It's no surprise the part of the car covering the delicate mechanicals from the elements is named after headwear – and the split between the US version (hood) and the British one (bonnet) shows more similarity in thought than it does difference in name.
A car hood, also referred to as a “bonnet” in some countries, is the hinged cover that rests over the engine bay of a front-engine vehicle. The car hood protects the engine and connected parts from the elements while providing easy access for repairs and maintenance.
The hood (American English) or bonnet (Commonwealth English) is the hinged cover over the engine of motor vehicles. Hoods can open to allow access to the engine compartment, or trunk (boot in Commonwealth English) on rear-engine and some mid-engine vehicles) for maintenance and repair.
Hood in pure English that comes from England and not America means “hat”. A hat is what you put on your head to keep your head warm or from getting wet due to rain. In America, the land of butchery “hood” means the front end of a vehicle. But in Britain the proper English term is “Bonnet”.
A car bonnet is the metal part that covers the engine of an automobile. The term car bonnet is a British term, used primarily in England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, India, New Zealand, Australia, etc. Bonnet comes from the Old French word bonet, which means cloth used as a headdress.
The back of the car is called the back of the car. The storage compartment located there is called the boot. The lid at the front of the car is called the bonnet.
The word "boot"(which is commonly used by the English), goes back to 18th century horse-drawn carriages where the coachman sat on a chest, which was used to store, among other things, his boots. This storage space came to be termed as the "boot locker", which soon became the "boot".
The term windshield is used generally throughout North America. The term windscreen is the usual term in the British Isles and Australasia for all vehicles.
The term car hood is a North American term, used primarily in America and Canada. Hood comes from the Old English word hodwhich means a hood, a soft covering for the head. Interestingly, hood is used by British English-speakers to refer to the waterproof cloth top covering the passenger compartment of a car or pram.
The word 'saloon' comes from the French 'salon', which means a large room. The term 'saloon car' was originally used to refer to the luxury carriages on a train. It was adopted by British carmakers in the early part of the 20th Century to describe cars with an enclosed passenger compartment.
But long distance buses are called coaches. In England and the rest of the UK and most, if not all of the english speaking world they are called - buses, which is short for - omnibus. The other word that is usefull if you wish to travel by bus is - bus stop, at these you may get on or off a bus.
We British only use the term “traffic circle” to describe giratory intersections with traffic lights, such as the one at Bignells Corner, South Mimms, or the one at Haydock Island, Newton-le-Willows. Otherwise they are called roundabouts.
In both Britain and America, the idea of stepping on the gas, giving it some gas, or a gas pedal (even though the Brits may often call it the 'accelerator', or 'throttle' instead) is universally recognised.
In general “shoes,” it being the English word for shoes. There are some specialised words such as plimsoles, trainers, mules, etc. and a few dialect or pet names such as “kecks,” “pods” and others that maybe other contributors can provide…
'Glovebox' maybe creeping in, but most Brits would call the small stowage compartment in the passenger side of the dashboard a glove compartment. In my house, this evening, there was a 5 to 1 majority in favour of glove compartment.
Everyone knows that for the Brits, an elevator is a “lift,” an apartment is a “flat,” and those chips you're snacking on are actually called “crisps.” But British people also say some other really weird, confusing things. 1.
You use holiday (or holidays) in British English and vacation in North American English to describe the regular periods of time when you are not at work or school, or time that you spend travelling or resting away from home: I get four weeks' holiday/vacation a year.
What is the difference between a bonnet and a hood?
A hood is a hat that's attached to a coat. That's what a hood is and we call it a hood. The bit of a car at the front that opens and that usually (but not always) contains the engine, is a bonnet. We call it a bonnet because that's our word for it.
