Translations
It has been said that we Americans are separated from the British by a common language. There seems to be some truth in that. In this web page, we are talking about cars, some of them are British. When dealing with one of my British cars, I have tried to use British terms where they may differ from their corresponding American counterpart. It seems there are quite a few such discrepancies. The following is a partial list of the differences in the languages as they refer to automotive subjects along with a few general use terms that I found interesting. It certainly is not all-inclusive but I have tried to include all the distinct terms I am aware of and add new ones as they are encountered. Also, keep in mind that these are all "as I understand it".
British <==> American Automotive (plus) Terms | |
British | American |
Accumulator | Battery |
Actuator | Switch or servo |
Artic | Tractor-trailer |
Baulk ring | Synchro ring |
Bird | Woman (slang) |
Bloke | Man (slang) |
Bonnet | Hood |
Boot | Trunk |
Bugger | Mild swear word, e.g. Damn |
Bulkhead | Firewall |
Choke | Venturi (carburetor) |
Colonist | American/Canadian |
Core plug | Freeze plug (theirs is more correct) |
Crocodile clip | Alligator clip |
Crosshead | Phillips head |
Crown wheel | Ring gear |
Cubby | Glove box |
Damper | Shock absorber |
Draft excluder | Windlace |
Drive shaft | Axle shaft |
Drop window | Roll up window |
Drop-head coupe | Convertible coupe |
Dumpy screwdriver | Stubby screwdriver |
Dynamo | Generator |
Earth | Ground (electrical) |
Estate | Sedan station wagon |
Fascia | Dashboard |
Fixed-head coupe | Coupe, 2 door |
Frogeye | Bugeye (A-H Sprite) |
Gallon | 5 US quarts |
Gearbox | Transmission |
Gudgeon pin | Wrist pin (piston) |
Hood | Convertible top |
Indicators | Blinkers (turn signals) |
Joint compound | Gasket sealer |
Lacquer | Paint, finish |
Lamp | Light |
Lorry | Truck |
Mole wrench | Vise grip |
Monocoque | Unibody |
MOT | DOT |
Nave plate | Hubcap |
Near side | Left side (seen from rear) |
Nose | Front of car |
Off side | Right side (seen from rear) |
Paraffin | Kerosene |
Petrol | Gasoline |
Pinking | Pinging, pre-ignition |
Pissed | Drunk (not angry) |
Prop shaft | Drive shaft |
Prise | Pry |
Proud | Above or raised |
Quarter light | Vent window |
Rev counter | Tachometer |
Ring gear | Flywheel gear |
Roadster | Convertible, bare |
Roundabout | Traffic circle |
Rostyle | Steel wheel simulates alloy style |
Saloon | Sedan, usually 4 doors |
Scuttle | Cowl |
Sidevalve | Flathead, engine type |
Side curtains | Removable windows |
Silencer | Muffler |
Sill panel | Rocker panel |
Sill board | Running board |
Shooting brake | Coupe station wagon |
Spanner | Wrench |
Spats | Fender skirts |
Split pin | Cotter pin |
Spring washer | Lock washer |
Strangler | Choke (carburetor) |
Suction advance | Vacuum advance |
Sump | Oil pan |
Thrust bearing | Throwout bearing |
Tickover | Idle, engine |
Top gear | High gear |
Torch | Flash light |
Trunnion | Suspension joint |
Tyre | Tire |
Wheel nut | Lug nut |
Whitworth | Thread standard |
Windscreen | Windshield |
Wing | Fender |
Other Terms Recognized by British Car Owners | |
LBC | Little British Car, Large British Car, etc |
PO | The previous owner of your car |
DPO | Dreaded previous owner of your car (because of the hacks they seem to have always done to the car) |
Prince of Darkness | Lucas, Lucas Electrics, etc |
BPSL | British (Phlegm Sucking) Leyland - A term of endearment for the things they did to destroy the British car industry |
BFL | British "Frigging" Leyland - See BPSL |
BFH | Big "Frigging" Hammer, aka bashing tool |
BRSOR | Big rock side of the road - Substitute for BFH |
OSOTP | Other side of the pond (across the ocean) |
SWORK | Swearing while working, a common practice |
VIQ | Vehicle in question |
Wanker | One who hacks at their car, usually clueless |
Common Automotive Abbreviations | |
AC (i.e. AC Cobra) | Auto Carrier |
ARG | Austin-Rover Group |
BL | British Leyland |
BLMC | British Leyland Motor Corporation |
BMC | British Motor Corporation |
BSF | British Standard Fine (thread system) |
BSW | British Standard Whitworth (thread system) |
CD | Constant depression (carburetor type) |
DB | David Brown (Astin-Martin motors) |
MG | Derived from Morris Garage |
NOS | New, old stock parts (as opposed to recent copy) |
PI | Petrol Injection |
SS | Swallow Sidecars - Predecessor to Jaguar Cars |
SU | Skinners Union (carburetors and fuel pumps) |
TVR | TreVoR (Wilkinson), founder of TVR Cars |
ZS | Zenith-Stromberg (carburetors) |