17 American Words Not Widely Used In Britain | T

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Continuing an alphabetised list of words and phrases common to the U.S. that are not widely used in the UK, here are 17 such words beginning with the letter 'T'.

1. Taffy 
A type of chewy candy.

2. Tailpipe 
Exhaust pipe.

3. Takeout 
UK equivalent: takeaway; Scotland & US also: carry-out.

4. Teeter(-totter), teeterboard 
A seesaw.

5. Telecast 
To broadcast by television.

6. Teleprompter 
UK equivalent: autocue.

7. Thru 
Through. An abbreviation mostly used in the fast food industry, as in Drive Thru. Also used in traffic signs ("Thru Traffic Keep Left"; i.e., traffic that is continuing through an interchange rather than exiting should keep to the left) and occasionally road names ("New York State Thruway") and sometimes in newspaper headlines. Seen in the UK at McDonalds, Burger King, etc.

8. Thumbtack 
Short nail or pin with a large, rounded metal head. UK equivalent: drawing pin.

9. Track and field meeting (track meet)
UK equivalent: usually athletics meeting.

10. Trackless trolley 
A trolleybus.

11. Trash 
UK equivalent: Rubbish, waste.

12. Trashcan 
UK equivalent: dustbin, rubbish bin.

13. Travel trailer 
Caravan.

14. Trunk 
Storage space usually over rear wheels of an automobile. UK equivalent: boot.

15. Turn signal 
Direction-indicator lights. UK equivalent: usually indicators; US and UK also blinkers.

16. Two-bits 
Literally, worth 25 cents or a quarter (a bit is an eighth of a dollar); figuratively, worth very little, insignificant (informal). In the UK, the phrase "two bob" exists although this is far more common in London and the south-east. Likewise mickey mouse.

17. Two cents, two cents' worth
An opinion, a piece of one's mind (as in, "I'm gonna go down there and give him my two cents"). UK equivalent: two pence, two penneth, two penn'orth or tuppence worth.

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Laurence Brown is a British man documenting his life in the truly bizarre and beautiful world of America. Before the end of the decade, he plans to achieve his goal of visiting all 50 United States - highlighting each one in Lost in the Pond's Finding America web series. To help fund this exciting project, consider becoming a patron. Your contribution would be incredibly useful.