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American English and British Egnlish

There are many differences between American English and British Egnlish. Sometimes the same word has different meanings, and very often, different words are used for the same idea.

BrE: CV is short for the Latin term "curriculum vitae" which means "the story of your life".

AmE: Résumé is a French word, means 'a summery'. Now Résumé has the meaning of 'boigraphical summary of a person's carrer'.

BrE: Sweets
AmE: Candy, originates from old French, means crystallized sugar, this word ultimately comes from Arabic word 'cane sugar'.

BrE: Cot
AmE: Crib, its root probably related to German krebe "basket." Meaning "child's bed with barred sides" probably from frequent use in reference to the manger where infant Jesus was laid.

BrE: nappy
AmE: Diaper, from Old French, diapre "ornamental cloth."

BrE: torch
AmE: flash-light

BrE: rubbish
AmE: garbage, trash. Garbage originally was "giblets of a fowl, waste parts of an animal," later confused with garble in its sense of "siftings, refuse."

BrE: nasty
AmE: mean

BrE: jug
AmE: pitcher, was earthen jug, from old French.

BrE: queue, French "a tail".
AmE: stand in line

BrE: tainers
AmE: sneakers, the shoes are so called because the shoe was noiseless.

BrE: underground
AmE: subway

BrE: van, lorry. Van is short for caravan, a covered truck or wagon.
AmE: truck

BrE: holiday
AmE: vacation, freedom or release from duty, a more neutralized word than holiday(s)

BrE: zip
AmE: zipper. the trademark of lightning fastener was called zip.

BrE: boot of a car
AmE: trunk

BrE: railway
AmE: railroad

BrE: crossroads
AmE: intersection

BrE: lift
AmE: elevator, a trade name of an Otis Elevator Co. moving staircase.


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