Lost in Translation--US vs UK English words

[sathor]

You're quite right, I've oversimplified. I've often seen underpants referred to in American shops as 'shorts', but the term is not exclusive.

Were you confusing what we would call Boxer Shorts with Board Shorts and Swim Shorts? (That would make sense, its hard sometimes even for us to tell them apart.)

[Coinneach]

US: Rest area
UK: Lay-by

I've always remembered this one because my mother enjoyed telling the story of driving with a friend of hers when we lived in England. After some time, her friend, a little exasperated at having seen a number of the signs indicating the British rest area, wondered aloud, "when are we ever going to get to Layby" (which she pronounced Lay-bee).