{Updated} Learning to Speak British: Some Common Terms and their American Translations

A roll by any other name would smell as delicious? Turns out, yes.

Moving to another country is daunting enough without having to learn a new language. This is one area where seemingly the UK would be a preferable place to relocate as a native English speaker and, in many ways, it is certainly easier to move here than, say, to Asia or South America.

But that doesn't mean we haven't had to learn some new lingo in order to understand the locals, not to mention get through the weekly shopping. Sometimes even if a word is easily identifiable (windscreen vs. windshield), it's still helpful to know that there's a more acceptable British version to use.

Here are some of the most commonly used British-isms we've run into so far and what they mean:

• bap (noun)—American translation: roll. This one threw me. David bought a bag of what I would call "rolls" from the market but here they are called "baps." Baps are defined as "large, round, flattish bread roll, typically with a spongy texture and floury top." Similarly, a "hamburger bun" doesn't really exist here but "hamburger rolls" do.
• bespoke (adjective)—American translation: custom, made-to-fit. Often used to market goods and services to fit unique wants and needs, bespoke is used a lot in the UK. Rather than saying a "custom suit" or "custom kitchen design," the Brits opt for "bespoke suits" and "bespoke kitchens."
• boot (noun) and bonnet (noun)—American translation: trunk, hood. Most people probably know that the "boot" of a car is what the Brits call the trunk. It might make more sense given the Victorian-style outfit reference then, that the so-called "hood" is a more traditional bonnet.
• chips and crisps (noun)—American translation: fries and chips. This one is fairly well-known due to the worldwide popularity of British "fish and chips" offerings at restaurants, but in the UK one would order "chips" if they wanted French fries whereas an order of a "packet of crisps" would return a bag of potato chips.
• fly-tip (verb) or flytipping (noun)—American translation: dumping. This is not a cow-tipping-type activity with insects but rather the way in which Brits refer to the illegal dumping of unwanted waste in public areas.
• hob (noun)—American translation: stove/cooktop. As I said, that thing you cook on is not a stove, it's a hob.
• holidaymaker (noun)—American translation: vacationers, tourists. A lot of people know that the Brits like to refer to vacations as "holidays" whilst in the U.S. we reserve that term for major celebrations like Christmas and Thanksgiving. A "holidaymaker," then, is someone on holiday, a.k.a. a person on vacation.
• jab (noun)—American translation: shot, injection, vaccination. A jab is just what it sounds like, only a smidge more medical. A jab is a shot, so you might hear "tetanus jab," "flu jab," and so on.
• kitchen roll or kitchen towels (noun)—American translation: paper towels. Again, this one is pretty easy to guess but "paper towels" aren't a thing here.
• pensioner (noun)—American translation: retiree. Anyone receiving a retirement pension is labeled a "pensioner" here.
• plaster (noun)—American translation: BandAid, cast. No, it's not something you use to build walls. A plaster is what the Brits call a bandage, usually of the BandAid variety but sometimes the ones used to heal broken bones.
• pudding (noun)—American translation: (usually) dessert. Not the sweet milk-based dessert similar in consistency to custard and often packed in school lunches, "pudding" in the UK can mean a myriad of things. Used as a synonym of "dessert," puddings can simply refer to a sweet course after a main meal. However, there are also savory puddings such as Yorkshire pudding (a roll-like side often served with roasts) and haggis (honestly, you don't want to know).
• pushchair, pram, and buggy (noun)—American translation: stroller. Every stroller I've seen here looks like it was designed by Maserati or Porsche. I guess "stroller" is too peasant a word for the posh kiddos of London.
• quid (noun)—American translation: a one-pound coin (kinda like "a buck"). As in the US where we substitute "a buck" or "seven bucks" for "dollars," the Brits use "a quid" as slang for "one pound," "ten quid," for "ten pounds," and so on.
• splashback (noun)—American translation: backsplash. This one is fairly self-explanatory but, for whatever reason, your stove's not a stove and the tile behind it is a splashback, not a backsplash.
• sultana (noun)—American translation: golden raisins. Certain words in the British lexicon seem oddly specific in comparison to their American counterparts. It is not uncommon to buy a product (or avoid buying it if, like me, you hate raisins) in the UK labeled as containing "sultanas." A sultana, as it transpires, is a varietal of green grape that, when dehydrated, becomes a golden raisin of the same name.
• vest (noun)—American translation: tank top. When you move to a new country and your shipping container doesn't come for two months, you sometimes have to fill gaps in your wardrobe. In my case, I needed a tank top to wear to the gym and found out, after a bit, that these are known as "vests."
• washing-up liquid (noun)—American translation: dish soap. One might think that the simple act of buying dish soap would be a simple one. But, alas, no. Searching for "dish soap" on the lovely online supermarket Ocado warranted no results. Type in the corrected "washing-up liquid," though and you'll have your pick of eco-friendly, citrus-scented, and power-scrub choices.
• windscreen (noun)—American translation: windshield. Pretty obvious but, again, important to know in case you need to purchase windscreen wipers or windscreen fluid.

Hopefully this list will help you on your next interaction with a Brit! Again, these are just from our first three weeks living in London. As I run into more British-isms, I will definitely add to the list.

Did I miss an important British term dear to your heart? Leave words and definitions in the comments!