- American English includes different words and phrases than its British and Commonwealth counterparts.
- Americans have their own system of naming things like school grades, meal courses, and the stories of a building.
- Americans also use unique idioms, such as "brownie points" and "more bang for your buck."
Foreign visitors to the US and expats living stateside are sure to notice that Americans say (and do) things differently. And it's not always a language barrier or an accent that's to blame.
From vocabulary that separates American English from British English to idioms with ties to sports and military history, here are 20 things only Americans say.
SEE ALSO: 15 mind-bending words that have 2 completely opposite meanings
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Stateside, people have "bachelor and bachelorette parties" before they get married.
In other English-speaking countries including Canada, the UK, and Ireland, these prenuptial bashes are respectively known as stag parties and hen parties (Canadians also say "stagette"). Aussies and Kiwis use similar terms: buck's parties for men, and hen's parties for women.
In the US, this game is called "soccer."
It's a well-known point of contention among sports fans that what Americans call "soccer" is more commonly known overseas as "football." However, the name "soccer" was actually coined by the British as an abbreviation of "association football."
And if you're wondering about the linguistic origins of American football, the game went by the name "gridiron" in Britain before its title was simplified in the states.
Americans call the first course of a meal an "appetizer."
Contrary to French etymology, we call the first course, rather than the second, the entrée (French for "entrance"). In the UK, the first course is known as the starter, while the second is the main.
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