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For the second portion of the list, see List of words having different meanings in American and British English: M–Z. Asterisked (*) meanings, though found chiefly in the specified region, also have some currency in the other region; other definitions may be recognised by the other as Briticisms or Americanisms respectively.
In typical usage, retard is a pejorative term either for someone with an actual mental disability, or for someone who is considered stupid, slow to understand, or ineffective in some way as a comparison to stereotypical traits perceived in those with mental disabilities. [1]
a synonym of among acceptable in British English while seeming old fashioned or pretentious in American English [15] anorak a hooded coat (US parka); a socially impaired obsessive, particularly trainspotters (US geek, trekkie, otaku, etc.) answerphone an automated telephone-answering machine, from the trademark Ansafone (US & UK answering machine)
Jagoff or jag-off is an American English derogatory slang term from Pittsburghese meaning a person who is a jerk, stupid or inept. [1] It is most prominent in the Pittsburgh area and Pennsylvania in general, along with wide use in Chicago, particularly in the Irish taverns.
Git / ˈ ɡ ɪ t / is a term of insult denoting an unpleasant, silly, incompetent, annoying, senile, elderly or childish person. [1] As a mild [2] oath it is roughly on a par with prat and marginally less pejorative than berk.
A malapropism (/ ˈ m æ l ə p r ɒ p ɪ z əm /; also called a malaprop, acyrologia or Dogberryism) is the incorrect use of a word in place of a word with a similar sound, either unintentionally or for comedic effect, resulting in a nonsensical, often humorous utterance.
n November 1954, 29-year-old Sammy Davis Jr. was driving to Hollywood when a car crash left his eye mangled beyond repair. Doubting his potential as a one-eyed entertainer, the burgeoning performer sought a solution at the same venerable institution where other misfortunate starlets had gone to fill their vacant sockets: Mager & Gougelman, a family-owned business in New York City that has ...
The term useful idiot, for a foolish person whose views can be taken advantage of for political purposes, was used in a British periodical as early as 1864. [3] In relation to the Cold War, the term appeared in a June 1948 New York Times article on contemporary Italian politics ("Communist shift is seen in Europe"), [1] citing the Italian Democratic Socialist Party's newspaper L'Umanità []. [4]