Part 2: Difference Between English Words in U.S. vs. U.K.

 This is Part 2 of Several blogs about Words with different meanings in the U.S. versus U.K. Today's blog will look at 8 more of them, from discombobulate to Freshman. Read on!

discombobulate

The Americanism discombobulate is thought to be a humorous alteration of the word discompose or discomfort.

freeway and beltway

The US and UK use different road systems, so the Americanism freeway to refer to toll-free roads isn’t used in the UK. Similarly, the American word beltway for a belt-shaped length of highway around a city doesn’t see much use in the UK either.

doohickey, doodad, thingamajig, thingamabob, whatchamacallit

The words doohickey, doodad, thingamajig, thingamabob, and whatchamacallit are some examples of colloquialisms that Americans use to refer to gizmos, gadgets, and other things popular among mermaid princesses. In the UK, the word thingummy is more popularly used to refer to random things.

drugstore

The word drugstore is an Americanism that refers to a store that sells (pharmaceutical) drugs and possibly other items. In the UK, the term pharmacy is used to refer to a place that sells pharmaceuticals.

dude

The word dude, whether it refers to a cowboy on a ranch or a California surfer hanging ten, is an Americanism with an unknown origin. As a result, you are unlikely to hear it used in the UK. You might hear bloke or mate instead.

dumpster

The dumpster was invented by American George Dempster and was used by the Dempster Brothers Company. It isn’t too surprising that this trashy word that resulted from an American trademark has yet to become popular anywhere else.

flashlight

The word flashlight is used by Americans to refer to a battery-powered electric lamp. In the UK, this device is instead known as a torch.

freshman, sophomore, junior, and senior

The US and UK take different approaches when it comes to school and that includes how people refer to students. In the US, a high school or college student is referred to as a freshman, sophomore, junior, or senior usually depending on what year of school they are in. None of these words are used to describe UK students, and phrases such as first year or second year are used instead.