Say what?!: Quirky British Words Translated

I recently made a new ex-pat friend from England*. We were chatting and the word “windscreen” came up about his car. He then said “That’s a windshield, sorry need to use the North American word!”.

I already knew this, but it made me remember that I had started a list of the British words and translations that I have learned and compiled over the years of visiting  my second favourite rainy place after Vancouver. Every time I visit the UK, I learn at least three new words from my Scottish friends. I also thoroughly enjoy seeing/hearing North American tourists trying to figure out what people are saying. (It took me a while, too!)

So, on this rainy Vancouver day, here is a mini dictionary of quirky British words. But you’re on your own for the accents. That’s a whole other ball of wax.

(*Update (May 23, 2021): This was The Brit, and we were on I think our third date. As you may or may not have figured out from my subsequent content, it all worked out! 🙂 In late 2020, we decided to move to the UK — and I arrived at the beginning of May 2021 after The Brit came back in February to start his new job. With that, this list will continue to grow as I dive into ex-pat life in England.)

The Mini Dictionary of Quirky British Words

British Word	North American Translation	How It Would Be Used in the UK
Aubergine (vegetable)	Eggplant
Aye	Yes	“Aye, laddy!”
Biscuit	Cookie	Tea and biscuits
Bonnet	Car hood
Bonnet	Hood (of car)
Bonnie	Pretty	A bonny lass
Boot	Car trunk
Bouffin’ (BOUGH-fin)	Horrible, awful, inedible, disgusting	“That’s bouffin’!”
Braw (like raw)	Good	“That’s braw!”
Brolly	Umbrella
Candy	Chocolate
Chippy	The fish and chips shop; no real North American equivalent	“I’ll grab something at the chippy”
Chips	Fries	As in fish and chips
Chuffed	Happy, proud	I was feeling rather chuffed with myself.
Coriander	Cilantro
Crisps	Chips	Ask for chips and you’ll get fries
Dinna	Don’t	“I dinna ken”
Driech	Damp, drizzly weather	Pronounced dreek with with a rolled “r” and phlegm at the end. “It looked driech outside.”
Flat	Apartment (or the regular version of flat)
Football	Soccer
Git	Silly, stupid, incompetent, or childish person	“You git…”
Glen	Valley	The glen was full of sheep and just one cow.
Grand	Good	“That’s grand”
Har	Mist	Pronounced like car; but if you’re not careful, this can sound like a lot like another, less complimentary word.
Hiya	Hello, hi
Juice	Soda, pop	“I’ll have a juice, please.”
Ken	Know or understand	“I dinna ken”
Kirk	Church
Knickers	Underwear
Laddy	Guy/boy
Lassy	Girl
Lift	Elevator
Loch	Lake or sea inlet	Pronounced “lock” with some phlegm behind it.
Loo	Bathroom, washroom
Lorry	Truck
Mac(Intosh)	Rain coat
Mardy	Sulky or moody	He was feeling a bit mardy when he got home.
Mince	Ground meat
Mingin	Horrible, awful, inedible, disgusting	“That’s mingin’!”
Motorway	Highway
Muppet	Ignorant, idiot or moronic person	“What a muppet…”
Nappy	Diaper
Neeps	Turnips
Neeps’ n’ tatties	Turnips and potatoes	A common Scottish dish
Pants	Underwear	A highly recommended word to use otherwise, everyone will either look scandalized when you say pants, or just have a good snicker…
Pitch	Field	Football/soccer or rugby (or Quidditch!) pitch
Pram	Stroller
Proper	Really	“That was a proper good dinner”
Pudding	Dessert	Pronounced “puddin’ “
Rocket (vegetable)	Arugula
Shag	Not the kind of rug 😉	I’m assuming Austin Powers has made this a fairly explanatory one. Ha.
Skits	Upset digestive system
Skunnert	Fed up or stuck	He’s skunnert or “I’m so skunnert”
Snog	Make out (with someone)
Soz	Sorry	Sometimes it means “sorry, not sorry”
Strop*	Hissy fit, tantrum	She had a proper strop. *I LOVE this word!
Sweeties	Candy
Tatties	Potatoes
Tea	Dinner; or just to be confusing, it’s also literally having a cup of tea	“What do you fancy for tea?”
Trainers	Running shoes. sneakers
Trousers	Pants	To be used instead of pants as everyone will look at you funny otherwise and snicker
Wee	Small, tiny	The dog was just a wee thing.
Wellies	Rain boots
Whinge	Whine	“Stop your whingeing and get on with it!”
Wind screen	Windshield

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We all smile in the same language.

~ Unknown ~