US Lexicon

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Last update:
31-Aug-2000
©1996-2009
Mike Todd

Where it's not obvious: BE = British English, AE=American English and

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Pacifier

Dummy (baby's)
Sometimes mistakenly assumed to be called a comforter.

Pancakes

Scotch pancakes
American pancakes are thick and fluffy, much like Scotch pancakes. They are usually served for breakfast, and come in small sizes of perhaps 3-4 inches across, through to a mammoth 10 inches or more. They'll be accompanied by whipped butter, syrup (of various types) and, if you've ordered egg, bacon and/or sausage, they'll probably come on the same plate. The syrup usually used is very different from any syrup you will find in the UK.

Panhandle

A narrow extension of a state, which looks a bit like a handle. The most well known one is probably the Texas Panhandle, which is the piece os the state that pushes up into Oklahoma, and which is actually responsible for creating the Ohklahoma panhandle. Florida and Idaho also have panhandles.

Pants

Trousers
This one is often the source of much confusion. Basically, BE uses the term pants to mean underpants, but also trousers. In the US, it just means anything that is long and covers each legs separately - the undergarment is either underpants or shorts.

Paracetamol BE

Acetaminophen, Tylenol, K-Nol etc
Paracetamol is unknown by that name in the US, and it will only be the exceptional chemist or pharmacist which will recognise the name. However, it can be bought under the brand name Tylenol, or under other various names, such as K-Nol (from Kmart). For an explanation of the names, see Acetaminophen

Parkway

Motorway
Yet another term for a motorway. But parkway suggests the road is landscaped, with grass and trees

Pasties

Nipple cover
In BE, a pastie is a particular type of pie, with pastry wrapped around a meat and vegetable filling (the classic being the Cornish Pastie. In AE pasties are small cupped shaped devices used by strippers and nude dancers to cover their nipples. To be fair, the pronunciations are different ... the British pastie rhymes with "past", whereas the American Pasties (usually in the plural) rhymes with "paste".

Pastrami

Smoked/seasoned beef
A common sandwich filling, and "pastrami on rye" a common sandwich

Pavement

Road surface (sometimes)
While many Americans use pavement to mean the road surface itself, it is really just being used to describe an area that is paved. But it isn't universally so, and many Americans in the Atlantic states follow BE use, where it is considered that it's the pedestrian area at the side that is paved, and this is called the pavement instead.

Pecker

Penis
In the UK it also means spirits, but it is also used as slang fors penis. However, the expression "keep one's pecker up" is well known in the UK to mean "keep your spirits up", whereas in the US this would be misunderstood by most.

Penny

1 cent
The use of the term penny is a carry over from the days of British rule

Pepsi-Cola

Second only to Coca-Cola, Pepsi-Cola is the biggest selling drink in the world. It was invented in 1898 by a North Carolina pharmacist, Caleb Bradham, and sold originally as "Brad's Drink". Like all colas, it was based on the cola nut, but it also had pepsin to help alleviate upset stomachs.

Period

Full stop
The term is really a British one. In grammar, a complete sentence was known as a period, and so in BE the mark at the end of the sentence became known as the period although full stop prevailed in the UK.

Pint

There are still 8 pints to the gallon in the US, but since the US gallon is smaller than the UK gallon, the US pint is also smaller. 1 UK pint = 1.20 US pints and 1 US pint = 0.83 UK pints. However, the US pint has only 16 (US) fluid ounces, whereas the UK pint as 20 (UK) fluid ounces. If you do the sums, that makes the US and UK fluid ounces similar in size. For more detail see American Weights and Measures in the Encyclopedia.

Pissed

Annoyed
It is never used in the US in the BE sense of drunk

Pledge of allegiance

Although American schools are not permitted to have prayers at the start of the day, many classes still recite the Pledge of Allegiance. It was written in 1892 for Columbus's 400th anniversary, as a pledge to the US flag. Its author is not known for certainty, but is believed to be Francis Bellamy, an editor of The Youth's Companion (where it was first published) and originally read:

I pledge allegiance to my flag, and to the Republic for which it stands; one nation indivisible, with liberty and justice for all

In 1924, the words "my flag" were replaced by "the flag of the United States", and it was officially recognised by the US Government in 1942.

In 1954, Eisenhower persuaded Congress to pass legislation that added the words "Under God", and it now reads:

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all

Plexiglass

Perspex

Pocket-book

Handbag

Podiatrist

Chiropodist (approx)

Popsicle

Ice lolly
Originally it was a trademark, owned by Popsicle Industries, of New Jersey. In 1905, Frank Epperson was an 11-year-old boy who left a container of soda, and a stirrer, outside overnight. In the morning, they were frozen together, and the popsicle was born.

Postum

Coffee Substitute
Based on a coffee substitute from the Texan plains (made from chicory and roasted wheat) Postum was invented by inventor, Charles William Post. His inventions included numerous agricultural implements, suspenders [braces] and even a player piano. He wanted coffee but was aware of its side effects and he spent a year bringing the taste of the drink from the Texan plains closer to real coffee by using bran and molasses. In February 1895, Post (who has been called the "grandfather of advertising") advertised the first Postum Food Coffee although these days he is perhaps more well known for inventing Grape Nuts and Post Toasties. However, Postum was his first commercial success and is still available today

Potato Chips

Crisps
Originally called Saratoga Chips, due to their invention in the 1850s in a Saratoga Springs restaurant.

Pound sign

# Number sign, or hash, or sharp, or square
In the USA, the # sign is almost always referred to as the pound sign, because it is sometimes used to indicate pounds in weight. So, instead of the UK 100lb in the US you might well see 100#. Tt tends to be used mainly when measuring nails and screws, and also when giving teh weight of paper (such as "20# bond paper stock"). It is also the symbol on the telephone button which in British circles is often referred to as the "square".

Preppy

A Preparatory Schoolboy
Although this is its proper meaning, the word is more usually applied (in a derogatory sense) to anyone that it dressed very neatly, or is partcularly prim and proper. It is very much a word of the 80s, although it seems to be coming back into fashion to mean the classical look.

Presidents' Day (Washington's Birthday)

Third Monday in February
Washington's birthday is on 22nd February, and was first observed as a holiday in 1782. Lincoln's birthday is 12th February, and became a federal holiday in 1892. Presidents' day combines these two, although it is still often listed as Washington's Birthday.

Proctologist

Not seen very often in the UK, but America has a number of these medical specialists. Their particular area of interest is in end of the bowel, mainly the anal area.

Proctor

Invigilator
Someone who watches over an examination, also known as a supervisor or monitor.

Program

Programme
In BE we use program to mean a computer program and programme for its other meanings. The Americans use program in all senses. The Americans are simply using the original English spelling which is in keeping with other words (such as diagram), and it was the English who then adopted the French spelling to get programme

Property tax

Rates or council tax
Basically, this is a tax based on a property's value.

Public school

State school

Pull off

Lay By
Usually on a motorway

Purse

Handbag