Americanisms and Britishisms - from candy to trunk

I notice queries about American and British English in the comments of the Daily Mail online. If you read any American newspaper or news report, you will see Americanisms. w

I was in a hotel in California, trying to check out before the deadline of mid-day. I phoned down and asked, "Could you please send up a porter."

I waited and waited. Nobody arrived.

I phoned again and said, "Please send a porter. I asked for a porter ten minutes ago. If you want me out of this room by mid-day, you must send me a porter. You must have a porter. I've seen three or four of them."

After a pause, the lady on reception replied, "Ma-am, I will gladly send you a porter, if you tell me what it is."

I replied, "It's a person help  carry your suitcases, your luggage, baggage. On a trolley."

"Ah! I know what you mean. You call that a porter?"

'What do you say?"

"The bell-hop."

(Other terms you might come across in hotels are concierge and doorman.)

Now let's have a look at some other words I came across in the USA, and have read in the newspapers since then.

 UK - USA squash - cordial, drink which consists of diluted fruit juice and added sugar. (Check ingredients on bottle.) 

Giving a present - gifting a gift.

American English - British English

candy (candies) - sweet(s)

cookie - biscuit

bellhop - porter 

diaper - nappy

eraser - rubber

gift - give

hack - tip

hood (of car) bonnet

make a right - turn right

rubber - contraceptive (Durex)

squash - cordial

trunk (of car) - boot

British English - American English

biscuit - cookie

bonnet (of car) - hood 

boot (of car) - trunk

cordial - squash

contraceptive (Durex) - rubber

give /donate (verb) - gift

nappy - diaper

porter - bellhop

rubber - eraser

sweet(s) - candy /candies

tip - hack

Useful Websites and books

see amazon 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_English very technical

About the Author

 Angela Lansbury, author, teacher and  workshop lteader. Speciality subjects include English and business English.

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Americanisms and Britishisms - from autumn, biscuit and boot to sidewalk and trunk

"America and Britain are two countries divided by a common language." 

 American - British 

a bunch of people - a group of people 

a la mode - with cream/custard 

a quarter after - a quarter past 

at this moment in time - now 

busy (phone line / toilet cubicle) - engaged 

cookies - biscuits 

coach - intercity bus 

coach class - economy class (planes), second class (trains) 

diaper - nappy 

done - finished eraser - rubber 

express - non-stop (bus) 

French fries - chips 

guys (male and female) - folk/s 

 hood - bonnet (of car) ; 

the hood - neighbourhood ; 

the hood - neighbourhood gang 

fall - autumn 

jelly - jam Jello - brand name of a jelly, used to describe any jelly

 judgement call - decision 

Kleenex (brand name) -  paper hanky

paper hanky / tissues line, 

line-up - queue 

main street - high street 

make a left/right - turn left/right 

momentarily (landing or stopping a monorail - in a moment, shortly - soon, imminently) 

no brainer - obvious 

over easy - (egg) turned over and cooked both sides 

pavement - tarmac, road 

potato chips - crisps 

rest room - toilet/loo 

sidewalk - pavement 

stand in line - wait in a queue 

sucks - awful 

sunny side up - fried egg - usually left runny because Americans would turn it over 

take a right - go right 

trunk - boot 

vacuum cleaner - Hoover (brand name) 

y'all (Deep South) - you all 

 British - American 

autumn - fall 

awful - sucks 

biscuits - cookies 

bus - double decker (in the city, stopping at bus stops) 

bonnet - hood (of car) 

boot-trunk (of car) 

coach (single decker, inter city or private hire, not making stops at bus stops) 

crisps - potato chips chips (as in fish and chips) - French fries 

decision - judgement call 

economy class - coach class (on planes) 

engaged (phone line / toilet cubicle) - busy / occupied 

finished - done 

fried egg - sunny side up (specify if you want it well cooked) 

go right - take a right 

guys (male only) - boys / men high street - main street 

Hoover (brand name) - vacuum (cleaner) 

jelly - Jello (brand name) 

momentarily (stopping briefly, not for long, a brief stop, just a few seconds)  

motorway - freeway (also highway, express way?) 

nappy - diaper 

now - at this moment in time 

obvious - no brainer 

paper hanky / tissues - Kleenex 

pavement - sidewalk 

queue - line / line-up 

rubber - eraser 

second class - coach class (on trains)

toilet - rest room 

you all - y'all (Deep South or southern accent)

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