American uses of English (D)

American/Canadian		British		Notes
D
davenport	bed-settee			The AE term is probably proprietary. In BE a davenport is a type of desk.
daylight saving(s) time	(British) summer time			In AE "summer time" refers to any period of time during the summer.
dead end	cul-de-sac			BE also has "no through road", meaning a road that just stops. "cul-de-sac" is largely confined to suburban roads and usually implies a turning circle at the end, often with houses built round it. People live in cul-de-sacs not on them. "no outlet" is also sometimes seen in North America.
deck	pack			of playing cards
deck	no equivalent			A part of a house consisting of wooden boards on the outside of the building at ground or first floor level (or higher) allowing people to walk around. British houses simply do not have such things, the nearest equivalents are "patio" meaning an unroofed area adjacent to a building paved with slabs, "verandah" a covered and glassed walkway along the side of a building and "conservatory" a room-like extension entirely walled and roofed in glass. Wooden decking for use in gardens was introduced to the British market in 1998 and is being heavily promoted as "decking".
deductible	excess			Of insurance payouts.
deep freeze	freezer			Domestic appliance for storing frozen food.
delivery tanker	tanker			A vehicle that transports and delivers liquids such as milk and petroleum products.
delivery truck	van
denatured alcohol	methylated spirits, meths			Ethanol (C2H5OH) that has been made unfit for drinking by the addition of methanol (CH3OH), pyridine and purple colouring. See also "rubbing alcohol".
desk clerk	receptionist			In hotel. Both BE and AE use "receptionist" to mean the person in a commercial office who greets visitors.
dessert	pudding			Course after main course of a meal other than breakfast. "Pudding" usually implies that it has been cooked, otherwise "dessert" is often used. Calling the course "afters" is thought rather common by most British people. It is also sometimes called a "sweet" in BE. A correspondent has suggested that AE uses "pudding" with the same meaning as the BE "jelly", see entry for "Jell-O". CE as BE.
detour	diversion
diaper *	nappy
differ... than	differ... from			The American usage "different than" grates terribly in British ears, in British English it's "different from" and "differing from".
dime	no equivalent			10 cent coin. For notes on British money see the entries for "nickel" and "loonie".
diner	café			Strictly there is no British equivalent of the traditional 12' wide American diner. In British usage the spelling "caff" (and pronunciation) is used to indicate a rather lowly establishment.
dirt road	unpaved road			BE would more usually call this a "track".
discount	concession			Reduced admission prices to cinemas, theatres etc., for students, pensioners etc. Advertisements often quote a regular admission price and a price for "concessions". Other uses of "discount" are the same in AE as BE.
dish pan	washing up bowl
district attorney	public prosecutor			The "procurator fiscal" in Scotland. Many state variations in the US.
divided highway	dual carriageway
docent *	curator, guide			In a museum, historic house or art gallery. Correspondents have suggested that "docent" implies a volunteer and also that "curator" refers to the director or administrator of a museum in AE/CE.
doctor's office	surgery			Contrary to the usage actual surgery is only done by surgeons in hospitals. British senior surgical staff are often referred to as "Mr." rather than "Dr." no matter how highly qualified. This probably dates back to the time when doctors were qualified but surgeons were little more than barbers unworthy of the honorific title. British dentists and veterinarians never use the title "Dr.".
double whole note	breve			Music.
downtown	town centre			The word "center" is, apparently, common usage in New England. Geographers sometimes refer to the central business district or CBD, but this isn't a general BE usage.
(the) draft	conscription			Enforced membership of military forces. It was also called "national service" in the UK but was abolished in the 1950's.
drapes *	curtains
dresser	chest of drawers, dressing table			A dressing table is a table, usually with 2/3 small drawers and a large adjustable mirror used by ladies for doing their make-up.
driver's license US, driver's permit Can	driving licence
drug store	pharmacy, chemists			Pharmacy refers specifically to a place where medicines can be obtained both on and off prescription. A chemist's shop as well as incorporating a pharmacy will also sell a variety of personal products such as soap, tooth brushes, toothpaste, combs etc.
druggist obs	chemist, pharmacist			The word "chemist" is more common in BE.
dry goods store	drapery, haberdashery			A shop selling, cloth, thread and related items.
dump	tip			Throw something away. Also the place where things are thrown away.
Dumpster *	skip			Waste storage and transportation. AE term is proprietary.
duplex (house) *			semi-detached house		A pair of dwelling houses sharing a common wall. The single-storied version, which is very unusual, is called a "semi-detached bungalow" in BE. An apartment with two floors would be called a "maisonette" in BE. CE as BE. According to a correspondent CE uses "duplex" and "triplex" to mean a building containing two or three self-contained flats. A correspondent has also mentioned "shared-wall dwelling" as AE bureaucrat-speak.