Glossary of American terms not widely used in the United Kingdom

This is a list of American words not widely used in the United Kingdom.

• Words with specific American meanings that have different meanings in British English and/or additional meanings common to both dialects (e.g. pants, crib) are to be found at List of words having different meanings in British and American English, as are compounds derived from such words (e.g. crib death). When such words are herein used or referenced, they are marked with the flag [DM].

• Asterisks (*) denote words and meanings having appreciable (that is, not occasional) currency in British English, but nonetheless distinctive of American English for their relatively greater frequency in American speech and writing. Americanisms are increasingly common in British English, and many that were not widely used some decades ago, are now so (e.g. regular in the sense of "regular coffee").

• American spelling is consistently used throughout the article, except when explicitly referencing British terms.

0-9

101

(pronounced "one-oh-one") label for introductory college courses ("English 101"), figuratively denoting something intended for beginners ("real estate 101")
U.S. Highway 101 (said as "the 101" in Southern California)

411

(pronounced "four-one-one"; colloquial) information about something (from 4-1-1, directory assistance number)

5-0

(pronounced "five-oh", often "the five-oh"; colloquial) the police (from Hawaii Five-O, an American television series)

A

AC

air conditioning (UK: air con)

acclimate

(verb) (UK usually: acclimatise, acclimatize)

acetaminophen (or Tylenol)

(UK: paracetamol)

addicting

(UK and US: addictive)

affirmative action

(UK: positive discrimination)

airplane

fixed-wing aircraft. Alteration of UK aeroplane, probably influenced by aircraft.

AMBER alert

see article

amtrac

Landing Vehicle Tracked (not to be confused with Amtrak, the passenger railroad corporation)

arugula, rugola

the herb also known as rocket or garden rocket. Borrowed from southern Italian dialect in the early 1960s ("Ask Italian greengrocers for arugula, rucola or ruccoli; ask other markets for rouquette, rocket salad or, simply, rocket." — The New York Times, May 24, 1960, in OED).

B

baby carriage

pushable vehicle for transporting babies, also called stroller, buggy or regionally baby coach (UK: perambulator (old-fashioned or formal), pram, or, for the type that an older baby sits rather than lies in, pushchair)

bachelorette

an unmarried woman

backhoe

a piece of excavating equipment (UK usually digger, mechanical digger, excavator, or JCB, genericized trademark)

ballpark

a baseball stadium; a range of approximation or accuracy ("in the ballpark"; "a ballpark figure") *

Band-Aid *

(trademark) bandage for minor wounds, (UK: Elastoplast (trademark), plaster [DM]); also, a makeshift solution

bangs

front part of the hair cut to hang over the forehead (UK: a fringe)

barf

to vomit (slang) (throw up)

barrette

hair slide

baseboard

skirting board

bathtub, tub

(UK: bath)

bayou

(from Louisiana French) an often marshy slow-moving minor watercourse, usually located in a low-lying area (as in the Mississippi River delta region of the southern United States)

bedroom community

a commuter town or suburb (UK: dormitory town [DM])

bell pepper

a mild (not spicy) red or green pepper or capsicum in Australian English and Indian English

blacktop

a road surface [DM] composed of asphalt concrete; also a verb ("to blacktop a parking lot") (UK: compare tarmac)

blinders

(on a horse) (UK: blinkers)

blood sausage

black pudding

boardwalk

a walkway usually made of planking, typically along a beach (as that of Atlantic City)

bobby pin

hair grip, Kirby grip

booger

(slang) a piece of nasal mucus (UK: bogey)

bookmobile

a large vehicle housing a mobile lending library (UK: mobile library)

boombox

a large portable stereo, syn. with ghettoblaster, which is also American in origin but is common in the UK.

boondocks

(also the boonies) rough country; a very rural location or town; backwoods; the "sticks". Sometimes refers to rough, poor neighborhoods in a city. From Tagalog.

boondoggle

slang term for a scheme that wastes time and money; also scoubidou, a knotting and plaiting craft

Botts' dot

see raised pavement marker (UK: cat's eye)

breadbox

(UK: usually bread bin)

bro

from brother; informal for a brother, or a friend or pal (UK: bruv, mate)

broil

to cook food with high heat with the heat applied directly to the food from above (UK: grill) [DM]. Apparently first used by Chaucer.

brownstone

a type of residential building found in New York and other large cities

buddy, bud

a friend; also used as a term of address (UK similar: mate)

bullhorn

a megaphone

burglarize

to carry out a burglary (UK: burgle; burgle is very rare in US, and burglarize virtually nonexistent in UK)

busboy

junior restaurant worker assisting waiting staff, table clearer, water pourer etc. (UK: busser; runner)

butte

an isolated hill with steep sides and a small flat top

C

caboose

a train car attached usually to the rear mainly for the crew's use (UK: guard's van or brake van); also (colloquial) the buttocks

Canadian bacon

Ham, usually pressed and sliced back bacon.

candy

All-encompassing term for sweets and chocolates. Usage differs in context: candy store (UK: sweet shop/store), candy aisle (UK: confectionery aisle)

candy apple*, candied apple

toffee apple

canola

a trademarked variety of rapeseed

careen

(of a vehicle) to travel fast and out of control, usually swerving or cornering (UK: career)

carhop

someone serving food at a drive-in, often on rollerskates

catercorner

(or catercornered, catacorner, kitty-corner, catty-corner, etc.) (adverb) diagonally, diagonally opposite ("The house looks catercorner to mine"). Cater Corner is the original form (from the French ‘quatre’ and English 'corner' = four + corner), but the forms kitty corner and catty corner (folk etymology) are usual in speech, the former especially in the North and the latter in the Midland and South. Sometimes (dialectal, regional) also kitty/catty wampus/wumpus (unclearly derived), which can also mean "awry".

catsup

occasionally used term for ketchup that never sees use in the UK.

cell phone

(short for cellular telephone) a portable telephone; UK: mobile phone, often abbreviated to mobile

central air

central air conditioning

ChapStick *

(trademark, sometimes used generically) a lip balm

checkers

a popular board game (UK: draughts)

charge account

in a store or shop (UK: credit account)

checking account

the type of bank account used for drawing checks; distinguished from savings account. (UK: current account or cheque account)

cilantro

coriander leaf, while in the US, coriander refers only to the seed.

cookie

Used as a general term for all types of biscuit. Used predominantly in the UK to refer specifically to a chocolate chip cookie, or a variation.

cookout

informal meal cooked and eaten outdoors, a cross between a picnic and a barbecue

co-ed, coed

female student at a coeducational college (e.g. "He saw the party as an opportunity to meet co-eds."); any group of people with members from both genders (e.g. "My soccer team is co-ed."). No UK variation exists for either of these terms.

cooties

fictional disease, a term used by children (UK: lurgy); also a term for lice

costume party

party where costumes are worn (UK: fancy-dress party)

cotton candy

spun sugar often sold at fairs (UK: candy floss)

counterclockwise

(UK: anti-clockwise)

coveralls

a one-piece outer protective garment (UK: overall, boiler suit)

critter

(informal) a creature; an animal (as a horse in the South or a bull in the North); often used jocularly (as in "congresscritter", a congressperson); sometimes a term of endearment

crapshoot

risky and uncertain venture; from a dice game

D

diaper

An absorbent undergarment (UK: nappy)

dime

a 10-cent coin; five-and-dime, dime store, a store selling cheap merchandise; a dime a dozen, so abundant as to be worth little; on a dime, in a small space ("turn on a dime") or immediately ("stop on a dime"); nickel-and-dime, originally an adjective meaning "involving small amounts of money" and then "insignificant", also a verb meaning "to rip-off via many seemingly insignificant charges". (The nickel [DM] is the 5-cent coin.) In Britain, the old sixpence, a small coin worth the equivalent of 2.5p, was formerly used in similar expressions before decimal currency was introduced in the early 1970s.

direct deposit

a method of payment by bank transfer, similar to European giro, almost exclusively used for deposits of pay checks or government benefits

dishrag

a cloth for washing dishes (UK: dishcloth)

dish towel

a towel for drying dishes (UK: tea towel)

divided highway

a road with a highway median (UK: dual carriageway)

docent

a university lecturer; also a volunteer guide in a museum or similar institution

doohickey

word used for an unknown item (a thingamajig or just a thingy) (UK: wotsit)

douche

device for rinsing the vagina

downspout

pipe for carrying rainwater from a gutter to the ground (UK & US: drainpipe)

downtown

(noun, adv., adj.) (in, to, toward, or related to) either the lower section or the business center of a city or town—compare uptown, see article for New York City usage; (noun) in basketball, far from the basket (as outside the three-point line)—used of a shot; (adj., adv., noun) a euphemism to describe oral sex, the act of performing oral sex, or to refer to genitalia

driver license, driver's license

(UK: driving licence)

drugstore

a pharmacy, or a store selling candy, magazines, etc. along with medicines (UK approx.: chemist or "corner shop" [DM])

druthers

preference of one thing over another derived from a contraction of "I would rather" or "I'd rather" (e.g. "if I had my druthers, I'd...")

drywall

gypsum board, plasterboard, or any process that builds interior walls without the use of water (UK: plasterboard)

duct tape (or Duck tape)

(UK: "gaffer tape")

dude

A male or a farm hand at a horse ranch. Americans often use this as the combined equivalent of the British usage of "mate" and "bloke", or, even closer, as the equivalent of Caribbean "man/mon". Dude has become more common in the UK because of television, movies, etc.

Dumpster

(trademark: might be becoming genericized) large trash receptacle (UK approx.: skip [DM]); to dumpster-dive, to rummage through a Dumpster

dweeb

a boring, studious, or socially inept person

E

eggplant

the plant Solanum melongena (UK: aubergine; "eggplant" is common in the Commonwealth outside the United Kingdom, however, due to the fact that a 19th century fad for using French culinary terms never caught on in the colonies or America).

eminent domain

the power of the government to take private property for public use (similar to UK compulsory purchase)

English muffin

(UK: "muffin", "hot muffin" "American muffin") (for more, see article)

envision

to envisage

expiration

As in expiration date. British English uses "expiry" and "expiry date"

expressway

A type of multi-lane divided highway

exurb

The ring of prosperous rural communities beyond the suburbs, see Commuter town

F

fanny pack

pouch-like bag that ties or snaps around the wearer's waist (UK: bum bag). See also fanny in [DM].

faucet

water outlet (UK and US: tap [DM])

feedlot *

(see article)

flack

a publicist or press agent; sometimes also an alternate spelling of flak "negative commentary", which is used in the UK. Although flack "press agent" was first recorded just one year after flak "Flugabwehrkanone", the two are likely unrelated.

flashlight

portable battery-powered electric lamp (UK: torch)

flatware

knives, spoons, and forks (as opposed to holloware); (UK usually cutlery [DM], although flatware is used in the UK antiques trade as a specialist word)

freeway

(see article)

French press

Device for making coffee (UK: cafetière)

freshman *

a first-year student in college or high school (also fresher in UK)

(French) fries

pieces of potato that have been deep-fried. Originates from Belgium style of cooking potatoes (UK sometimes distinguishes between thick chips [DM] and thin fries)

G

garbage

(UK: rubbish)

gasoline

(esp. in the past also spelled gasolene; abbreviated gas) (UK: petrol)

gee-whiz

as an interjection, a euphemism for "Jesus"; as an adjective, denotes something characterized by or meant to cause excitement or sensation ("gee-whiz technology"; "a gee-whiz attitude")

general delivery

(UK: poste restante)

green thumb

(UK: green fingers)

grifter *

a con artist, transient swindler, or professional gambler (UK: con man)

gotten

Archaic in the UK, only found as part of the phrase 'ill-gotten gains'.

grits

A maize (sweetcorn) porridge common in the southern U.S. and unknown in the UK

grunt

Slang for infantryman : (UK: squaddie)

H

half bath

a bathroom [DM] that lacks a shower or bathtub (i.e., a bathroom which lacks a place to actually bathe.) Equivalent to a British W.C. or Cloakroom

heavy cream

double cream (UK)

hickey

a bruise on one's skin resulting from kissing or sucking; (UK: love bite)

highball

(see article)

ho

The word "whore", synonymous with tramp (harlot) or slut and often used as an insult. The spelling is associated with African-American English, though it does no more than reflect a non-Rhotic pronunciation of the standard word, as would be also found in Boston or Australia. May be referred to in Ireland as a dirty slapper.

hobo

subculture of wandering homeless people,[1] particularly those who make a habit of hopping freight trains. Becoming more popular in the UK

homemaker

The British National Corpus contains 634 occurrences of housewife and 18 of homemaker; the BYU Corpus of American English contains 972 occurrences of housewife and 633 of homemaker.

hominy

processed maize, see also grits

hood

engine compartment cover of front-engine automobile (UK: bonnet)

play hooky

to play truant from school; to cut class (UK also: skive, bunk off)

horseback riding

simply "riding" or horse riding in the UK

howdy

(short for how do you do) casual greeting that originated in the Southern States.

HVAC

Heating + Ventilating (or Ventilation) + Air Conditioning (used in technical circles in the UK)

I

intimate apparel

lingerie; used mainly in advertisements.

J

jack off, jerk off *

(slang) to masturbate, UK usage would be "to wank". If used as a disparaging noun, as in "that guy is such a jackoff [or jerkoff]", the UK equivalent would be "that guy is such a wanker [or tosser]". In this sense, sometimes written "jagoff". (It is generally not considered as vulgar or insulting as "wanker" is, however.)

Jane Doe

See John Doe.

Jell-o

(trademark) gelatin dessert (UK: jelly [DM])

john

(slang) a toilet; also, the client of a prostitute

John Doe

unnamed defendant or victim (as in a lawsuit), or a person whose identity is unknown or is intended to be anonymous; also, an average man ; compare John Q. Public (UK equivalent is Joe Bloggs, or John Smith). The female equivalent is Jane Doe, or less frequently "Jane Roe" as in Roe v. Wade. Also Baby Doe.

John Hancock

a signature (from the name of the President of the Second Continental Congress, who was the first signer of the United States Declaration of Independence) and who also wrote his signature the largest ("put your John Hancock here")

John Q. Public

the common man, typical member of the general public. Also stated as Joe Public, Joe Blow, Joe Schmoe, Joe Six-Pack, Eddie Punchclock, or Joe Lunchbucket. (UK: Joe Bloggs)

K

kitty-corner

see catercorner

L

ladybug

(UK: ladybird)

laundromat

(UK: laundrette)

learner's permit

a restricted license for a person learning to drive, who has not yet passed the necessary driver's test (rules vary from state to state); also called driver's permit (UK: provisional licence)

left field *

a source of unexpected or illogical questions, ideas, etc. ("that proposal came out of left field"); for the baseball sense see left fielder; see English language idioms derived from baseball (now becoming more common in the UK)

letter carrier

a person who delivers mail to residences and businesses; also mail carrier, mailman, mailwoman (UK: postman, postwoman)

license plate, license tag

vehicle registration plate (UK: number plate)

lye

caustic soda (sodium hydroxide) or potassium hydroxide (archaic in UK)

M

mail carrier

a person who delivers mail to residences and businesses; also letter carrier (UK & US: postman, postwoman, although people are encouraged to use Postal Worker, in an effort to prevent sexism.)

mailman

see mail carrier

mailbox

(UK: post box, letter box, pillar box)

math

mathematics (UK: maths)

midsize

medium size

Miranda

(Miranda warning) the warning usually "You have the right to remain silent. If you give up that right, anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law." etc.) given to criminal suspects when arrested; (Miranda rights) the right of a criminal suspect when arrested, as established in the United States Supreme Court case Miranda v. Arizona; hence mirandize, to recite the Miranda warning to (a criminal suspect). Usually referred to as "caution" in the UK - "He was cautioned as to his rights" or more simply, "He was cautioned"

mohawk

a type of haircut (UK: mohican)

mom, mommy, mama, mamma, momma

mother (UK often: mum[my])

mom-and-pop

single-family operated small business ("a mom-and-pop store") (UK: corner shop/store)

mono / mononucleosis

(UK: Glandular fever)

mortician

an undertaker, funeral director

N

narc

law enforcement narcotics agent; but 'to narc on' someone is to inform on them to an authority figure, used also as a noun labeling a person who does such (UK: Grass) (This term is also used in New Zealand)

New York minute

see New York minute (time)

nightstand

encompassed by bedside table

normalcy

normality. Used, although not coined, by Warren G. Harding ("a return to normalcy")

O

obligated

(UK: "obliged")

off-the-rack

of clothes, etc. (UK: off-the-peg)

oftentimes *

often (archaic in Britain but colloquial in America, especially clause-initially)

ornery

irritable, crotchety, cranky, troublemaking (from ordinary)

ouster

ousting, overthrow ("the ouster of a regime"; "the ouster of the CEO")

outage *

temporary suspension of operation ("a power outage", UK: powercut); the amount of something lost in storage or transportation [DM]

overpass *

(UK: flyover)

P

pacifier

(UK: dummy [DM], comforter [DM])

pantyhose

(UK: tights, a term used for similar non-sheer garments in the U.S.; "pantyhose" refers only to sheer or semi-sheer nylon-based tights)

paper route

a regular series of newspaper deliveries (UK: paper round)

parking garage

multi-storey car park

parking lot

a usually outside area for the parking of automotive vehicles (UK: car park)

penny-ante

(adj.) petty, insignificant -- from penny ante, poker played for a very low ante

Popsicle

A trademarked brand of frozen juice, or flavored ice on a stick. The term is widely used to describe all such confections without regard to brand. (UK: ice lolly)

plastic wrap

polymer material for sealing food items (UK: cling-film)

plumber's butt or plumber's crack

buttock cleavage (UK: builder's bum or builder's cleavage)

plushie, plush toy

soft toy (UK: cuddly toy)

powdered sugar

(UK: icing sugar)

pre-authorized payment/withdrawal

(UK: direct debit (variable amount)/standing order (fixed amount))

public holiday

(UK: bank holiday, although public holiday is also used, more formally, when referring to New Year's Day, Good Friday, Christmas Day, and Boxing Day). See Federal holiday

R

raincheck

The metaphorical raincheck is used in the US to indicate that the person "taking the raincheck" regretfully cannot accept the current invitation but would like to be invited to the host's next event. In the UK the person "taking the raincheck" may attend an event, but is warning the host that there is a possibility that they may not be able to make it. Both usages are becoming more common in UK English, particularly amongst office workers.

raised pavement marker

commonly called reflector, Botts' dot or cat's eye (UK: cat's eye)

rappel

to descend on a rope (UK: abseil)

Realtor (trademark)

member of the National Association of Realtors; as a genericized trademark, any real estate broker or real estate agent (UK: estate agent)

recision

a cancellation ("This bill would authorize the recision of the adult day health care license"). Now rare in the UK; a different word from rescission

roil

to render muddy by stirring up the dregs of; as, to roil wine, cider, etc., in casks or bottles; to roil a spring; also, to disquiet or disturb

roustabout

an unskilled laborer, especially at an oil field, at a circus, or on a ship

rowhouse

(UK: terraced house)

Rube Goldberg

Absurdly complex machine (see Heath Robinson).

rutabaga

the turnip Brassica napus napobrassica (UK: swede)

RV (recreational vehicle)

see article for usage of the terms RV, motor home, and the British camper [DM] and caravan [DM]

RV park

(UK: caravan site or less usually caravan park)

S

Saran wrap

(Saran is a trademark) in the UK this would be referred to as "cling film"

sawbuck

sawhorse; also a ten dollar bill

scallion *

also used in Ireland; also known as spring onion in Great Britain and the US

sedan automobile

(UK: saloon)

self rising flour

self-raising flour

shill *

A shill is a person who is supposed to appear like a member of the general public who usually attempts to lend credibility or excitement to a confidence scheme e.g. a person who claims to have received benefit from snake oil. Recently popularized by eBay ("shill bidding" or bidding to drum up excitement with no intention of buying). The UK equivalent to a shill would be a "plant", from having someone "planted" in an audience or amongst bystanders. The term "plant" is equally used and understood in the United States.

shuck

the husk of an ear of corn(maize), an oyster shell, etc.; used in plural to mean something worthless or as an interjection ("shucks!"); (verb) to remove the shuck; also, to discard, get rid of, remove ("I shucked my coat")

Shyster

A lawyer or accountant of dubious ethical standards. This phrase commonly indicates a person with no ethical restraints. (From German Scheister)

sidewalk

usually paved path for pedestrian traffic, often constructed of paving slabs (either of concrete or less usually of stone) (UK: pavement [DM], footpath [DM]). A sidewalk superintendent is someone spectating a construction or demolition job - UK: bystander (but no specific term)

skim milk

(UK: skimmed milk)

s'more

A camp fire treat consisting of a roasted marshmallow and a slab of chocolate sandwiched between two pieces of graham cracker.

sneaker

(usually pl.) a form of footwear, also called tennis shoe or "gym shoe"—see regional vocabularies of American English (UK: trainer, plimsoll, regional dap,pump, [DM])

soda fountain

(see article)

sophomore

a second-year college or high school student (Trinity College Dublin has sophister in this sense); (adj.) the second in a series (as in, an athlete's "sophomore season", a band's "sophomore album") From the Greek: Sophos - Wise; and Moros - Fool, Moron (UK: undergraduate has this extended sense)

specialty *

(UK: speciality, though specialty is used in law and medicine)

spyglass

a telescope or set of lenses used to observe subjects at distance
(Once common in UK usage, but now only in dialect.)

station wagon

automobile with extended rear cargo area (UK: estate (car))

steam shovel

a large mechanical excavator

stickshift, stick

(car with) manual transmission, as opposed to an automatic (UK: gear stick or gear lever for the stick; manual for the car)

stool pigeon, stoolie

police informer (UK: grasser) (From the use of captive birds as hunting decoys)

streetcar

vehicle on rails for passenger transportation [DM] usually within a city; also called trolley [DM] or trolley car if electrically powered by means of a trolley (UK: tram)

stroller

vehicle for baby transportation featuring the child in a sitting position, usually facing forward (UK: pushchair, buggy [DM])

SUV *

Sport-Utility Vehicle. Often referred to as a 4x4 ("four by four") in the UK; in the US "4x4" usually refers to a four wheel drive pickup truck.

T

taffy

a type of chewy candy; see taffy (candy)

tailpipe

exhaust pipe

takeout

(UK: takeaway; Scotland & US also: carry-out)

teeter(-totter), teeterboard

a seesaw

telecast

to broadcast by television

teleprompter

(see article) (UK: compare autocue)

thru

Through. An abbreviation mostly used in the fast food industry, as in Drive Thru. Also used in traffic signs ("Thru Traffic Keep Left", i.e. traffic that is continuing through an interchange rather than exiting should keep to the left) and occasionally road names ("New York State Thruway") and sometimes in newspaper headlines. Generally not considered acceptable spelling in other contexts.

thumbtack

short nail or pin with a large, rounded metal head (UK: drawing pin)

track and field *

(UK usually athletics [DM]); see also track [DM]

trackless trolley

a trolleybus; see trolley in [DM]

trashcan

(UK: dustbin, rubbish bin)

trunk

rear storage compartment of a sedan automobile (UK: boot)

turnpike

(see article)

turn signal

direction-indicator lights (US also directionals; UK usually indicators or flashers[DM]; US and UK also blinkers [DM])

two-bit

literally, worth 25 cents (a bit is an eighth of a dollar); figuratively, worth very little, insignificant (informal). In UK the phrase two bob exists although this far more common in London and the south-east. Likewise mickey mouse.

two cents, two cents' worth

an opinion, a piece of one's mind (as in, "I'm gonna go down there and give him my two cents") - (UK similar: two pence, two penneth, two penn'orth or tuppence worth)

U

undershirt

an upper undergarment with no collar, and with short or no sleeves, worn next to the skin under a shirt (UK: singlet, vest [DM], semmit in Scotland and Northern Ireland[1])

upscale

relating to goods targeted at high-income consumers; upmarket

uptown

(noun, adj., adv.) (in, to, toward, or related to) either the upper section or the residential district of a city; e.g. in Manhattan, New York City the term refers to the northern end of Manhattan, generally speaking, north of 59th Street; see also Uptown, Minneapolis; Uptown, Chicago; Uptown New Orleans; compare downtown. Often has implications of being a desirable or upscale neighborhood. However, in Butte, Montana and Charlotte, North Carolina, "Uptown" refers to what would be called "downtown" in most other cities.

V

vacationer

someone taking a vacation [DM] (UK: holidaymaker)

vacay

informal shortening of vacation (comparable to UK hols)

variety meats

offal

varmint

pest which raids farms, rather than infesting them

W

washcloth

(UK: flannel, UK often & US less frequently facecloth; US less frequently also washrag)

washrag

See washcloth.

wastebasket

synonym for trash can (UK: dustbin; wastepaper basket is an interior object for waste from each room.)

weatherization

weatherproofing of buildings

windshield

the front window of an automobile (UK: windscreen)

winningest

Most winning; (sports) having the most wins

wiseguy

a mobster; also smartass ("alright, wiseguy...")

woodsy

abundant in trees, suggestive of woods; woody, wooded

Y

Y'all

(regional — Southern American, African-American, and Appalachian) contraction of You all, used as second-person dual or plural pronoun. Also all y'all, comparable in meaning and register to north-English and Scottish "youse, yous".

yellow light

as in the color at a stoplight (q.v.) or traffic lights. In the UK, this is referred to as an amber light (though railway signals are a different shade, and are referred to as yellow, not amber). In the UK, the red and amber light together immediately in advance of the green (giving a light sequence of 1.red, 2.red and amber (together), 3.green, 4.amber (alone), 5.red).

Yinz, yunz, you'uns

(Western Pennsylvania, especially Pittsburgh) plural you; derived from you ones

Z

zinger

a witty, often caustic remark; something supposed to cause surprise or shock

ZIP code

(for Zone Improvement Plan) the postal code used by the United States Postal Service composed of 5 digits as in 90210, sometimes a suffix of 4 digits after a hyphen is used. (UK equivalent: postcode or post code or rarely postal code)

zipper *

(UK usually zip [DM])

zucchini

the plant Cucurbita pepo, also zucchini squash. (UK: courgette)