Two countries separated by a common language. - George Bernard Shaw
A comprehensive glossary of British expressions, slang, and idioms that might confuse Americans, organized alphabetically for easy reference.
A
| British Idiom |
American Translation |
| A dog’s dinner/breakfast |
A mess or poor job of something |
| A penny for your thoughts |
Asking someone what they’re thinking about |
| All fingers and thumbs |
Being clumsy |
| All mouth and no trousers |
Someone who talks big but takes no action |
| At sixes and sevens |
In a state of confusion or disarray |
| Away with the fairies |
Daydreaming or not paying attention |
B
| British Idiom |
American Translation |
| Backhander |
A bribe |
| Bangers and mash |
Sausages and mashed potatoes |
| Barking mad |
Completely crazy |
| Bees knees |
Excellent or high quality |
| Bits and bobs |
Odds and ends; miscellaneous items |
| Blinding |
Excellent or amazing |
| Bloke |
A man |
| Blow one’s own trumpet |
To boast about oneself |
| Bob’s your uncle |
There you have it; it’s done (similar to “and that’s that”) |
| Bodge job |
A makeshift or poor repair |
| Bog-standard |
Completely ordinary, nothing special |
| Botch |
To do something poorly or make a mess of it |
| Brassed off |
Annoyed or fed up |
| Bright as a button |
Very intelligent or clever |
| Bubble and squeak |
A dish made from leftover vegetables |
| Budge up |
Move over to make room |
C
| British Idiom |
American Translation |
| Caught red-handed |
Caught in the act of doing something wrong |
| Cat got your tongue? |
Why aren’t you speaking? |
| Cheeky |
Audacious or impudent in an endearing way |
| Cheerio |
Goodbye |
| Chinwag |
A chat or conversation |
| Chips |
French fries |
| Chockablock |
Extremely full or crowded |
| Chuffed |
Very pleased |
| Clanger |
A conspicuous mistake or gaffe |
| Clock |
To notice or observe someone |
| Codswallop |
Nonsense |
| Cor blimey |
Expression of surprise |
| Cost a bomb |
Very expensive |
| Crikey |
Expression of surprise |
| Cuppa |
A cup of tea |
D
| British Idiom |
American Translation |
| Daft |
Silly or foolish |
| Damp squib |
Something that fails to meet expectations; an anticlimax |
| Dodgy |
Suspicious or unreliable |
| Doing my head in |
Annoying me greatly |
| Don’t be daft |
Don’t be silly |
| Donkey’s years |
A very long time |
| Doolally |
Temporarily confused or deranged |
| Down the pub |
Going to the local bar |
| Dressing gown |
Bathrobe |
| Duck |
Term of endearment in some regions (esp. Midlands) |
E
| British Idiom |
American Translation |
| Earwig |
To eavesdrop |
| Easy peasy |
Very easy |
| Eat humble pie |
To apologize and admit one was wrong |
| Egg on |
To encourage someone to do something, often unwise |
F
| British Idiom |
American Translation |
| Faff |
To waste time doing very little |
| Fancy a cuppa? |
Would you like a cup of tea? |
| Fit |
Attractive, good-looking |
| Fit as a fiddle |
In good health |
| Fiver |
Five pounds |
| Flog |
To sell something |
| Fly off the handle |
To lose one’s temper suddenly |
| Fortnight |
Two weeks |
| Full of beans |
Energetic, lively |
| Full of the joys of spring |
Very happy and energetic |
G
| British Idiom |
American Translation |
| Gaff |
House or flat |
| Get your skates on |
Hurry up |
| Give it some welly |
To put in more effort |
| Gobsmacked |
Astonished, astounded |
| Gone for a burton |
Disappeared or broken |
| Gone pear-shaped |
When something has gone wrong |
| Gordon Bennett |
Expression of surprise or shock |
| Gormless |
Lacking intelligence; clueless |
| Gutted |
Very disappointed |
H
| British Idiom |
American Translation |
| Half past |
Thirty minutes after the hour (e.g., “half past ten” is 10:30) |
| Handbags |
A minor argument or scuffle |
| Having a chinwag |
Having a chat |
| High street |
Main shopping street (equivalent to “Main Street”) |
| Hoover |
To vacuum |
| Horses for courses |
Different people are suited for different things |
I
| British Idiom |
American Translation |
| I’m not being funny, but… |
Preface to saying something potentially offensive |
| In a bit of a pickle |
In a difficult situation |
J
| British Idiom |
American Translation |
| Jammy |
Lucky |
| Jiffy |
A very short amount of time |
K
| British Idiom |
American Translation |
| Keep your hair on |
Stay calm, don’t get angry |
| Kerfuffle |
Commotion or fuss |
| Knackered |
Exhausted |
| Knee high to a grasshopper |
Very young |
L
| British Idiom |
American Translation |
| Leg it |
Run away quickly |
| Load of cobblers |
Nonsense |
| Lost the plot |
Gone crazy or become irrational |
| Lurgy |
An undefined illness or feeling under the weather |
M
| British Idiom |
American Translation |
| Mad as a box of frogs |
Crazy |
| Mardy |
Moody or whiny |
| Miffed |
Slightly annoyed |
| Mint |
Excellent or perfect |
| Momentarily |
For a moment (not “soon” as Americans might use it) |
| Money for old rope |
Easy profit |
| Muck in |
To join in and help |
| Muppet |
A foolish person |
N
| British Idiom |
American Translation |
| Naff |
Tacky or unfashionable |
| Narky |
Bad-tempered or irritable |
| Natter |
To chat or talk casually |
| Nick |
To steal |
| Nicked |
Stolen, or arrested |
| Nigh on |
Almost or nearly |
| Nip to |
To go somewhere quickly |
| Not my cup of tea |
Not to my liking |
| Not playing with a full deck |
Stupid or crazy |
| Numpty |
A foolish person |
O
| British Idiom |
American Translation |
| Off one’s rocker |
Crazy or insane |
| Off the beaten track |
In a remote location |
| Off your trolley |
Crazy or delusional |
| On about |
Talking about |
| On the blink |
Not working properly |
| On the pull |
Looking for a romantic partner |
| On your bike |
Go away (dismissive) |
| Over the top |
Excessive (OTT) |
P
| British Idiom |
American Translation |
| Pants |
Underwear (not trousers) |
| Pear-shaped |
When something has gone wrong |
| Peckish |
Slightly hungry |
| Play it by ear |
To improvise |
| Plonk |
Cheap wine |
| Pop your clogs |
To die |
| Porkies |
Lies (from Cockney rhyming slang: pork pies = lies) |
| Potty |
Crazy or slightly mad |
| Proper |
Very or really (“That’s proper good”) |
| Pull the other one |
I don’t believe you |
| Put a sock in it |
Be quiet |
| Put the cart before the horse |
To do things in the wrong order |
| Put the cat amongst the pigeons |
To cause controversy or trouble |
Q
| British Idiom |
American Translation |
| Quids in |
In a profitable position |
| Quid |
One pound sterling |
R
| British Idiom |
American Translation |
| Right as rain |
Perfectly fine |
| Round |
A buying of drinks for everyone in your group |
| Rubbish |
Garbage, or something of poor quality |
S
| British Idiom |
American Translation |
| Scrummy |
Delicious |
| See a man about a dog |
To leave, often to go to the bathroom or pub (euphemism) |
| Send someone to Coventry |
To deliberately ostracize someone |
| Sharp exit |
A quick departure |
| Shirty |
Bad-tempered or irritable |
| Shtum |
To keep quiet or silent |
| Six of one, half a dozen of the other |
The two alternatives are equivalent |
| Skew-whiff |
Crooked or askew |
| Skint |
Having no money |
| Skive |
To avoid work or school |
| Snog |
To kiss passionately |
| Sorted |
Organized or taken care of |
| Spend a penny |
To use the toilet |
| Spiffing |
Excellent (old-fashioned) |
| Splash out |
To spend money on something, usually extravagantly |
| Spot on |
Exactly right |
| Stonking |
Excellent or impressive |
| Storm in a teacup |
Making a big deal out of something minor |
| Stroppy |
Bad-tempered or sulky |
| Swings and roundabouts |
What you lose in one way you gain in another |
T
| British Idiom |
American Translation |
| Take the biscuit |
To be particularly bad, outrageous, or amusing |
| Take the mickey |
Making fun of someone |
| Talk nineteen to the dozen |
To talk very fast or non-stop |
| Telly |
Television |
| That’s pants |
That’s rubbish/terrible |
| That’s the badger |
That’s the right one/what I’m looking for |
| Throw a spanner in the works |
To disrupt or derail plans |
| Tickety-boo |
Everything is in order |
| Tipping down |
Raining heavily |
| Toad in the hole |
Sausages in Yorkshire pudding batter |
| Toodle-oo |
Goodbye |
| Treacle |
Term of endearment (like “honey” or “sweetheart”) |
| Trousers |
Pants |
| Two sheets to the wind |
Drunk |
U
| British Idiom |
American Translation |
| Under the weather |
Feeling ill |
| Up for it |
Enthusiastic about doing something |
| Up the wooden hill |
Going upstairs to bed |
V
| British Idiom |
American Translation |
| Vest |
Undershirt (not a waistcoat) |
W
| British Idiom |
American Translation |
| Waffle |
To talk at length without saying much |
| Wally |
A foolish person |
| Wellies |
Wellington boots/rain boots |
| Wet behind the ears |
Inexperienced or naive |
| Whinge |
Complain persistently |
| Whip-round |
A collection of money for a shared purpose |
| Wind up |
To tease or provoke someone |
| Wobbler |
A tantrum (“throwing a wobbler”) |
| Wotcher |
Hello (greeting) |
| Wrapped up |
Dressed warmly |
Y
| British Idiom |
American Translation |
| Yonks |
A very long time |
| You’re having me on |
You’re joking/kidding |
Z
| British Idiom |
American Translation |
| Zonked |
Extremely tired |
False Friends
Words that exist in both British and American English but have different meanings:
| Word |
British Meaning |
American Meaning |
| Biscuit |
A sweet, baked, flour-based snack (cookie) |
A savory, soft bread similar to a scone |
| Bomb |
As slang: very successful (“The show was a bomb”) |
As slang: a complete failure |
| Boot |
The trunk of a car |
Footwear |
| Braces |
Suspenders for trousers |
Orthodontic devices for teeth |
| Chips |
French fries |
Thin slices of fried potato (crisps in UK) |
| Dinner |
The evening meal |
The main meal of the day (can be lunch) |
| Dummy |
A baby’s pacifier |
A mannequin or ignorant person |
| First floor |
The floor above the ground floor |
The ground floor |
| Football |
Soccer |
American football |
| Fries |
Thin-cut chips/french fries |
Both thin and thick-cut potatoes |
| Gas |
Natural gas (cooking/heating) |
Gasoline/petrol |
| Jumper |
A sweater |
A sleeveless dress worn over a blouse |
| Knock up |
To wake someone by knocking on their door |
To make a woman pregnant (vulgar) |
| Pants |
Underwear |
Trousers |
| Public school |
Private fee-paying school |
State-funded school |
| Pudding |
Generic term for dessert |
A specific custard-like dessert |
| Rubber |
An eraser |
A condom |
| Surgery |
Doctor’s office hours/location |
Medical operation |
| Table |
To propose for discussion |
To postpone or remove from discussion |
| Vest |
Undershirt |
Sleeveless garment worn over shirt (waistcoat in UK) |
