100+ Differences between British and American English | British vs. American Vocabulary Words

Old Salt said:
I know HD, I use the word all the time! I was startled because I always thought everybody used "famished!" in the English speaking world, Americans included! The author made it exclusively Brit! And it was uttered by an American.
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oh yes I see what you mean. Yes I presumed that it's a word used in all western English speaking countries too..
 

Not a word, but a phrase:

"Watch out for the left bear"

I was driving, for the first time, in the UK and totally lost. It was in the countryside somewhere around Oxford. I finally stopped and asked a guy for directions. His English was barely intelligible to me, I understood the words in the phrase, but it took a while to translate. My first thoughts were I didn't know they had bears in the UK, and what in the world was a left bear? Some kind of grizzly?

Never was sure I fully understood, but there was a fork in the road and the right way to go was to the right...

I did finally get to my destination, and without running into a single car driving on the wrong side of the road. It was a long stressful process.
 

debodun said:
Why to British call it a water closet? Sounds like there are buckets of water on shelves.
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we don't... !! apparently pre Victorian times they called it a water closet because it was installed in a separate room in the house from the already existing bathroom, and often the only place to install it would be a spare closet ... China invented the expression... and you may be surprised to know only the USA still uses that expression..

https://southendplumbingllc.com/why-were-bathrooms-called-water-closets/
 
Alligatorob said:
Not a word, but a phrase:

"Watch out for the left bear"

I was driving, for the first time, in the UK and totally lost. It was in the countryside somewhere around Oxford. I finally stopped and asked a guy for directions. His English was barely intelligible to me, I understood the words in the phrase, but it took a while to translate. My first thoughts were I didn't know they had bears in the UK, and what in the world was a left bear? Some kind of grizzly?

Never was sure I fully understood, but there was a fork in the road and the right way to go was to the right...

I did finally get to my destination, and without running into a single car driving on the wrong side of the road. It was a long stressful process.
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never in my life have I heard that phrase...
 
Old Salt said:
I know HD, I use the word all the time! I was startled because I always thought everybody used "famished!" in the English speaking world, Americans included! The author made it exclusively Brit! And it was uttered by an American.
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Have all Americans blocked me? Can one of you tell me if the author was right! :)
 
hollydolly said:
we don't... !! apparently pre Victorian times they called it a water closet because it was installed in a separate room in the house from the already existing bathroom, and often the only place to install it would be a spare closet ... China invented the expression... and you may be surprised to know only the USA still uses that expression..

https://southendplumbingllc.com/why-were-bathrooms-called-water-closets/
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Other than in books, I've never come across anyone referring to a toilet/bathroom as a water closet or WC.
 
hollydolly said:
here in the UK, the initials WC are on lots of bathrooms..especially public bathrooms.. but never in my life have I heard it called a water closet, it's an archaic term !
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That's true, yet although almost everyone in the UK uses the expression, the loo, for toilets, I can't ever remember seeing "The Loos," on a public sign or toilet door.
 
Talking British! Breakfast is the 1st meal of the day. Then around 10am people may have Elvenses or better know as Coffee or Tea break.

The midday meal is called Lunch not Dinner. Dinner is considered a more working-class term. School lunches in the mid 20th century were always called "School Dinners" and it is felt this is where the confusion came from.

The next meal indulged in around 3- 4pm by some is called Afternoon Tea, Nowadays, it is not so much a daily event, but, a weekend treat or a social highlight in most hotels etc. friends gather for a variety of sandwiches, cakes and different brands of tea.

Then…depending on where you were brought up for example in the north of England, Tea, the meal, is usually the main meal of the day. I might add this is considered a mainly working-class term.

Dinner is usually the late evening meal and is the term used around the world.

Supper is also an evening meal not as heavy as Dinner, usually a snack (these days not many people bother with Supper). Supper is also considered more a working-class term when the evening meal was served around 5 p.m. meaning by bedtime many would be a little peckish.
 
The word Famish developed as an alteration of Middle English famen, meaning "to starve."

The Middle English word was borrowed from the Anglo-French verb afamer, which etymologists believe came from Vulgar Latin affamare.
 
I feel it necessary to explain this, since even many British people get it wrong!

In the UK, higher education takes place at universities. Once students have completed their two years at sixth form or college, they can apply to university to study for a Bachelor's degree. So one of the main differences between university and college is that college in the UK is usually pre-university. They are not part of a university.

University Technical Colleges (UTCs) are government-funded schools that offer 14–18 year-olds both academic and technical education related to specific job sectors. They specialise in Engineering, manufacturing, health sciences, digital technologies etc.

They are not part of a university…what it means is… they support students in these fields to get the necessary entrance requirements. Places are very competitive so they have to obtain good grades.

Not all universities have a collegiate system…Oxford, Cambridge and Durham universities are the only ones in the UK with this system.

To be admitted to a “college within a university” one has to have already met with the university entrance requirements i.e. “A” levels necessary for the particular course they wish to pursue.

For example there are 44 colleges in the University of Oxford. While each college has its own rules and regulations, they are all part of the University of Oxford as a wider whole. I read English Literature and History at Oxford and my college was Magdalen. Once you become a member of a college…it is for life and you can attend any social events there including being a member of the Alumni.
 
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As a Canadian, there are a couple of different terms that I really like.

CBD -central business district. Australian/NZ term.

Uni - rather than university. Americans usually refer to their college, even if it’s part of a huge university.
 
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RadishRose said:
What makes me laugh is the Brit phrase the "washing up".

Washing what? It took me a long time to figure out it means washing the dishes, or doing the dishes. Cute.
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You are right, when you are used to a saying it's easy to forget that it can sound perplexing to others.
Something similar in the US, where we used to visit regularly. Americans don't do, rather they take. The first time my wife and I heard the somewhat vulgar term, "taking a dump," left us perplexed. Then, having worked it out, my wife asked, "where are they going to take it to?" "Don't go there," was the best I could suggest.
 

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