Noun. A residential building consisting of apartments.
What does block of flats mean in British?
British. : a large building that has several or many apartments.
Is block of flats British or American?
In British English, a large building containing flats is usually called a block of flats. The building was pulled down to make way for a block of flats. In American English, and sometimes in British English, it is called an apartment building or an apartment block.
Why is it called a block of flats?
It used to be traditional in Scotland to call what we nowadays call a block of flats or a tenement a “land”. Within a land, a “flat” was a floor or level, and an “apartment” was an individual dwelling on a flat.
What is a block of 4 flats called?
Cottage flats, also known as four-in-a-block flats, are a style of housing common in Scotland, where there are single floor dwellings at ground level, and similar dwellings on the floor above.
Why do the British call a house a flat?
Flat derives from the Old English (via Proto-Germanic) “flett,” “a dwelling, hall, floor, ground.” In the 1800s, a flat meant the floor or part of a floor set up as an apartment. (There’s the synonym, again. These two just can’t escape each other, much like the Americans and Brits.
Why do Brits call them flats?
Flat, as as a dwelling, is derived from a Scottish word “flet” meaning a floor or storey of a house or building. It also has a secondary derivation because the rooms of an apartment are usually all on the same level, so an apartment is flat.
What do Brits call a sidewalk?
pavement
Also, a US sidewalk is a British pavement, and curb is spelled kerb (curb in UK English is a verb i.e. to “curb your enthusiasm”).
What do British people call apartments?
flats
First, when the British refer to flats it’s really synonymous with our use of the term ‘apartments’ – groups of multi-family housing units within a larger building. The only difference is the word flat is commonly used in British English and the word apartment is more popular in American English.
Why do Brits say floor instead of ground?
“Floor” was an archaic word for “ground” centuries ago. And according to the Oxford English Dictionary, “floor” has been used in the game of cricket to refer to the ground (but this must be an uncommon usage, since it doesn’t currently appear in any standard British dictionaries).
What’s another name for a block of flats?
What is another word for block of flats?
tenement | lodgings |
---|---|
apartment | diggings |
digs | suite |
flat | rental |
pad | coop |
What is a collection of flats called?
Such a building may be called an apartment building, apartment complex, flat complex, block of flats, tower block, high-rise or, occasionally, mansion block (in British English), especially if it consists of many apartments for rent.
How many blocks of flats are there in the UK?
We said
Flat, maisonette or apartment: Purpose-built block of flats or tenement | 1,274,526 |
---|---|
Flat, maisonette or apartment: Part of a converted or shared house (including bed-sits) | 429,456 |
Flat, maisonette or apartment: In a commercial building | 62,795 |
What is a row of 4 houses called?
In architecture and city planning, a terrace or terraced house (UK) or townhouse (US) is a form of medium-density housing that originated in Europe in the 16th century, whereby a row of attached dwellings share side walls.
What is a maisonette in England?
A maisonette is defined as a two-storey flat with your own front door. This means you can directly exit your home to the outside world instead of sharing a corridor with other people in your block.
What makes a house a cottage UK?
Legal definition
In the law of England and Wales the definition of a cottage is “a small house or habitation without land“.
What do British people call the floor?
In British English, the floor of a building which is level with the ground is called the ground floor. The floor above it is called the first floor, the floor above that is the second floor, and so on.
What are British homes called?
Gradually over the years other people began to give names to their homes too.
1. The Cottage | 18. Orchard Cottage | 35. Fairview |
---|---|---|
5. Orchard House | 22. The Gables | 39. Treetops |
6. The Lodge | 23. The Hollies | 40. Primrose Cottage |
What are British style houses called?
Victorian houses
Victorian homes are frequently considered a defining attribute of British architecture, however during this period the vast majority of the working population continued to live either in small cottages or back-to-back homes recognised today as terraced houses.
What do Brits call the first floor?
the ground floor
In British English the floor at street level is called the ground floor, whereas in American English this is the first floor.
What do the Brits call a refrigerator?
Fridge
Traffic Words, Other Common Words in the US
American English word | British English equivalent |
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Refrigerator | Fridge |
Sneakers | Tennis Shoe / Sports Shoe |
Tortilla | |
Bubbler | Drinker Water Fountain |