American English and British English are NOT the same

When we were getting ready to move to the UK, everyone said we were so lucky because at least we didn't have to learn another language.  Admittedly, moving here wasn't as hard as moving somewhere like Germany or Italy, but let me assure you that we have run into language barriers over the last two years.  To assimilate and communicate better with the locals, we started learning "British English" - we don't talk with an accent, but we definitely use words and phrases that are now common to us.  We thought we would share some of our favorites so our American friends would know what we were talking about when we moved home soon!  =)

• "Rubbish" - This is Brian's favorite British word, and we have both started to use it quite often.  It can mean the trash as in "Where is the rubbish bin please?" or it can mean something is stupid, for lack of a better word, as in "This policy is rubbish!" 
• "Proper" - This is my particular favorite word.  It means that something is appropriate as in "I finally got a proper backpack for school" or "I am going to take you to a proper pub."  It means it is the real thing.
• "Hiya!  You all right?" - This is a common greeting when you run into people you know in town basically like our "Hi!  How are you?" 
• "Queue" - This can be used as a noun for a line to wait for something as in "Please stand in the queue to make a purchase."  Or it can also be used as a verb as in "Please queue here to board your RyanAir flight." 
• "Quid" - This translates basically to a "buck" as slang for a dollar.  If you say something is 30 Quid, you mean that it is 30 Great British Pounds.
• "Ta" - People say this to mean "thanks." 
• "Loo" or "WC" - I one time asked for a restroom, and the lady was definitely confused!

We also had to learn a complete new vocabulary for the grocery store.  Here are some of our favorite British ingredients with their American translations:

• Courgette = Zucchini
• Coriander = Cilantro
• Crisps = Potato Chips
• Chips = French Fries
• Pudding = Dessert
• Squash = A Fruit Drink Concentrate (mixed with water)
• Lemonade = Basically Sprite
• Cloudy Lemonade = What we think of as Lemonade  =)

Don't even get me started on the car terms we had to learn!  The bonnet is the hood; the boot is the trunk; and the windscreen is the windshield.

See below for Brian's graphical representation of these and other fun translations.