“Leave the peach cobbler in the kitchen alone,” mother would say, going upstairs.
Fredesque – @FredTaming1
But I couldn’t help myself. I sneaked in and watched him.
Watched him make his stupid peach shoes, taunting.
“Nobody’s going to wear those I’d say. “They’re stupid.”
But he worked on.
In honour of my American guest this week, this post is all about the amusing differences between our shared language in our respective countries: English and American-English.
When I was young and adventurous, I bought a cheap ticket and flew out to San Francisco all by myself (save for my green friend Weebahpu who travelled in my carry on). On the other side I met my Californian college friends and had the time of my life. I loved it so much and the people I met out there, I was back again the following year and have kept in touch with some of my American friends ever since. No matter what political debates exist between our great nations of the UK and the US, I will always treasure the friends I made and the fun I’ve had learning about our cultural similarities and differences.
I learned out there that peach cobbler is not the same as peach crumble and biscuits in the USA come with gravy rather than a nice cuppa tea!
This year (2024) I was lucky to be able to return the hospitality I experienced out there by hosting the now 21 year old daughter of one of my good friends from the USA.
It’s been a wonderful week with many laughs over the differences between the words and phrases we both use.
Here is a list of some of our favourites
UK English vs US English
| UK Words | US Words |
| Nappy | Diaper |
| Bumbag | Fannypack |
| Dummy | Passifier |
| Bin | Trash Can |
| Pavement | Sidewalk |
| Glasses | Eyeglasses |
| Sunglasses | Shades |
| Tap | Faucet |
| Football | Soccer |
| Courgette | Zucchini |
| Aubergine | Eggplant |
| Biscuits | Cookies |
| Chips | Fries |
| Corriander | Cilantro |
| Rubbish | Garbage |
| City Centre | Downtown |
| Nursery | Kindergarten |
| Break Time | Recess |
| Holiday | Vacation |
| Plaster | Bandaid |
| Fire Engine | Fire Truck |
| Sweets | Candy |
| Boot | Trunk |
| Caravan | Camper |
| Convoy | Caravan |
| Overtake | Pass |
| Accelerator | Gas Pedal |
| Petrol Station | Gas Station |
| Police | Cops |
| Shop | Store |
| Mum | Mom |
| Jumper | Sweater |
| Trousers | Pants |
| Maths | Math |
| Crossing | Crosswalk |
| Autumn | Fall |
| Underground/Tube | Subway/Metro |
| Pushchair | Stroller |
| Cupboard | Closet |
| Toilets | Restrooms |
| Flat | Apartment |
| Lift | Elevator |
| Indicator | Blinker |
| Crisps | Chips |
- Fred Taming on X (Twitter) online 15 Jan 2019 https://x.com/FredTaming/status/1085136736538243072?lang=en accessed 11 sep 2024 ↩︎