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European | American |
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Anticlockwise | Counterclockwise |
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Rocket (lettuce) | Arugula |
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Aubergine | Eggplant |
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Balaclava | Ski mask |
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Bin | Trash can |
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Bin liner | Trash bag |
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Biro | Ballpoint pen |
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Biscuit | Cookie |
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Bollocks | Balls | Also a general-purpose swearword — see "Cursing in Ireland" |
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Bonnet | Hood | (of a car) |
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Boot | Trunk | (of a car) |
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Braces | Suspenders | (for a pair of pants. [A "suspender," in Europe, is a garter belt.) |
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Brush | Broom |
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Building society | Savings and loan company |
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Call | To visit, pass by |
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Called | Named | (Personal or family name.) As in "a lad called Joe" |
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Canteen | Break room, cafeteria |
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Caravan | Travel trailer |
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Car park | Parking lot |
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Catapult | Slingshot |
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Chemist | drugist, drugstore | also "pharmacy" in both Am. & Euro. |
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Chips | French fries (sort of...) | Chips are thicker than fries |
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Cling film | Saran wrap | The U.S. term is proprietary (derived from a brand name.) |
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Clothes peg | Clothes pin |
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Collect | Pick up (somebody) |
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Cooker | Stove |
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Coriander | Cilantro | In U.S., "coriander" is the seed of this plant. |
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Coss | Romaine | (Lettuce) |
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Courgette | zuchinni |
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Crisps | Potato chips |
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Cunt | Guy, fellow | (Irreverent — yes, vulgar — but not obscene.) See Irish joke about Charles Haughey. |
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Custom | Patronage, business | "Thank you for your custom," in courteous business signage. Conversely, a "customer" is normally called a "punter." |
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Cutlery | Silverware |
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C.V. | Résumé | (Curriculum vitae) |
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Dear | Expensive |
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Different to | Different from |
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Dodgy | Sketchy | (Or "bad," as in "a dodgy pint"
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Dressing gown | Bathrobe |
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Drink driving | Drunk driving |
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Dummy | Pacifier | (For infant) |
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Earthed | Grounded | (Electrical) |
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Estate agent | Realtor | In European, also "auctioneer" |
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Fag | Cigarette | Not to be confused with an American homophobic term |
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First floor | Second floor | (First floor above the ground floor. |
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Flat | Apartment |
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Flyover | Overpass | (On a road) |
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Football | Soccer | "Soccer" is the preferable term in Ireland, which also plays a game called "Gaelic football." |
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Fortnight | Two weeks |
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Full stop | Period | (Punctuation at end of sentence) |
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Garden | Yard | In America, "garden" is specific to the area where one grows food plants. |
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Good job | Good thing | ("It's a good job [that...]") |
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Graft | Effort, labo(u)r, work | Usually if not always used as part of the term "hard graft." In American, "graft" connotes political-business corruption. |
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Half-four | Four-thirty | See "dawn chorus" (Ireland) |
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Happy as Larry | Satisfied
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Herb | Herb (silent "h") |
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Hire | Rent | (A car, etc.) | |
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Holiday | Vacation |
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"If you like" | "If you will" | (As a polite way of using unorthodox terminology) |
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Jumper | Sweater |
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Knackered | Tired, worn out |
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Knickers | Underpants |
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Knocked down | Run over | (By a car etc.) |
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Lead | Cord (electrical;) or leash (for pet) |
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Lift (n.) | Elevator |
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Lift (v.) | ride (in a car, e.g.) | "Ride" has a sexual connotation in European English... |
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Lorry (n.) | Truck |
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Management reserve the right... | Management reserves* the right... |
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Mangetout | Snow peas |
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Marks | Grades | (In school) |
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Maths | Mathematics |
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Mean | Stingy, tight |
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Mince | Ground beef (or "hamburger") |
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Mobile 'phone | Cell 'phone | In European, usually simply "mobile" |
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Move house | Move (from one house to another) | In American, the speaker's intention is clear within context. |
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Nappies | diapers |
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Naught | zero |
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Off licence | Liquor store | (There seems to be no hyphen "off licence" — at least not in Ireland.) |
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Overtake | Pass | (In traffic) |
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Pavement | Sidewalk, footpath |
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Petrol | Gasoline, gas |
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Pissed | Drunk, drunken | This has an important difference of meaning compared to the American. |
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'Phone box | 'Phone booth |
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Pitch | Field | (Sports) |
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Post (n.) | Mail |
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Post (v.) | To send by mail |
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Potter (v.) | Putter (about) |
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Pram | Infant stroller |
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Pressurise | Pressure (v.) | (Try to convince or compell) |
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Pull | Pick up | (For sexual interests) |
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Punter | Customer | (Patron in a shop, bettor in a bookie, sports fan at a stadium etc.) |
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[Made] redundant | Laid off | (From a job) | |
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Return | Round-trip | [Ticket, or journey] | |
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Reverse-charge call | Collect call |
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Ride [n. or v.] | F*ck | One of those important differences in the two languages... |
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Ring (v.) | Call | (On telephone) |
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Ring road | Beltway, bypass |
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Risible | Laughable, ludicrous | (Used only rarely in U.S. English) |
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Rob | Steal | In American, you would "steal" a car. In European, you'd "rob" it. To rob a car in American is to steal something from inside it. |
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Roster | Schedule | (At work.) Also "rota" in Euro-English |
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Rubbish (n.) | Trash, garbage |
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Rubbish (v.) | Disparage |
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Sack (v.) | Fire | (From a job) |
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Salamander | Broiler |
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Scarper | Slip away, escape |
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Secondary school | High school |
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Serviette | Napkin |
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Shite | shit | (Literal or figurative) |
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Shop (n.) | Store | "Retail shop" = department store |
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Shop [v.] | Rat out, turn in (somebody) |
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Skip | Dumpster |
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Skive | Goof off | (doss, in Irish English) |
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Skirting board | Baseboard | (At bottom of wall) |
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Socket | Outlet | (Electrical) |
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Solicitor | Lawyer, attorney |
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Sorry | Excuse me | In conversation or pedestrian traffic |
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Sort of | Um | (Approximately equivalent, most of the time. [Does not usually mean "in a way" or "kind of," but instead works to briefly delay and compose the sentence.]) |
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Slag, slag off |
| To insult, criticize, talk down |
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Slapper |
| Disparaging (or hopeful) reference to a "loose" woman |
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Spanner | Wrench |
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Sport | Sports |
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Stone | 14 pounds (unit of measurement) | Antiquated, but still used in discussion of personal weight in the UK and the Republic of Ireland. |
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Store | Storeroom |
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Suspender | Garter belt | ("Suspenders," in Europe, are called "braces.") |
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Take-away | To go | (Food, e.g.) |
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Tap | Faucet |
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Take the piss | Lampoon | Satirize, be ironic. Also, take advantage of an opportunity in a cheeky way. |
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Tarmac | Asphalt | (Short for tarmacadam) |
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Taste (n.) | Flavour | In America, you could say that somebody has "good taste" (in music, e.g.) But you wouldn't say that food has "a good taste," but "a good flavor." You can say that in Euro-English as well — spelling it "flavour." |
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The | Ten a penny | A dime a dozen |
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The | excluded in some European phrases | "In hospital;" "in future" (but "in the past") |
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Tippex | White-out | "Tipp-ex" is proprietary. |
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Thousand million | Billion |
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Toilet | Restroom, bathroom |
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Torch | Flashlight |
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Trainers | Sneakers | (also "runners" in European.) Don't wear them to an Irish late-club.) |
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Trolley | Cart | For shopping |
V. | Vs. | (As abbreviation for "versus.") | |
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Wellington boots | Galloshes | Usually "Wellingtons" or "Wellies" |
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Whinge | Whine, complain |
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Windscreen | Windshield | Of a car, etc. |
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Return to "management reserve" ...