Do words have different meanings for Americans than....

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Then there's trunk and boot, and the whole tomato sauce ketchup thing. and isn't a pram a cradle??

I have also heard that what we in the US refer to as "bangs" is called "fringe" in the UK. Also, in the UK "pants" means underwear while in the US it means what the UKers call "trousers." In the US almost no one says "trousers."

Hm, I know some others but I can't think of them right now. I had a friend who went to live in Scotland for 3 months and he embarassed himself many times over the difference in words. He went into a store and asked if he could get a dressing room so he could try on "some pants" and they looked at him like he was insane and told him that they didn't sell "pants." This of course confused him, because he had an armload of jeans.

Oh yeah, I hear british people say "brilliant" a lot, and I'm not sure quite what it translates to when they say it. In the US it means "very intelligent" or "very bright" (as in lights, not smarts) I hear british people use the word "brilliant" to describe things like how their day way.

I met two people from Wales and Norway who used terms that confused me,not sure if I got them right

Jumper is a one piece outfit in US and a sweater in Europe
Clock is a time piece that hangs on the wall in US but I heard it used to refer to a watch(arm wear)
I have heard the term..."taking the piss out of someone"...what genius came up with that?....are you making the vomit beer or urinate?

Some samples of the Boston/ New England Dialect:

'Tonic'= Soda, or Soft Drink. (Ex. "Coke is better Tonic than Pepsi") -I think this is falling out of use. It is used primarily in Boston/Rhode Island area, and not in Northern New England.

'Bubbler'= Water Fountain. Also used primarily in the Boston/Rhode Island area, and not in northern New England.

'Wicked'= Really. Used as a descriptive modifier. (Ex. "That horn was wicked loud.") Used throughout northeastern New England. - I didn;t seem to hear it too much in Connecticut or Vermont.

'Pissa'= Descriptive modifier meaning 'fantastic', 'great', or 'awsome'. (Ex. "The (Wheel) Rims on that car are wicked pissa") --Used primarily in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, and occaisionally in New Hampshire and Southern Maine.

'Spuckie'= Submarine sandwich, falling out of use, but is an Americanisation of the Italian name 'Spucadella' ,the type of bread that some Submarine sandwiches are made on. (Ex. 'I want a sausage on a spuckie with extra marinara and provelone instead of Mozzerella)

'Haul off of'= denotes a bit of drink, instead of or 'sip. (Ex. "Can I have a haul off that tonic?")

Also many New Englanders use a negative modifier on words when asking a question.

Examples:

"Wouldn't you you like something to eat", instead of "Would you like something to eat."

"Couldn't you get the phone fo me' as opposed to "Could you get the phone fo me."

North America: "Suspenders" are what I use to keep my pants (trousers) from falling down. In the UK, "Suspenders" are generally not worn by men... (And what I use to keep my pants up are called "Braces" in the UK.)

The British tend to say "I'm sorry." a lot and they mean it. Americans say it in a different context and they don't say it, at the same frequency.

I would also like to add that I don't have anything against Americans.

yes

Hehe I was born and raised in south Louisiana. Took a long time for me to stop speaking creole