

The word jackhammer is an Americanism resulting from combining the names of two tools, jack and hammer. None of these words are used to describe UK students, and phrases such as first year or second year are used instead. In the US, a high school or college student is referred to as a freshman, sophomore, junior, or senior usually depending on what year of school they are in. The US and UK take different approaches when it comes to school and that includes how people refer to students.

In the UK, this device is instead known as a torch. The word flashlight is used by Americans to refer to a battery-powered electric lamp. It isn’t too surprising that this trashy word that resulted from an American trademark has yet to become popular anywhere else. The dumpster was invented by American George Dempster and was used by the Dempster Brothers Company. As a result, you are unlikely to hear it used in the UK. The word dude, whether it refers to a cowboy on a ranch or a California surfer hanging ten, is an Americanism with an unknown origin. In the UK, the term pharmacy is used to refer to a place that sells pharmaceuticals. The word drugstore is an Americanism that refers to a store that sells (pharmaceutical) drugs and possibly other items. In the UK, the word thingummy is more popularly used to refer to random things. The words doohickey, doodad, thingamajig, thingamabob, and whatchamacallit are some examples of colloquialisms that Americans use to refer to gizmos, gadgets, and other things popular among mermaid princesses. doohickey, doodad, thingamajig, thingamabob, whatchamacallit Similarly, the American word beltway for a belt-shaped length of highway around a city doesn’t see much use in the UK either. The US and UK use different road systems, so the Americanism freeway to refer to toll-free roads isn’t used in the UK. England: what’s the difference? Take a tour of the British Isles and discuss the technical differences between these place names. The Americanism discombobulate is thought to be a humorous alteration of the word discompose or discomfort. The slang word crapshootcomes from the name of a game of craps, so it too is rarely used in the UK. The name of the dice game known as craps is an Americanism that is believed to come from a variant of the word crabs, which referred to a bad roll in another dice game known as hazard. Both names likely reference the shape and texture of the candy. cotton candyĪ mass of fluffy sugar on a stick is called cotton candy in the US and candyfloss in the UK. In the UK, the word barbecue (also an Americanism) is more commonly used to refer to parties where food is cooked outside. The word cookout is an Americanism formed from the verb phrase cook out. This name for a fictional disease seems to be based on the word cootie to refer to a body louse, which originates from the Malay word kutu. In America, young boys and girls know to keep their distance from one another or risk getting cooties. Both terms are pluralizations of words that refer to a single projection attached to the shoe, cleat and stud. cleatsĪmericans refer to shoes with rubber or metal projections underneath them as cleats while Brits prefer the term studs. In the UK, the game is instead known as draughts after a pluralization of the word draught that was once used to refer to a move in chess. The American and Canadian name for the game of checkers seems to be based on the checkerboard surface the game is played on. Interestingly, unmarried UK men must also be party animals because the term stag party is more commonly used there than bachelor party. So, a bachelorette party in the UK is instead referred to as a hen party, hen night, or hen do. In the UK, the word bachelorette (a combination of the word bachelor and the feminine noun suffix -ette) for an unmarried young woman is less commonly used than it is in the US and Canada. (Scientists have even taken the English language to Antarctica!) But there are two particular groups of English speakers we’ve focused on in this article-and they are the ones who live on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean, or what the Brits like to call “the pond.” If you’re curious to learn more about what sets British and American English apart, besides an ocean, you’ll learn more with our guide to the different terms, spellings, and pronunciations of American and British English. 🧠 What sets American and British English apart?Įnglish is one of the most widely spoken languages in the world, and you’ll find its more than 1 billion speakers just about everywhere.
