American words that are RUDE in British English | American vs. British English

British or Ameican English? What are the differences? Well, there are plenty of them and in this lesson you learn some VERY important differences indeed! British Vs. American English, words that are highly offensive and rude on British English!
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[@LoveEnglishwithLeilaSabrah]

I hope you enjoyed the lesson! Were you surprised by any of the vocabulary differences? Which shocked you the most 😱🇬🇧👉 🇺🇸

[@ahmedhumayunrasheed2434]

Not shocked very meditating and Therapeutic!

[@rezza2507]

I hope so. Yes, I were surprised by some of the vocabulary differences. I was shocked the word "Randy" inasmuch as it is my friend's name. Randy is my friend, but it is rude in British English.

[@turkey.2106]

Liela 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻great clearly to explain thoes vocabulary. 💋💋💋💋💋😘😘😘😘👋🏻👋🏻👋🏻 From Makkah city 🕋👋🏻💋💋😘

[@syednadal9142]

I will uproot your tree 🏹🧚‍♀️🌺🕊💄🌠⚘💘

[@syednadal9142]

Text me your mother number 🏹🧚‍♀️🌺🕊💄🌠⚘💘

[@publius5464]

My wife is a Brit and she had friends come over to visit us many years ago. They were a young family with small children and decided to go to Disneyland. The poor woman went to several gift shops in Disneyland asking for rubbers- preferably with American flags on them so she could take them home and pass them out to colleagues at work. She told people that her office went through a lot of them and thought they’d make a good souvenir.

[@rakhmianwar6785]

🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@deller5924]

😂

[@williamrivera74]

🤣

[@robinelibrahim2850]

😂😂😂😂

[@user-rc4he4un2y]

😂

[@cathierainwater]

In American, "Period" has 2 meanings, and we use it regularly as both. We just usually refer to a woman's cycle as her period (this is the standard). There is no difference from the UK and US for this word. Where that differs is when we do use it for "final say" (full stop). But it's pretty obvious in conversation, and using it this way doesn't happen on a daily basis...it's usually when we're worked up (upset, excited, etc). And Thick for the way you're explaining it that we Americans use it (we rarely do), is slang AND not spelled that way...that's Thicc. And again, it's very slang, not used in polite conversation (it's not bad, it's just young). We use "Thick" the way it's normally intended otherwise (dimensional, like a thick sandwich). While we do have some people use it as "thick headed," it's usually with the added "headed" afterward. As for "Bum" I'd say it's almost a derogatory word for a homeless person in the US. It used to be widespread used but not really today. It isn't unaccepted, but I think many people think it's pretty rude to call homeless people "Bums" anymore.

[@raymondhopwood9393]

Thick is also an opposite for thin, which is also the opposite of fat.

[@eleanorsutton1168]

😊

[@willfreese]

Born, raised, and lived in America my whole life. If you say, "She's thick," I would assume you mean she is dense, that is, stupid. Nothing else would come to mind.

[@alankinkle5207]

I’ve mostly heard the word Bum used as a derogatory term meaning lazy or incompetent and sponging off the hard work of others. Period can also be used as “a period of time” or “I had algebra in second period”. Thick can also mean viscous, as in “the gravy was thick and gloppy”. There are multiple meanings for most words, and she seems to have chosen slang meanings for most of the 7.

[@christophersmith3115]

Everything you mentioned is correct and right. Yes som words we say here in America have different meaning, than in the UK, but at the same time some words that both countries use have the same meaning

[@ronaldadrian]

I’m American male, and I was an expat manager in the UK for 5 1/2 years. I rather quickly learned not to use these 7 words, but to my chagrin, some others would pop-up on occasion; e. g., Nancy. My predecessor’s first name was Nancy. In a briefing with a group of employees, I referred to myself as the new Nancy of the department. Someone quickly pulled me aside and explained that name meant gay in British English.

[@kevinjiang5036]

As a person who grew up in the US, I will add that in the US, “Johnson” is also used primarily as a surname. In fact, it’s one of the most surnames in America. There were two American presidents who had the surname “Johnson.” Until I watched this video, I have never heard of “Johnson” being used as a slang word in American English.

[@Eysenbeiss]

the english tended to use the word "weener" from a certain time one, because of the dogs and the sausages, that sometimes look like a penis or having the size of it ... Never ever heard someone in the UK used "johnson" to talk about a penis, usually it was cock and I have seen almost every part of the Isles, except for NI sometimes they used "dick" as a shorting from "dickhead" wich again was derived from "thickhead" ...

[@mylifewithmarmalade4624]

Thick = curvy is actually more of a recent thing and will be more common among young people than older people. Among older people Thick is used as a term for slow/stupid in the US as well. Context is everything here, and it’s usually fairly clear from context what meaning is implied.

[@TopDedCenter1]

Yes, and I believe it's actually "thicc". lol, kids nowadays...

[@cabrinfaithauer9036]

My dad used to ask me when he was mad if I was thinking on the head

[@__Obscure__]

@@TopDedCenter1 This is correct. "Thick" with a k still means doltish.

[@JackieOwl94]

I insult people by saying “You’re British-thick”

[@jamesdellaneve9005]

Yes. I’ve never heard it used for curvy.

[@MD-zi9if]

Lots of these "British meanings" are also used in America. We just use context clues to understand which meaning we're using.

[@Candlemancer]

Half the American meanings are used in Britain too. We also do in fact say "full stop" in much the same way Americans use "period" for emphasis. Honestly the whole video is pretty shit and drags on way longer than necessary.

[@christinecollins6302]

True- I no longer have my periods, period.

[@petertattum2338]

And lots of those 'American' words have pretty much the same meaning in British English.

[@rustyroseranch]

Never heard "full stop" in America. Period means both s woman's cycle and the thing at the end of the sentence

[@Clean97gti]

@@rustyroseranch I've heard full stop and thought it was some sort of maritime thing like the old Engine Order Telegraph things you'd see on old ships. I didn't realize FullStop was what Brits called a period until I was an adult. Which makes sense I guess since period is an anglicized Latin word that originally came from Ancient Greek. The Brits use full stop which is Anglo-Saxon. It's also the term for the end of a sentence in Anglish, which is a whole fun bit of linguistic fan-fiction. I like the other Anglish words for ending a sentence which are Haltmark, Stopmark or Endmark.

[@riphopfer5816]

I’m Mancunian by birth and an expat in America, and I loved this. These always make me laugh. I had a mate called Randall in high school who went by the short version of his name, but i refused to call him as such because-being a teenage boy-I couldn’t say it without cracking up. (In fact, we met when I kept cracking puns at his expense that he didn’t understand…but he was a remarkable good sport about it, so I finally explained to him, and-bein the sound lad that he was-, actually laughed with me. Afterward, I would only call him by his nickname only if I were taking the mick.

[@PurnaRodman]

I can't figure out how you never heard Americans use "randy" to mean horney. It is pretty common. At least in California, the Northeast and the Midwest.

[@partabilitychoirrehearsalt2452]

BTW the correct spelling is "horny"; somewhat surprising that an "English" teacher misspelt it. When the movie "Free Willy" came out the title raised a lot of sniggers in the UK. Here "willy" is the most common euphemism for "penis", especially to and amongst children. "What's with all the whales? When does the sex start?"

[@BobHUK]

Back at the turn of the century I worked for an American company in London (I'm English by the way). My boss was a short but rather well padded American lady. She had come to England to marry an Englishman several years before, and they'd since divorced, but she stayed on. Anyway, she told me how she managed to silence a whole pub one day not long after she'd moved to the UK. Her new husband took her to a pub and ordered the drinks, then told her to sit on a wooden bar stool while he went to the loo (toilet). As he was making his way through the crowd to get to the loo, his new wife said rather loudly "This stool's hurtin' my fanny!" The whole pub went totally silent for a few seconds, then roared with laughter while she sat there looking bemused, and her husband quickly hid his embarrassment by running off to the loo. True story! She told me herself and had a good laugh about her own innocent use of the word 'fanny'.

[@janetcrumley1217]

Once worked with a woman from England who had moved to the US. She had a terrible time with words like these that were perfectly all right in England, but not appropriate in American English. Her first job in the US was as a legal secretary in Boston, working for a ver prestigious law firm that was associated with the Kennedys. One morning the senior partner came in and she said “Good morning, and asked how he was. He seemed a little down, a little depressed, so in an encouraging tone, she said, “Well keep your pecker up.” When he stopped dead in his tracks she knew she had said something wrong.

[@deller5924]

😂😂😂😂😂

[@deller5924]

She should have listened to Larry Pierce before coming to America. She'd have learned a word or two. 😂

[@kristinwuori3769]

I may or may not have peed a little. 😂😂😂😂😂

[@jacksimpson-rogers1069]

Is not the British phrase derived from the pleasure of an erection? what other 'pecker' exists?

[@wa1ufo]

Hha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Hardee Har Har!!!!!!!!!!!

[@Paul68123]

"Period" also refers to menstruation in American English. My mother frequently lost a lot of blood during that time of the month (she was hospitalized for anemia a few times). She'd say she didn't have periods, she had exclamation points.

[@kimmimcknight3417]

I wish i'd thought of that back when i still had periods...LOL! (Thank God for hysterectomies!)

[@sixbassjoe]

I've got to laugh! Not at your Mother's pain but at her sense of humor! LOL

[@solarismoon3046]

@@kimmimcknight3417 Yeah! And thank GOD for the hormonal problems that you have afterwards. No - this is not a blessing either way.

[@JL-nb1yc]

What about a period of time? The Jurassic period, for example.

[@solarismoon3046]

@@JL-nb1yc Then I guess it's Jurassic menstruation! 😆

[@TakaComics]

American English uses a lot of the alternative meanings as well. A lot of stuff here is slang. However, as an English teacher, I will explain a few extra things: Period: Americans use it for both, but surprisingly you may also hear “full stop.” Especially when someone is being very serious: “I told him it was over. Period. Full stop. End of story.” Thick: A few people have commented here about this, but “thicc” is AAVE, and has only recently gotten more common in the English language through media and the internet. Americans use “thick” to mean “dumb” all the time, but also use the word “dense” for the same meaning. Bum: It’s not necessarily someone who is homeless, but could be either someone who sits around a lot or has little money. In the 1960s there was an idea of the “beach bum,” which was someone who literally sat on the beach all day. You can call someone a “lazy bum,” for extra emphasis. Commonly it is used for someone who is homeless, but it is also derogatory, so it’s probably best to avoid it. If you are doing something that is cheap or living paycheck to paycheck, you might also say you are “bumming it.” Pants: Americans use pants for everything and often trousers for dress pants. Interestingly, in Japanese, “pants” refers to all bottom underwear, not just those for men, so if you say it in Japanese, you will certainly get strange looks.

[@brucerobb2120]

It's also instructive to note the vast number of languages that English draws from. I once read that the number is 350+. The writer James Nicoll said, “English doesn’t borrow from other languages. English follows other languages down dark alleys, knocks them over and goes through their pockets for loose grammar.”

[@rmhartman]

English is three languages in a trenchcoat.

[@mattslupek7988]

In America, period has at least 3 meanings. It can mean: 1. a punctuation mark at the end of a declarative statement (sentence) or a “full stop” 2. a women’s menstruation cycle 3. a span of time, primarily a set span of time for specific activities, such as in a hockey game, which has three 20-minute periods, or in school, which has 6 grading periods, each lasting 6 weeks

[@theoriginalchefboyoboy6025]

could also mean a long geologic time frame - the Jurassic Period...

[@mattslupek7988]

@@theoriginalchefboyoboy6025 Nice!

[@BlisterBang]

Yes. And on the flip-side, what do they call the dot at the end of the sentence in the UK? Isn't it a period there, too?

[@mattslupek7988]

@@BlisterBang No, they call it a “full stop”.

[@BlisterBang]

@@mattslupek7988 Thanks. That was unexpected. You're right, and I have to wonder why they use two words to describe something so small and ubiquitous. After all, in programming we just call it a "dot". I guess I shouldn't be too surprised. Heck, why is the word "abbreviation" so long??

[@fitzkeelove2471]

I think another great thing to consider when doing these kind of episodes is the huge geographics of the USA. Because depending on where you go here in the states words have different meanings. Just food for thought. East coast is very different from west coast, and north from south.

[@jonathanbair523]

Oh yes.. Pop, soda, coke, soda pop. all the same thing but depending where you are is called different things.

[@dustylong]

​@@jonathanbair523English is not my first language, so I'm trying to learn something. I thought that a coke means a cola and the others words would mean drinks with other flavours but with bubbles aswell. Not so? Pls let me know 🤗

[@abigail01441]

@@dustylong Your understanding is correct.

[@dustylong]

@@abigail01441 Thank you 🤗

[@ElizabethAronsonLamarProf]

In RI, if you want that drink with milk and ice cream, you ask for a cabinet. I think anywhere else in the US, they'd be totally perplexed by the request.

[@davids9520]

My late mother was English. And had many brothers & sisters. I got use to a lot of English slang. And the one word that got me in trouble with my English relatives, was the use of the word 'bloody'.. I'd say that is 'bloody awful" and got some looks from relatives. In American English it is considered a pretty mild word. In British English, it is considered profanity.

[@kentjensen4939]

In American English it's an adjective describing a nose that's been hit, a battle, or a war.

[@danielbeck9191]

I read once the adjective "bloody" in British military slang was stronger than "damned" and more like "effing", as you said in "bloody awful", or in "bloody hell".

[@abuhannah07]

Period also means mensturation here in the US too. But we also use it to emphasize a point. "I'm never going back to that place again PERIOD!" You described it pretty well.

[@brucerobb2120]

What about "I'm NEVER getting pregnant again! PERIOD!! 😂

[@kurtsalm2155]

In America, a bum is not necessarily homeless. It can refer to someone who is usually dirty (but not from working on a messy job), lacks integrity, or is consistently dishonest among other undesirable traits. Someone who is shunned (for many reasons) by most people could be called a bum.

[@gustavmeyrink_2.0]

We can extend the video subject to idioms. For example in British English 'to bum a fag' is the act asking somebody for a cigarette As in 'Can I bum a fag of you'.

[@LindaBforlorenhare]

I agree. Someone who is homeless isn't necessarily a bum. And, a bum isn't necessarily homeless. In North America, we even use the word bum as a verb. Someone can bum stuff from other people, for example, "That guy is just bumming drinks off of everyone else." "Can I bum a cigarette?" It can be used in another way, bumming around. Those are the type of things attributed to "bums". I think it's more of an insult that saying someone is homeless.

[@loris9744]

Bum in US is anyone who asked for money or for someone else to pay for things. He can have a home, a job, and still be a bum

[@DownhillAllTheWay]

Depending on the circumstance, "tramp" could be an equivalent British word. But Americans know that - "The Lady and the Tramp" was an American film.

[@wa1ufo]

Many rich politicians and corporate bigshots are bums.

[@KarenChucka-yj1jt]

I tried to look for this one that actually happened to me. I am American and my brother’s first wife was from Ireland. One day she was helping me paint and asked for a “torch”. I was so confused. I told her I did have one. She was so confused “you don’t have a torch?”” What broke? Why are you welding?” My brother yelled from the other room “she wants a flash light!!”

[@jesterscorner879]

Yup when I first heard the term Torch used by the British it was weird until I realized that the term is being used in historical context (ie a stick with a cloth wrapped around the top that you light on fire so you can see).

[@carlablair9898]

She overexplains, so goodbye.

[@LordFenixBloodstone]

I knew this I watch a lot of British TV and movies and the first time I heard it was like why do that want a stick on fire, then saw they were using a FLASH LIGHT! lol Who said that TV can not teach you things?

[@lisapoo2081]

My husband is from Malaysia and they use British English and he asked for a "torch" and I was very confused. He saw the face I was making and then was like I mean a flash light...

[@oldsguy354]

I'm an American and generally when I'm asked for a torch, my first thought is butane, propane, or acetylene, and I'll ask what are you working on? To determine which is appropriate.

[@michaelharrison3602]

One she never mentioned is "pissed" Inn Britain it simply means drunk in America it means annoyed or as we would say "pissed off" If you say "I've just seen John he's really pissed" to Brits that means he was really drunk

[@susangoslin6089]

Fun to note the differences. I would add that "thick" also refers to a measurement. The opposite would be "thin." The book was "thick" which means it is a wide book along the spine, and probably very heavy to hold, such as a dictionary. It can also mean something of substance, as in: "That dough is too thick. Thin it with something liquid."

[@chryssoraidy9838]

Also applies to "dense". Both referring to the skull, so thick or dense that (jokingly) information can't get through to the brain. The more i think about that, the weirder it seems, until i think of myself as the thick or dense one, cuz that's EXACTLY what it feels like when i'm not comprehending something.

[@SteelMoments]

Almost all of these words have multiple meanings in different contexts in American English. 1. Randy - Is a name, often short for Randall, but also used to mean lusty/lecherous. Used rarely, probably considered archaic, but slightly more common since Mike Meyers' Austin Powers movies. 2. Fanny - means bum here, but is also a name, typically short for Frances, of French origin. 3. Period - a. punctuation; b. a cycle, as in the time it takes a light wave to complete one cycle of the wave; c. menstrual cycle; d. a stretch of time (e.g. the baroque period); e. a schedule slot (e.g. "I have English class 3rd period.") 4. Thick - probably obsolete now or on its way there, but is used in America to mean slow/stupid. As applied to a woman it is recent slang, usually spelled thicc or some variation AFAICT. 5. Pants - Doesn't have a second meaning, but "trousers" is used here. Much less often since I was a child, and even then it was far less common than pants, but we do use it. 6. Bum - at least 3 meanings: a. vagrant b. buttocks c. to borrow (e.g. "Can I bum a cigarette?") 7. Trump - On this one, only worth noting that Trump's name is actually an Anglicization of his German family name, Drumpf.

[@timothytikker3834]

I have a friend, an American woman, who was in England and expecting to meet someone named Randall. As she had never met him before and wouldn't recognize him at sight, she walked around in the area where she expected to meet him, asking several men in turn "are you Randy?" Amazing that it didn't get her into trouble...!

[@williamsegal156]

Great post. Most informative. Thank you.

[@svenkrackow5550]

Never heard of a family name Drumpf, but Trumpf means trump card, 'winning game changer' so to speak. But Trump might derive from trumpet or anything else, as names happen to...

[@SteelMoments]

@@svenkrackow5550 Just buz YOU never heard of it doesn't mean it doesn't exist... try a simple google search next time.

[@str.77]

@@scott4600 it means that in British English but it's not like there are no trumps in card games in the UK.

[@robertjacobs861]

In American English, when you say someone is “thick” it also means dumb or not intelligent. As a native citizen of the US, I’ve never heard someone use thick as a synonym for curvy. Period is also often used to refer to a woman’s monthly cycle here as well. Bum can also be used here to refer to a person’s backside.

[@pahana]

It's recent slang, and usually spelled "thicc." 😅

[@r6343]

72 year old American and I've never before heard the word thick applied to a woman's figure.

[@Photojouralist123]

Ya me to never heard of that term

[@CrimsonDeathBed]

Yeah very common with younger people

[@becreative2420]

Total slang. Most Americans don't use this word in this way

[@Dibley8899]

Knock-up.. I did ask a beautiful hotel receptionist to give me a knock-up in the morning. Her face dropped as her colleague fell on the floor, laughing her head off.

[@rosannepetersen9127]

An American (me) walked into a pub (bar) in England and started a story with "I know I'm such a dork, but...." They all started laughing. :)

[@heatherfeather1293]

I laughed at the thick one. I used to have a coworker from the UK, and I told her one day that I wished I was thick. She looked at me strangely, and asked why I wanted to be stupid. We had a good laugh about it once I explained what it meant in American English. She always insisted that Americans don't actually speak English.😂😂😂😂

[@Kelle0284]

She's got an interesting sense of humour.

[@lesleylovell8933]

They don’t 😂

[@stevesebzda570]

@lesleylovell8933 No. "Pants" comes from "pantaloons" (the French I guess) outer billowy pants/pantaloons (I think billowy, I'm not sure though) How in the world do you fit "pantaloons" underneath? You have a closed circle over there.

[@quantumleaper8396]

Fanny be tender with my love, was a BeeGees song

[@quantumleaper8396]

NEVER GET POLITICAL

[@erictaylor5462]

I have heard an English person use "full stop" in the way an American might us "period" Also, in America "period" may refer to a class in high school. School days are divided into segments, with a class taking place in each of the segments. So you might have math for the first period, chemistry for 2nd, and PE for 3rd period.

[@galegreyson4196]

British people don’t refer to a period of time? Or the period of a pendulum (keep it clean!)? Or the Periodic Chart of Elements? When di this word go completely off the rails? How to British physicists handle this? 😳

[@internetopinion3043]

A lot of these words are used the same way in the US, but it's context-dependent.

[@ArionXeno]

@@galegreyson4196you are correct, but we say Periodic Table of the Elements

[@galegreyson4196]

@@ArionXeno “A period on the periodic table is a row of chemical elements. All elements in a row have the same number of electron shells.” Hence “periodic.” Wikipedia.

[@MartinParnham]

We also use "period" to refer to classes at Secondary/High School, or at least we did when I was at school.

[@dorindadavis8536]

When I, an American, was planning on visiting England and staying with a friend who still lived with his parents, I mentioned in a letter something about bollixing up some plans. He wrote me back, very long-nosed about that, and said primly that his mother didn't approve of bad language.

[@kims8317]

"Period" also refers to menstruation in Canada and the USA. But, you're right, we do use it to emphasize the end of a sentence/idea.

[@michastarzewski2445]

Thank you for an interesting lesson. I am Polish and I'd like to mention, that in our language a "fanny pack/bum bag" is called "kidney pack" as it is worn right on this part of the body. :)

[@jaklumen]

that actually makes WAY more sense to call it a kidney pack.

[@sheep1ewe]

Yes, in Sweden they are called (loosly translated to) stomac bag. or well... (quote/unquote) "the gay sling" for some reason... ha ha

[@spectrekittyJ]

...and who could object to that?

[@gerardjlaw]

We used to say 'kidney bag' in the UK in the 1970s but I think the American influence wiped it out.

[@DashingPartyCrasher]

@@sheep1ewe Sounds like an even better translation would be "belly bag" since we like using phrases with the same consonants or vowel sounds. I'm curious why some Swedes call it a gay sling. Maybe because some people think (or used to think) that men who use a fanny pack or bum/belly bag look effeminate? That was one stereotype here in the US when they first became popular in the 80s.

[@L1V2P9]

My proper name is Randall, but I've been called Randy since I was in diapers. My wife's cousins live in England and I always received a funny look when introduced. They discreetly asked my wife for my real name, and since that time they only call me Randall. They are the only people I know who address me this way.

[@loris9744]

Could be worse. Could have been Dick

[@Internet_Spy]

Any other way would be considered rude.

[@magicchord]

Yes, in the USA, Randy is usually a nickname, shortened version of Randall or Randal.

[@paulsheridan543]

@@magicchord or Randolph.

[@catabaticanabatic3800]

What's a "diaper"? Is it some sort of playschool or pre-school nursery? Just asking for a friend.

[@captaincat1743]

I stayed with an American family when I was 15, and one of the kids used to call his dad a wanker, completely unaware what it meant in English. In that part of America it was used as a soft insult, like plonker or idiot.

[@boymommommyingfrombtoz6475]

We had family friends from England visiting us in the US, and of the kids proudly showed me his “bum bag.” I asked if he knew what it was called in America and he said no. So I told him “Fanny pack.” His mum and my Nanny turned their heads and looked at me in shock. I had no idea what a Fanny was in England (I always visited as a kid and lived with my grandparents there, so I didn’t know many bad words like that lol)

[@t3tsuyaguy1]

American here. A few things. We use 'period' to refer to menstruation AND the dot at the end of the sentence. Some of us also say, "I told him that was it, full stop." What's interesting about that one, is that we don't refer to a 'period' as a 'full stop' at any other time. A woman with an appealingly curvy figure is 'thicc' not 'thick'. We actually use 'thick' to refer to men and women who are overweight. A thicc woman has essentially the same proportions as a fit model, just overall wider. A slim-thicc woman has a very thin waist and proportionally large breasts and bottom. We use bum to refer to butts as well, just not as often of Brits do.

[@williamrivera74]

Agreed. But it's funny, regardless

[@clooperman3745]

My girlfriend and a lot of her friends always use the term fanny, but bums are known as tramps.

[@AllanMogensen]

Maybe homeless people are called bums because they are considered ass´es

[@2genmc]

Period also means menstruation in the US, not only used for punctuation. There's quite a few wirds that have more than one meaning.

[@TonyLing]

'wirds' must be one of them

[@sylviekins]

@@TonyLing😂😂😂

[@fionagregory9147]

Words not the way you spelt it.

[@phillhuddleston9445]

Thick meaning curvy is relatively new and is more ghetto slang than American English, Americans have used it to say someone is stupid long before it was used to say fat or curvy!

[@Twongo]

I'm an American who used to travel all over England for work. I couldn't begin to tell you how many times I've heard the English punctuate a spoken sentence with the phrase, "full stop". It really is quite common. Even today, nearly every English commentator I listen to I've heard use it.

[@MickieMuellerStudio]

I’m American and I knew them all, I’m feeling like I won a game. 😆 I watch a lot of BBC, so that’s probably the only reason I knew them. This was a great presentation, thank you so much!

[@JW-eq3vj]

BBC. That's a good innocent British English term that would be inappropriate in polite conversation in the USA.

[@innastarikova]

@@JW-eq3vjwould it?

[@lminterests5590]

I knew nearly all of them Although Fanny was new to me.

[@MickieMuellerStudio]

@@JW-eq3vj well, I had to look that one up never heard of that…😆 Yikes! I’ve only ever heard of people using BBC to refer to the British Broadcasting Corporation, I guess every time I’ve used it in conversation people took the context of it into account. It would be weird to watch Doctor Who or Gavin & Stacey on the other American slang meaning of BBC. I guess it could be accomplished with the use of a projector somehow? 😏Interesting how it went full circle in the comments back to British terms that might raise an eyebrow in America!

[@JW-eq3vj]

@@MickieMuellerStudio I hope you didn't look that up at work. Or in front of your family. :)

[@quelyn1995]

Can we please talk about being “knocked up”? At 17, I visited the UK and my cousin told me he would “knock me up” in the morning.😳 In the US it means to be impregnated, but in the UK it means they will knock on your bedroom door to wake you up. Imagine teen me being told that!

[@fatimagindeel3715]

😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@trishagoodwin4069]

I am British and generally means to impregnate, the same as USA, although younger people do not use it much, so might not be aware of its original meaning here.

[@speedbird300]

Impregnate is more modern slang, originally: en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knocker-up

[@EtherealSunset]

I'm British and it means impregnate here too. Maybe it was a regional thing. I've never heard anyone use it the way that person did.

[@grahamellington5826]

Also: a rubber can be "a waterproof overshoe that protects shoes from water or snow." I wore them when I was a kid.

[@jojojo8835]

“Be careful how you pronounce…” words are more of an issue for me 😂 in any language I keep a mental list of words to avoid using because any slight error results in a rude word. Eg for English I can think of peace, peas and six just for starters! Also I never use swear words in a foreign language because there are so many nuances to when and to whom they’re appropriate and it’s hard as a foreigner to get that right.

[@djgrant8761]

Fanny can also be a girl’s name. In Australia we had a swimmer who swam competitively from 1910-1918 she was born Sarah Frances Durack but the world knows her as Fanny Durack. When it comes to the English language context needs to be taken into account. You are right when you say Pants can mean trousers but pants can also mean to breathe with short, quick breaths. i.e. ‘The dog pants after a run.’ Also pants can mean long for or yearn for as in the song ‘As the deer pants for the water so my soul longs after You. You alone are my heart’s desire. And I long to worship You.’

[@arletteledoyen5839]

Let's not forget the television chef and writer Fanny Cradock.

[@djgrant8761]

@@arletteledoyen5839 Also Fanny Crosby (1891-1915) American hymn writer wrote the hymns Blessed Assurance, Pass Me Not, O Gentle Saviour and To God Be The Glory. Fanny Cory (1877-1972) American cartoonist and book illustrator created the Little Miss Muffet comic strip. And Fanny Brice (1891-1951) An Australian comedian of the radio, stage and film she created the radio comedy series The Baby Snooks Show.

[@nikiTricoteuse]

My grandmother was Frances but was always known by Fanny, the diminutive of her name. Not by her grandchildren, of course, as we wouldn't have dared.

[@djgrant8761]

@@nikiTricoteuse Fanny is an old fashioned name. I haven’t heard it recently.

[@nikiTricoteuse]

@@djgrant8761 Yeah, my grandmother would have been born early 1900s, came out from England with her family when she was 8 and was probably already known by Fanny then. It would be a "brave" person who would name a child that nowadays, though. Even here in Aotearoa/ New Zealand the name has evolved to take on the British meaning. It's a shame really cos, it's kind of a sweet name.

[@solarguy1702]

I taught English at a Brit school in Japan. I wore my Wankers Corner t shirt which elicited much laughter. Wankers were a prominent German family in my town in Oregon

[@BigT2664]

BUM doesn't just mean homeless person in the US. It is also used to insult somebody who has purposely chosen to be a deadbeat dad or refuses to work. Bum also used to be a synonym for hobo, a person out of work from the 1930s who traveled the rails from city-to-city looking for work. And of course it is also used the same as in the UK.

[@slgwv1958]

As a long-time student of English I was delighted to find your channel! Late to the party, but just a couple of comments: 1) “thick” in the sense of “dimwitted” is perfectly familiar to this older American. I’d never heard of the purportedly American meaning--it must be a generational thing. 2) “pants” is short for “pantaloons”, which by 1800 or so meant (yes!) “trousers.” So, yes, the American meaning goes back a ways. It’s a pretty generic word, but without qualification is usually “trousers.” If you specifically mean undergarments, say “underpants” or (especially for women’s garments) “panties.”

[@soelund1]

The real rudeness is the insistance to put rude meanings in words that are spoken with no intention to be rude. It's usually not hard to see if someone try to be rude to you or not.

[@AJCsr]

Do shut up . !

[@l1277]

You've actually hit upon another difference in American and British English (as I'll assume you're American). When we in the UK talk about 'rude words' we mean that they aren't for use in polite company, it's not that we assume you're trying to offend, we're explaining a cultural difference. And it works the other way too - asking to 'bum a fag' in the UK, perfectly acceptable; asking it in the US... I mean, it's polite but it's still gonna be taken the wrong way.

[@briseboy]

@@l1277 "gonna', REALLY? as in I'm gonna rhea? You don't speak any known language.

[@DZSabre]

'Thick' used to mean 'stupid' in the US but in the last 20 years, 'thick' took on this new meaning. Even I had to learn that as my kids grew up.

[@simeon2851]

It's now spelt "thicc."

[@panatypical]

Don't know about that, first I heard the word thick used this way in the USA, was Jethro Tull with thick as a brick. It wasn't adopted here with that meaning because of that either

[@SayWhut]

It's actually sad

[@hypsyzygy506]

​@@panatypical "Thick as a brick" describes a person who is really *really* stupid. "Thick as a brick sh1thouse" is an old phrase used to describe a very wide, solidly built person, usually muscular, generally not intelligent, and slow on the uptake. Your typical low-level mob enforcer. It's probably Victorian, from the days when the toilet was in an outhouse in the back yard.

[@nooneatall8072]

@@simeon2851 I have not encountered this new spelling. When did this happen?

[@Shark-pj8in]

Uh in ameican english period is often used for menstration. Id honistly neevr really heard anyone say period after a statement.

[@bweaver760]

I have watched another video where the teacher compared Australian vs Canadian vs American vs British English slang! It is really funny to learn the differences😅

[@k.wesley923]

Correction: the meanings for "thick" and "period" are the same in the USA as in the UK. However, in African American Vernacular English, these terms have the additional meanings that you have highlighted here.

[@footscorn]

No they're not, she's absolutely correct.

[@sebastianguerre6868]

Cookie is the same in American English as it is in British English. Biscuit has different meanings. Pants means underwear in most of Britain but in the North West of England (Lancashire) it means trousers.

[@missharry5727]

Pants also means rubbish or crap as an assessment of quality. "I hated that book, it was totally pants."

[@rebecca8525]

@@missharry5727I never heard that one before

[@ayrplanes]

In the 1970s in public school in the US I was taught that period was the name of the dot at the end of a sentence.

[@ManishSharma-sk2zh]

Hi Leila, An interesting lesson about difference between British and American words. I admire your tips and learn lots of new words with your lesson. Homework: 1. Bog American : wet muddy soft ground. British : the bathroom. 2. Braces American : supports on the teeth used to strengthen the teeth. British : suspenders, an article of clothing used to hold pants up. 3. Trolley American : a vehicle that runs on tracks. British : a cart with wheel, 4. Coach American : s person who teaches or trains athletes British : a bus. 5. Lift American : to pick up or arise. British : an elevator. Thank you.

[@LoveEnglishwithLeilaSabrah]

Hi Manish, thanks for your comment and great examples of the differences between British and American English! Do you now if you say someone is ‘off their trolly’ in British English, it means they are crazy?! 🤪 😂😂😱

[@ManishSharma-sk2zh]

@@LoveEnglishwithLeilaSabrah Thank you Laila, I admire your suggestions.

[@AlexM-Official]

Brilliant list @manish don't forget "Shift" ... USA, to move (we gotta shift those microwave ovens ...) UK/IRE, kiss in night club settings (he shifted her nicely)

[@pingupenguin2474]

On the other side, if a British person asks for a rubber, don't be offended, they are not asking for a condom but for an ereaser to remove pencil marks. Also, sidewalk(us) = pavement(uk) Math(us) = Maths(uk)

[@deanm1424]

Those americanisms have also crept into the uk vernacular.

[@OkieDokie294]

Thick as you mentioned for the US is only among younger people and is extremely slang. Generally is is referring to measurements (c number of inches thick) but it also means the same as in England although maybe not as common these days.

[@deettekearns9092]

1 and 3 are used the same in American language. Meaning both uses of the word are used. #2 and #7 are new to me. Never knew that. #4 thick, in terms of curvy, is a new meaning for the word and apparently, spelled differently. I don't know when it was "hatched" but it is most definitely new.

[@Samplesurfer]

American Thick for curvy is Dutch "Dik" / German "Dick", but in Anglicized spelling. Just like "Cookie" and "Rhode Island". Those are actually the Dutch words "Koekie" and "Rood Eiland".

[@hypsyzygy506]

In the UK a biscuit is a small baked item that will snap when you try to bend it. The term 'cookie' is reserved for US commercial cookies (some of which we will call biscuits even though it says 'cookie' on the packet), and for the slightly larger soft cookie that will bend before breaking. The US 'biscuit' is more like a plain (or slightly savoury?) scone - 'biscuits and gravy' is so not a thing in the UK.

[@kiwitrainguy]

That's a very good description.👍

[@AnGLMMmYFitzpatrick]

I am SO SORRY! Biscuits and gravy are amazing! Looks like barf- tastes FANTASTIC.

[@Clean97gti]

Biscuits and Gravy should absolutely be a thing in the UK. It's delicious and I think it would fit right in with British cooking. In fact, skip the black pudding on a Full English Breakfast and add an Amreican Biscuit and Gravy. You're cooking sausages anyway and Brits aren't afraid of dairy, so make your gravy with the sausage drippings, some flour and full fat milk.

[@EtherealSunset]

​@@Clean97gtino thanks. The black pudding is the best part of an English Breakfast. I'm all for trying biscuits and gravy if I get the chance at some point, but it's not a proper cooked breakfast without black pudding. I'd be up for swapping the grilled tomato for pretty much anything though. It just wastes valuable room on the plate. I love tomatoes in most forms, just not grilled.

[@Shayechique]

Number 3 and 4 definitely have dual meanings in American English. The meanings are interchangeable

[@sixtysecondvlog]

Now on the flipside, I was on holiday in the States, and was in a cafe, and I was offered a scone. Now, being British I was super excited about this. When the waitress brought this out, it was a hugeeeeeeeeeeee scone. And I said to the waitress, where I come from, this is a scone! But that's a biscuit in American English and a scone in British English. The person I was staying with, my mum and dad's friend who lives there. She explained how that word took on a whole new meaning to me as I'm British. And I absolutely cried laughing when a fanny pack was mentioned!

[@cocotulle23]

It's also not particularly nice to call someone a bum in American English either. Thank you for this! I've been to the UK many (short) times but I think I'm moving there and this was so helpful!

[@melooodramatic8423]

Worked with a Scottish friend at a German gift shop at a U.S. military facility. We had to list the items we sold. She had a major meltdown when I wrote "Fanny Pack" on the roster Also worked with a lovely English girl who informed me to my shock that she would be going outside to have a fag(cigarette). I explained how that was offensive. She later referred to a smoke break as siggy and I never said Fanny Pack again😊

[@LoveEnglishwithLeilaSabrah]

brilliant! lol!

[@garymorris216]

I was fortunate enough to go to England back in 94. I was blown away when I was walking down the street enjoying a Marlboro and some British dude stops and asked me,,,"Eh Mate, have you got a fag?" I just about lost my s*** on the guy when luckily the two British girls I was hanging out with informed me he was asking for a cigarette 😅😂😅

[@crazynana55]

Also the word ‘faggot’ is offensive in the states, but generally means a bunch of wood for a fire in the UK. Or is that wrong?

[@kezmet5998]

@@crazynana55 it can also be a meatball ;)

[@hughmungus1767]

I spent a good percentage of my time at university here in Canada at a student housing co-op in the late 1970s. One of the biggest surprises I got when I moved in at the start of my first term was to hurry on over to the Division Manager to get a good fag! It turned out that the co-op had utilized the British public school term for chores to mean the tasks that we had to do as part of the agreement implicit with being a member of the co-op. Furthermore, it was called the fag system and had fag checkers to make sure you actually showed up to do your fag. The person in charge of the fag system was the fag master (or mistress). It was always fun in subsequent terms to see the looks on the faces of new people when they first heard that they were expected to do fags.... Of course, times have changed; apparently, the co-op has been using the term "chores" now instead of "fags" for several years.

[@robindaley9312]

Maybe this is old-school British English - but It always made me smile when someone in a movie said that they would come "knock you up" one of these days, meaning to "come visit". To Americans, it means something very different.

[@tonyasantiago2289]

In American English, period is also used as a time frame. For example high school, 1st or 2nd period.

[@mrdovie47]

My mother went to Scotland many years ago and said street vendors were selling "Hokey Pokey" an Ice Cream like desert. The vendors would call "Hokey Pokey, a penny a lump." While boys on the street would respond with, "Hokey Pokey, a penny a lump. The more you eat the more you Pump!"

[@sarahsnowe]

I have never heard the word "thick" used to mean "curvy," and I'm Canadian. Canadians generally understand both American and British English and frequently use both. It depends on one's cultural heritage. So does spelling. Most people with a British background will keep the "u" in "colour," "neighbour," etc. and use a double rather than a single consonant in words like "travelling," "marvellous," etc. (versus "traveling," "marvelous"). Others might not, but those seems to be the preferred spellings among educated people. I was surprised that Leila didn't mention the British term "knock up," which in Britain can mean either to throw something together quickly, like a pasta dinner or a Hallowe'en costume, or---though this may be used less often than in previous times---"to knock on someone's door in the morning to wake him or her up." In American English it means "to make pregnant." So a British guy telling an American woman he's going to knock her up in the morning is likely to get his arse/ass well and truly kicked.

[@AlexM-Official]

I've seen it spelt "thikk" for example Nina Kraviz, before she was ultra-famous, was doing DJ gigs in Italy in smaller venues, and be filmed and shared on social media -- contrary to her nemesis Nastia (short for Natasha, obviously another play on words) she is curvier ... and of course the comments were "didn't know she was so thikk". Which reminds me that our host missed "Dense" ...

[@k.wesley923]

it is used moreso in Black English, and can have a bit of a misogynistic undertone even in the USA.

[@Xaroni]

Knocked up in Brit English is also, to get pregnant.

[@mbarrett99]

"Thicc" refers to curvy women.

[@sunahamanagai9039]

I think if you say Thick or Thikk or Thicc, it's bigger than curvy or voluptuous but more on the fat side. It's like a nice way to say fat. Fat but sexy perhaps.

[@filteaufamily8928]

"Period" is commonly used in America to denote a woman's time of the month. The term "thick" is also used to denote someone who is stupid. "Thick as a brick" was a common expression when I was growing up. There may be some regional differences in parts of the US and differences in some of the ethnic communities that exist in America that I am not aware of. I've lived in the UK now for about 12 years but trump is not an expression that I've come across here yet.

[@eduardovinuesa7428]

Is the same in Spanish: periodo o menstruation. But when I studied medicine In Madrid in the 60s, the gynecologist told the students,-- he must've been a dury ("cachondo") old Man--, that the menstruation was the bloody crying of a uterus not corresponded. As for "thick" brained it's the same as" fool" or stupid, cabezota

[@stewedfishproductions7959]

I'm 65 and to 'trump' has ALWAYS been used to mean fart (to break or pass wind) - which has always made me smile whenever his name is mentioned... In fact, I wondered how he has never realised the fact and changed his name? Because simply put, his name IS Donald Fart (which probably explains a lot - LOL!). 😂

[@thermalreboot]

I was going to point this out, but you did a pretty good job of it. I might add though that Period and Thick can be determined by the context.

[@rridderbusch518]

@@stewedfishproductions7959 Trump's surname was originally Drumph back in Germany. His grandfather thought that "Trump" sounded more "classy"! 🤣🤣

[@stewedfishproductions7959]

@@rridderbusch518 His grandfather was as 'thick' as him... 'Period' - LOL! 😎 (Also, none of his children are any brighter - especially the sons!). 😃

[@EtherealSunset]

Fanny can also be used as a mild insult, to mean silly/stupid/idiot. "What a fanny." (Talking about or to another person who did something stupid, or "I'm such a fanny. I can't believe I just did that." When talking about something in the first person. That's UK slang use, but I don't know if it's regional or UK wide.

[@mplsmark222]

In America we don a swim suit when going to the pool. In the UK, they wear a swim costume. On a bicycle, in the US we shift a derailleur, the Brits call it a mechanism. Or mech for short. Heavy freight is transported in a truck, the Brits call it a lorry. gravel and sand, a dump truck, they call it a tipper. Trains are a locomotive that pull rail cars, the Brits call them wagons. On tv, Thomas is a very useful engine. In reality, tank engines did not really work that great……….

[@anskee31513]

Period in American English can also mean menstruation, and it's usually spoken to other women. As in, "Darn it, I started my period." But men usually know what you mean, also. Thick in American can also mean someone who is not smart and it is an insult. Johnson can be used a slang for the male anatomy but it is also a last name

[@lindaj171]

Same in Canada.

[@debasishraychawdhuri]

The word means both, it depends on the context.

[@eduardovinuesa7428]

Randy in Spanish= cachondo-a

[@eduardovinuesa7428]

Im from Spain and I've lived in Tx for many years and never heard such a sexual meneaning, but "Horny" instead, which is a very graphic one.

[@stephenolan5539]

​@@eduardovinuesa7428 The Monkees wrote a song called Randy Scouse Git, not knowing it was vulgar slang in England.

[@scytaleghola5969]

I remember (as an American visiting the UK) being told a joke by some Brits and they used the word fanny, which I thought at the time meant butt. However, they took time out from the joke to explain my misconception in that context. When they finished the joke (which was not all that funny) I guess I did not laugh enough so they started trying to see if I got the joke. I got the joke, it just was not that funny. I decided to have a little fun with them. I said, "No. I get the joke. What I don't get is some of you name your daughters 'Fanny'. I would never name my daughter P*ssy." The expressions on their faces were priceless. It was almost as if no one had ever made this point. There may be some sub-cultures in America where THICK means curvy, but usually it means dumb or overweight. I assume trump meaning fart comes from trumpet?

[@deanbush]

In the 1960s, I had an aunt named Fanny. We had a government financial program named Fanny Mae.

[@tfrtrouble]

Nice "gotcha" story but I don't believe it. Anyone I know in the UK who you asked that question to would reply with "er what? We don't name our daughters that". Have you ever actually met a girl in the UK called fanny? I never have. Maybe it happens but it would be very rare. The only time I've come across it is characters in older books, because that word didn't take on the anatomical meaning until later. Same way that in historical books people are called gay, and it just means cheerful. Anyway, what about the Americans called Fanny? The word has an unsuitable meaning in American too.

[@scytaleghola5969]

@@tfrtrouble Yes, while I lived in the UK, I met at least two women called Fanny - one was my neighbor. While I think it is rare to give someone that name on their birth certificate, as a nickname it is not nearly as rare. According to Data-ize, there were 23 girls born in the UK in 2021 who were given the name Fanny. However, Francis was in the top 200 names, and Fanny is a somewhat common nickname for Francis. In the US, the word fanny does not have near the same stigma. I remember my very religious and very proper grandmother threatening (in a playful way) to spank my fanny if I didn't behave. Fanny is really more of a cute, semi-polite word, in the US. Similar to you, I have never met someone in the US called Fanny, but I'm sure there are some.

[@tfrtrouble]

@@scytaleghola5969 Hmm, must be a regional thing. Was your neighbour elderly by any chance (it didn't always have the modern connotation)? The only person I've ever met called Fanny was American. And I've know several Francises and none went by Fanny (but Fran). I also think it being considered a really crude and offensive word is regional. Where I grew up, it was a common children's word for that part, kinda like "willy" for the corresponding male part, which is also a common nickname for William in both countries (along with the rather cruder Dick) and nobody finds it shocking. If an American told me a joke involving a dick, and I responded with "Yeah that's not funny; what kind of people would call their child that", I'm pretty sure they would not be mind-blown at my great wisdom.

[@hypsyzygy506]

Girls named Frances would often go by the diminutive Fanny. The diminutive for boys called Francis would usually be Franny. The name usually indicates gender. With an 'E' (Frances) it's a girl, with an 'I' (Francis) it's a boy. Both names are a bit old-fashioned. There's a great Irn-Bru soft drink TV advert about Fanny.

[@apnudi]

The "curvy figure" isn't thick, it's thicc. Two C's. It's a youth slang term that only appeared in popular use a few years ago. It's sort of a trendy word mostly used by the younger generations.

[@teacherlisa163]

"Period" is the same in the US and UK. We simply additionally use it for a "full stop" in addition to a "period" (time of the month). "Thick" is also used in the US for a lower level of intelligence. "He's thick-headed." Unfortunately, although "trump" does mean to do something better than someone, I've stopped using it for that very reason that it's also the name of someone's unwelcome name. I've never heard "Johnson" referring to the male anatomy.

[@ryanjones2297]

For number 3, period means "that time of the month" too, we just have multiple meanings for the same word many times. Same with 6, bum is actually the child friendly way of referring to that particular part of the body, in addition to referring to a homeless person.

[@5stardave]

A bum is not necessarily homeless, but they sponge off other people. A bum is also someone thought to be bad at their job. Plenty of baseball players were called bums.

[@happyzahn8031]

@@5stardave I call my daughters bums because they haven't got jobs yet.

[@308W82]

I've never heard the word "Thick" in the U.S. in reference to a woman's shape! Only to someone who "doesn't get it" -- or is unintelligent!

[@uffevonlauterbach]

"Hello. My name is Randy Johnson, and I'd like to reserve a table for two."

[@karlbmiles]

A workmate told me about an experience he and his girlfriend had in America where the ski rental guy asked her if she wanted "Parabolics" (the somewhat hour-glass shaped skis rather than straight downhill skis), she misheard "pair of bullocks".

[@frankvisser256]

As an American I had it explained to me by a British coworker that our word for a device used to erase pencil marks (Eraser) is called a Rubber in British English. A Rubber is American slang for a condom. These differences are hilarious and awkward at the same time.

[@johnphelps7519]

The term pantaloon was originally used to describe the undergarment, but word meanings change with time and the term was shortened to pants, and used in a more general fashion (pun intended) to describe a divided garment covering the legs

[@LivinInSim]

Pantalone means trousers in French.

[@mtsenskmtsensk5113]

@@LivinInSim pant alone looks like breathe-out in isolation.

[@victorcelna3028]

Pantaloons were what men wore hundreds of years ago. Billowy things ending tight around the legs halfway between the knees and the ankles. Often vertically striped. In Australia an undergarment was called underpants or undies, as it says, worn under a pair (funny that, as it is only one) of pants.

[@catrinlewis939]

@@victorcelna3028 Underpants used to come in separate legs for right and left and were tied together at the waist: thus a "pair" of pants. And yes, they were open at the crotch. How else could ladies in big voluminous skirts go to the toilet?

[@darlenemiley]

There're are many comments below that are good comments. However, I have a short story for a word. My wife and I met a family on holiday from the UK. The name of the family was "Cheesebro." I know this because the father kept calling his son "Cheesey." I am sure it was a nick name for their last name. I told him in American English Cheesey has a different meaning. I told him it mean something is bad or terrible. If he kept saying that , people might wonder why someone's calling their son Bad or terrible. He did n't know this, but he said he would be aware of saying it.

[@galaxy98765]

When a Brit says that a certain American is "just a septic", what does he mean? About an American soccer player, he said that "he is just a septic but he's a good player". I googled "septic" and it said that it is a derogatory term used by someone who doesn't like Americans. But I was in the UK recently and I asked my British cousins about "septic". They said that they have never heard of that term used that way. ?????

[@kirkboswell2575]

Also "Johnson" can be referring to a lifting tool. A Johnson bar is used to raise heavy pallets an inch or two to place blocking, or to manually start a rail car moving on its rails so it can be moved several yards without any engine.

[@blackvixencrypt]

Hahaha lifting a tool! 😂💀

[@rayives7758]

And the Johnson rod operates the piston valve on a steam engine

[@allenblum6257]

My impression is that British "bum" is used similarly to American "butt". Both can be used in casual conversation and are not considered especially rude.

[@pjras9361]

In American English, a period is also a time frame (i.e. a hockey game has 3 periods, or “he served for a period of eight years”). I was also surprised that the word “bloody” wasn’t mentioned.

[@jfffjl]

Merv Griffin had David Niven on his talk show in the '60's, and the fanny question came up. David trying to explain the difference between the American and the British usage without getting censored was classic. Merv enjoyed his discomfort extremely. I have not been able to track this clip down.

[@spaced1298]

I’m from US, but enjoy UK English also. A number of the words mentioned actually have more than one meaning in the US, so our two countries can communicate easily. I think with social media, etc. there is little that still shocks us, least of all the words we use! But amusing video…it is fun to compare language!

[@virgilflowers9846]

Yeah, for the most part these differences are negligible with the most commonly encountered English accents. However there are a few dialects in England that still use some archaic terms that can be confusing for Americans. Scots as well, though I believe this is actually considered a different language

[@EtherealSunset]

In north east England "bum" is a derogatory term for someone who is seen to be wasting their life. Someone can be "On the bum." too, which is someone not helping themselves and wanting things for nothing from others.

[@EtherealSunset]

It also means bottom.

[@neural_jam]

I guess it's included for humour, but whilst 'randy' can mean that, I think most of us brits would understand it to be a name from US TV and film, or from context at least, especially if it's said in a US accent! (In fact that could apply to a lot of other words too!) Also, it's not super common, but I've heard 'full stop' used to add emphasis in the same way that 'period' is used in the US (5:15) plenty of times! And the whole pants/trousers thing - I had a whole discussion about this on the comment for another video, there are some regions of the UK (seemingly mainly north-east England and parts of the north-west) where 'pants' has always meant trousers (presumably a contraction of 'pantaloons'), and people who grew up there have never associated the word with underwear. I was pretty surprised!

[@jasonelmore9527]

Had no idea that's long for pants, or long John's or Long jhonsons!😂

[@SirKnight1096]

Pants come from Pantaloons. Trousers and Pantaloons are terms which go back about 400 to 450 years and comes from the UK. Same as Soccer. We got that term from the UK for Football.

[@BluePatriotWinner]

RING in American is what yoy wear on your finger. In English usage as a former native of a former British colony the word was used to call on the phone, as in ring me when you get home.

[@bb_lz9790]

My wife's British friend laughed when she saw a sign at the garden center stating that they had Sod today. In American English "Sod" is turf, but it has a very different meaning in Britain.

[@janellekm]

We call sod as in dirt usually associated with starting a construction site, as in the Prime Minister will turn the sod, he gets a shovel and digs. We also say sod off as in piss off in Australia 😊

[@arthurhunte9273]

Sod in old English means soil or a piece of earth , but it is used as a form of insult, example "you stupid sod " isn't a nice thing to say to someone.

[@bb_lz9790]

@@arthurhunte9273 I thought it had something to do with sodomy... Sod off basically meant F**k Off!

[@sambda]

There's a line in a Little House on the Prairie when Michael Landon says, "[somebody] is busting some old sod up in the meadow," and I'm wondering whether the old sod minded.

[@EtherealSunset]

​@@janellekmwe use both of your examples in the UK too, but it can also be an insult towards someone if you call them that word, or to show sympathy "Poor (old) sod." That can be about a person or an animal that's in a bad way. Thinking about it, there's a lot of different uses for that word. It's also a shortened version of something the Bible says is wrong.

[@michaelroberson2546]

Daughters were part of a soccer club coached mostly by Welsh and Scots guys. In the US retrieving balls that have been hit (baseballs) or kicked (soccer, okay, football) is called shagging. All the coaches would laugh at the first time they heard in the US someone say that they would 'Shag the balls'. Which also I wonder what the reaction of our UK friends are to the Scooby-doo character of Shaggy.

[@MrRandyScot]

You missed a big one that I found out the hard way. My girlfriend and I (both Americans) attended a large convivial dinner in Wales. Near the end of the meal my gf pushed back her plate and loudly said "I'm stuffed!" All conversation around the table suddenly stopped, followed by an awkward silence. Later we learned that what means "I'm completely full" after a meal in the US means "I'm f**ked" in Britain.

[@txrcher]

Number 1 with a bullet, my father whose given name is Randall but goes by the shortened version Randy, experienced this first hand when he was deployed to England while serving in the Air Force in the early 70's. Upon introducing himself, he received a look of shock and a playful slap to the arm. Then was promptly educated on why. lol

[@scottandrewhutchins]

I was in an opera with an English woman, and one guy in the cast was talking about "fanny" with her. She said that she went to a all-girls school named for someone named Frances, and that they would called it "Fanny's" when no adults were around.

[@jasonsummit1885]

There's one other word you missed. In American English the word "slag" is used in the metal refining industry, it's what you would call dross or what's left over when all metal has been extracted.

[@DevonExplorer]

It is in Britain too, also the term slagheap is used for heaps of dross, such as coal slag after refining the mined substance. As you know, it can also be a not very nice word for ladies of perceived questionable morals, or just a nasty word for someone you don't like. :)

[@LostJedi26]

@@DevonExplorer Oh. That's a new one for me. Thanks for explaining :)

[@EtherealSunset]

It has the same meaning in the UK, but also has the additional meaning that's insulting to women.

[@joebaumgart1146]

I'm from Philadelphia, our English is different than most American dialects. Jawn is a word that takes the place of literally any noun.

[@steinwaymodelb]

Thick also refers to someone who's not to bright in North America. The slang use to refer to a 'full-figured' woman is pretty modern slang, and often seen spelled 'thicc'.

[@juliefraser8136]

As a Canadian, I am aware of both meanings of most of those words but I don't get bothered by either use.

[@benjimartinnc]

This is one of the most mind-blowing videos I've ever seen because I never realised that some American words are offencive in British English. I'm American, and I use British spelling as you can clearly see, and sometimes I use British English words like "bloody," which means, "covered in blood," in American English.

[@dentwatkins2193]

In British English, 'offence', when converted to an adjective, loses the 'c' and gains an 's', becoming 'offensive'.

[@benjimartinnc]

@@dentwatkins2193 I didn't realise that. That's how we Americans spell "offensive" too, though.

[@jennettswan]

Some American English words are locational. I grew up in California and we always referred to "long trousers" as pants or jeans (casual) or slacks (business) attire. Another name is chinos, which I believe is a British style of trousers. I think Americans have way too many words for one type of garment but, if you live here long enough, you learn them all and think nothing of it.

[@CIS101]

As an American, for me 5 & 6 are part of my everyday vocabulary so for example if I was in London I might not remember to say "trousers". However I have known of the word 'trousers' since childhood, and I consider it part of an older era of American English. Number 7 really surprised me in terms of British English. So if we looked that word up in British dictionary what would the definition be ?

[@fyrefli4109]

From the Oxford English Dictionary: trump, v.¹ To give forth a trumpet-like sound; spec. to break wind audibly (slang or colloquial).

[@CIS101]

@@fyrefli4109 Thank you. Well that is not how I want to Make American Great Again. Right ?!

[@noahlujan5590]

I dated an English woman in my heyday that would get upset every time I asked if she was "mad" (meaning angry). She let me know with great frustration that in the Queen's English I was basically asking if she was "crazy", and we all know how much a woman loves being asked if she's crazy. Lol!!!

[@EtherealSunset]

That's obviously a regional thing. The part of England I'm from, mad can mean angry or crazy. Tone or context is usually the way to differentiate between which one is being used. "Are you mad?" probably would come across as "Are you crazy?" unless the tone and rest of the conversation suggested otherwise. "Are you mad at me?" or "Did that make you mad?" would come across as you asking if they were angry about something. "I'm mad at you." is also quite common.

[@alistairmcelwee7467]

In the English speaking world outside the UK, underpants are underwear, and pants are what you wear on top of your underpants. I’m from New Zealand but now live in the US. Trousers, in the US, are really more formal than pants such as jeans are.

[@balldalt]

Period is also used as a length of time. And in high school we called classes 1st period, 2nd period, etc.