UNDERSEAL (Car)
UNDERCOAT.
UNDERGROUND
SUBWAY. Colloquially known as THE TUBE (See SUBWAY)
UNDERLAY or UNDERFELT (Carpet)
PADDING.
UNIT TRUST
MUTUAL FUND. Usually a closed-end fund.
UNI
UNIVERSITY. A Briton will not typically talk about going to College on reaching 18, unless it is some sort of technical or business college. The usual term is UNIVERSITY, or UNI for short. He or she would never refer to this as SCHOOL as an American would. If you ask a Briton “What school did you go to?” he will assume you are talking about schooling prior to the age of 18.
UNMENTIONABLES
UNDERWEAR.
UP THE POLE
NUTS or CRAZY.
US
ME! At least, that’s how it is sometimes used. For example, “Give us a kiss” or “Ooh, those biscuits look wonderful -- give us one”.
U.S.
Apart from the obvious, this is an abbreviation for UNSERVICABLE. In other words, BROKEN or NOT WORKING.
V
V-SIGN
If you want to mime the figure two, make sure you do so with your palm facing the recipient. If you do so with your palm facing you, you are giving the V-sign, which is equivalent to flipping somebody the bird in the States. Winston Churchill’s famous V-for-Victory sign was of the former type.
VAC or VACUUM
See HOOVER.
VALVE (Electronic)
[VACUUM] TUBE.
VAT
VALUE ADDED TAX. This is a National levy on most sales and services, and is usually set around a hefty 15 to 20 percent! If you are just visiting the UK you can make arrangements to have any VAT you have paid refunded by HM CUSTOMS AND EXCISE. But I have heard of people dying before they receive their refund! It may be pronounced “vat” or “vee-ay-tee”.
VDU
MONITOR. Short for Visual Display Unit.
VERRUCA
PLANTERS WART. The word is pronounced “ver-oo’-kuh”.
VEST
UNDERSHIRT. (See WAISTCOAT)
VHF (Radio band)
FM. Strictly speaking VHF is a frequency band and FM is a type of transmission, but colloquially the two are synonymous.
VICK (Vapor Rub, etc)
VICKS.
VICTORIA CROSS
The highest award for gallantry in the British armed services.
W
WAISTCOAT
VEST.
WALLY (Food) (Slang)
PICKLE. Often ordered with Fish and Chips. (See CHIPS)
WALLY (Person) (Slang)
JERK or IDIOT.
WARDROBE
ARMOIRE or CLOTHES CLOSET.
WASH UP
DO THE DISHES. In the UK, to ask your guests if they would like to wash up before dinner would cause puzzlement or amusement. To wash the dishes before sitting down to eat would seem very odd.
WASTE PAPER BASKET
TRASH CAN.
WELLIES or
WELLINGTON BOOTS. Ubiquitous rubber boots coming up to, or nearly up to, the knees.
WELSH DRESSER
HUTCH. (See also HUTCH)
WEST END
The more affluent side of London. (See EAST END)
WHACKED [OUT] (Slang)
EXHAUSTED or WORN OUT.
WHEEL BRACE
See WHEEL NUT.
WHEEL CLAMP
DENVER BOOT.
WHEEL NUT
LUG NUT. The tool to remove the nut is known as a WHEEL BRACE.
WHISKY or WHISKEY
SCOTCH. Rarely it may refer to Irish whisky, but practically never does it refer to Tennessee or Canadian whisky. (See MALT WHISKY)
WHITE HORSES (On water)
WHITE CAPS.
WHITEWASH (Sports)
SHUT OUT. To win without allowing your opponent to score.
WILLIES (Slang)
If somebody or something GIVES YOU THE WILLIES, it means they make you feel frightened or insecure.
WILLY (Slang)
I suppose I should tell you a personal story here. It was traditional in my family for the first-born son to be called William – Yes, I am related to the William Bradford who was the chronicler on the Mayflower, and the first Governor of the Massachusetts colony. My father was William, as was his father before him, and so on. When I was born my mother dug her feet in and insisted that I was not going to be a “Willy”! Little did she know that forty-odd years later I would move to the States where the name she chose for me means exactly the same as WILLY means in Britain. You see, although she denies it vehemently, I’m sure the reason she didn’t want me called William is that in the UK, WILLY is a child’s name for a PENIS, just like PETER is in the States!
WIND (Medical complaint)
GAS.
WINDCHEATER
WINDBREAKER. (See ANORAK)
WINDSCREEN
WINDSHIELD.
WING (Car)
FENDER.
WINKER
TURN SIGNAL.
(See also INDICATOR and TRAFFICATOR)
WIRELESS
RADIO.
WITH BRASS KNOBS ON
Phrase added to the end of a statement to add emphasis, especially “...and the same to you, with brass knobs on!”
WIZ (Slang)
To “TAKE A WIZ” means to urinate.
WONKY
WOBBLY.
WORSE LUCK
A phrase used as an addendum to a remark and meaning “Unfortunately”. It is more often than not used in a facetious manner, such as “My boss’s injury turned out to be quite trivial. Worse luck!”
Y
YANK or YANKEE
AMERICAN.
YARD
See GARDEN.
YEAR DOT
A point in time far in the past.
YONKS (Slang)
YEARS. Or a similar long period of time, as in “I haven’t seen you for yonks!”
YORKSHIRE PUDDING
A dish made by baking batter in the oven. It is served either as a side dish or as an appetizer. Like many of Britain’s traditional regional dishes, it is a cheap means of filling you up before you get to the meat course.
Z
Z (Letter of the alphabet)
Z, but pronounced “ZED”.
Z-BED
Folding bed which may be stored in a living room, for example, and looks like a skirted table. It is, of course, pronounced “zed’-bed”. It’s really the British equivalent of the MURPHY BED, although specifically that type would probably be referred to as a PULL-DOWN BED or a WALL-BED.
ZEBRA CROSSING
PEDESTRIAN CROSSING. So called because of the black and white painted stripes that define it. (See also BELISHA BEACON)
ZIMMER
WALKER. A proprietary brand of walking frame for the elderly.
ZIP
ZIPPER.
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