T-JUNCTION
Intersection in the shape of a T.
TA
THANK YOU. This is baby-talk that has found its way into general use. The word is pronounced “tah”.
TA-TA
GOODBYE. Babytalk that is sometimes used by adults.
TABLE-TENNIS
PING-PONG.
TAKE-AWAY (Food)
TAKE-OUT or TO GO.
TAKE FRENCH LEAVE
Be absent without permission, go AWOL
TAKE THE BISCUIT
TAKE THE CAKE.
TAKE THE MICKEY or TAKE THE PISS [OUT OF]
TEASE or RIDICULE.
TANDY (Store)
RADIO SHACK.
TANNER (Slang)
Sixpence in pre-decimal money, now 2½p.
TAP
FAUCET. But beware! Britain has mixer taps that don’t! Miraculously, the two streams of water leave the tap and travel down in a vertical column, one side of which is hot, the other cold. By the way, in Britain there is no convention as to which tap is the hot one -- it may be the one on the left, but it may not.
TARMAC
BLACKTOP. (See also PAVEMENT)
TATERS (Slang)
COLD. Another rhyming slang expression. TATERS IN THE MOULD = COLD, “taters” being a slang word for potatoes. (Yes, the plural does have an “e”!) Farmers bury potatoes in a large earth mound or MOULD as a means of storing them for several months.
TATTY
TACKY. In the sense of being crude or messy, not sticky.
TEA
TEA. This can mean both a drink and a meal.
Drink: You should never ask for “hot tea”. It is virtually never served any other way, so the adjective is redundant. If you do come across ice tea, it will be referred to as ICED TEA. Britons similarly will always use the past participle form to describe SKIMMED MILK.
Meal: Tea is a light afternoon meal of sand-wiches and cakes, and a pot of tea. Most Americans seem to believe that HIGH TEA consists of a pot of tea with sandwiches, scones, jam, and cakes. That is AFTERNOON TEA, or CREAM TEA if clotted cream is served with the scones. HIGH TEA includes a meat or fish dish. (See SCONE and JAM)
TEA CLOTH or TEA TOWEL
DISHCLOTH. (See DISHCLOTH)
TEAT
NIPPLE on a baby’s bottle.
TEA TOWEL
See TEA CLOTH.
TELEGRAPH POLE
TELEPHONE POLE.
TELLY (Slang)
TELEVISION. Also known as the GOGGLE-BOX or the IDIOTS’ LANTERN.
TERM (School)
Similar to a SEMESTER. There are three terms per year. The UK summer vacation is about six weeks, and there is a two to three week break at both Christmas and Easter.
TERRACE-HOUSE
ROW HOUSE. The complete row is referred to as the TERRACE.
TERRITORIAL ARMY or T.A. for short
Army Reserves.
TERYLENE
A proprietary name for a type of POLYESTER.
TEST MATCH
Game of cricket played between two national sides. The best known series is that played between England and Australia for THE ASHES. (See ASHES and CRICKET)
TETHER
ROPE. A Briton will say he is at the end of his tether rather than the end of his rope.
THEY
THEY is often used as a genderless singular pronoun. Example: “If an employee arrives at the office more than one hour late they will be penalized a half-day’s leave”.
THREE SHEETS IN THE WIND
DRUNK.
THROUGH
THROUGH. Never abbreviated to thru. A Briton would say “Monday to Friday”, never “Monday through Friday”.
TICK (Mark)
CHECK [MARK].
TICKER
HEART.
TICKET COLLECTOR/INSPECTOR
CONDUCTOR on a train. Buses also have INSPECTORS. (See BUS)
TICKOVER (Car)
IDLE SPEED.
TIDDLER (Fish)
Alternative word for a MINNOW.
TIGHTS
PANTYHOSE.
TILL
CASH REGISTER.
TIMBER
LUMBER. A Briton buys wood at a TIMBER YARD. (See also FOUR-BY-TWO)
TIME
With the exception of transportation schedules time is described in the same way that it is in the United States. However, a single time zone covers the whole of the country. Most of Western Europe is on Central European Time which is one hour ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (see GMT). A Briton will typically use the expression “Ten minutes PAST six” rather than “...AFTER six”, and “Ten minutes TO eight” rather than “...TILL eight”. “MIDDAY” is preferred over “NOON”.
TIME-TABLE
SCHEDULE. Public transport systems run to a TIME-TABLE. Time-tables usually use the twenty-four hour system, eg 20:30 for 8:30pm.
TIN (Container)
CAN. A Briton buys a tin of beans, soup, etc. Hence we see TIN OPENER for CAN OPENER. (See also BOTTLE)
TIP
See RUBBISH TIP.
TIRED
SLEEPY.
TIRED OUT or FAGGED OUT
EXHAUSTED or FATIGUED. The expression “FAGGED OUT” is not very common nowadays, but it does bear mentioning because of the likely reaction of an unprepared American who does hear it used!
TIT
Species of bird which includes the BLUE-TIT, COAL-TIT and the GREAT-TIT. The BLUE-TIT, which is the most common of these, is infamous for its ability to peck through the aluminum cap of any milk bottle left unprotected on your doorstep.
TITBIT
TIDBIT.
TITFER (Slang)
HAT.
TIT-FOR-TAT = HAT in rhyming slang.
TOAD-IN-THE-HOLE
A meal of sausages baked in a Yorkshire pudding batter. The finest way I know to ruin good sausages! (See BANGERS and YORKSHIRE PUDDING)
TOFFEE APPLE
CANDY APPLE.
TOGS (Slang)
CLOTHES.
TOILET
See LOO.
TOMMY ROT
NONSENSE.
TON
In the Imperial system a ton is 2,240 pounds, as opposed to the 2,000 pounds that is more often used in the United States.
TOODLE-OO
GOODBYE. (See also CHEERIO)
TORCH
FLASHLIGHT. A torch as it is known in the States would be called a FLAMING TORCH in the UK.
TORY PARTY
See CONSERVATIVE PARTY.
TOTALIZATOR or TOTE
Computerized on-course betting system. Betting on horse races is legal in the UK. There are even Betting Shops in the High Street where you can place a walk-in bet. Britons tend to bet on most events, sporting or otherwise.
TOUCH WOOD
KNOCK ON WOOD.
TOURER (Car)
CONVERTIBLE.
TRAFFICATOR
TURN SIGNAL.
(See also INDICATOR and WINKER)
TRAM
STREET-CAR. (See also PRAM)
TRAMP
BUM. In the UK, the word BUM is a little crude. It refers to the posterior. (See also ARSE, ASS and FANNY)
TRAPEZIUM
TRAPEZOID.
[BLACK] TREACLE
MOLASSES. When talking of TREACLE TART or TREACLE PUDDING, however, a lighter form is usually being referred to. (See [GOLDEN] SYRUP)
TRILBY (Hat)
FEDORA. The word TRILBY comes from the Daphne du Maurier novel of that name.
TROLLEY (Supermarket)
CART. British supermarket trolleys are obviously designed by the same person who designs them in the States. They are cunningly arranged to have one wheel which insists on pointing in the wrong direction, and are almost impossible to steer in a straight line!
TROUSERS
PANTS. (See PANTS)
TRUNCHEON
NIGHTSTICK.
TRUNK CALL
LONG DISTANCE CALL.
[SWIMMING] TRUNKS
Men’s SWIM SUIT. These are of the “Speedo” type, although they are not known by that name in the UK.
TUBE
See UNDERGROUND.
TUCK SHOP
Place in school where kids can buy snacks.
TUMULUS
See BARROW.
TUPPENCE
Literally, two pence in pre-decimal money. The term is often used to imply a pittance as in “I wouldn’t give you tuppence for it”. Listen out for THREEPENCE, which you may hear pronounced as “threp’-ence”, “thrip’-ence”, “throop’-ence” or “thrup’-ence” -- but never “three’-pence”, and also for HALFPENNY, pronounced “hape’-nee”.
TURF
SOD for making a lawn. It also refers to “THE SPORT OF KINGS”, that is HORSE RACING. (See also SOD)
TURF ACCOUNTANT
BOOKIE.
TURN-UPS
CUFFS on pants.
TURPS
TURPENTINE. Or more usually a substitute type of paint thinner.
TURTLE NECK [JUMPER]
CREW NECK [SWEATER]. (See also POLO NECK [JUMPER])
TWEE
CUTESY, or AFFECTED.
TWIN-SET
See JUMPER.
TWIT
IDIOT or JERK.
TYRE
TIRE. (Car)
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