American–English Dictionary

Greetings English tourists! Welcome to America. Just so that you don't get lost around here, because none of us have time to give directions or explain this stuff, here is a reference guide for you.

Elevator - This is what those of you native to the UK might call a "Lift"

First Floor - This is usually the ground floor. The lobby is also indicated by a star next to the floor on the elevator.

Randy - a male first name that is less common than it used to be about 25 to 40 years ago here. You know, before the internet as we know it. And no, these men do not appreciate being snickered at.

Humor - We spell this word WITHOUT a U. That's right, our humor is U-less.

Tumor - as in cancer or a benign growth that generally does not belong. We also spell this word WITHOUT a U.

Jewelry - This is how we spell "jewellery" here. You will not find a Jewellery store here, you will find a Jewelry store. Though if you are looking for the cheap costume variety with glass or plastic beads, those can be found at any tourist trap or thrift store. Some but not all, department stores may also have a fine jewelry department.

Take-out bag - Unless you are visiting a buffet/all-you-can-eat restaurant, be aware American portions are quite large at our restaurants and diners. The portions served range from twice a normal portion of food to 4 TIMES a normal portion of food. It is NOT expected that you would eat everything in one sitting, though some Americans do (which is why many wear bigger clothing than you do).

Tipping - This is very important if you want to get along when visiting restaurants, diners, and even coffee or tea shops. When you take a taxi or a ride sharing (gig) service such as Uber or Lyft, or order delivery from your restaurants or grocery stores, you are also expected to tip your driver. When you get a haircut, you are expected to tip your barber or stylist. Sometimes there are even tip jars at fast food places and grocery stores, but those usually are labelled for charity and donated to charity. Basically, wherever there is a service provided other than marketing, or a business that gets paid as a whole for its work, there is an opportunity to tip. Please DO tip. Our federal minimum wage has not been raised in a number of years, and some states are still paying workers as if it were still the mid-90s. Worse yet, workers who normally receive tips sometimes are not required to be paid anything BUT their tips in some states. So unless the service is really Shit Pie, please do leave a tip. Even if you do not have cash on you, there is an option on the receipt to leave a credit card tip. Even some tax preparers occasionally receive tips once or twice a season in appreciation for outstanding service.

Cookies, biscuits, rolls, and crackers: If it is round, slightly crunchy, and has chocolate chips or frosting or has a filling and is sweet, it is a cookie. If you ask for a biscuit in the Southern United States, you will be served a type of roll with gravy on top of it. In other parts of the United States, your request may be mistaken for biscuit crackers, which are typically round or square, flat, and salty or savory.

Sweet cereals: We love our sweet cereals here in America. Even the ones that are lower in sugar are far from sugar-free. Sweet cereals are constantly advertised on children's programming at the same rate that medications are advertised on programming aimed at senior citizens here. They are brightly colored for the most part or glazed in sugar, honey or syrup. Speaking of syrup, high fructose corn syrup is very common here as well. Fortunately, regulations require nutrition labelling that includes ingredients, calorie counts, vitamin content, sugar content, fat content among other things. Half the people here don't bother to read those - the half without allergies or health concerns.

Health insurance: Speaking of health concerns, no, we do not have universal health care coverage. If you do not have insurance, you will be paying the doctors, nurses, hospitals, clinics, prescription meds, and so on all out of your own pocket. ALL of it. Fortunately, most offer financial aid, but it is not as unusual as you might think for people here to become bankrupt from health care costs. However, if you paid for certain types of travel insurance, this will usually cover your health care needs overseas.

Just be sure to ALWAYS read the fine print.

Vision insurance: Health insurance does not cover the cost of glasses or contact lenses here. They require a separate kind of insurance.

Dental insurance: Health insurance also does not cover the cost of visiting the dentist or receiving dental treatments. Again, you need a different type of insurance.

Accident insurance: If you were injured in an automobile/motor vehicle accident, the accident insurance is expected to pay your healthcare costs if the other driver was at fault. Provided they have the liability insurance. And provided you survive. Otherwise, you or your next of kin may need to sue them to recover the costs of your medical care. Don't worry, there are plenty of accident/injury lawyers who are very happy to take your case, and once you are awarded the costs, take a large cut of the damages unless the judge also grants you attorney's fees from the other party and/or emotional damages. Accident insurance may or may not include collision damage, meaning if you were deemed at fault, you must pay for your own car repair costs. If not, the liability insurance or other driver covers your repair costs.