American and English Today

THE TWO VOCABULARIES (article from Bartleby)

By way of preliminary to an examination of the American of today, here is a list of terms in everyday use that differ in American and English: American English ash-can dust-bin ash-cart dust-cart ashman dustman backyard garden baggage luggage baggage-car luggage-van ballast (railroad) metal barbershop barber’s-shop bath-robe dressing-gown bath-tub bath beet beet-root bid (noun) tender bill-board hoarding boarder paying-guest boardwalk (seaside) promenade boot high-boot brakeman brakesman bumper (car) buffer bureau chest of drawers calendar (court) cause-list campaign (political) canvass can (noun) tin candy sweets cane stick canned-goods tinned-goods car (railroad) carriage, van or waggon checkers (game) draughts chicken-yard fowl-run chief-clerk head-clerk chief-of-police chief-constable city-editor chief-reporter city-ordinance by-law clipping (newspaper) cutting closed-season close-season coal coals coal-oil paraffin collar-button stud commission-merchant factor, or commission-agent commutation-ticket season-ticket conductor (of a train) guard corn maize, or Indian corn corner (of a street) crossing corn-meal Indian meal counterfeiter coiner cow-catcher plough cracker biscuit crazy-bone funny-bone cross-tie sleeper crystal (watch) watch-glass department-store stores derby (hat) bowler dime-novel penny-dreadful district (political) division druggist chemist drug-store chemist’s shop drummer bagman dry-goods-store draper’s-shop editorial (noun) leader, or leading-article elevator lift elevator-boy lift-man enlisted-man private-soldier excursionist tripper ferns bracken filing-cabinet nest-of-drawers fire-department fire-brigade fish-dealer fishmonger floor-walker shop-walker fraternal-order friendly-society freight goods freight-agent goods-manager freight-car goods-waggon freight-elevator hoist frog (railway) crossing-plate garters (men’s) sock-suspenders gasoline petrol grade (railroad) gradient grain corn grain-broker corn-factor groceries stores hardware-dealer ironmonger headliner topliner hod-carrier hodman hog-pen piggery hood (automobile) bonnet hospital (private) nursing-home huckster coster (monger) hunting shooting Indian Red Indian Indian Summer St. Martin’s Summer instalment-business credit-trade instalment-plan hire-purchase plan internal-revenue inland-revenue janitor caretaker, or porter laborer navvy legal-holiday bank-holiday letter-box pillar-box letter-carrier postman locomotive engineer engine-driver long-distance-call trunk-call lumber deals lumber-yard timber-yard mad angry mantelpiece chimney-piece Methodist Wesleyan molasses treacle monkey-wrench spanner moving-picture-theatre cinema, or picture-palace necktie tie news-dealer news-agent newspaper-man pressman, or journalist notions small-wares oatmeal porridge officeholder public-servant orchestra (seats in a theatre) stalls outbuildings (farm) offices overcoat great-coat package parcel parlor drawing-room parlor-car saloon-carriage patrolman (police) constable pay-day wage-day peanut monkey-nut pen-point nib period (punctuation) full-stop pitcher jug plant (industrial) works poorhouse workhouse post-paid post-free potpie pie prepaid carriage-paid press (printing) machine program (of a meeting) agenda public-school board-school quotation-marks inverted-commas railroad railway 1 railroad-man railway-servant rails line rare (of meat) underdone receipts (in business) takings Rhine-wine Hock road-bed (railroad) permanent-way road-repairer road-mender roast joint roll (of films) spool roll-call division rooster cock round-trip-ticket return-ticket saleswoman shop-assistant saloon public-house scarf-pin tie-pin scow lighter sewerage drains shirtwaist blouse shoe boot shoemaker bootmaker shoe-shine boot-polish shoestring bootlace shoe-tree boot-tree sick ill sidewalk footpath, or pavement silver (collectively) plate sled sledge sleigh sledge soft-drinks minerals smoking-room smoke-room spigot (or faucet) tap sponge (surgical) tap stem-winder keyless-watch stockholder shareholder stocks shares store-fixtures shop-fittings street-cleaner crossing-sweeper street-railway tramway subway tube, or underground suspenders (men’s) braces sweater jersey switch (noun, railway) points switch (verb, railway) shunt taxes (municipal) rates taxpayer (local) ratepayer tenderloin (of beef) under-cut, or fillet ten-pins nine-pins terminal (railroad) terminus thumb-tack drawing-office ticket-office booking-office tinner tinker tin-roof leads track (railroad) line trained-nurse hospital-nurse transom (of door) fanlight trolley-car tramcar truck (vehicle) lorry truck (of a railroad car) bogie typewriter (operator) typist typhoid-fever enteric undershirt vest vaudeville-theatre music-hall vest waistcoat warden (of a prison) governor warehouse stores wash-rag face-cloth wash-stand wash-hand-stand waste-basket waste-paper-basket whippletree splinter-bar witness-stand witness-box