US Lexicon

Last update:
22-Mar-2005
©1996-2005
Mike Todd

Where it's not obvious: BE = British English, AE=American English and

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Daiquiri
	A Daiquiri is a popular drink in America (pronounced DAKihree). Basically, it is rum, sugar and lemon or lime, but numerous other flavours are available - and can be had with or without the rum. When served without alcohol, they're known as Virgin Daiquiris.
Dead-head, to
	To travel with no luggage or load In BE, dead-head is something that you do to plants by removing the dead or faded flowers, although it is sometimes used in that sense in the US. However, more commonly it means travelling, particularly as a truck driver, with no load. A dead-head is also someone who is travelling free (or without a ticket).
Dead-head
	Drug addict or fan of The Grateful Dead It has been suggested that it might be difficult to tell the difference! But in print, it is certainly possible ... a fan of the Grateful Dead would be known as a Dead-head, whereas a dead-head (no capital letter) could be a drug-addict. This latter use seems as though it may be highly regional, and doesn't seem to be used consistently.
Deductible
	Insurance excess
Denatured Alcohol
	Methylated Spirits
Dessertspoonful
	As a measure, this is not known in the US. It is equivalent to two teaspoonfuls.
Detour
	Diversion A common sign on roadworks, a detour may be a complete diversion around a closed road, or simply an instruction to move over to another lane. In common with many US road signs, the intention is not always very clear!
Diaper
	Baby's nappy Surprisingly, diaper comes from BE. This used to be the name given to a special fabric (possibly from the Greek for white), which in turn gave its name to a "baby's napkin". This is the term that AE adopted, but BE eventually turned "baby's napkin" into nappy
Dicker
	Haggle or barter
Dime
	10 cents BE had dime in the 14th century, meaning a tenth part or a tithe, and it has its origins in the French dixiéme. It was disme on the earliest 10-cent coins, and is supposed to be pronounced deem. Up until 1964, the dime was silver, but since then it has been cupro-nickel
Dinky
	Unimpressive; shabby; unimportant Here there is a major difference between BE and AE. In BE, it means cute or smart - in AE it means the opposite. So in Britain a "dinky hotel" would be very pleasant, in America it would be quite shabby.
District Attorney
	Public prosecutor The roles are really rather different, but the nearest equivalent in the UK is the Crown Prosecution Service.
Divided Highway
	Dual Carriageway
Dixie
	The southern states The term Dixie is used in the famous song of the same name, by Daniel D Emmett but before then it meant the southern states of the US (strictly speaking, the south-eastern states). Nobody is sure where the term arose, but there are two common theories. One says that it derives from the Mason-Dixon line, which was the symbolic border between North and South. The other is that it is based on the fact that Louisiana $10 bills had dix on them, the French for ten
Docent
	University teacher or museum guide Most commonly used in the latter sense, and many docents are unpaid volunteers who guide visitors around their museum or gallery.
Doggie Bag
	Once you see how large American meals can be, it's easy to work out just why doggie bags are so popular. Most restaurants will provide one for the left-overs if you ask, the main exception being in those where an all-you-can-eat buffet is operating. Many people rely on getting at least a second (and possibly a third) meal out of what they've paid for in a restaurant. Oh, and you'll rarely hear the term "doggie bag"; instead a restaurant will usually simply offer you a "box".
Dollar
	The name comes ultimately from Joachimstaler a silver coin made in the Bohemian town of Joachimstal. It was also the British name for the Spanish pieces-of-eight. However, the origin of the $-sign is less clear-cut. Its first use seems to have been in a memo from Jefferson in 1784, and some suggest that it is the letters U and S superimposed, while others suggest that it is a corruption of Jefferson's monogram. But the $-sign was a symbol for the peso long before that memo was written and it probably comes from the scroll wrapped around the pillars of Hercules that appears on the old pieces-of-eight. The value of the dollar (in pounds) has varied considerably over the years - for more details, see the History of the Dollar exchange rate in the Encyclopedia..
Dude Ranch
	Ranch-based holiday resort There are many dude ranches in the US. They vary from working ranches which take holidaymakers to resorts designed like a ranch, but always provide activities, such as horse-riding, for visitors
Dumpster
	(rubbish) skip
Duplex
	Semi-detached house, or two-floor apartment The term really means any building that consists of two distinct parts. It's usually either two houses joined together, as in semi-detached, or a two-floor apartment. It is also applied to a house in which two families live in separate areas.
Dust Ruffle
	Valance A dust ruffle is the strip of material that goes around a bed to cover the gap between the bed and the floor, thereby reducing the dust which might otherwise accumulate. In BE it would be called a valance. In AE a valance more usually used to describe the drapery that goes across the top of a window, but may also be applied to any short curtain or drapery hung from a canopy.