American > British Glossary | S
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 |
|---|---|
| sack lunch | packed lunch |
| sack time [colloq.] (sleep) | kip [colloq.] |
| sailboat | yacht, sailing boat |
| sales clerk, salesperson | sales assistant |
| sales tax | VAT (value added tax) |
| sandbox | sandpit |
| sanitary napkin | sanitary towel |
| Santa Claus | Father Christmas |
| saw (carpentry tool) | handsaw, saw |
| sawed-off shotgun | sawn-off shotgun |
| scab [derogatory] (strikebreaker) | blackleg, scab [both derogatory] |
| scale (weighing implement) | scales |
| scallion | spring onion |
| scarf, scarf down [colloq.] (eat quickly and greedily) | wolf, wolf down; scoff, scoff down; bolt, bolt down; |
| scarf up [colloq.] (nab) | snap up |
| scatological humor | lavatorial humour |
| schedule (bus, train, work, etc.) | timetable |
| schoolyard | playground |
| Scotch | whisky |
| Scotch tape™ | Sellotape™, sticky tape |
| scouring pad | scourer |
| scratch pad | jotter, jotting block, scribbling block |
| scratch paper (bit of used paper to write notes on) | scrap paper |
| screwball [colloq.] (strange or eccentric person) | oddball, weirdo [both colloq.], freak |
| scrub brush | scrubbing-brush |
| seaman (U.S. Navy) | able seaman (Royal Navy) |
| seaman recruit (U.S. Navy) | junior seaman (Royal Navy) |
| seat (on bicycle) | saddle |
| second floor | first floor |
| second
lieutenant > chief warrant officer (U.S. Air Force) |
pilot officer (Royal Air Force) |
| second
lieutenant > chief warrant officer (U.S. Army & U.S. Marine Corps) |
2nd lieutenant (British Army & Royal Marines) |
| section (subdivision of town or city) | district |
| sedan | saloon car, family saloon |
| self-rising flour | self-raising flour |
| semester (one of two seasons in school year) | term (one of three seasons in school year) |
| semi [colloq.], semi-trailer | articulated lorry, juggernaut |
| senior | senior
citizen, OAP (old-age pensioner); 4th-year student (undergraduate) on 4-year course |
| seaman apprentice (U.S. Navy) | ordinary seaman (Royal Navy) |
| senior master sergeant (U.S. Air Force) | warrant officer (Royal Air Force) |
| Sergeant
(various U.S. Army categories): first sergeant > master sergeant > specialist 8 > sergeant 1st class > specialist 7 > staff sergeant > specialist 6 > sergeant > specialist 5 |
sergeant (British Army) |
| sergeant
(various U.S.
Marine Corps categories): first sergeant > master sergeant > gunnery sergeant > staff sergeant > sergeant |
sergeant (Royal Marines) |
| sergeant
major > master gunnery sergeant (U.S. Marine Corps) |
colour sergeant (Royal Marines) |
| sergeant major > specialist 9 (U.S. Army) | staff sergeant (British Army) |
| server | waiter, waitress |
| service area (on freeway) | service station (on motorway) |
| set the table | lay the tale |
| settee | (US) any long seat with a back, even a hard one |
| sewage treatment plant | sewage works, sewage farm |
| shade [C] (on window) | blind, roller blind |
| shades [colloq.] | sunglasses |
| shank's mare (one's own two legs to get around) | shank's pony |
| shareholders' equity, shareowners' equity | shareholders' funds |
| shebang [colloq.] (as in 'the whole shebang') | the works [colloq.] (everything to do with the matter) |
| sheer curtains, sheers | net curtains |
| sherbet ice cream | sorbet |
| shoeshine | shoe polish |
| shoestring | shoelace |
| shooter | gunman |
| shooting stick | stick or bipod/tripod to rest rifle on to steady a shot |
| shopper | (US) free newspaper with local advertising |
| shopping
bag (the strong disposable paper or plastic type supplied by a store) |
carrier bag |
| shopping cart | shopping trolley |
| shopping mall | shopping centre |
| shopworn | shop-soiled |
| shot [colloq.] (injection) | jab [colloq.] |
| shotgun
marriage or wedding [colloq.] (arranged hurriedly because of pregnancy) |
shotgun wedding [colloq.] |
| shoulder (fringe area) | hard
shoulder (on motorway); verge, grass verge (strip of land bordering a road, path, or even a flowerbed) |
| shrimp | prawn, shrimp |
| shucks
[exclam.] (as in 'Shucks, Mr. Miller, I don't deserve this gift. You're too kind!') |
an expression of modesty, regret, disappointment, and occasionally annoyance |
| side [colloq.], side order | side dish |
| side mirror (on vehicle) | wing mirror |
| sideburn, side-whiskers (hair on side of man's face) | sideboard |
| sidelines (2 parallel lines each side of tennis court) | tramlines |
| sidewalk | pavement |
| siding | weatherproof cladding for house exteriors |
| sign (with short information or instructions) | notice |
| signal tower (alongside railroad) | signal box |
| Sin City [disparaging nickname] | Las Vegas, Nevada |
| sink | sink (in kitchen); basin or washbasin (in bathroom) |
| silent
partner (person investing money in a business but not given any managerial role) |
sleeping partner |
| sirloin steak | rump steak |
| sixteenth note (music) | semiquaver |
| skeleton (small sled) | toboggan (small sledge) |
| skeleton
in the closet, a (embarrassing detail about one's past) |
skeleton in the cupboard, a |
| skid row [slang] | run-down
part of town frequented by vagrants and alcoholics |
| skillet | frying pan |
| skim milk | skimmed milk |
| slammer, the [slang] (jail, prison, penitentiary) | nick, the [slang] |
| slate (v.) | schedule
or arrange an event; adopt or nominate someone for public office |
| sled | sledge |
| sleeping car, sleeper | sleeping carriage |
| slingshot | catapult |
| slipcover (removable cover for chair, sofa, etc.) | loose cover |
| slot machine | fruit machine, one-armed bandit, slot machine |
| slowdown (labor union work-to-rule
in order to push wage claim) |
go-slow |
| slowpoke [colloq.] (one who works or acts slowly) | slowcoach [colloq.] |
| small-game hunting | shooting (In the UK, the only type that's legal!) |
| smokestack (on ship or steam engine) | funnel |
| smooch [colloq.] | canoodle [colloq.] |
|
snag (v.) (as in 'police snagged the kidnapper when he came to collect the ransom') |
catch or obtain by quick action or good luck |
| snap | popper,
press stud; cinch [colloq.] (a very simple task) |
| sneakers | plimsolls, trainers |
| snicker | snigger |
| snit [colloq.] (angry mood) | huff [colloq.] (as in 'she went off in a huff') |
| snow pea | mangetout |
| So fun! (in U.S., 'fun' often treated as an adjective) | Such fun! |
| soccer (association football) | football, soccer |
| soccer field | football pitch |
| soccer mom | politically significant, the average middle-class mum who accompnies her kids to sports events and such |
| soda (beverage) | fizzy drink, pop [both colloq.], effervescent soft drink |
| solid pattern (textiles and clothes) | plain pattern |
| solitaire (card game for lone player) | patience |
| someplace [colloq.] | somewhere |
| sophomore | second-year student, second-year undergraduate |
| sorority | social society for female US college students |
| sound system | hi-fi, hi-fi system, stereo, stereo system |
| soybean | soya bean |
| space heater | any portable electric fire or fan heater designed to warm up a small area of the home |
| spackle compound | Polyfilla ™ |
| specialty | speciality |
| splash guard | mudflap |
| split [slang] (run away) | scarper [slang] |
| sponge bath (given to bedridden person) | blanket bath |
| spool of thread | reel of cotton |
| sport coat, sport jacket | sports jacket |
| squash (vegetable) | a vegetable similar to a marrow |
| Staff Sergeant (U.S. Air Force) | Sergeant (Royal Air Force) |
| stand (in market or at trade fare) | stall |
| stand in line | queue, queue up |
| state fair | agricultural show with funfair and entertainments |
| station wagon | estate car; shooting brake (coupé-style version) |
| stick shift | gear lever in vehicle with manual transmission |
| stock [U] (company) | shares, stocks |
| stock option | share option |
| stockholder | shareholder |
| stomp (put foot down heavily and noisily) | stamp |
| stop light, stop signal | traffic lights |
| stopper (in sink or bathtub) | plug (in washbasin, kitchen sink, or bath) |
| store (retail outlet) | shop |
| store brand | own-brand product, own-label product |
| store clerk | shop assistant |
| store owner | shopkeeper |
| story [pl. stories] (level in building) | storey [pl. storeys] |
| stove (kitchen stove with oven and grill) | cooker |
| strainer (kitchenware) | sieve |
| streetcar | tram, tramcar |
| string bean | runner bean |
| stroller | pushchair |
| student | in the U.S. a learner of any age |
| studio apartment | bedsit, bedsitter, bedsitting room |
| stump for (elicit political support) | canvass on behalf of |
| subdivision (residential area) | estate, housing estate |
| subway | underground (railway); in London 'the Tube' [colloq.] |
| subway stop | underground station |
| superhighway | motorway |
| supertitle | surtitle |
| supplemental | supplementary |
| Sure thing! (expresses consent or agreement) | Righto! Right-ho! Righty-ho! |
| suspenders (shoulder straps to hold up pants) | braces |
| sweater | jersey, jumper, woolly [colloq.], sweater |
| sweep something under the rug [idiom] | sweep something under the carpet |
| sweet pepper (vegetable) | pepper |
| swell [colloq.] | cracking, smashing, spiffing [all colloq.] |
| swing-arm lamp | Anglepoise™ lamp |
| swishy [slang] | effeminate |
| switchblade | flick knife |
| switchboard operator | telephonist |
| switches (for switching tracks on railroad) | points |
| switchman | pointsman |
