British > American Glossary | R
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Index of Briticisms |
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P Q R S T U V W X Y Z | Americanisms |
British term or expression | American equivalent, or explanation |
---|---|
racecourse | racetrack |
racing car | race car |
racing driver | race car driver |
radio cassette recorder | AM/FM cassette recorder |
rag (UK college event) | row of charity fund-raising activities and entertainments annually organized by students |
rag [colloq.] (as in 'I read it in the local rag') | humorous term for newspaper of lower quality |
rag-and-bone man | ragman |
railway | railroad |
railway carriage, coach or wagon (also 'waggon') | railroad car, passenger car |
railway crossing, level crossing | grade crossing, railroad crossing |
railway line | railroad track |
railway station | railroad station, train station, depot |
rallying (motor sport) | rally racing |
randy [slang] (lustful) | horny [slang] |
range (of products) | line, product line |
range (old style cooker) | stove (solid fuel-fired type kept hot all day long) |
rasher of bacon | bacon slice |
rat run [colloq.] | back road used by many to avoid rush-hour traffic |
ratty [colloq.] | irritable, touchy |
Rawplug™ | plastic
wall anchor to give screws grip on walls; U.S. equivalents include the molly bolt & toggle bolt |
reafforestation | reforestation |
real
tennis (the ancient game from which modern-day tennis is derived) |
court tennis |
rear light (on vehicle) | taillight |
reception (hotel, etc.) | front desk |
receptionist | front desk clerk |
recess | temporary cessation of work, esp. in Parliament, government organizations, and law courts |
reckon [colloq.] (think, guess) | figure [colloq.] |
recorded delivery | certified mail |
recreation ground | playground |
Red Indian [dated and politically incorrect] | American Indian, Native American |
redundant | out of work, unemployed |
reel (of film, tape, cotton, etc.) | roll, spool |
refuse collector [formal], dustman | garbage man, trash man [both colloq.] |
registered post | certified mail |
registration number, registration plate (on vehicle) | license plate |
registry office, register office | marriage clerk's office |
Remembrance Day, Remembrance Sunday | British equivalent of Veterans' Day |
remould a tyre | retread a tire |
removal or removals firm, service or company | movers |
removal or removals lorry or van | moving van |
repeat prescription (medical) | additional prescription allowing more of a previously prescribed medicine, and usually without the patient having to see the doctor all over again |
research director (top executive) | vice president (VP) research |
resident | overnight hotel guest |
residential area or district | residential section, uptown |
rest room | relaxation room |
restaurant bill | check |
restaurant car (on train) | dining car |
return ticket | round trip ticket |
reverse charge call | collect call |
reverse the charges | call collect |
reversing lights (on vehicle) | reverse lights, backup lights |
revise (re-read study notes or textbooks for exam) | review |
riding (equestrian) | horseback riding |
right cock-up, a | screw-up resulting from total incompetence |
right-angled triangle (triangle with one 90° angle) | right triangle |
Righto! Right-oh! Righty-ho! | Sure thing! |
ring off (end a phone call) | hang up |
ring road (bypass encircling city or town) | beltway |
ring someone up | phone someone |
ring pull (on drink can) | pull tab |
rise, pay rise | raise, pay raise |
rising damp | ground-moisture penetration in wall |
road metal | small or crushed stones used in road-making |
roadworks | road work |
rock | hard, cylindrical stick of peppermint candy |
roger [slang] (have sex with) | ball, hump, screw [all slang] |
roll neck, roll-necked jumper | turtleneck sweater |
Roller [colloq.] | Rolls Royce car |
roller blind | shade, window shade |
rollmop | a rolled-up pickled herring fillet |
room only (at hotel, etc.) | European plan |
ropy, ropey [colloq.] | in poor condition or of low quality |
ro-ro [colloq.] | roll-on,
roll-off ferry (vehicles driven on at one
end and off at the other) |
rot [slang] | baloney [colloq.], nonsense |
rota | roster, duty roster |
rotter | cad; objectionable, unpleasant person |
round (adv., prep.) | around |
round brackets ( ) | parentheses |
round the bend [colloq.] | crazy; extremely agitated or worked up |
roundabout (merry-go-round) | carousel |
roundabout (circular road junction) | rotary, traffic circle |
rowing boat | rowboat |
rubber | pencil eraser |
rubber dinghy, inflatable dinghy | rubber raft, rubber life raft |
rubber johnny, johnny [both slang] | rubber [slang], condom, sheath |
rubbish (n.) | garbage,
trash; nonsense, baloney [colloq.] |
rubbish (v.) [colloq.] | criticize severely; reject as worthless |
rubbish tip | garbage dump |
rucksack | backpack |
ruddy [colloq.] | damned, darned [colloq.] |
rug | thick wool coverlet or blanket |
rugger [colloq.] | rugby football |
rum, rummy (adj.) [colloq.] | strange, odd, queer |
rumble someone [colloq.] | dredge up or dig up dirt on someone [colloq.] |
rump steak | sirloin steak |
run a new car in | break in a new car's engine by not driving too fast for the first 1,000 miles or so |
run away to Gretna Green [colloq.] | elope |
runner bean | string bean |
rusticate (a student) | suspend from college or university |