EFL teacher David Appleyard
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Smoothing and improving transatlantic communication
Index of Briticisms
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Americanisms

 

AmericanBritish term or expression BritishAmerican equivalent, or explanation
Ta! [colloq.] Thanks!
Ta-ra! [colloq.] (esp. in north of England] See ya! [colloq.]  Bye now!  
Ta-ta! [colloq.] See ya! [colloq.]  Bye now!  
tab [military] British staff officer's collar marking
table (v.) submit something for discussion at a meeting
table tennis Ping-Pong™, table tennis
table tennis bat paddle
tabloid newspaper half the size of a broadsheet
tadpole polliwog, pollywog [dial.]
tailback long line of traffic stuck behind obstruction
tailboard (on lorry) tailgate (on truck)
tailplane (on aircraft) horizontal stabilizer 
take something with a pinch of salt take something with a grain of salt
take stock make an inventory
take the mickey [colloq.], take the piss [slang] make fun of, tease, mock, ridicule
takeaway (fast food) takeout, carryout, food to go
taken short [colloq.] inopportunely in urgent need of visit to the restroom
tallboy (furniture item) highboy
tanker (lorry) fuel truck
Tannoy™ type of public address system
tap (running water outlet) faucet
tarmac blacktop, asphalt
tartan (Scottish pattern) plaid
tart [slang] (loose woman or prostitute)
tramp, hooker [both slang]
tart oneself up [colloq.] dress up, usually gaudily
tatty [colloq.] worn and shabby; in tatters [colloq.]
taxi cab
taxi rank taxi stand
tea, afternoon tea, teatime light afternoon meal with cakes, sandwiches, etc.
tea towel dish towel
Teasmade™ timer-controlled tea maker
teat rubber or plastic nipple on baby's feeding bottle
tea towel dish towel, dishcloth, dishrag
tea trolley tea cart, tea wagon
telegram wire [colloq.]
telegraph pole telephone pole
telephone box, telephone kiosk telephone booth
telephonist switchboard operator
telly, the [colloq.] the tube, the boob tube [both slang], TV set
term (one of three seasons in school year) semester (two in a year)
terraced house town house, row house
that takes the biscuit that beats everything
third-party insurance liability insurance
throw a sickie [colloq.] falsely claim you are sick to get day off work
throw a wobbly [colloq.] become exceedingly angry and upset
tick √  (given for correct or 'yes' answers) check (v.); check mark (n.)
tick [colloq.] (if you buy something 'on tick'
                      you can pay for it later)
credit
tick [colloq.] (as in 'Janice will be here in a tick') jiffy [colloq], short while, moment
tick someone off scold, criticize someone's behavior to their face
thick [colloq.] (as in: 'That's a bit thick!') unreasonable
ticket [colloq.] certificate of discharge from the army
ticket barrier (at railway or underground station) turnstile, gate, ticket gate
ticket collector ticket taker
ticket office ticket counter
ticket tout ticket scalper
tickety-boo [colloq.] all right, all in order
tiddler [colloq.] small fish (e.g. stickleback or minnow)
tiddly [colloq.] very small, tiny;
slightly drunk
tidy neat
tie necktie
tights pantyhose
timber   lumber
timetable (bus, train, work, etc.) schedule
tin food can
tin opener can opener
tinker [colloq.] mischievous person or naughty child
tinkle [colloq.] ('I'll give you a tinkle later.'), ring phone call
tip (as in 'tip refuse on a rubbish tip') dump (as in 'dump trash on a garbage dump')
tipper (lorry) dump truck
Tipp-Ex™ correction fluid, Wite-Out™
tissue (paper handkerchief) Kleenex™
titbit tidbit
titfer [abbreviation of rhyming slang 'tit for tat') hat
tizz [colloq.] (as in 'she was all in a tizz')   state of agitation or confusion
toad-in-the-hole dish of sausages baked in batter
toboggan (small sledge) skeleton (small sled)
toerag [slang] contemptible, unpleasant person  
toff [colloq.] dandy or smartly dressed gentleman who either is or wants to be considered upper class
toffee apple candy apple
togs [colloq.] clothes
toilet bathroom, restroom, washroom [all euphemisms]
tomato sauce ketchup
tombola raffle with ​tickets bought from a ​spinning ​container;
a winner's ticket number matches that on a ​prize
ton [slang] (as in: 'I did a ton on the motorway!') speed of 100 miles per hour
torch flashlight
Tory member of the Conservative Party
tosser, wanker [both slang] (contemptible man) asshole, jerk [both slang]
tot up (figures, or items billed) add up
tots up to (as in 'that tots up to 643') amounts to
touch wood (said when hoping for good luck) knock (on) wood
towards toward
towel rail towel rack
tower block high-rise; skyscraper (if very tall)
trade union, trades union labor union
trading estate industrial park
traffic lights traffic light, traffic signal, stop light, stop signal
traffic warden public official policing urban parking
train down lose weight through exercise and dieting
trainers sneakers
tram, tramcar streetcar, trolley, trolley car
tramlines (2 parallel lines each side of tennis court) sidelines
tramp hobo, vagrant, bum [slang]
transport café, transport caff [colloq.] truck stop
tributary (of river) creek
trilby men's soft felt hat with deep-folded crown
trolley cart
trouser suit (smart women's outfit with
                     matching jacket and trousers)  
pantsuit
trousers pants; slacks (loosely cut)
truncheon (policeman's baton) nightstick
trunk call (call once made on a trunk phone line) long-distance call
trunk road highway;
parkway (in open landscape)
Tube, the  [colloq.] nickname for the London subway system
tuck [colloq.] light snack eaten by kids in school break
tuck in (at mealtime), tuck into (a meal) [colloq.] begin eating heartily
turf accountant bookmaker, bookie [colloq.]
turn-ups (on trousers) pant cuffs
turtleneck (of a jumper with high round collar
                   that doesn't fold over on itself)
mock turtleneck
TV aerial TV antenna
twee (arty; pretentiously artistic or quaint) artsy
twelve-bore shotgun twelve-gauge shotgun
twig [colloq.](as in 'I later twigged what she meant') figure out [colloq.], understand, grasp, perceive
twin room (at hotel) room with twin beds
twit [colloq.] jackass; silly or foolish person
twitcher [colloq.] birdwatcher
tyke [colloq.] (as in 'Come here, you little tyke!') naughty or cheeky young child;
rude man
Tyke [colloq.] native of Yorkshire in north of England