The most common language in both England and America is the English language. But who knew one language could be so different across the pond?

From the pronunciations to the spelling and even different words, it can be a challenge to understand the exact context of the meaning of a word you thought you knew. Here are some common British words and sayings that mean something else in America. 

Crisps

In the UK, crisps are what Americans call chips – like potato chips. They can be any “chips” from Doritos to Cheetos or even a packet of Lays. In most cases, you won’t find those large bags of “crisps” that they sell in America, in the UK. The crisps they sell in the UK are typically single-serving packages. 

Chips

These are called “fries” in America. This is an English word that often gets American’s confused when ordering. Often, chips in the UK are chunkier than standard French fries. In most cases, you can get chips with your fish if you order “fish and chips” at a restaurant or, in other words, it is referred to as “the Chippy.” 

Lift

In America, to get to the top floor of a building, you would have to take the elevator. However, in England, you would hop in the lift to get to the top. 

Flat 

This is considered to be a descriptive word of a surface in American English. Still, in the UK, a flat is an apartment. 

Boot

The type of footwear is what most Americans think of when they hear the word “boot”, but for an English person, it means the trunk of a car. 

Biscuit

A biscuit in the UK is a thin baked treat that might be covered in chocolate or some dried fruit, and it is used commonly consumed with tea. However, in America, a biscuit is made from dense, buttery dough.  

Purse

To those in the UK, a purse is a wallet that is kept in a handbag. In America, a wallet is kept in a purse.

Pissed

To many in America, if someone was to refer to themselves or another individual as “pissed,” they would be saying they are angry. However, in the UK, if someone is “pissed,” they are most likely drunk.

A Divided English Language

The different words, pronunciations, and spelling have divided the language into two – British English and American English. Words, phrases, and slang can mean one thing in the UK and a completely different thing in the US, and vice versa. 

Abby was initially seen on JAG, which was actually the backdoor pilot for what would later become NCIS. The role of Abby made Perrette into one of the most well-known actresses in 2001. Her goth looks tricked those who came across her into thinking she was anything but a ballistics and DNA analysis genius.

There’s more to this pretty face than NCIS, which is why after playing Abby for 15 years, the notable actress left to pursue other fields. Few know that Perrette is, in addition to being a celebrated performer, a writer, business owner, singer and civil rights advocate. Her business, “Donna Bell’s Bake Shop” is a bakery situated in Manhattan and is named after her late mother. When Perrette was asked about how she felt to part with her on-screen personality, she explained that it was time to move on.

Stephanie played Sumner for thirteen episodes on NCIS, where Cynthia was employed by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service as a personal secretary. Her personality type can be described as anxious and very organized, which would explain why she also stuck to a very matter-of-fact sense of style. Her ensemble mostly included smart pants suits and had her hair tied partially back. It is hard to say Cynthia had a prominent role, but speculations did arise concerning her unsettled relationship with the character of Leroy Gibbs.

It has been 10 years since Mello appeared on NCIS, but despite this fact, it remains her most remembered role to this day. Stephanie landed gigs of television commercials after the show, and lately even passed the notable 100 mark. Appearance-wise, the woman ditched those suits and moved on to more comfortable garments, but has kept her short hair the same. Additionally, Stephanie was credited with being a casting director in 2013 for the Big Time Rush television series, which was running for four seasons in total.

Special Agent Michelle Lee was also a legal assistant. Her role as Michy (as she was nicknamed by her adopted sister, Amanda) was embraced by many, but as soon as the episode that revealed her as the leaking mole she was aired, she became the character everyone loved to hate. Many suspected the alleged goodie two shoes was not all she cracked out to be, which proved to be true when she sacrificed herself just to stop her handler from escaping.

Real life Liza, who is of Filipino heritage and Chinese ancestry, did not stop after the CBS police procedural series ceased to write her role in. As a matter of fact, she dipped her toe in many opportunities that came her way, such as Don’t Trust the B—- in Apartment 23, Dexter, Traffic Light, and Super Fun Night. She also wanted to challenge her capabilities by performing live, which is why she was credited for on-stage performances like As You Like It, The Odyssey and more.

Jeanne was introduced to the NCIS team in 2006 as the fresh romantic interest and partner of Tony DiNardo, who was actually Anthony DiNozzo – a Special Agent for NCIS. As the show progressed, it was revealed that Jeanne was, as a matter of fact, the daughter of a known arms dealer who goes by the name of Rene Benoit. Although she was linked with her infamous father, Jeanne gained the team’s respect through her charm and wit, and she wasn’t too hard on the eyes either.

Thompson very recently turned 36. Although her childhood consisted mostly of ballet, jazz, and modern dance lessons, these days the stunning Scottie is more focused on her acting career. After appearing regularly on season 4, Scottie realized it was time move on to greater things. She made guest appearances on Shark, CSI: NY and Eli Stone, and even landed a minor part in Star Trek. Her latest on-camera accomplishment, however, was being cast as Lauren Kincade in the television series Graceland.

Victoria Mallard (or “Mrs. Mallard) was the mother of NCIS Medical Examiner, Dr. Donald (Ducky) Mallard. Victoria only appeared in a small number of episodes, but her character was known for her old-fashioned gowns that went hand in hand with her excessively oversized hats. Victoria could also not be spotted without her lovable corgis. In 2006, Ducky told all that his mother moved away after she was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, but after Abby followed him, she uncovered that he was visiting her grave.

The 40’s would not have been the same without Nina Foch, who starred in countless black and white films. She became a regular horror picture actress, then established herself as a leading lady. Her career was over six decades long, and she remained one of the most noted actresses until her retirement in 2007. Sadly, she only had one year to enjoy unemployment life, as the successful actress passed away when she was 84. Her son, Dirk de Brito, announced to the press that his mother died of complications from myelodysplasia.

Cassie only had two appearances on NCIS, but her character was definitely a strong one. Cassie was named a special agent for NCIS, but that does not mean she put up a fierce act all around. The character mesmerized all in sight when she wore a dazzling red dress during her first episode on the show, but except for that one-time showstopper, Yates made sure to keep a professional appearance with hair that was slicked back by a business ponytail and go get ’em attitude.

Tamara was no stranger to the spotlight since before she made the cut for NCIS, she used to model in her home country of Canada. She even dropped out of high school to pursue a modeling career, which she justified by quoting her mother, who said – “School will always be there.” After leaving Cassie behind, she scored the role of Dr. Camille Saroyan on Bones. Her character was the head of the Forensic Division, and the actress felt right at home after using similar jargon on NCIS.

Originally selected to transfer to Guantanamo Bay where she would be employed as an interrogator, Paula Cassidy ended up being named an NCIS Special Agent. Paula appeared every now and again on the show, and while she didn’t have a part that consecutively surfaced, her character’s death was one that was greatly felt in 2007. The manner in which it happened was a devastating one too, and she was the one to lead her team right before she died in the line of duty.

The Toronto born ravisher does not need to credit NCIS for making her career. As a matter of fact, she landed roles in highly praised films even before the show. To this day, Steen is known for being a recognized through Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future, Earth 2, Homefront, Armageddon, Left Behind: World at War, Flashpoint, and the TV series Heartland. Steen is currently still filming for Heartland, where she acts as Lisa Stillman – patriarch Jack Bartlett’s wife.

Jackie joined the NCIS team as a Special Agent and an operational psychologist. She was a part of the major case response team and was noticed right from the start thanks to her long, luscious strawberry blonde curls and figure-hugging clothes. Her style was definitely notable, and it did not take long for the audience to fall for this cast member. Perhaps that it when rumors started spreading about a certain someone making the cut and becoming a permanent cast member…

If you keep snapping your fingers repetitively since you cannot place your finger on who she strikes an uncanny resemblance to, just make your pick out of the endless list of appearances Bella has been credited for. From Coyote Ugly, Thank You for Smoking, and The Jane Austen Book Club to The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, Prisoners, and Lights Out, there isn’t anything Bello hasn’t done. Her career has peaked higher than she ever could have guessed, and she was just named a regular on NCIS.

Rivka was Tali David’s and Ziva David’s mother. The latter was a deceased former NCIS Special Agent. Rivka was also entangled in the plot since she was the ex-wife of Eli David, making her Tali David-DiNozzo’s grandmother. Rivka appeared in one episode of the tenth season during 2013, in a flashback her daughter Ziva had. Her character’s last appearance was in the episode titled “Past, Present, and Future”, and she was said to have passed in Amman, Jordan.

Rosati is a Polish actress and a highly celebrated one at that. In addition to her impeccable sense of style and unblemished red carpet looks that make her seem like a natural born A-lister, Rosati is also a member of the European Film Academy. Her international career reached new heights after NCIS, and in 2013 she was granted her first Polish Academy Award Best Actress nomination after acing her role on the film Oblawa. Two award wins were given to Rosati – the Plejada Top Ten 2013 Award and Pola Negri Award.

Special FBI Agent Tobias Fornell and his ex-wife Diane Sterling were the proud plot parents of the quirky Emily Fornell. The actress is also known for her memorable performance on Malibu Country and made her first Broadway appearance when she was on eight years of age. Her Broadway resume includes timeless classics like Billy Elliot, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and Mary Poppins. Her last NCIS appearance was in 2016, where she acted in the episode titled “The Tie That Binds.”

NCIS‘s Emily Fornell was not the only role that Juliette is credited for. As a matter of fact, the talented actress also had a recurring role on the series Shameless, as well as a leading character on the award-winning show Mad Men. As for her future plans, Juliette is set to portray a role in the movie Hope Springs Eternal. Putting her in front of camera skills aside, Juliette is also very much into equestrian sports and dancing.

Breaking into the NCIS scene with the prestigious title of Lieutenant Commander, Coleman was also said to be a JAG officer and prosecutor. Aside from NCIS, Coppola began her career starring on MTV as a host of Remote Control. From then onwards, it was only a matter of time until she became a sought-after actress. Coppola landed a role on Another World, a soap opera, which she maintained for three years. After that, NCIS producers contacted Alicia and asked her to come on the show.

Alicia Coppola continued to build her film and television repertoire. Since she felt right at home in the crime drama genre, it was no surprise she was offered afflicting roles in the television series Jericho, Lie to Me, Common Law, and many others. Coppola also wanted to make her mark in other fields and prove she had much to offer, which she was successful in doing by appearing in shows like Two and a Half Men, The Young and the Restless, and Teen Wolf.

Jamie Lee Curtis’s first movie role was in the everlasting classic film Halloween. The initial televised character role she took upon herself was on the show Anything But Love, which was glorified exceedingly. Jamie was also spotted on The Drew Carey Show, which proved to all she had outstanding comic capabilities. While on NCIS, Curtis was Dr. Samantha Ryan, who was the head of the DoD PsyOps Division. What fans loved even more, however, was her romantic entanglement with Special Agent Leroy Gibbs.

Jamie Lee Curtis today is still a household name, known for 2003’s body-swap comedy Freaky Friday, and was in both seasons of Fox’s black comedy slash horror show Scream Queens. She is married to Christopher Guest, who made a famous series of mockumentary-style comedy movies. Curtis is a New York Times Bestselling author, and has been a prolific writer for a young audience as well. She has two adopted children, with whom she shares her nerdy, Warcraft-loving sensibilities with.

Margo Harshman plays Delilah Fielding, the spouse of NCIS Special Agent Tim McGee. Delilah has a disability in the show, but that does not stop her from being a top employee of the Department Of Defense. Harshman had an early start on stage- she was put into a pageant at the tender age of two by her grandmother. The early exposure to showbiz paid off, as Margo scored a three-season role as Tawny Dean on the popular kids series Even Stevens.

Thankfully, Margo did not fall into the pitfalls that other child stars fall into. Beyond her role on NCIS, Harshman has been featured on huge TV shows like Grey’s Anatomy, 90210, Boston Legal, Modern Family, Bent, and Bones. However, most notably, Harshman was featured as Alex Jensen, Sheldon’s assistant on The Big Bang Theory. On the big screen, she was in a financially successful 2009 slasher called Sorority Row, and has a TV-movie called Love on the Vines which showed in 2017.

In the NCIS world, the Reynosa Cartel is a Mexican substance ring that is not to be crossed. The head of this criminal organization is Paloma Reynosa, who is portrayed by Jacqueline Obradors. She took over the family business, as her father Pedro, was in the same trade. She butted heads with NCIS because head-honcho Gibbs offed her father Pedro. In Season 8 of the police procedural, she tried to exact revenge, but Gibbs, with the manpower and resources of the NCIS triumphed in the end.

Jacqueline Obradors comes from a modest background and used to be a cashier before becoming an actress. She played a notable supporting role alongside Harrison Ford in 1998’s Six Days, Seven Nights. NCIS was not her first role in a crime-focused show- she starred in NYPD Blue for four years in eighty episodes. This time, though, instead of being an antagonistic cartel boss, she played a good guy: Detective Rita Ortiz. In 2017, she was in a pilot called Mayans MC, a spinoff of Sons Of Anarchy.

Meredith Eaton plays Carol Wilson, an employee of the Centers For Disease Control. She first appears in the seventh season in the Christmas episode, as an old college friend of Chief Forensic Scientist Abby Sciuto. However, Wilson went on to be a character who appeared in many episodes, including in first seasons of the spinoff show NCIS: New Orleans. Professionally, Carol helps Abby and the team when infectious diseases like Ebola become relevant to an NCIS investigation. Wilson usually helps identify microscopic disease agents for the NCIS.

Something that simply cannot be ignored is Meredith’s remarkable stature- just four feet tall! Eaton takes it in stride, even labeling herself as a “short-stature actress.” Meredith is highly educated, with a master’s degree in clinical psychology. Instead of pursuing therapy as a profession, Eaton found success on TV, in shows like Family Law and Boston Legal. She was married to Michael Gilden, who had dwarfism. However, after five years, he sadly took his own life. Meredith re-married photographer Brian Gordon, and they have a daughter.

NCIS stands for Naval Criminal Investigative Service. This organization handles criminal investigations regarding the Navy and Marines. Diane Neal plays recurring character Abigail Borin, who is part of a similar organization, the CGIS, the Coast Guard Investigative Service. It is essentially the same, except for the coast guard. Borin did serve in the Marines, and had a tour of Iraq. Borin has also appeared in the spinoff NCIS: New Orleans. Since she has a great connection with Gibbs, many fans want to see her on NCIS more.

Diane Neal has had success on multiple television shows, but none more notable than her role as Casey Novak on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. In an unexpected turn of events, Neal first appeared on SVU in 2001 as a criminal! The one-time guest star came back in 2003 to play Novak for five years on the main cast, and in a recurring role for three years. In July 2005, Neal married Marcus Fitzgerald, only to divorce in 2014.

In season seven of NCIS, Margaret Allison Hart was introduced as a defense attorney, who will do whatever it takes to stifle and impede the investigation of the NCIS team. Hart, who is played by Rena Sofer, annoys Gibbs over and over. However, in the end, Hart supported Gibbs by expressing her intention to assist Gibbs if he ever got in trouble for the questionable murder of Pedro Hernandez. In season eight, she was out of the picture, presumably hiding overseas, safeguarding important evidence.

Rena Sofer is the daughter of a Rabbi and a professor. Sofer has had a lot of success, winning a Daytime Emmy Award for playing Lois Cerullo on General Hospital. She was also in many hundreds of episodes of another soap opera, The Bold and the Beautiful, as Quinn Fuller. She has been a guest star on Seinfeld. Sofer married her co-star Wally Kurth, and had a daughter with him, but divorced soon afterward. She is now married to TV producer Sanford Bookstaver, and has children with him.

Alexandra “Alex” Quinn decided she had enough of chasing bad guys, and instead got a job showing young NCIS agents the ropes at the Law Enforcement Training Center. Gibbs was able to convince her to come back and be a Special Agent in the field again. However, her role was just announced to be limited to just one season, as NCIS is taking a different creative approach following the passing of show runner Gary Glasberg. The writers justified Quinn’s absence saying she left to care for her sick mother.

Jennifer Esposito has been in huge blockbusters like Crash. On the small screen, she had main roles in shows like Spin City, Samantha Who?, and Blue Bloods. Esposito got married in 2006 to megastar Bradley Cooper, but it seemed like a regrettable decision. A mere five months later, the couple filed for divorce. Afterward, she was engaged to tennis player Mark Philippoussis, but that dissolved before marriage. Most recently, she married and divorced British model Louis Dowler after about two years officially together.

Emily Wickersham portrays Eleanor Raye “Ellie” Bishop. Bishop was trained as an analyst for the NSA, so her expertise is in breaking codes and predicting terror attacks. She is a bit obsessive and got caught up in a relentless chase for terrorist Benham Parsa. Although her first application to the NCIS was rejected, she worked her way from liaison to NCIS Probationary Agent, to full Special Agent. She even effectively took charge of the team when Gibbs and McGee were taken captive overseas.

Emily Wickersham was only meant to play Ellie Bishop for three a three-episode arc. However, the fan response to her was so positive, she was promoted and became a more main cast member. She even appeared in NCIS: New Orleans. Wickersham has roots in Europe, specifically in Sweden and Austria, although she was raised about an hour north of Manhattan. In Winter 2010, she wed Blake Hanley, a musician. Blake’s brother officiated the wedding before a reception with a modest 150 guests.

Caitlin Todd was a former Secret Service agent who was even on-hand in the most intimate and vulnerable of Presidential vehicles: Air Force One. She joined NCIS and was a very good agent who had the ability to contribute her special skill: analysis of Modus Operandi, or MO of criminals. Todd would then use this MO to build a psychological profile of the perp. However, she faced a tragic fate when (spoiler alert), she was slain by rogue Mossad agent Ari Haswari.

Sasha Alexander is a major actress of Serbian descent (her real name is Suzana S. Drobnjaković). Notably, Sasha played Gretchen Witter in 20 episodes of Dawson’s Creek. On the big screen, Alexander has been in huge movies like Mission: Impossible III, Yes Man, and He’s Just Not That Into You. In 1999, she was very briefly married before an annulment. She married Italian director (and son of Sophia Loren) Edoardo Ponti in 2007, and they have two children together, Lucia and Leonardo.

Jennifer “Jenny” Shepard was the head of the whole NCIS. She had a tortured past, never being able to accept that her father, a distinguished Colonel, took his own life. She blamed René Benoit, “La Grenouille,” a French weapons salesman for her father’s death. As the tangled web of agents and double agents panned out, Grenouille eventually came to Jenny for help, and she refused, and he ended up dead. Sadly, Jenny herself was shot and perished from her wounds in a Mojave Desert gunfight.

Jenny Shepard was played by Lauren Holly, who you will almost definitely recognize as the girl from Dumb And Dumber who Jim Carrey’s character falls in love with. In fact, the two were married briefly in real life. “It was just sort of exciting, and it was a great sort of ride that I went on,” she said of the marriage. She also played Bruce Lee’s wife in the bio-pic Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story, as well as Mel Gibson’s ex-wife in What Women Want.

Ziva David came to the NCIS first as a liaison agent of the Israeli Intelligence agency, the Mossad. After the NCIS team saved her from peril in Somalia, David decided to join the NCIS for real. Ziva is seen by Harvard preceptor Eitan Kensky as culturally important, as she is the “most prominent televisual Israeli.” Sadly, she falls prey to a deadly mortar attack orchestrated by ex-CIA agent Trent Kort. However, her legacy lives on the in the form of Tali, her and Tony’s daughter.

Although Ziva David is seen as an important Israeli on television, the actress who plays her, Cote de Pablo, is Chilean-American. Cote’s real name is Maria Jose de Pablo Fernandez, which people had a hard time pronouncing, so she went by common nickname Cote. She entered show business as a 15-year-old, acting as a host of a Spanish language TV show on Univision. She was for a long time romantically linked to actor Diego Serrano, but allegedly split two years ago.

Kensi Blye first appeared on NCIS in season six, in an episode that was meant as a “backdoor pilot.” This is a term that means the writers made this an episode of NCIS that was meant to establish a new show, which we now know is the spinoff NCIS: Los Angeles. It worked, and now Kensi is a regular on that show. Kensi was professionally partnered up with Detective Marty Deeks, but things went from flirtatious to hot and heavy, and the two are now engaged to each other.

Daniela Sofia Korn Ruah has had a complex childhood, as she was born in America, but then her Portuguese-Jewish parents moved her to their native Portugal. There is where she began her acting career in telenovelas, a soap opera of sorts, but the storylines are not dragged out for more than a year. She married Deeks’ real life older brother, David Paul Olsen, in Portugal in 2014, and the couple has two children together- a son and a daughter.