The most comprehensive, up-to-date, and entertaining translation dictionary available for those navigating the murky waters between American and British English The first place to turn to for understanding Britishisms or Americanisms, this handy and humorous translation dictionary will delight and inform trans-Atlantic travelers, writers and actors trying to capture the true tongue of the Brits or the Yanks, and any and all word mavens fascinated by the English language. The dictionary illuminates differences in vocabulary, usage, pronunciation, and spelling. It also explains the history of the English language and how and why differences between American and British English arose. Easy-to-read, light-hearted, and sometimes irreverent (differences occur especially in the dynamic areas of language, of which slang and swear words are a major part), BUM BAGS AND FANNY PACKS contains more than 2,500 entries on each side, making it the most thorough book of its kind. Also includes Cockney rhyming slang, tables listing national holidays, presidents, kings and queens, and the differences between American and British currencies.