I have finally made some kind of formatting decision regarding this, the very reason for my blog, the Canadian to English (British) Dictionary! This is a culmination of all the words I’ve learnt while living in England; some I’ve heard before and some that are completely new to me. Just when I think I’ve heard all the crazy slang England’s got to offer, something else pops up and I am totally surprised. That being said, I hope there are some new words on this list for you and that you’re able to read this and feel like you’ve learned something.
I have made a three-column chart containing the British word, the Canadian equivalent, and in some cases a short definition or example in speech. Keep checking back with this post because I will be adding to it every time I hear a new word that I think should be included.
Leave a comment if you think I missed anything!
| British Word | Canadian Word | Definition/Example |
| A&E | ER | Accidents and Emergencies, Emergency room |
| Abseil | Rappel | The opposite of rock climbing |
| Bagsy | Shotgun | Calling claim to something |
| Bap | Bun, Roll | A baked good |
| Bin | Garbage can | |
| Bonnet | Hood (of a car) | |
| Boot | Trunk (of a car) | |
| Brolly | Umbrella | |
| Bun/muffin | Cupcake | |
| Canteen | Cafeteria | |
| Checkered | Plaid | Fabric pattern |
| Cheers | Thanks | One of many ways to show appreciation for something |
| Chips | French fries | |
| Chunder | Vomit | |
| Coppers | Pennies, tuppennies | Copper coins |
| Crisps | Potato chips | |
| Dear | Expensive | |
| Diddy | Small, tiny | |
| Dinner | Lunch | Mid-day meal |
| Dodgem car | Bumper car | |
| Draughts | Checkers | |
| Drawing pin | Thumb tack | |
| Drinking chocolate | Hot chocolate | |
| Eggy bread | French toast | |
| First floor | Second floor | Floor above the ground floor of any building |
| Fringe | Bangs | Forehead accessory |
| Hob | Burner | Cooking element on a stove top |
| Hokey Cokey | Hokey Pokey | As in “Put your left hand in, take your left hand out…” |
| Hoover | Vacuum | |
| Ice pop | Freezies | Frozen juice snack |
| Iced lolly | Popsicle | |
| Jelly | Jell-O | |
| Jumper | Sweater | Something to wear to warm your torso |
| Ladybird | Ladybug | Red and black spotty insect |
| Lurgy | Cooties | Germs, the plague |
| Marquee | Tent | A big, fancy tent (not a sign above a theatre) |
| Mingin(g) | Ugly | A physical description of someone |
| Mooch | Walk, wander | |
| Nappies | Diapers | |
| Nosey | Look around | “Just having a nosey” |
| Noughts & Crosses | Xs and Os | The game of tic tac toe |
| Numpties | Idiots, stupid people | |
| On the lash | Getting drunk | |
| Owt | Anything | “I don’t have owt for tea” |
| Pan | Pot | Used for all types of cooking equipment |
| Pants | Underwear | Short form of underpants |
| Pavement | Sidewalk | |
| Petrol | Gasoline | |
| Pinny | Apron | |
| Plait | Braid | A hairstyle |
| Rubber | Eraser | As in on the end of pencil |
| Shop | Store | “Urban Outfitters is my favourite shop” |
| Slag | Slut | “That promiscuous girl could be described as a slag” |
| Spanner | Wrench | Something you find in your toolbox |
| Sweets | Candy | Surgary treats |
| Ta | Thanks | Another way to say “Thank you” and/or “Bye” |
| Tea | Dinner, supper | Evening meal (Northern dialect) |
| Tele | TV | |
| Thanking you | Thank you | Actively giving thanks |
| Tin | Can | “This recipe calls for a tin of stewed tomatoes” |
| Toasting muffins | English muffin | |
| Trainers | Sneakers | Shoes you wear for sports, or to make people think you play sports |
| Treacle | Molasses | Sticky, sweet syrup used in food |
| Tweety Pie | Tweety Bird | The cartoon character always being chased by Sylvester |
| Up the duff | Pregnant | Euphamism, commonly used for unplanned pregnancy |
| Verruca | Wart | A callous growth often on hands and/or feet |
| Vest | Tank top | A sleeveless shirt |
| Waist coat | Vest | Often formal, sleeveless torso covering |
| Wally | Waldo | Cartoon character, as in “Where Waldo?” |
outloudkat, since 2009 
I think it is interesting that you use the word learnt for learned. I haven’t heard it used much over here but according to the American Heritage Dictionary it is an acceptable term. I have always thought of its use as a colloquialism.
Haha, I am also a fan of the word dreamt instead of dreamed. It sounds nicer when you say it out loud.
Just as an aside; “nowt” also works in the opposite way to “owt”. As in “There’s nowt for tea”
But that’s more of a Yorkshire thing than an English thing. =)
Hey, how about “hobb”? or is is “hob”? … that thing used for cooking, known in the real world as a “stovetop”.
added!
I’ve definitely heard “jumper” used for what we call “sweater” before….but then I got thinking, what do they call the little baby outfits there that we call jumpers? Or is jumper a catch-all kind of word?
My favourite is numpties!
This is so awesome, Kat. I wish I’d read it before I started working in London hahaha. I was SO confused when people were like “yeahh it goes in the bin” …. WHAT BIN DO YOU SPEAK OF?! and I work in a women’s wear department and keep calling trousers pants…. a bad habit when pants mean underwear. “Nice pants!” “Excuse me?” Might also want to add “You alright?” = “how are you?” (though it’s a phrase as opposed to a word). I still don’t like it, because I don’t know how to respond. I’m used to people saying “are you alright?” when something is wrong.