American > British Glossary | P
Smoothing and improving transatlantic communication
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O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z | Briticisms |
 American
term or expression |
 British
equivalent, or explanation |
|---|---|
| pack (of cereal, peanuts, cigarettes, etc.) | packet |
| package (mail item) | parcel |
| package store (liquor store) | off-licence |
| pacifier (for baby) | dummy, comforter |
| paddle | table tennis bat |
| pail | bucket |
| pajamas | pyjamas |
| pal [colloq.] | chum, mate [both colloq.] |
| pancake turner | spatula, fish slice |
| pant cuffs | turn-ups |
| panties | knickers |
| pantry | larder
(kitchen cupboard for food storage); pantry (small room for storing not only food but also crockery and perhaps other kitchenware) |
| pants | trousers, bags [colloq.] |
| pantsuit
(smart women's outfit with matching jacket and pants) |
trouser suit |
| pantyhose | tights |
| papaya | pawpaw, papaw, papaya |
| paper cutter | guillotine |
| paper route | newspaper round, paper round |
| parakeet | budgerigar, budgie |
| parchment, parchment paper | greaseproof paper |
| parentheses ( ) | (round) brackets |
| parish | area and residents served by church and its pastor but not considered a unit of local government |
| parka | anorak |
| parkway | main
road with trees and greenery on either side and in the middle |
| parking brake | handbrake |
| parking garage | multi-storey car park; underground car park |
| parking lot | car park |
| parochial school | faith school |
| part (in hair) | parting |
| party pooper [colloq.] | party killjoy |
| pass (in traffic) | overtake |
| passenger car (train) | railway carriage or coach |
| passing lane (of freeway) | outside lane (of motorway) |
| patronage (business) | custom |
| pavement | road surface (covered with concrete or tarmac) |
| pay envelope | pay packet, wage packet |
| pay raise | pay rise |
| payables (in accounting) | creditors |
| peach [colloq.] (great-looking girl) | cracker, hottie, smasher [all colloq.] |
| Peach State, the [nickname] | Georgia |
| peachy, peachy keen [colloq.] | splendid, excellent, first-rate |
| pecker [slang] (penis) | knob, willie, willy [all schoolboy slang] |
| peckish | shirty [colloq.], annoyed, irritated, irritable |
| peddler (door-to-door salesman) | pedlar |
| penitentiary | reformatory prison |
| penlight | pen torch |
| period (punctuation mark) | full stop, period |
| persnickety (overly fussy or fastidious) | pernickety |
| person-to-person (operator-connected private call) | personal call |
| personal (n.) | personal ad |
| petty
officer 1st class > petty officer 2nd class (U.S. Navy) |
petty officer (Royal Navy) |
| petty officer 3rd class (U.S. Navy) | leading seaman (Royal Navy) |
| pharmacist
(person licensed to sell and prepare medicines) |
chemist,druggist |
| pharmacy | chemist, chemist's (shop), pharmacy |
| phone booth | phone box, call box, telephone kiosk |
| phonograph | gramophone |
| physical therapy | physiotherapy |
| pie crust | pastry case |
| pigpen | pigsty |
| pike [colloq.] (abbreviation of turnpike) | tollroad (motorway type) |
| pillow sham | decorative daytime cover for pillow on bed or sofa |
| pin | brooch |
| pinafore | apron for a young girl, usually long enough to cover a dress and perhaps trimmed with flounces |
| Ping-Pong™ | table tennis |
| pinkie, pinky [colloq.] | little finger |
| pint (1 U.S. pint = 0.473 liters) | pint (1 imperial pint = 0.565 litres) |
| pinwale (fine-ribbed corduroy fabric) | needlecord |
| pissed [slang] (very annoyed, fed up, depressed) | narked, brassed off, pissed off [all slang] |
| pit (fruit seed) | pip (smaller), stone (larger) |
| pitcher | jug |
| pitted | stoned (olives, etc.) |
| plaid | tartan |
| plastic wrap | cling film |
| platform (political) | party manifesto |
| play hooky (or hookey) [colloq.] | bunk off, do a bunk, skive [all slang]; play truant |
| playbook | set of rules or guidelines (American football term) |
| playground | recreation ground |
| Plexiglas™ (tough clear plastic substitute for glass) | Perspex™ |
| plow | plough |
| plurality (in winner-takes-all candidate selection) | majority (in first-past-the-post election) |
| pocketbook | wallet or small handbag |
| pocketknife | penknife |
| polliwog, pollywog [dial.] | tadpole |
| pompadour (hairstyle) | quiff |
| porterhouse steak | sirloin steak |
| Popsicle™ | ice lolly, iced lolly |
| porch | veranda |
| post | |
| postal clerk | postal assistant, counter assistant |
| postbox, letterbox (for collection) | mailbox |
| pot plant [colloq.] | cannabis plant |
| potato chips | crisps, potato crisps |
| potholder | oven glove |
| pound sign; pound key # | hash sign, hash mark; hash key |
| powdered sugar, confectioners' sugar | icing sugar |
| power outage | power cut |
| precinct | division of city for policing or local election purposes |
| preferred stock (investment) | preference share |
| prenatal | antenatal |
| preschool (for children aged 2–5) | nursery school, kindergarten |
| prep school | private school in the US preparing children for top class, perhaps Ivy League university |
| presently | currently, right now |
| president (company) | chair, chair person, chairman, chairwoman |
| principal | head, headteacher, headmaster, headmistress |
| print (pattern on clothing and textiles) | patterned |
| prison guard | warder, prison warder; screw [prisoner slang] |
| private 1st class (U.S. Army) | lance corporal (British Army) |
| private 1st class > private (U.S. Marine Corps) | marine (title of starting rank in Royal Marines) |
| private bath/shower & WC (in hotel room) | en suite facilities |
| private brand | own-brand product, own-label product |
| private dick [colloq.] | private detective |
| prize open (lever open) | prise open |
| product line (goods produced by one company) | product range |
| professor | lecturer (at college or university) |
| prom | formal dance party held for senior or graduating US high school students at end of school year |
pry
open (lever open)
Comment: In early 19th century America, the verb 'pry' resulted from British English 'prise' being misconstrued as a 3rd person singular form 'pries'. |
prise open |
| public lavatory | public convenience |
| public school | state school (free, government-provided school) |
| public transportation | public transport |
| pudding | cold, soft, creamy type of dessert |
| pull through (recover from illness) | pull round, pull through |
| pull up
stakes [colloq.] (move out with all one's possessions) |
up sticks [colloq.] |
| pull-off (roadside resting place or stopping area) | lay-by |
| pull tab (on drink can) | ring pull |
| pumps | court shoes |
| punching bag | punchbag |
| purse | ladies'
handbag |
| push-up (physical exercise) | press-up |
