UTC)

I can't say that I've ever heard the expression myself, and I can't find any examples of it being used on-line. I've remmed it out for now. Tevildo 09:11, 15 August 2007 (UTC)

I'd move to total deletion rather than just commenting out. Snalwibma 11:55, 15 August 2007 (UTC)

Archive

Someone has archived the talk page, however the links to archives seem to have become broken. I don't have enough experience to figure out what is wrong and fix it, could some else have a look. SkorponokX 12:08, 15 August 2007 (UTC)

Ha'penny - also has been used as a double entendre in bawdy songs etc to refer obliquely to virginity, or modesty, whilst appearing to simply be a warning to be careful.

e.g. (Alex Glasgow song, certainly pre-1970s)

When Molly began to go courting, Her mother was anxious to tell He certain young fellas would want her To stray down the pathway to 'ell So Molly's old ma used to say:

Keep your 'and on your 'appenny, Cover it well with your palm Keep your 'and on your 'appenny, And Molly will come to no harm.

They'll hug you and kiss you so sweetly They make you feel ever so nice But 'andle the fellas discreetly And follow this simple advice:

Keep your 'and ...

When Molly and I went out courting, I told her she'd nothing to fear But down in the covers last Sunday I whispered these words in her ear:

Take your 'and off your 'appenny Look into my bonny blue eyes Take your 'and off your 'appenny And I'll give you - a lovely surprise!

I would classify this as very rare usage, and, as such, not something to be recorded here. dbfirs 20:53, 2 February 2008 (UTC)

The ha'penny refers to the female genetalia. 78.146.183.68 (talk) 10:23, 28 July 2010 (UTC)

Shandy

Shandy is defined here as beer or lager mixed in equal parts with lemonade. This will undoubtedly confuse Americans, since what Brits call "lemonade", we call "lemon-lime soda" or "Sprite." In America, "lemonade" is fresh lemon juice mixed with a bit of water and a lot of sugar (at least if it's homemade, and not that powdered crap). That should be noted under shandy, and also could be added to the list as a very confusing example of the differences between the two dialects.72.78.161.113 21:32, 30 August 2007 (UTC)

Until quite recently shandy was beer and real lemonade - it's only with the prevalence of 7-Up and Sprite that "lemonade" has come to mean "a fizzy lemon-lime beverage out of a can". It's anecdotal, so take it with a pinch of salt, but I worked in a pub in Wiltshire in the early 1990s and the regulars would have shot me if I'd served them a shandy that was anything other than (a) bitter (not lager!) and (b) real lemonade (not Sprite!) Needless to say it was hugely confusing when tourists came in and asked for a shandy...  This flag once was red  06:05, 2 February 2008 (UTC)

Poof

Added the soft furnishing meaning The Fat Contrator 15:44, 9 November 2007 (UTC)

Dialect Words

Is this the right place for dialect words such as 'beck' or 'cach' if they are not widely used? Otherwise there are words like gennel/ginnel, larrap etc that need adding. Where does one stop? The Fat Contrator 15:44, 9 November 2007 (UTC)

Er, no - one stops, I think. Snalwibma 15:51, 9 November 2007 (UTC)

I agree. I would interpret the title of this page to mean "List of words widely used in Britain that are not widely used in the United States". There are already several words used only in Scotland on this list that should probably be removed. —Angr 16:15, 9 November 2007 (UTC)

Which was my point I think. The difficulty though is selecting the words which are purely dialect and those which have leached into standard/common UK English. There are also words such as 'bankman' and 'tab' which which appear to be terms derived from slang from an occupation. 'Tab' in Geordie means 'cigarette' just to add to the confusion. These should also be removed if they are not in common usage. How is common usage defined BTW - in the Shorter OED? We might end up with a very short list in that case. The Fat Contrator 10:21, 13 November 2007 (UTC)

There's no catch-all solution to this issue, unless, as is flagged at the top of the article, it uses reliable references and cites verifiable sources! Until that point it is open to interpretation. The best way to do this is surely to interpret dialect as "not widely used". Once a dialect word does become mainstream (as happened with minging, apparently it originated in west Scotland but please don't quote me on that or get pedantic - it's just an example), then it could be considered a viable entry for this article. !! Ultimately though you need a lexicographer to vet and supervise this article !! Until then it'll remain flagged as not citing reliable references. Shame. It's a great page. fwiw. BuzzWoof 11:53, 13 November 2007 (UTC)

I think "tab" is now has a wider than Geordie usage Streona (talk) 00:47, 23 January 2008 (UTC)

Vandalism?

I don't feel that the word removed (I think by a bot) today [I don't want to write it in case this also gets removed] is necessarily vandalism. It is a perfectly valid and widely used (if vulgar) word and (to the best of my knowledge) not used in the US. Rachel Pearce (talk) 23:07, 18 November 2007 (UTC)

You can revert the bot. Bots don't usually edit war, and if it does remove it again, you can ask the bot operator to make the bot leave it alone. It's probably best if you add a citation for it too, though, lest a human being think it's vandalism! :-) —Angr 05:20, 19 November 2007 (UTC)

Ginger?

I thought "ginger" meant redhead...I'm not British, and Americans don't really say it, but if anyone could confirm that, they should add it. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.8.148.156 (talk) 19:53, 8 December 2007 (UTC)

The "gay" meaning is probably completely unknown in America. The "redhead" meaning is rare, but encountered, e.g. in the South Park episode "Ginger Kids". —Angr ^{If you've written a quality article...} 21:36, 8 December 2007 (UTC)

"Ginger beer" is rhyming slang for "queer"- i.e.gay. Streona (talk) 00:43, 23 January 2008 (UTC)

In scotland, ginger as to mean redhead is very widespread. It's very standard usage. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 81.110.90.75 (talk) 15:15, 26 July 2009 (UTC)

In most of England, Ginger is used to mean redhead, however often in a derogatory way, to point out to the person that they are different. Billaar

No it's not derogatory, it's just redhead. Of course it point out a difference, as me and many other gingers will testify, out hair is a different colour. Hdruk (talk) 01:59, 27 March 2011 (UTC)

Ginger should be removed. You can thank Southpark for making it very wide-spread in America, and therefore not qualified for this list. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 132.3.65.68 (talk) 16:31, 19 July 2011 (UTC)

Should be removed anyway. There's a different list for words with different meanings. Totnesmartin (talk) 21:11, 19 July 2011 (UTC)

Bimble

I (an Englishman) have never heard of "bimble" although the definition is what I would give for "bumble". Is this a typo? Do Americans use "bumble"? --Interesdom (talk) 20:30, 20 January 2008 (UTC)

The word is not in the OED, but it does occur in some nursery rhymes in the phrase "bimble, bamble, bumble". There are just a few hits in Google books, but I would classify the word as rare in UK usage. dbfirs 20:49, 2 February 2008 (UTC)

I first heard it used in the Navy, meaning 'To dawdle from A to B with no urgency' i.e. 'Just bimbling along' would be to just chug along at a few knots, maybe to deliberately use-up time / avoid arriving too early for the next tide etc.ChrisRed (talk) 14:44, 18 November 2008 (UTC)

Its widely used in the canoeing community to refer to an ambling relaxing gentle paddle with no urgency. The newsletter of Shrewsbury Canoe Club used to be called Bimble. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 193.130.130.100 (talk) 09:04, 14 June 2010 (UTC)

It is common in Scotland - I often take a bimble to the shops. 155.136.80.174 (talk) 14:32, 10 November 2010 (UTC)

I've heard it in Devon too. Totnesmartin (talk) 07:03, 25 July 2011 (UTC)

Rotters?

Whoever calls the police "the rotters"- Bertie Wooster ? Streona (talk) 00:45, 23 January 2008 (UTC)

Don't know much about British slang, but I know about Bertie Wooster, and no, he doesn't. I've seen the word "rozzer" several times in other books, but I suspect it's now dated. The word "rotter" for a rotten person is never used in the US, but I doubt Americans would have any trouble understanding it.Pdronsard (talk) 23:36, 11 March 2010 (UTC)

Is this mixed up with "rozzers" an old fashioned slang for the police? 155.136.80.174 (talk) 14:33, 10 November 2010 (UTC)

Underground is in fact widely used in the United States.

Ever heard of an underground tunnel? Yep, that's what Americans call it. 82.148.70.2 (talk) 09:09, 5 March 2008 (UTC)

I have never heard it used in the US to mean an subterranean railway network (the British meaning described here). Perhaps this word would be better in List of words having different meanings in British and American English. Actually, I've just looked, and it is indeed there, so perhpas it should be removed from here. Rachel Pearce (talk) 09:51, 5 March 2008 (UTC)

Yes, can definitely be deleted from here, as it appears at List of words having different meanings in British and American English. Done! Snalwibma (talk) 10:16, 5 March 2008 (UTC)

Needs Refs?

This may sound silly, but does this article really need citations, anyway? It seems like the sort of article that doesn't really need references; maybe even borderline Common knowledge (if you're British). For example, just about everyone who knows the difference between UK and US vocabulary knows the term "Petrol" isn't commonly used in the US, at least not in everyday speech. Why bother citing it, then? Mizu onna sango15/水女珊瑚15 03:13, 6 March 2008 (UTC)

I agree. To ask for citations will delay the entry of new words, and will potentially double the size of the page, without increasing its usefulness. Let's say that if somebody is familiar with the countries involved, he/she is capable of editing this page, OK ? Raymondwinn (talk) 15:13, 17 April 2008 (UTC)

Could we adopt a common-sense approach to referencing? My proposal would be to include (say) two well-known American dctionaries and two similar British dictionaries in the "Further reading" or "References" section, add a note somewhere that all of the content of the article can be verified by one or more of these sources, and then add a specific reference only for the handful of words/usages that are not covered by those dictionaries. SNALWIBMA ( talk - contribs ) 13:24, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

I'm for this. Perhaps we could also reference in addition (or perhaps just use in the external links section) a Brit urban slang dictionary; I fould a rather nice one from google some time ago. --Mizu onna sango15/水女珊瑚15 16:32, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

Macintosh?

Shouldn't this be listed under List of words having different meanings in American and British English (Because of Macintosh computers)? Mizu onna sango15/水女珊瑚15 23:03, 8 March 2008 (UTC)

I agree, although I am used to seeing Mackintosh for the coat and Macintosh for the Apple computers. (and of course "mac" for both is much more common these days). The McIntosh (disambiguation) page would be a useful starting point. (I think you would have to include the apples (fruit) and maybe also Charles Rennie Mackintosh since "a Mackintosh" could arguably mean either of those too. Rachel Pearce (talk) 01:10, 9 March 2008 (UTC)

Okay, I think I'm just going to go ahead and remove it from the list and move it to List of words having different meanings in American and British English, if it's not already on there. Thanks, -Mizu onna sango15/水女珊瑚15 05:14, 9 March 2008 (UTC).

Slang?

Is this supposed to be a list of widely used British words? There are several terms in the list that I have never heard (I am English; born in Surrey but have lived in London for the past six years and would normally consider myself to have a reasonably wide vocabulary).

I think a number of these terms belong in a list of slang amongst particular social groups and not in a list of general British English. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 81.132.186.228 (talk) 18:40, 14 March 2008 (UTC)

It's probably because you think that if it's not spoken in London, it doesn't exist you southern softie! —Preceding unsigned comment added by 128.243.220.22 (talk) 09:49, 10 April 2008 (UTC)

Which slang words should be excluded? Snalwibma (talk) 10:24, 10 April 2008 (UTC)

Agree with the point about it shouldnt include slang as it'll end up of unmanageable proportions. As someone from Yorkshire with an interest in English dialect in general some of the words given as being used in the north of England are defintely not eg haver, ken, nash (not nesh which is but i'll come to that in a bit). These are words which are according to the article used in Scotland so i can only presume they may be used a couple of miles south of the border too because theyre defintely not used in Yorks/Lancs.Finally summat and nesh arealso used in the West Country and Cornish Pasties are universal...how can someone think its only used in Cornwall and the North. But anywaythis type of stuff doesn't belong on an article aout American English so it backs up the original point about the omission of slang. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 62.254.173.34 (talk • contribs)

Paki in US

I had to look up "blue laws". Do you mean that package stores cannot be called "liquor stores" in the US or that they cannot be called "packy/paki" stores in the US? I am not sure that this sentence is relevant at all. Rachel Pearce (talk) 22:45, 18 March 2008 (UTC)

"Package stores" mainly sell beer and wine (The ones I've seen, you drive up, tell the clerk at the window what you want -- say, a case of Budweiser -- and they give it to you at the window.)

"Liquor stores" sell hard liquor (vodka, whisky, etc.) in addition to beer and wine. LizFL (talk) 14:44, 29 November 2009 (UTC)

Whilst

Though I (being American and everything) use whilst more than I do while, at least four dictionaries that I know of have this word marked as 'Chiefly British', so I propose we include this in the list, and probably asterisk it. Mizu onna sango15/水女珊瑚15 01:29, 25 April 2008 (UTC)

I agree. I use 'whilst' at times too, but most Americans would probably consider its usage as pretentious in the U.S. Kman543210 (talk) 01:16, 10 May 2008 (UTC)

Well, then, agreed. :) What I didn't realise, however, was that it was already in the article in the first place. I could swear it wasn't when I had previously searched for it... --Mizu onna sango15/水女珊瑚15 03:45, 10 May 2008 (UTC)

A lot of Northern English use 'whilst' for 'while at the same time' because in some places 'while' on its own means 'until' i.e. "I don't get paid while Friday". ChrisRed (talk) 15:05, 18 November 2008 (UTC)

Guff

This word does have widespread use in the US, albeit in a very narrow context. Guff is something that is specifically not taken, as in the phrase, "I didn't take any guff from him," or "She didn't take any of his guff," meaning nonsense, crap, grief, or backtalk. It is always a noun; you would not say "She guffed me," or "He's guffing that guy." It is also not usually given - no one would say "I gave him guff," but (rarely) someone will say "She was trying to give me a load of guff, but I wasn't taking any of it."

The US usage is very similar to the first UK meaning, but more limited. However, it is widely used, mostly by baby boomers or older. Should this be moved to the list of words having different meanings? MoiraDetroit (talk • contribs) 11:55, 26 September 2008 (UTC)

Guff is definitely widely used in the United States, and not just by babyboomers. I've never heard it used as a verb, but it is used as a noun in several ways: Don't let him give you any guff, Don't take any guff from her, or Don't give him so much guff. Kman543210 (talk) 17:25, 26 September 2008 (UTC)

It's also slang for 'fart' in Britain. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 81.76.74.20 (talk) 16:37, 8 November 2008 (UTC)

Nosh

This word is also a common word in American English, with a similar (but not identical) meaning to the 1st British definition. Here in the States it refers to a snack, or to food grazing, such as the sampling of many dishes at a food fest or brunch. It would not be a big, satisfying meal. Here it originated as a Yiddishism, and is common enough that it is used in advertising and even in the name of businesses that sell a variety of take-out or snacks. Maybe it should be moved to list of words with different meanings?

I am completely charmed by the second definition, but how on earth do you manage to suggest noshing to your sweet baboo without laughing so hard that no actual noshing is possible? MoiraDetroit (talk) 17:00, 26 September 2008 (UTC)

Freephone

I don't think Americans say freephone. They use "toll free." Should this be included?69.20.226.218 (talk) 20:53, 6 October 2008 (UTC)

Americans would generally not understand "freephone", so it should be included. FREEPOST is also a good candidate for inclusion. There's no FREEPOST per se in the States, but Business Reply Mail and Courtesy Reply Mail, which use pre-printed envelopes, are similar. A pre-printed BRM or CRM envelope is generally referred to as a pre-paid envelope. G Sisson 23:04, 6 October 2008 (UTC)

Zimmerframe

How about Zimmerframe? I believe Americans call them walkers. mapryan 12:07, 17 October 2008 (UTC) —Preceding unsigned comment added by Mapryan (talk • contribs)

If a Zimmerframe is a four-legged contraption that unfolds and is used for balance and security in walking, then yes, we Americans call it a walker, and it should be added. (It would be so much easier if we actually had pictures of these things.) MoiraDetroit (talk) 19:32, 20 October 2008 (UTC)

A Zimmerframe is actually a brand name, but used to mean all frames that aid walking. KillerKat (talk) 00:12, 10 February 2009 (UTC)

Wikipedia is not a dictionary

This article is home to a lot of phrases, compound words, expressions, noun and verb phrases. There are several pages that document American and British English differences, this one is ostensibly to document words. When I see a compound word or phrase on this page, which exact words of those am I being told that I don't use often? This list is misleading. Everything I've removed[1], if true, actually belongs on different pages. Synchronism (talk) 16:16, 21 October 2008 (UTC)

So you think a mass deletion is somehow more constructive than, say, moving the page to List of British words or phrases not widely used in the United States? Nick Cooper (talk) 16:23, 21 October 2008 (UTC)

No, but the deletion of disinformation is constructive. I'm not sure where to put all of these unreferenced entries, I am sure they that they don't go here. Do you want to answer my question?Synchronism (talk) 16:32, 21 October 2008 (UTC)

I agree with the sentiment of Nick Cooper. If people find the title misleading, then why not just change it (although I don't think it's a problem the way it is)? There is nothing wrong with including compound words in the list, and the phrases that are included are short two-word phrases. I see no reason to delete them. Kman543210 (talk) 16:30, 21 October 2008 (UTC)

Read the lead section, compounds, especially ones where the constituents are used in both places, don't go here.Synchronism (talk) 16:35, 21 October 2008 (UTC)

Agony aunt, for example does not have a Different Meaning tag, do I assume that Americans know not Agony or Aunt or possibly neither? When I see a compound word or phrase on this page, which exact words of those am I being told that I don't use often?Synchronism (talk) 16:39, 21 October 2008 (UTC)

Whoa, whoa, whoa... Recent additions of answerphone and agony aunt to List of words having different meanings in British and American English simply don't work. In one case there is a BrE meaning and a pointless and invented "common meaning"; in the other case there is a BrE meaning and a translation in the AmE column - but no AmE meaning. Because in both cases they belong here, not there. I have some sympathy with the view that this list should contain words, not phrases, but please let's discuss it first, and please don't dump stuff in the other list that doesn't belong there, just because it doesn't fit one editor's view of what belongs here. SNALWIBMA ( talk - contribs ) 19:22, 21 October 2008 (UTC)

I have reinstated the compound words, pending further discussion. SNALWIBMA ( talk - contribs ) 20:08, 21 October 2008 (UTC)

You have simply modified the scope of the article and not really addressed my concerns [2]. This article and your retroactive editing are childish. I thought compound word was a perfect boundary, now this list can be as boundless as any editors definition of word. Your reversions show no sympathy for my views. Actions speak louder than words. Many entries to List of words having different meanings in British and American English lacked a column of information. Will anyone address my concerns openly?Synchronism (talk) 20:34, 21 October 2008 (UTC)

It is not retroactive editing, it is an attempt to get back a solid basis for a discussion, from which we can reach consensus and move on. As I said, I have considerable sympathy with the view that the list should be confined to words, and should not include phrases, but I'm not sure where best to draw the line. I would exclude, for example, "Bob's your uncle". But I would allow compound words like "agony aunt" - but let's discuss it. As for the things you added to List of words having different meanings in British and American English, it wasn't that they lacked a column of information, but rather that they had only one column of meaningful information, in the BrE column. In other words, they were words/phrases which are not used in AmE, not ones that have a different meaning in AmE. SNALWIBMA ( talk - contribs ) 22:12, 21 October 2008 (UTC)

I think we have - by changing a statement in the lead of the article and offering to slightly rephrase the title. Rmhermen (talk) 20:52, 21 October 2008 (UTC)

That has not answered any of my questions.Are you going to correspondingly change List of American words not widely used in the United Kingdom? Or is this the only unbounded list?Synchronism (talk) 20:57, 21 October 2008 (UTC)

Sure, done. But that doesn't make the lists unbounded. List of British words not widely used in the United States still only contains "British words not widely used in the United States". Rmhermen (talk) 21:07, 21 October 2008 (UTC)

Fair enough. I'm sorry I didn't equally scrutinise(British Spelling appplies here, right?) List of American words not widely used in the United Kingdom. In the end it's better to keep than delete. Happier editing in the future sirs, Synchronism (talk) 21:14, 21 October 2008 (UTC)

Nobody says "deboard" in the US, and barrister is never pejorative. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 138.163.0.41 (talk) 22:43, 26 November 2008 (UTC)

Aggro and Guns

I've heard Amy Lee of Evanescence use the term, and she's as American as can be. Also, the terms "guns" to describe biceps is also popular in the U.S., it's not just a U.K.-centric term. --Crackthewhip775 (talk) 00:42, 18 December 2008 (UTC)

Chamber pot and gormless

While I agree with most of the removals of slang and dialect words, I am not sure about "chamber pot" and "gormless". These are not (in my experience) particularly regional words, and while chamber pot is a little dated (because the articles themselves are relatively unusual these days) I don't know of any other term used in e.g. antique shops. In other words I believe it is the default British word. The question is whether it is widely used in the US. As for gormless, I have heard it used all over the country and I do not believe it is a regional or dialect work these days. Rachel Pearce (talk) 10:24, 2 June 2009 (UTC)

The term "chamber pot" is used in the US. "Gormless" is not (what the heck does it mean)? 76.210.71.124 (talk) 12:08, 13 August 2009 (UTC)

I agree that chamber pot is used on both sides of the Atlantic. As for gormless, I had always understood it as BrE slang for spineless. However, according to the Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, it means:

Definition

gormless

adjective UK INFORMAL

stupid and slow to understand:

He looks really gormless.

— SpikeToronto (talk) 18:04, 13 August 2009 (UTC)

No I have never heard it used to mean "spineless". The Compact Oxford says:

gormless

• adjective Brit. informal stupid or slow-witted.

— DERIVATIVES gormlessly adverb gormlessness noun.

— ORIGIN from dialect gaum understanding, from an Old Norse word meaning ‘care, heed’.

which pretty much conforms to how I would use it. Except I didn't know the derivation which is interesting. So can we put gormless back in? I don't believe it is a dialect word at all and would be understood all over the country. Rachel Pearce (talk) 20:17, 13 August 2009 (UTC)

---

You know, here in Toronto, we get a lot of British television shows on Canadian channels as well as on American PBS. I have to say that I have heard gormless on most of them regardless of what region in the U.K. the show was supposed to be taking place: Cornwall, Manchester, Yorkshire, Scotland, and Ireland, just to name the ones that spring to mind. As an aside, an American dictionary, Webster’s 3d, says that gormless is a variant of gaumless which it defines as follows:

Main Entry: gaum·less
Function: adjective
Etymology: ¹gaum + -less
dialect : lacking comprehension or awareness : dull and stupid

Thus, we know that gaumless is derived from gaum, which is defined as follows:

Main Entry: ¹gaum
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): -s
Etymology: Middle English gome, from Old Norse gaum, gaumr; akin to Old English gieme care, Old High German gouma attention, Old Norse geyma to keep, watch, heed, mind — more at FAVOR
1 dialect England : HEED, ATTENTION
2 dialect England : UNDERSTANDING, PERCEPTION

As for Webster’s saying that gormless is dialect, remember, that edition of Webster’s is over 40 years old. I provide the American entries only as a way to provide the etymology. — SpikeToronto (talk) 00:00, 14 August 2009 (UTC)

---

Scally and Trollop

How about scally and trollop? I don't believe these are really used in America. --96.246.213.75 (talk) 17:05, 29 June 2009 (UTC)

Never heard of the words so they obviously aren't used that much in Britain either. Munci (talk) 09:29, 30 June 2009 (UTC)

I've never heard of "scally" (Related to "scalawag"?)

Trollop = promiscuous, loose woman LizFL (talk) 11:39, 30 June 2009 (UTC)

We don't say trollop in North America. (Trollope is the author.) I think of it as common in Britain, but probably antiquated at this point. I could easily find myself calling my serving wench at the alehouse a trollop if she messed up my order for negus and mead. But I could then end up in the pillory, as so often happens.

I have never heard the word 'scally'.

Varlaam (talk) 20:44, 1 September 2010 (UTC) in Toronto

Scally is a Mancunian word for a Chav. I don't know how it's used in the rest of the country, though. KillerKat (talk) 21:20, 5 June 2011 (UTC)

Scally (isn't it said in Liverpool as well?) is probably too local for this list. I put Wazzock (a Sheffield-based word) in the other day, but is that also too local? And has Grockle spread outside the west country? Totnesmartin (talk) 10:41, 6 June 2011 (UTC)

Wazzock is a term invented specifically for use regarding Tanya.  — Preceding unsigned comment added by 217.33.6.66 (talk) 15:26, 6 December 2011 (UTC) 

"Throw a Wobbly"

Surely this is an Australian colloquialism, not British? 86.161.146.157 (talk) 23:47, 10 August 2009 (UTC)

We use it. -- Earle [^t/_c] 02:27, 23 February 2010 (UTC)

aggro

i can't cite any references, but this has been used since long before the advent of online gaming in my experience, and i'm pretty sure it came into british use from australian soap operas (probably a few others on this page too, did not read it all). 217.112.88.175 (talk) 18:56, 24 August 2009 (UTC)

"Aggro" was in common usage in the rural Northamptonshire of my 1960s childhood, long before Australian soaps had made it to these shores. Rachel Pearce (talk) 22:39, 24 August 2009 (UTC)

Mark for Deletion

I think that this article, and the "list of american words not widely used in great britian" article and several others poorly attempting to subjectively make a distinction between English English and 'American' English should be removed immediately.

Reasons can be read above. For example the "Throw a Wobbly" comment. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.162.33.86 (talk) 06:33, 17 December 2009 (UTC)

Both reasons for deletion given make little sense. Regarding the objectiveness of the article, the use of references avoids the inclusion of personal opinions. The article can be improved, however, if the individual words were referenced, currently there is a bibliography section which should be converted into a reference. For the code for the reuse of a reference see foot note policy.
If there are one or two factual errors in long an article does not warrant the deletion of the whole.
I gave the page a gander and there were really few words, like choong, nicker without the k and some military terms, which I've never heard of, but the rest I have and some of which I often use, including some marked as archaic like codswallop (which is demoralising (along with the fact that the browser suggests writing demoralizing)). On the flipside, I opened the yankee version page and fell instantly ill by the spelling and words (burglarize?).
Nor does it contain kiwi words such as to hoone (=to speed), joker (=chap), tikitour (=around the houses) and tramp (=hike) or Assie words like tucker (=food), bush (=outdoors), walkie (=AWOL) etc.
The words listed herein tend to be colloquial, namely the funnier ones, and some common differing words are not present like trolley (US: cart), aluminium (US: aluminum) cuppa (cup of tea) etc. It may pay off to better differentiate the slang words into categories such dialect, uneducated English ("sounds like she is well fit, man, you know") and BBC English.
Lastly, please do not use uppercase for titles, do not place a comma before "and", do not use "and" twice in a list, do not forget commas around subordinate sentences and most importantly do not use "subjectively" (=in a personal/biased way) in place of objectively (=in an unbiased/scientific way). --Squidonius (talk) 07:42, 28 April 2010 (UTC)

situations vacant (pages), appointments pages

Neither of these seems to be ever used in US English. See also this discussion and this dictionary. --Espoo (talk) 08:37, 28 January 2010 (UTC)

Wonky

I have removed the misguided references to US "wonk," which is a completely different, and probably unrelated, word. A "policy wonk" is not someone whose policies are wonky.Pdronsard (talk) 23:36, 11 March 2010 (UTC)

List of British Words not widely used in Britain

"Bob-cobbled"? Never heard of it, and I'm a native Briton who'se lived in England for decades. "Bobbins" I've also never heard of in the meaning given. I only looked up to "B", there may be others in the list. 84.13.187.167 (talk) 15:37, 30 April 2010 (UTC)

So if I just copy-pasted in half of UrbanDictionary...

would anyone know the difference? OK, I'm being flippant. However, without strong limiting criteria for this list how are we to distinguish it as encyclopaedic content, as opposed to any other user-edited whatever on the web? Interest is not a significant criterion for inclusion in Wikipedia. Does anyone have any suggestions as to how we might go about defining the scope of this list so as to make it fully relevant to the project? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 81.129.41.11 (talk) 20:29, 11 May 2010 (UTC) Howfar (talk) 20:32, 11 May 2010 (UTC)

Nonce used in US

The word nonce (in a context appropriate to the second definition) appears quite frequently without quotation marks or explanation, in the scholarly "The American Language", by H.L, Mencken, edited by Raven I. McDavid, with contributions from David W. Maurer. (Knopf, 1982). This reflects my own experience of hearing it used in recent discussions (in both the U.S. and Canada) of words and language. I would suggest the second definition be removed from the article

Hello Merovingian

I say, I know you're reading this so listen up. Smibbly bibbly is a term that has been invented before, and actually is mainly used in Great Britain. Saying otherwise is nothing more than denial and a obvious showing of anger on your part. Also, bandwagoning is a bad thing to do my good sir or madam. Please pick a team and stick with it through and through, no matter what problems arise. Thank you and good day sir or madam!

~Englishman —Preceding unsigned comment added by 70.52.185.137 (talk) 23:58, 6 July 2010 (UTC)

>implying boards.4chan.org/sp/ is a forum. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 64.13.12.217 (talk) 00:39, 7 July 2010 (UTC)

cold on the cob

i think that "cold on the cob" be added to the list, because since i have moved to the U.S.A, i have only heard people call cold-on-the-cob "Popsicles", which i think is just a popular brand name here. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.117.214.163 (talk) 04:06, 7 July 2010 (UTC)

Edit request

{{edit request}} {{editsemiprotected}} Could someone add the phrase "Mexican wave" to the list? I was listening to some British commentators and they used this phrase and I had no idea what they were refering to. Thank you and have a great day! Article is protected so I need some help. 74.94.86.1 (talk) 16:55, 7 July 2010 (UTC)

Not done: {{edit semi-protected}} is not required for edits to unprotected pages. Salvio ( ^{Let's talk 'bout it!}) 10:36, 8 July 2010 (UTC)

Biscuit?

I've not heard americans use biscuit before, it's cookie for them isn't it? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 91.84.117.232 (talk) 21:16, 10 July 2010 (UTC)

Yes, but biscuit does have a meaning in American English (a cross between a scone and a dumpling), and therefore it does not belong here but on List of words having different meanings in British and American English, where you will find it. Rachel Pearce (talk) 09:25, 18 July 2010 (UTC)

Northern and Scottish words

There are, of course, large vocabularies there and, I assume, articles that address them in detail.
But there are also a handful of terms which can be used on a television programme, for example, for regional flavour, or local colour. Those words will be understood by everyone in Surrey or Hampshire, but not necessarily by anyone in North America. A sentence otherwise in standard English might have a single word put in for colour.
The equivalent in the US might be to insert y'all in order to have the character labelled as a Southerner.
I am thinking of a very modest group of words, like wee, bairn, nowt, summat, and so on. Is it worthwhile adding that handful?
The See Also section could also point to some other regional vocabulary lists.
Varlaam (talk) 18:22, 1 September 2010 (UTC)

There may be 1 or 2 words which are routinely used in programmes to establish a character as Cornish or West Country, in addition to the obvious accents. You know, those few simple words that little children first learn to notice as markers for people from various parts of their country. "People from there always say this that way." Varlaam (talk) 19:57, 1 September 2010 (UTC)

There are articles that discuss dialects, see List of dialects of the English language for a selection. Some go into vocabulary (e.g. Yorkshire dialect), but not all of them do. I think it would be great to have an article that pulls together some of the less common British vocabulary; it could be tabled (as List of words having different meanings in British and American English: A–L is) with columns for the meanings in different regions/dialects. I couldn't find anything like this (which surprises me a little).
I'm sure that most of the words aren't appropriate for this list though, that would make it "the list of not commonly used British words also not commonly used in the United States", . Wee has possibly travelled enough of Britain to qualify, but even then it should go in List of words having different meanings in British and American English: M–Z and not here. Hope that helps at least a little bit! Maedin\^talk 12:01, 2 September 2010 (UTC)

Tap

Is it true that British and Canadians say tap but Americans only say faucet? Varlaam (talk) 21:19, 1 September 2010 (UTC)

No, tap and faucet are used interchangeably in the United States. Maedin\^talk 06:12, 2 September 2010 (UTC)

But actually, there is a difference. Faucet is what you turn on; tap is what the water comes out of. In a few cases, we Americans do make the distinction.

We here in the US often speak of "tap" water. LizFL (talk) 05:02, 19 September 2010 (UTC)

Ephemeral slang

I am looking at the two latest additions.
Perhaps the introductory paragraph could be stronger on the subject of the exclusion of neologisms or other ephemera?
Varlaam (talk) 16:08, 2 September 2010 (UTC)

Move char to List of words having different meanings in British and American English?

Should char be moved? "Char" (blacken with heat) exists in both. But it's not "list of words for which both have a common meaning" (even though some words there do fall under that) If it were moved, then probably would affect char/cha (tea) and char/charwoman/charlady (tealady), all moving to a single "char" entry in LoWHDMiBaAE. —Preceding unsigned comment added by DewiMorgan (talk • contribs) 17:00, 26 September 2010 (UTC)

Regional dialectical terms: exclude from this list?

I removed "owt" and "nowt" from the list as regional slang, based on prior discussion on this talk page. These removals were reverted with "Regional, yes. Common, yes. I've heard this in a panto in Toronto." Now, I do not feel that Toronto is a very good source for UK use, and nor is a single use in one item of popular media.

But, I thought I'd better find out what the consensus is. Could well be that I'm in the minority.

My argument against including dialectical terms is simple: there is a huge number of dialects, each of which has a huge number of unique words, as well as unique meanings for existing words. Certainly, many of these dialects are understood throughout the UK, or even the world, but it is far better to create a new list for each dialect (e.g. List of Cornish dialect words), than to clog these lists up with terms that are not common to at least roughly the whole of the UK/US. There are plenty of dialect pages linked from British English#Dialects. However, it could be that these terms are felt to be sufficiently useful to people coming to this page, that consensus is they should stay. In which case I'm fine with that, and will keep an eye out for other commonly used and widespread dialectical terms. - DewiMorgan (talk) 15:09, 3 October 2010 (UTC)

Merge with another article on the same subject

I think that this should be merged with one of the many other pages on exactly this subject, possibly to create a page called something like "words and phrases that differ between AmE and BrE". Billaar (talk) 13:17, 20 March 2011 (UTC)

A list of words only used in Britain is intrinsically different from a list of words used in both Britain and America. Are you proposing merging them into one ginormous list?

Clock watching

Surely this is used and understood in America? Maybe there's a difference re hyphenization, or perhaps, since plural form is given, the term "clock-watching" is used in the UK to refer to the person who engages in this act. If so, this should be made more clear.173.30.155.124 (talk) 14:49, 27 June 2011 (UTC)

friend of Dorothy

"a lesbian. This expression originated in the United States and is in common use there, although in the US it generally refers to a gay man."

Really? Citation? It means a gay man in the UK too, from the affection in which Judy Garland (who played Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz) was once held by gay men. — 194.74.1.82 (talk) 14:25, 20 July 2011 (UTC)

"Baby Minder"

It's "Childminder", not "Baby Minder". Just have to do a google search. "Baby minder" gets 100k hits. "Childminder" gets 21m. Naznomarn (talk) 21:34, 24 July 2011 (UTC)

Yes, it's "baby sitter" and "child minder" in the UK. I've never heard of a baby minder. Totnesmartin (talk) 07:07, 25 July 2011 (UTC)

"Return"

I suggest that an entry be added for "return", for its British usage equivalent to "round-trip". "Return fare" is fare for going to AND from a destination, not just for returning FROM the destination — Preceding unsigned comment added by 207.140.179.13 (talk) 19:43, 19 September 2011 (UTC)

Boot

If "bonnet" is in this list for the U.S. "hood", then it should also include "boot" for the U.S. "trunk" (of an automobile). 207.140.179.13 (talk) 21:46, 10 November 2011 (UTC)

Yes HiLo48 (talk) 22:23, 10 November 2011 (UTC)

Coolybox and Nutty gum

Are these real or just 4chan dreck? Rmhermen (talk) 04:05, 2 December 2011 (UTC) Neither. Reddit has been having a field day. Not sure if these are actual slang, though. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.206.172.196 (talk) 04:25, 19 December 2011 (UTC)

I'm not sure. We need someone well versed in British slang to separate the Reddit crap from the real phrases. Mattbash (talk) 04:29, 19 December 2011 (UTC)

Nutty gum for sure is, I have a British friend who is big into peanut butter and he's always calling it that. Not sure about "Coolybox". — Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.41.207.232 (talk) 04:33, 19 December 2011 (UTC) At risk of more hellishness, I could consult /int/ as to which of these phrases are correct. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.206.172.196 (talk) 04:35, 19 December 2011 (UTC) I've heard Coolybox used quite frequently in the lancashire area. I think it might have even ended up in New Zealand as the similar "Chilly-bin" 122.148.97.86 (talk) 04:42, 19 December 2011 (UTC)

Most of these are fake, if the article wasn't locked I'd remove them. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Nipponcarisbestcar (talk • contribs) 05:01, 19 December 2011 (UTC)

Cha/Char derived from Chinese

Surely, if tea was introduced into the UK by Catherine de Braganza, then the British term "Cha" comes not from the Chinese but from the Portuguese "Chá", which is itself the one that comes from the Chinese? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 193.137.239.168 (talk) 19:59, 19 December 2011 (UTC)

Dibs?

Where in Britain does 'dibs' mean 'cash'?! I hear it a lot and only ever to mean a claim on something or someone apparently up for grabs. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 203.184.2.204 (talk) 10:29, 23 February 2012 (UTC)

Agreed. PRL42 (talk) 15:03, 13 March 2012 (UTC)

Foot path

This entry looked as if it was written from someone who was not from the UK: I've edited it (be bold) but I'm a little concerned that I may have added a SE bias. Specific changes are: 1) It usually one word or hyphenated. 2) It is not used for a wide path that runs from the adjacent property to the road (delineated by a kerb). 3) It is not necessarily alongside a road at all. PRL42 (talk) 15:03, 13 March 2012 (UTC)