Culture & etiquetteBy Clever Tourists · Published
Most British English is easy for an American to follow. The trouble is the small set of everyday words that mean something else: pants are underwear, you alright? is just hello, and cheers covers thanks and goodbye as well as a toast. The tables below cover the words you'll hear in shops, pubs, stations and on the road in England, grouped the way a trip actually goes, with the closest American word next to each one. We spent about two and a half weeks in England in November 2023, from London to Bath, the Peak District and Somerset; every meaning here is checked against the Cambridge and Collins dictionaries.
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The greeting that throws Americans most is "You alright?" It is not a question about whether something is wrong. It means hello, how are you, and the expected answer is a quick "Yeah, good, you?" A shop assistant who opens with it is being friendly, not concerned.
Goodbyes are short. "Cheers" on the way out of a shop or off a bus does the job of both thanks and bye.
| What you'll hear | What it means | US equivalent | When you'll hear it |
|---|---|---|---|
| You alright? / Alright? | Hello, how are you? | Hey, how's it going? | Shop staff, colleagues, anyone you've met. Reply "Yeah, good, you?" |
| Hiya | Hi | Hi | Friends and friendly staff; informal |
| Cheers (leaving) | Thanks, bye | Thanks, bye | Leaving a shop or café, getting off a bus |
| Cheerio | Goodbye | Bye | Older speakers; dictionaries mark it old-fashioned |
| Mate | Friend; a friendly way to address someone | Buddy, man | Mostly between men, and from bar or shop staff to customers |
| Love | Friendly form of address | Hon, sweetie | Café, shop and market staff talking to customers of any gender |
| Morning! | Good morning | Morning! | Passing neighbors, B&B hosts, walkers on a footpath |
"Cheers" is the everyday word for thanks, said when someone hands you change, holds a door or passes the salt. "Ta" is a shorter, more casual version. Neither is sarcastic or slangy enough to sound odd coming from a visitor.
Queuing (standing in line) is taken seriously. If you are not sure where a line starts, ask "Is this the queue?" or "Are you queuing?" before you join it. Walking to the front without asking is called queue-jumping, and people will say something.
"Sorry?" with a rising tone means "what did you say?", not an apology.
| What you'll hear | What it means | US equivalent | When you'll hear it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cheers | Thanks | Thanks | Getting change, someone holding a door, a drink arriving |
| Ta | Thanks | Thanks | Casual thanks; very common in shops and cafés |
| Sorry? / Pardon? | Could you repeat that? | Excuse me? Come again? | When someone didn't hear you |
| Queue | A line of people | Line | Shops, bus stops, ticket offices, pub toilets |
| Are you queuing? | Are you in line? | Are you in line? | Before joining what might be a line |
| Queue-jumping | Cutting in line | Cutting | What people accuse you of if you skip ahead |
| Where's the loo? | Where's the restroom? | Where's the bathroom? | The normal, polite way to ask in a pub or café |
| Lovely | Pleasant, good, thanks | Great | Agreeing to an order, approving of anything |
| Brilliant | Very good | Awesome | Same as lovely, with more enthusiasm |
| Sorted | Done, organized | All set | When a problem is fixed or a booking is confirmed |
The food words that matter are the swapped ones: chips are fries and crisps are potato chips, a biscuit is a cookie and pudding usually means dessert.
In a pub you order and pay at the bar; there is usually no table service for drinks. Ask for "a pint" or "a half" of whatever is on tap. In a group, people buy drinks in rounds: one person buys for everyone, then the next person gets the next round.
| What you'll hear | What it means | US equivalent | When you'll hear it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fancy a cuppa? | Would you like a cup of tea? | Want some tea? | Arriving at someone's home, a B&B, a work break |
| Builder's tea | Strong tea with milk | Black tea with milk | Cafés and homes; the default cup |
| Crisps | Potato chips | Chips | Pubs, shops, meal deals |
| Chips | Thick-cut fries | Fries | Fish and chips, pub menus |
| Chippy | Fish and chip shop | Fish-and-chips takeout | Seaside towns and every high street |
| Biscuit | Cookie | Cookie | With tea, in shops |
| Pudding / pud | Dessert | Dessert | "Any room for pudding?" at the end of a meal |
| Starter | Appetizer | Appetizer | Restaurant menus |
| Main | Main course | Entrée | Restaurant menus |
| Jacket potato | Baked potato | Baked potato | Cafés and pub lunch menus |
| Bangers | Sausages | Sausages | "Bangers and mash" on pub menus |
| Sarnie / butty | Sandwich | Sandwich | Cafés and bakeries; both are informal |
| Full English | Cooked breakfast: eggs, bacon, sausage, beans, toast | Big diner breakfast | Cafés, pubs, B&B breakfasts |
| Takeaway | Takeout food, or the shop selling it | Takeout | "Eat in or takeaway?" at the counter |
| A pint / a half | A pint (568 ml) of beer, or half that | A beer, a small beer | Ordering at the bar |
| My round / your round | My turn to buy drinks for the group | This round's on me | Drinking with a group |
| Cheers! (toast) | Good health | Cheers! | Raising glasses |
| The bill | The check | The check | "Could we get the bill, please?" |
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Money slang is mostly about pounds. A quid is one pound, and the plural is also quid: "ten quid", never "ten quids". A fiver and a tenner are £5 (≈ $6.6) and £10 (≈ $13.3), either as an amount or as the note.
Coins under a pound are pence, usually shortened to "p" and said like the letter: "50p".
| What you'll hear | What it means | US equivalent | When you'll hear it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quid | Pound (£) | Buck | Prices in markets, pubs, conversation |
| Fiver | £5 (≈ $6.6), or a £5 (≈ $6.6) note | Five bucks | "It's a fiver" |
| Tenner | £10 (≈ $13.3), or a £10 (≈ $13.3) note | Ten bucks | "Got change for a tenner?" |
| p | Pence | Cents | "That's 80p" |
| Cashpoint | ATM | ATM | Asking where to get cash |
| High street | Main shopping street | Main Street | Directions in any town |
| Off-licence / offie | Shop selling alcohol to take away | Liquor store | Buying wine or beer for later |
| Chemist | Pharmacy | Drugstore | Buying medicine, sunscreen, toiletries |
| Trolley | Shopping cart | Cart | Supermarkets, airports |
| Skint | Out of money | Broke | Casual conversation |
| Dodgy | Suspicious, unreliable | Sketchy | A dodgy cash machine, a dodgy knee |
Train tickets are the place where a misheard word costs money. A return is a round-trip ticket and a single is one-way. In London, "the Tube" is the Underground; our Oyster vs contactless guide explains how to pay for it.
On the road, "give way" signs mean yield, and roundabouts (traffic circles) are everywhere outside the cities.
| What you'll hear | What it means | US equivalent | When you'll hear it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lift | Elevator | Elevator | Hotels, stations, department stores |
| The Tube / the Underground | London's subway | Subway | Directions anywhere in London |
| Mind the gap | Watch the gap between train and platform | Watch your step | Tube and train announcements |
| Single | One-way ticket | One-way | Ticket machines and counters |
| Return | Round-trip ticket | Round trip | Ticket machines and counters |
| Motorway | Major highway | Interstate, freeway | Road signs (blue), directions |
| Dual carriageway | Divided highway | Divided highway | Road signs and sat-nav directions |
| Roundabout | Traffic circle | Traffic circle | Every driving direction outside cities |
| Give way | Yield | Yield | Road signs and markings |
| Car park | Parking lot or garage | Parking lot | Signs, hotel directions |
| Pavement | Sidewalk | Sidewalk | "Stay on the pavement" |
| Zebra crossing | Striped crosswalk where cars must stop | Crosswalk | Crossing streets in towns |
| Petrol | Gasoline | Gas | Filling a rental car |
| Boot / bonnet | Trunk / hood of a car | Trunk / hood | Rental car pickup |
| Lorry | Truck | Truck | Traffic reports, road signs |
These are the words that cause the real misunderstandings. Pants are underwear in Britain, so say trousers. A jumper is a sweater, and a vest is worn under a shirt.
One needs a plain warning: in British English, "fanny" is a vulgar word for female anatomy, not a mild word for your rear. That is why a fanny pack is called a bum bag. "Pissed" means drunk, not angry, and "bloody" is a mild swear word used for emphasis.
| What you'll hear | What it means | US equivalent | When you'll hear it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pants | Underwear (also slang for "rubbish") | Underwear | Clothes shops; "that film was pants" |
| Trousers | Pants | Pants | Clothes shops, dress codes |
| Jumper | Sweater | Sweater | Clothes shops, weather talk |
| Vest | Undershirt or tank top | Undershirt | Clothes shops |
| Trainers | Sneakers | Sneakers | Clothes shops, dress codes |
| Rubber | Eraser | Eraser | Stationery shops, schools |
| Fanny | Vulgar word for female anatomy | (none; avoid it) | Don't say "fanny pack" in Britain |
| Bum bag | Fanny pack | Fanny pack | Shops, packing lists |
| Football | Soccer | Soccer | Pubs, TV, weekend crowds |
| Pissed | Drunk | Drunk | Late nights; not "angry" |
| Bloody | Mild swear word for emphasis | Damn | Everyday speech |
| Knackered | Exhausted (or broken) | Beat, wiped out | After a long walk or day |
| Gutted | Very disappointed | Bummed | When a match is lost or plans fall through |
| Chuffed | Pleased | Stoked | Good news of any size |
| Faff | Time-wasting hassle | Hassle | "What a faff" |
| Cheeky | Slightly rude in a funny way; also an unplanned treat | Sassy; a little treat | "A cheeky pint" after work |
Queues are the one rule people enforce out loud. Join the back, and ask if you can't tell where the line starts.
Rounds in the pub are an obligation, not a favor. If someone buys you a drink as part of a round, you are expected to buy the next one. If you'd rather not drink much, say so before the round starts or buy your own.
Tipping is lighter than in the US. Most sit-down restaurants add a discretionary service charge of 10 to 12.5%, and if it's on the bill you owe nothing more. At the pub you don't tip for drinks bought at the bar. Our England tipping guide covers taxis and hotels.
Expect understatement. British speech often plays things down, so "not bad" can be real praise and "a bit of a problem" can be a big one. Mild swearing like "bloody" is common in casual talk, but stronger language in public still draws looks, as anywhere.
Cheers is the everyday British word for thanks, and it doubles as goodbye. You'll hear it when someone hands you change or as people leave a shop. It is also used as a toast.
It is a greeting that means hello, how are you. Nobody thinks something is wrong. Answer "Yeah, good, you?"
A quid is one pound. The plural is also quid, so "ten quid" is £10 (≈ $13.3). A fiver is £5 (≈ $6.6) and a tenner is £10 (≈ $13.3).
A bum bag. In British English "fanny" is a vulgar word for female anatomy, so avoid saying fanny pack.
Not for drinks bought at the bar. At sit-down restaurants, check the bill first: if a 10 to 12.5% service charge is already added, you don't need to add more.
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