Translations of our common language as it applies to building miniatures
I'll continue to add as I think of more.
| British | American (New England & Midwestern) |
| Aga | A large cast iron cooking stove |
| bangers | sausages |
| biro | ballpoint pen |
| boxing day | day after Christmas (servants celebrate) |
| cardboard | card stock, not corrugated boxes |
| centre | center |
| chippings | crushed rock or gravel |
| corn | grain |
| cramps | clamps |
| DIY center | building supply |
| dado | chair rail |
| deal | inexpensive wood (like our pine) |
| diary | calendar, day planner, or schedule |
| drains | sewer pipes & eve troughs (rain gutters) |
| emulsion | latex paint |
| fete | fund raising party |
| gammon | ham |
| geyser | type of water heater |
| ground floor
first floor... |
first floor
second floor... |
| jelutong | tropical wood not readily available in US |
| jumper | sweater or pullover |
| hoover | vacuum cleaner |
| lime (wood) | basswood |
| loo | toilet or bathroom |
| maize | corn |
| Milliput | modeling compound |
| mitre block | miter box |
| miniature fair | miniature show (for sale type) |
| nappy | diaper |
| one off | one of a kind |
| pavement | sidewalk |
| plank | stick |
| PVA glue | like Elmer's |
| polyfilla | spackling compound |
| pram | baby carriage |
| queue up | get in line |
| Regency | part of our Federal period |
| rising damp | moisture coming up from ground into wall |
| rubber | eraser |
| semidetached | duplex |
| serviette | napkin |
| skirting | base board |
| spanner | wrench |
| terraced house | town house or row house |
| timber | lumber |
| torch | flashlight |
| weatherboard | clapboard |