1. The Two Vocabularies

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
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

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