American uses of English (G-H)

American/ Canadian

British

Notes

G
galoshes	Wellington boots, wellies	Tall rubberised boots.
garbage, trash	rubbish, refuse
garbage can	dustbin
garbage collector obs	dustman	BE computer scientists talk about "garbage collection". Political correctness has now given AE "sanitation engineer", in BE this term would refer to somebody who designs and builds sewers and associated facilities, a specialised form of civil engineer.
garter belt	suspender	Used to support ladies' stockings. In British usage a "garter" is a band, usually elastic, that goes around the leg to support a sock or stocking. There are no gender specific connotations.
gas	petrol	Fuel for motor vehicles. British usage reserves "gas" to mean an inflammable gas such as methane or carbon monoxide piped to domestic and industrial premises as a fuel. The word gasoline would not be widely understood in Britain. "Petroleum" is sometimes seen in legal and official notices. British aeroplanes are fuelled with "avgas" however, unless they're jets, of course.
gear shift, gear stick	gear lever	Part of car.
generator	dynamo	It converts mechanical energy to electrical energy. The American usage would be familiar to British ears. I was once told that a dynamo only generates DC whereas the machine that generates AC is called an alternator.
German shepherd	alsatian	breed of dog
girl scouts US	girl guides
goaltender	goalkeeper	"goalie" is common in both AE and BE.
goatsucker	nightjar	bird
golden raisin US	sultana	A dried grape.
goose bumps	goose pimples
goose egg *	duck	Score of zero in a game. The BE usage is confined to cricket.
gotten	got	"gotten" is sometimes used in BE to suggest an American rustic.
grade	gradient (slope)	The American usage of the word to refer to a stage in a child's progress through school is unknown in the UK. AE has "sixth grade" and "sixth graders" whereas CE has "grade six" and "grade sixes". See entry for "high school".
grade crossing *	level crossing	Road/railway crossing.
graham crackers	digestive biscuits	Biscuits made from whole wheat flour. Also available part coated with chocolate or as a pair sandwiching a cream filling.
grease pencil	chinagraph pencil
green thumbs	green fingers	good at gardening
ground	earth	Electrical.
ground	minced	meat, but mincemeat is something completely different composed mainly of fruit and used for making delicious small pies at Christmas time.
GST Can	VAT	Goods and Services Tax / Value Added Tax. A tax levied "at the point of consumption". In the UK shop prices are almost always quoted inclusive of VAT (currently 17.5%) so what you see is what you pay. In Canada shop prices are quoted exclusive of this tax so you're in for a surprise when you get to pay, you can always blame "the government". Canadian GST is currently 7% but the provinces levy their own provincial sales tax (PST), typically at about the same level as the government tax.
gumboot *obs	wellington	Boot, usually rubber or rubberised, reaching well up the calf worn in agricultural contexts.
gurney *	no equivalent	It's not that wheeled stretchers are unknown in British hospitals, it's just that there is no common name for them.

American/ Canadian

British

Notes

H
half note	minim	Music.
hardware store	ironmonger
hat check girl	cloakroom attendant	AE may be obsolescent, since few people wear hats now.
headlamp obs	headlight	Car.
heavy cream	double cream
hex	cast a spell on
Hidabed, hideaway	bed-settee	A couch or sofa that can be converted to a bed. Hidabed is proprietary. May also be called "daybed" in both BE and AE.
high school	secondary school	The British system of education for those under 18 is quite different from the US system. From 5 to 11 children attend a primary school, often starting in a class called "reception". From 11 to 18 they will attend a secondary school, in some areas they may transfer to sixth form colleges at the age of 16. The stages are referred to as years starting at 1 (at age 5) up to 11. After the 11th year children may join the 6th form (don't ask !). The phrase "high school" when used refers to a school, often for girls, with selective entry via competitive examination. A similar school for boys is often a "grammar school", many of these are fairly ancient foundations and in recent years have become co-educational. AE references to "freshmen", "sophomores", "K12" etc., would not be understood in the UK. In Scotland "high school" means any secondary school.
high tea Obs	afternoon tea	A light meal taken in the late afternoon. Usually cakes and similar confectionary with a pot of tea. Widely available in British restaurants and "tea shops" which specialise in this sort of meal. In BE "high tea" refers to a more substantial meal taken at the same sort of time but with at least one cooked course.
highboy	tallboy	Tall chest of drawers.
highway	main road	In British usage the word "highway" is confined to formal and legal contexts. See entry for "interstate".
hoagie *	roll	There is really no direct BE equivalent. The alternative AE usage "submarine" or "sub" is not uncommon in British usage. "grinder" (mid west esp Pittsburgh), "hero" and "poor boy" (New Orleans) are regional US variants. The usage "hoagie", according to one correspondent, is specific to the Philadephia area.
hobo *	tramp	Some AE speakers use "hobo" to mean a casual or itinerant worker as distinct from a "bum" or "tramp" who lives by begging and handouts. There is no word in BE to convey this precise distinction.
hog	pig	In British usage a "hog" is a person that claims exclusive use of something, i.e. hogs it. Farmers use "hog" to mean a male pig and "sow" to mean a female pig, the use of "hog" to mean a pig of either gender is probably obsolescent.
honor box	honesty box	Where you put money in return for small items.
hood	bonnet	car
hope chest	bottom drawer	Where a women keeps garments etc., against the possibility of matrimony.
hopper ball	space hopper	Large bouncy ball with ears. May be proprietary.
horny	randy	slang. Eager to engage in sexual congress. Americans called Randolph should not introduce themselves in British circles by saying "Hi, I'm Randy", unless, of course, ......
(house numbering)		British houses are usually numbered serially starting from one end of a road or street with even numbers on one side and odd numbers on the other side, however it is not uncommon to find them numbered sequentially up one side of the road and down the other. Subsequent subdivision of plots results in houses with numbers such as 60A, 60B, 60C etc., fractional house numbers are more or less unknown in British usage. North American numbering seems to be a sort of co-ordinate system related, probably, to land subdivisions giving rise to frequent gaps. Driving along a country road and passing house number 82357, half a mile of open countryside and then house number 85163 is very puzzling to the British visitor who will wonder where 82359, 82361, 82363 etc., are. According to a correspondent the Post Office or Local Government allocates such numbers on a basis of one number for every 25 feet of frontage. There are, as in many things American, regional variations.
house-trailer *	caravan	See entry for "trailer".
hutch	chest, Welsh dresser	A piece of furniture with open shelves, a flat surface and a single row of drawers, usually used for storage and display of plates etc. In BE a "hutch" is a small, usually outdoor, structure where rabbits, ferrets or similar animals live.