American English varies from British English in so many ways, sometimes you can’t understand what those crazy Brits are even saying LOL. Here are five common differences you should know:
The expression, “let’s table that,” means exactly the opposite in America than it does in England. Here, it means, “let’s save that for later,” whereas in England, it means, “let’s deal with that right now.”
In lieu of seeing the word written on a napkin, British people will think you’re talking about the bathroom if you use the word “lieu” in any way at all. Why? Because they have a word, “loo,” which means bathroom.
Most Americans know that the British consider “football” to refer to what we call soccer, but how many of us are prepared for what awaits us when a Brit announces he intends to “foot the bill” after a big night out? That’s right: In England, “footing the bill” means avoiding payment.
We say “elevator,” they say “lift” – except when they’re talking about antidepressant medication, in which case they say “elevator,” referring to the mood-elevating action such drugs perform.
When the Black Eyed Peas recorded the hit single, “My Humps,” their producer was worried that Brits might not understand the slang, so they recorded an alternate version with the lyrics, “Whatcha gonna do with all that loot? All that loot inside that boot?” Due to concerns that “loot” might be confused with “loo,” however, that version was never released.