Thanks - it was getting quite confusing

Posted by: Emz | April 3, 2006 11:43 AM

the wonders of the english language..haha

Posted by: christina | April 3, 2006 11:48 AM

Oddly enough, some companies over here (on the US side) do call pants trousers - or trouser pants, which seems to mean pants with cuffs. Sneakers is also interchangable with tennis shoes (whether they're for tennis or not) and athletic shoes.

Posted by: Amanda | April 3, 2006 12:30 PM

We do call button up sweaters cardigans, particularly if the item in question is very feminine.

Now explain to us Americans what crumpets are.

Posted by: Jael | April 3, 2006 1:55 PM

never mind the lingo, what site are those knickers from? i want some lol!

Posted by: tracey | April 3, 2006 4:36 PM

Here in America--
A sweater is any knitted winter top, with or without sleeves really although a sleeveless one is a "sweater vest" like pictured. A cardigan is a type of sweater then that almost always buttons up although sometimes people use it for zip-ups. I work at Lands' End during my breaks and generally if someone says they're looking for a cardigan I ask if they have a preference between zip and buttons.

My dad differentiates between "trousers" and "pants" or "jeans". "Trousers" in my house specifically refers to dressier pants, something you could wear to work or church. My grandfather is English though so that's probably where it comes from. The websites I've seen like what Amanda describes seem to take the same distinction, between smart and casual.

Posted by: Julie | April 3, 2006 7:35 PM

Do Americans know that 'pump' also means 'to parp'? Sorry to lower the tone but it does make me laugh.

You forget 'pantyhose' equals 'tights'

Oh, and what is a 'wifebeater'? Is it a muscle vest or a cagoule?

Posted by: Camilla C | April 3, 2006 8:59 PM

^ a "wifebeater" is a basic tank top (in American) or a vest (in English). What's a "cagoule"?

These were interesting!

Posted by: Eileen | April 3, 2006 9:46 PM

I'm American, and I NEVER say "panties." Old ladies say panties, or people from the South, I think. Most people I know say "underwear."

Panties make me think of old ladies trying on ugly pink frilly things.

Posted by: Cheryl | April 3, 2006 10:54 PM

Just to confuse it all, you should add in some Australian. A vest/tank over here is called a singlet, pants/knickers are called either underpants or undies, depending on who's asking, trainers/sneakers are called runners, a tank top/sweater vest is called a vest (a tank top in Australia is a singlet that reveals the midriff) and if you pull it over your head it's called a jumper, if you zip it up it's called a jacket, if you button it up it's called a cardigan. (unless you're talking about a coat).

Posted by: ursula | April 4, 2006 1:11 AM

The one that got me was "Trainers". I thought I knew most of the US UK equivalents but in one of the Harry Potter books he kept talking about his "trainers" and it took me forever to figure out what he was talking about.

Jumper was another one that was new to me. It reminds me of the cartoon where a motorcycle cop is trying to give a woman in a convertable car(who's wearing a sweater) a speeding ticket and he's riding next to her car yelling "Pull-over, pull-over" and she yells back "No, it's a cardigan" :)

Posted by: Sexy Fashion Auctions | April 4, 2006 4:14 AM

Also, there is a difference between pantyhose and tights. tights are opaque while pantyhose are sheer... and pantyhose can also be called nylons. Here in Canada trainers are also called runners

Posted by: Samantha | April 4, 2006 4:34 AM

That's funny - The Australia I know calls 'trainers' joggers. We also call white trash singlets that men like K-Fed wear 'wifebeaters'. And in the UK, Stella Artois (beer)is referred to as 'wifebeater'.

Great post, Gemma!

Posted by: clashcityrockerkat | April 4, 2006 9:44 AM

Eileen - a cagoule is a very lightweight jacket used in emergency rain situations (quite appropriate for the UK). Also, often worn by nerds.

Posted by: Camilla C | April 4, 2006 10:30 AM

gawd. I'm even more confused now. I'm glad to see I got most of it right though ;)

Posted by: Gemma | April 4, 2006 11:10 AM

...and breath !!!!

> to all my English friends, we all know what a BumBag is, ( a bag tied round your hips) but am i being stupid when i say ( i think ) Americans call them FannyPacks ?

Thats just random

: )

Posted by: Jenna | April 4, 2006 12:59 PM

Yeah I agree, 'panties' isn't the go-to word in the US. (Anywhere in the US, I'm from the South so it's not the norm here) People usually just say underwear. But very fun entry, I had no idea that we had different words for all these things.

Posted by: Mary | April 4, 2006 10:09 PM

Don't forget "jumper." In England, I believe you use the word to mean what we Americans call a "sweater." Here in the US, a "jumper" is sort of a bib-type dress. Looks kind of like overalls with a skirt and requires a shirt to be worn underneath.

Cool guide!

Posted by: Groovymarlin | April 5, 2006 2:44 AM

Well a jumper in America is something a of a dress with out sleeves that a frumpy school teacher would wear over a t-shirt of blouse (hopefully circa 1994, but some are still seen)!

And to the person who said Stell Artois is referred to as "wifebeater." In America, it's a new and different beer and people like it! But I had hear it is the "Bud light" or "Miller" of the UK - Funny!

Posted by: Beth | April 5, 2006 3:48 PM

Ah. We call that a pinafore dress.

Posted by: Gemma | April 5, 2006 4:05 PM

Thanks for the information. As a learber of English as a second language, now I could verified that about 90% of what I have learned as English vocabularies were from American English. "Tank Top" for sweater vest was a total surprise to me = )

Posted by: Annis | April 7, 2006 8:36 AM

Just wanted to chime in as an American--I definitely say "panties" because bras are underwear too so in a store it is just confusing.

It sounds like a cagoule is what we call a windbreaker.

And I am pretty sure that a fannypack and a bumbag are the same thing--and unacceptable no matter what you call it.

Posted by: Eli | April 8, 2006 6:43 PM

Another Brit/Aussie confusion: Here in the UK, thongs are knickers with thin backs (g-strings to you?), whereas in Australia, thongs are flip-flops... I think

Posted by: bleary | August 28, 2006 2:07 PM