English Words That Are Different in the UK and USA

druscilla damned.:

Biscuits aren't sweet here.
They're like a dinner roll, but more... dense, I guess?
"In American English, a "biscuit" is a small bread made with baking powder or baking soda as a leavening agent rather than yeast." (the evil wiki definition)

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/cc/Runny_hunny.jpg/250px-Runny_hunny.jpg

Wow, that's odd :XD To me a biscuit is a sweet snack you'd eat for afternoon tea or something.
Those things in the picture look like scones. Scones are like dense bread, I guess, and you can eat them sweet or savory.

druscilla damned.:

acid bath:

the neon handshake:

But cookies and biscuits are completely differnet things because we have cookies and biscuits.

The whole pants being trousers confuses me.

What do you consider 'biscuits' then?
Because the things you guys call 'cookies' are called biscuits over here. As in, "choc chip biscuits", for example.

Biscuits aren't sweet here.
They're like a dinner roll, but more... dense, I guess?
"In American English, a "biscuit" is a small bread made with baking powder or baking soda as a leavening agent rather than yeast." (the evil wiki definition)

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/cc/Runny_hunny.jpg/250px-Runny_hunny.jpg

No way. :XD
Here, these are biscuits:



Or this.

These are cookies:



The ones you have look like scones.

ChemicallyImbalanced:

No way. :XD
Here, these are biscuits:

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_f98opUNuVXc/SEUH9lrlV-I/AAAAAAAAAlQ/dWNPoEGRcdw/s400/biscuits.jpg

Those are cookies here. :cute:

I don't know how much truth is in this or whether it is just a stereotype but the way we tell time is different too.
In England we will say "Quater past ten" or "half past three" more often and in America isn't it more common to say ten fifteen and three thirty?

^Yeah, I think.
And the date is usually said the other way around as well.
Like, in the UK, we'd say it's the 14th of June, and in America, it's June 14th?
Or is it just written that way?

^Dates in America are usually written like month/day/year (6/14/2009) whereas in the UK (and Australia and NZ) it's written day/month/year (14/6/2009). So I wouldn't be surprised if Americans said the month before the date.

However, I say it both ways personally.

lochnessmonster:

I don't know how much truth is in this or whether it is just a stereotype but the way we tell time is different too.
In England we will say "Quater past ten" or "half past three" more often and in America isn't it more common to say ten fifteen and three thirty?

We say 'quarter after ten' a lot.
Or 'quarter to six'.
We generally do say 'three thirty' instead of 'half past', but that's personal preference.
I say 'half past' about half the time.

JustSteph:

^Yeah, I think.
And the date is usually said the other way around as well.
Like, in the UK, we'd say it's the 14th of June, and in America, it's June 14th?
Or is it just written that way?

We write June 14th rather than 14th of June, but it's said either way. It's down to personal preference again. I say both.

lochnessmonster:

Erasers are rubbers.

That could create some very confusing situations.

Like, if I asked my teacher for a rubber, oh boy... :XD

Going back to biscuits, in America do you have chocolate bourbons and custard creams?

College.
In Britain, College is like a better version of high school which you attend between the ages of 16 and 18.
I think College in America is the same thing as our Universities but it still confuses me quite a lot.

Bloodraine:

I think College in America is the same thing as our Universities but it still confuses me quite a lot.

It is. It's probably confusing because we have both colleges and universities, which are essentially the same thing.

druscilla damned.:

Bloodraine:

I think College in America is the same thing as our Universities but it still confuses me quite a lot.

It is. It's probably confusing because we have both colleges and universities, which are essentially the same thing.

College are 2-year institutions. The most well known are the Community Colleges in which you pursue a two-year career. Later you get transfered (if you want to continue your education) to a 4-year University.

Horrorland's Queen:

College are 2-year institutions. The most well known are the Community Colleges in which you pursue a two-year career. Later you get transfered (if you want to continue your education) to a 4-year University.

You can earn a bachelor's degree at a college . . .
I know people who have done it.

incarcerate.:

In America you guys say cops but we say police.
Or coppers if you're cockney :file:

I say the police, and cops. :file:

the neon handshake:

Going back to biscuits, in America do you have chocolate bourbons and custard creams?

We have both.
My old science teacher gave us custard creams every Friday.

panic at the disco:

incarcerate.:

In America you guys say cops but we say police.
Or coppers if you're cockney :file:

I say the police, and cops. :file:

I only say police.
I'm a bit of an outcast for it.
I feel so impolite when I say cops.
:XD

incarcerate.:

In America you guys say cops but we say police.
Or coppers if you're cockney :file:

We say both. We also say "fuzz", "bacon", and "pigs".

There's also petrol stations. Australia calls them petrol stations and I think they're called gas stations in America?

ChemicallyImbalanced:

There's also petrol stations. Australia calls them petrol stations and I think they're called gas stations in America?

yeah, thats because American's call it gas and Australian's call it petrol.

druscilla's ritalin.:

incarcerate.:

In America you guys say cops but we say police.
Or coppers if you're cockney :file:

We say both. We also say "fuzz", "bacon", and "pigs".

Here. it's 'polis'. Or the filth. Depends who you talk to.

druscilla's ritalin.:

Sandwich-Masta:

"Bum" means "butt" in the UK. But in the States, it's a term for a hobo. Or, alternatively, a useless/lazy person.

We also use 'bum' to mean 'butt'.

Bloodraine:

Bum can also be a surprisingly versatile verb. xD
It could mean 'to borrow'. Like 'can I bum a fag'. Or if you bum something, you love it or obsess over it. I'm not so keen on that one. Or 'to bum around' can be to just hang around, waste time, etc.

It could be in America for all I know.

We use it to mean 'borrow' as well, but not the other two.

I don't recall hearing "bum" used as a synonym for "butt" by my fellow Americans, at least not very often. I wouldn't doubt that it's in use, but it seems to be more of a British thing.