18 British words and phrases that don't mean what you think they do in America (2024)

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Pants

Don't ask a British person about their pants. You'll get a very funny look, and maybe even a slap round the face, because you'll be inquiring about their underwear and not their trousers.

How we'd say it in Britain: "When you get dressed you put your pants on first, then your trousers."

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Jumper

In Britain, a jumper isn't a sleeveless dress worn as part of a school uniform — we'd call that a pinafore dress in the UK.

What we call a jumper in Britain is a cozy, knitted pullover you'd put on when it's cold out, or as it's known in America: a sweater.

How we'd say it in Britain: "Can you pass me my jumper? I'm freezing."

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Football

We're talking about the game that made David Beckham famous. The one where your kick a ball with your foot. Not the game where you throw a ball and catch it in your hands, with the occasional kick thrown in for good measure – that game has no business being called football.

How we'd say it in Britain: "David Beckham was one of the best football players to ever play the game."

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Barney Rubble

This one is classic co*ckney rhyming slang.

The unique language style originated in the East End of London during the first half of the 18th century and relies on rhyme to disguise words within a sentence.

In this case, Barney Rubble is a pretty sneaky way of saying "trouble."

How we'd say it in Britain: "We're in a right load of Barney Rubble now!"

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Anorak

When British people refer to an anorak in conversation, there's a good chance they're not talking about a coat you wear in the rain.

Brits use the word anorak as slang to describe someone who has a very boring hobby.

According to a previous Business Insider article, the word probably came about because anoraks are decidedly "uncool."

How we'd say it in Britain: "He's a bit of an anorak. He likes bird-watching."

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Purse

In the UK, a purse is a wallet, which is kept in a handbag. As opposed to the American way, where a wallet is kept in a purse.

How we'd say it in Britain: "I keep all my change and credit cards in my purse."

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Camp

Don't start planning your next camping trip just yet.

Camp is also a very British way of saying something or someone is deliberately exaggerated or theatrical, according to Oxford English dictionary.

How we'd say it in Britain: "He ended every performance with a camp flourish."

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Biscuit

In the UK, a biscuit is a delicious, thin, baked treat you'd dunk in a cup of tea, maybe covered with a layer of chocolate or with a few pieces of dried fruit baked into them.

A biscuit is not a savory, dense chunk of buttery dough, and you'd practically never eat an English biscuit in the same mouthful as gravy or chicken.

How we'd say it in Britain: "My favorite kind of biscuits are chocolate digestives."

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Gravy

British gravy is thick, tastes like a roast dinner, and is always brown. It is not white or creamy and is never served over a biscuit.

How we'd say it in Britain: "My mum makes the best gravy. Her recipe's a family secret, but she uses lots of meat stock."

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Trainer

If a Brit starts talking to you about their trainers, they're not discussing the people who make them sweat at the gym.

They're talking about their sneakers. A Brit might also call a pair of sneakers a pair of "pumps."

How we'd say it in Britain: "I'm going for a run tonight, so I've packed my trainers."

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Crisps

Crisps are the British equivalent of an America potato chip. Crisps can be a packet of Lays, a bag of Cheetos, or a handful of Doritos, among other things. They're usually eaten at lunch and come in handy 25g "packets" — or bags — for individual consumption, instead of the massive sharing bags they sell in the US.

How we'd say it in Britain: "I'll have an egg sandwich and a packet of crisps."

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Chips

You'd call them fries in America. But, in my opinion, they're usually chunkier and far nicer than standard French fries. The ones you get from the fish and chip shop (otherwise known as "The Chippy") are always the best.

How we'd say it in Britain: "I like to cover my chips in salt and vinegar and dip them in ketchup."

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Give a ring

Yes, a ring is something you can wear in the UK. But if a British person offers to give you a ring, they're probably not casually proposing to you.

If someone says they'll give you a ring, they're going to call you on the phone.

The phrase refers to the noise a landline phone makes when someone calls.

How we'd say it in Britain: "I'll give you a ring when I get home so you know I arrived safely."

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Pissed

If a British person tells you they're pissed, they're not (necessarily) angry. They're just drunk.

How we'd say it in Britain:"Don't mind him. He's been drinking all day and is a little pissed."

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Boot

In America, a boot is a type of footwear. In the UK, the boot refers to the trunk of a car.

According to Condé Nast Traveller, the name goes back to 18th-century horse-drawn carriages where the coachman sat on a chest, which was used to store, among other things, his boots. This storage space came to be termed as the "boot locker," which soon became simply the "boot."

How we'd say it in Britain: "I think I might have locked my keys in the boot."

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Lift

To get to the top floor of the Empire State Building in New York, you'd take the elevator. But in London, to get to the top of a skyscraper, you'd hop in the lift.

How we'd say it in Britain: "Can you hold the lift please"

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Trolley

Not to be confused with an American trolley, like the ones in San Francisco, the British trolley is is what Brits use when they're wandering the aisles of their local grocery store, otherwise known as a shopping cart in America.

In the UK, most grocery stores require a £1 coin to be inserted into the trolley before use, and wonky wheels are the bane of many shoppers' existence.

How we'd say it in Britain: "Can you push the trolley for a second while I check out the bananas?"

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Flat

The British equivalent of an apartment, a flat has little to do with having a level surface.

How we'd say it in Britain:“My flat is on the seventh floor of a tower block.”