Even though I’m a native English speaker, UK English and American English tend to be just a tad different, to put it lightly. All accents aside, sometimes it can still be a bit hard to understand what people are saying, mostly because of the different idioms, colloquialisms, words, and phrases used here as opposed to in the US.
So, just for fun, here are some that have come up since I’ve been here, followed by the American translation. Here we go!
Aubergine – eggplant
Bangers and mash – sausages and mashed potatoes
Bin – trash can
Biscuit – cookie
Braces – suspenders
Budge up – make room
Can’t be asked – can’t be bothered to do something
Chav – low class person
Cheeky – witty, flirty
Cheers – thanks
Chips – French fries
Courgette – zucchini
Crisps – chips
Cuppa – cup of tea or coffee
Daft – stupid, dumb, idiotic
Fag – cigarette
Fit – handsome
Fiver – 5 pound note
Flat – apartment
Gone pear shaped – gone wrong
Jam – jelly
Jelly – Jell-o
Jumper - sweater
Knackered – tired, exhausted
Lift – elevator
Mate – friend
On the pull – going out with the intention of hooking up with someone
Pants – underwear
Pissed – drunk
Porridge – oatmeal
Pudding – dessert
Quid – slang for British pound (i.e. it costs 10 quid)
Rocket – arugula
Rude – promiscuous, but could also mean rude like how we use it in the states
Shattered – tired, exhausted
Slag – slut
Smart – well dressed
Smashed – drunk
Snog – kiss
Suspenders – the clips used to connect stockings to underwear
Take the mickey – joke with someone, more innocent version of “take the piss”
Take the piss – joke with someone
Tenner – 10 pound note
Trousers – pants
Waistcoat – vest
Wanker – idiot; not to be confused with "have a wank," which means masturbate
Yank – American
They also tell time just a little bit differently. Instead of saying “seven thirty” they’ll say “half seven,” whereas “quarter past nine” means “nine fifteen.”
Although it’s the same language, it’s still fun to notice the differences and poke a bit of fun at both cultures. The Brits and Scots that I’ve met love cheeky (witty) banter, so it’s always fun to joke with them once you get used to the dry sarcasm in England and the intense accents in Scotland. They also think it’s hilarious when yank’s use these phrases in awful renditions of their accents (take your pick of region in the UK other than London for added comedy) and they’ll love you bit more for it.
There you have it! If you’re ever in the UK, these phrases seem to be used throughout all of England and Scotland, and most likely Wales and Northern Ireland as well. Cheers, mate!
