20 December 2005

US-British English translator


It has come to our attention that some British readers are having difficulty in understanding terms used by the US government. In a bid to help with this problem, we have included a translation table.


US EnglishBritish English
Legal phone tapIllegal phone tap
Extraordinary renditionKidnap
Collatoral damageDeaths
Post invasion planCock up
Federal Emergency Management AgencyJobs for the boys
Middle Eastern democracyCivil war
Non-proliferationWe don't trust anyone else to blow up the planet they way we will
Energy policyDestroying the planet