Bonnets and Hoods...

This will be my first of several ventures into the complicated world of English-American!  As most of you will know, there are many variations in terminology between the British and American versions of the English Language, so here are a few examples, with the American term first.


Fenders - are parts of an American car.  In England, they are known as wings, hence the old term, "wing mirrors".

Trunk - staying with automobiles, this is what the British call the boot.  In the UK, a common event these days is a "car boot sale".  No, you are not buying car boots!  It is simply the equivalent of a neighbourhood yard sale, with vendors selling goods from the boots of their cars.

Hoods - the front end of an American car, covering the engine, but known across the pond as the bonnet.  So, at least both cultures use a form of headgear...

Brights - used to describe full-beam headlights in the United States.  For regular headlights, the British use the term dipped headlights.

Stick-shift - describing a car with a manual transmission, this term is not used in Britain.  We just call it a manual.