British > American Glossary | W
Smoothing and improving transatlantic communication
| 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 |
|---|---|
| wage packet | pay envelope |
| wagon, waggon (on railway) | railroad car, freight car |
| waistcoat | vest |
| walking frame, Zimmer frame™ | walker |
| walking stick | walking cane |
| wall socket | outlet |
| wallet (men's) | billfold, pocketbook |
| wally [slang] | completely dumb person |
| wanker [slang] (contemptible man) | asshole, jerk [both slang] |
| wanted ad | want ad |
| warder | prison guard |
| wardrobe | closet |
| warrant officer (Royal Air Force) | chief
master sergeant > senior master sergeant (U.S. Air Force) |
| warrant
officer
1st class or 2nd class (British Army & Royal Marines) |
warrant officer (U.S. Army & U.S. Marine Corps) |
| washer-up | dishwasher |
| wash up | do the dishes, wash the dishes |
| washbasin | sink |
| washing detergent; washing powder | laundry detergent, laundry soap |
| washing-up liquid | dish detergent, dish soap |
| waste bin | trash can, garbage can |
| wastepaper basket, wastepaper bin | wastebasket |
| water ice (kind of sorbet) | Italian ice, water ice |
|
waterworks [colloq., euphemism] (as in 'Grandad's having trouble with his waterworks') |
bladder
and urinary tract |
| way out (sign in car park, railway station, etc.) | exit |
| WC (water closet) | toilet |
| weatherboard (to protect house from bad weather) | clapboard |
| wellington boots, wellingtons, wellies [colloq.] | rubber boots |
| Welsh dresser (furniture item) | hutch |
| wet (adj.) [colloq., disparaging] | feeble, inept |
| wet (n.) [colloq., disparaging] | U.K. liberal conservative or U.S. liberal republican |
| whack [slang] (as in 'I'll have a whack at it!') | go, attempt, try |
| whacked (out) [colloq.] | exhausted, tired out |
| wheelie bin, wheely bin [colloq.] | large plastic trash container with two wheels to help move heavy loads to garbage truck or pick-up point |
| wheeze
[colloq.] (as in 'the tech giant has come up with the wheeze of persuading us all to buy new PCs') |
smart or cunning plan |
| whip-round (n.) [colloq.] | internal soliciting of donations toward gift for retiring/marrying employee, or similar good cause |
| whiskey | Irish or American whiskey |
| whisky | Scotch |
| white coffee (coffee with milk or cream added) | light coffee, coffee light |
| White Paper | U.K. government report on a specific subject, usually outlining planned legislation |
| white
spirit (alcoholic liquid used as solvent or cleaner) |
mineral spirits, mineral turpentine |
| Whitehall | London street synonymous with British Government |
| wholemeal (bread, flour, spaghetti, etc.) | whole wheat |
| willie, willy (schoolboy slang for 'penis') | pecker [slang] |
| windcheater | windbreaker |
| windscreen | windshield |
| windscreen wiper | windshield wiper |
| wing (on vehicle) | fender |
| Wing Commander (Royal Air Force) | Lieutenant Colonel (U.S. Air Force) |
| wing mirror (on vehicle) | side mirror |
| winklepicker [colloq.] | man's shoe with long pointed toe |
| wireless | radio |
| witness box | witness stand |
| wodge [colloq.] | a wad, thick piece or chunk of something |
| women's hairdressing salon/hairdresser's | beauty parlor, beauty salon, beauty shop |
| wonga [colloq.] | money, loot, bread [colloq.] |
| wonky [colloq.] | wobbly, unsteady, likely to collapse or fall over |
| wood, woods | woods |
| woollen [adj.] | woolen, wool |
| woolly [colloq.] | knitted sweater |
| work a treat | function or turn out well |
| work double tides | work twice as long or hard as usual |
| work in progress | work in process |
| working day | workday |
| working week | workweek |
| worktop, work surface (esp. kitchen) | counter |
| world record | world's record, world record |
| Wrap up! [slang] | Shut up! |
| write to somebody (but 'write somebody a letter') | write somebody (often no preposition 'to' in AmE) |
| write-off [colloq.] (as in 'the car was a total write-off') | something damaged beyond repair |
