When you go for 7 weeks a summer switching British English from your co-counselors to American English for your campers to understand, you learn it very well.
1.UK: Bin vs. USA: Garbage can
I have had to catch myself a few times trying not to call it a bin, especially right after camp.
2.UK: Rubbish vs. USA: Trash
What do you call something that no longer has any use.
3.UK: Que vs. USA: Line
“Get in a straight que. I mean line.” I don't know how many times I have heard that, especially at start of summer. I have even said it once or twice.
4.UK: Holiday vs. USA: Vacation
This one took me almost 3 summers before I figured it out.
5.UK: Carpark vs. USA: Parking lot
I kinda like the British way of this word better. You park the car in the carpark.
6.UK: Jumper vs. USA: Sweatshirt
When I hear jumper, I still don't automatically think sweatshirt for some reason. I think of someone jumping around, so obviously I know that's not what they mean, and then have to think about what they mean.
7.UK: Torch vs. USA: Flashlight
The most common correction when getting ready for the twice weekly camp fires
8.UK: Chips vs. USA: Fries
The fact that chips has a different meaning in Britain than in America caused confusion for some of the internationals.
9.UK: Crisps vs. USA: Chips
I'm pretty sure we have the word crisps here but not with the same meaning.
10.UK: Wellies vs. USA: Rain boots
It's so much more natural to say wellie burn instead of rain boot burn when your rain boot rubs your leg and makes it bruise.
11.UK:Jelly vs. USA:Jello
One of the internationals taught us the song, "Jelly On a Plate." But it makes more sense here if you know that jelly there is jello here.
12.UK: lorry vs. USA: Truck
Not one of the more common ones I hear, just because we don't have many trucks on camp property.
When you work at a summer camp with 15 to 20 staff members from Britain each summer, you get used to intermixing the British and American words for things.
