Words like naff, escalope, biro and invigilator that never made the trip across the ocean.
Earlier this week, I covered the results of a 600,000 person study on English words that Americans almost universally know but the British don’t. Today, we’ll do the flip side.
Despite sharing a common language, these words are unique to British English and may leave Americans scratching their heads.
11 Common British Words Americans Don’t Understand
Here are 11 words that are widely known in the U.K. but sparsely known in the U.S.
1 | tippex (known by 91 percent of British people and seven percent of Americans)
The 91-7 spread is the largest of any word on either list. Tippex is (I just learned) the British term for Wite-Out. It’s also a brand name, like the Wite-out. I guess using its brand name is something we all share.
I wonder if Americans who bought and use Tippex in Amazon still call them Wite-Out and insist on calling that because it’s just a brand name and the content is still the same.
If we all just settled on “correction fluid” and stopped genericizing our respective trademarks, it could really unite the world.
2 | yob (97% British / 22% American)
A yob is a rude, noisy, aggressive young person, or ne’er-do-well, which itself feels like a totally British term. It’s possible the word came from “boy” being spelled backwards, like a bizarro evil boy, racecar, a Santa at NASA, or Mr Owl ate my metal worm.
While some people may find the term offensive, it is still widely used in colloquial language and has not been officially deemed as a derogatory term.
3 | naff (94% British / 19% American)
A slang term for “go away,” as in, “Oh naff off, I’m trying to enjoy my eel pie while I take in a spot of The Only Way Is Essex, you yob.” (I totally have this British thing down.)
It is also used to describe something that is uncool, tacky, worthless, or unfashionable. And since this word is so acronymic, it could also mean Not Available For F**king which is another British slang used to describe someone who is sexually unappealing.
4 | escalope (91% British / 17% American)
A flattened, boneless piece of meat. Can also be spelled as “escallop” or “scallop,” which refers to a thin slice of meat that is usually taken from the leg or breast of veal, pork, or chicken.
We generally know it as or roadkill or schnitzel which is German, by the way.
5 | chiropody (93% British / 20% American)
This is used to describe the field of juuuuust-below-medicine that encompasses chiropractors and podiatrists. We don’t lump them together but I assure you if we did, we’d also find a way to derisively jam herbalists, acupuncturists and sexologists in with them too.
Chirpody also sounds more modern than podiatry, which is the term we use in the U.S.
6 | perspex (94% British / 22% American)
Perspex is a brand of acrylic plastic that is commonly used as a lightweight and shatter-resistant alternative to glass.
We call it plexiglass in the U.S. I know it’s useful and versatile and whatnot, but two distinct names seems like overkill. It’s because both terms are trademark brands, and we like to use trademark brands to mean anything and everything.
7 | brolly (96% British / 24% American)
The British term for an umbrella. Interesting Fact: The old-timey American slang term for umbrella was “bumbershoot” which used to describe a large umbrella.
The term came from the words “umbrella” and “parachute” and was originally used as slang by soldiers during World War I to describe their large military-issue umbrellas.
But we managed to wisely eradicate that term; the British are still rolling with “brolly.”
8 | abseil (87% British / 15% American)
“Abseiling” is what we call “repelling” — off a cliff or down a wall, not in regards to someone’s toxic personality. It is a technique used in rock climbing, canyoning, caving, and other outdoor activities that involve descending a vertical or near-vertical surface.
It rarely comes up in most of our day-to-day lives, but does find its way into at least one-third of Amazing Race episodes.
Both terms, abseiling and rappelling, are commonly understood in the UK but Americans only know the former.
9 | biro (99% British / 17% American)
The term for a ballpoint pen, named after one of its inventors, Laszlo Biro, a Hungarian newspaper editor in the 1930s.
Due to the success of his pen even though it was expensive, an American by the name of Milton Reynolds (yes, the “Reynolds” pen) copied Biro’s invention. But his version turned out to be crap. If it was a huge success, we will probably call ballpoint pens today as “Reynolds.”
Meanwhile, Laszlo Biro sold his patent to Marcel Bich who named his company Bic. And that’s how you see the connection.
As I researched it further, it’s possible that the U.S. is the only country that doesn’t refer to ballpoint pens as biros. I mean, these days we rarely refer to them at all, but when we do, we don’t say biro.
10 | tombola (97% British / 17% American)
A tombola is a lotto-type game, as well as a British online bingo website. It originated in Italy (that’s why it doesn’t sound British), but somehow found its way to the UK. And like many brands, it became synonymous to what it is today.
(They’re legally allowed to gamble on the Internet. And with every possible gambling option at their fingertips, millions choose to play bingo.)
11 | invigilator (92% British / 22% American)
Love the slang. I think we should steal it and use it below our name tags. Invigilator is the British word for a proctor, or a person who monitors students during an examination to ensure that the rules are followed and there is no cheating.
It sounds so much more formal, respectable and severe. I think it may even command respect when used inside the classroom. Kids cheat on tests when a proctor is around; no kid would risk running afoul of the invigilator.
