Home Page

European English

Irish English

In addition to a few variations in spelling across the Atlantic, some vocabulary is different.

Most of these are mostly inconsequential for the casual visitor, though there are some that are important to not get wrong.

European

American

Anticlockwise

Counterclockwise

Aubergine

Eggplant

Balaclava

Ski mask

Bin

Trash can

Bin liner

Trash bag

Biro

Ballpoint pen

Biscuit

Cookie

Bollocks

Balls

Also a general-purpose swearword — see "Cursing in Ireland"

Bonnet

Hood

(of a car)

Boot

Trunk

(of a car)

Braces

Suspenders

(for a pair of pants. [A "suspender," in Europe, is a garter belt.)

Brush

Broom

Building society

Savings and loan company

Call

To visit, pass by

Called

Named

(Personal or family name.) As in "a lad called Joe"

Canteen

Break room, cafeteria

Caravan

Travel trailer

Car park

Parking lot

Catapult

Slingshot

Chemist

Pharmacist, pharmacy, drugstore

Chips

French fries (sort of...)

Chips are thicker than fries

Cling film

Saran wrap

The U.S. term is proprietary (derived from a brand name.)

Clothes peg

Clothes pin

Collect

Pick up (somebody)

Cooker

Stove

Coriander

Cilantro

In U.S., "coriander" is the seed of this plant.

Coss

Romaine

(Lettuce)

Courgette

zuchinni

Potato chips

Cunt

Guy, fellow

(Irreverent — yes, vulgar — but not obscene.) See Irish joke about Charles Haughey.

Custom

Patronage, business

"Thank you for your custom," in courteous business signage. Conversely, a "customer" is normally called a "punter."

Cutlery

Silverware

C.V.

Résumé

(Curriculum vitae)

Dear

Expensive

Different to

Different from

Dodgy

Sketchy

(Or "bad," as in "a dodgy pint"

Dressing gown

Bathrobe

Drink driving

Drunk driving

Dummy

Pacifier

(For infant)

Earthed

Grounded

(Electrical)

Estate agent

Realtor

In European, also "auctioneer"

Fag

Cigarette

Not to be confused with an American homophobic term

First floor

Second floor

(First floor above the ground floor.

Flat

Apartment

Flyover

Overpass

(On a road)

Football

Soccer

"Soccer" is the preferable term in Ireland, which also plays a game called "Gaelic football."

Fortnight

Two weeks

Full stop

Period

(Punctuation at end of sentence)

Garden

Yard

In America, "garden" is specific to the area where one grows food plants.

Good job

Good thing

("It's a good job [that...]")

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.

Half-four

Four-thirty

See "dawn chorus" (Ireland)

Happy as Larry

Satisfied

Herb (silent "h")

Hire

Rent

(A car, etc.)

Vacation

Often informally abbreviated as "hols."

"If you like"

"If you will"

(As a polite way of using unorthodox terminology)

Jumper

Sweater

Knackered

Tired, worn out

Knickers

Underpants

Knocked down

Run over

(By a car etc.)

Lead

Cord (electrical;) or leash (for pet)

Lift (n.)

Elevator

Lift (v.)

ride (in a car, e.g.)

"Ride" has a sexual connotation in European English...

Lorry (n.)

Truck

Management reserve the right...

Management reserves* the right...

Mangetout

Snow peas

Marks

Grades

(In school)

Maths

Mathematics

Mean

Stingy, tight

Mince

Ground beef (or "hamburger")

Mobile 'phone

Cell 'phone

In European, usually simply "mobile"

Move house

Move (from one house to another)

In American, the speaker's intention is clear within context.

Nappies

diapers

Naught

zero

Off licence

Liquor store

(There seems to be no hyphen "off licence" — at least not in Ireland.)

Overtake

Pass

(In traffic)

Pavement

Sidewalk, footpath

Petrol

Gasoline, gas

Pissed

Drunk, drunken

This has an important difference of meaning compared to the American.

'Phone box

'Phone booth

Pitch

Field

(Sports)

Post (n.)

Mail

Post (v.)

To send by mail

Potter (v.)

Putter (about)

Pram

Infant stroller

Pressurise

Pressure (v.)

(Try to convince or compell)

Pull

Pick up

(For sexual interests)

Punter

Customer

(Patron in a shop, bettor in a bookie, sports fan at a stadium etc.)

Laid off

(From a job)

Return

Round-trip

[Ticket, or journey]

Reverse-charge call

Collect call

Ride [n. or v.]

F*ck

One of those important differences in the two languages...

Ring (v.)

Call

(On telephone)

Ring road

Beltway, bypass

Risible

Laughable, ludicrous

(Used only rarely in U.S. English)

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.

Rocket (eruca sativa)

Arugula

Roster

Schedule

(At work.) Also "rota" in Euro-English

Rubbish (n.)

Trash, garbage

Rubbish (v.)

Disparage

Sack (v.)

Fire

(From a job)

Salamander

Broiler

Scarper

Slip away, escape

Secondary school

High school

Serviette

Napkin

Shite

shit

(Literal or figurative)

Shop (n.)

Store

"Retail shop" = department store

Shop [v.]

Rat out, turn in (somebody)

Skip

Dumpster

Skive

Goof off

(doss, in Irish English)

Skirting board

Baseboard

(At bottom of wall)

Socket

Outlet

(Electrical)

Solicitor

Lawyer, attorney

Sorry

Excuse me

In conversation or pedestrian traffic

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.])

Slag, slag off

To insult, criticize, talk down

Slapper

Disparaging (or hopeful) reference to a "loose" woman

Spanner

Wrench

Sport

Sports

Stone

14 pounds (unit of measurement)

Antiquated, but still used in discussion of personal weight in the UK and the Republic of Ireland.

Store

Storeroom

Suspender

Garter belt

("Suspenders," in Europe, are called "braces.")

Take-away

To go

(Food, e.g.)

Tap

Faucet

Take the piss

Lampoon

Satirize, be ironic. Also, take advantage of an opportunity in a cheeky way.

Tarmac

Asphalt

(Short for tarmacadam)

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."

The

Ten a penny

A dime a dozen

The

excluded in some European phrases

"In hospital;" "in future" (but "in the past")

Tippex

White-out

"Tipp-ex" is proprietary.

Thousand million

Billion

Toilet

Restroom, bathroom

Torch

Flashlight

Sneakers

(also "runners" in European.) Don't wear them to an Irish late-club.)

Cart

For shopping

V.

Vs.

(As abbreviation for "versus.")

Wellington boots

Galloshes

Usually "Wellingtons" or "Wellies"

Whinge

Whine, complain

Windscreen

Windshield

Of a car, etc.