British English in America

Just looked up 'Flat (UK)'.

Described as.... 'One unit of accommodation on one floor'.

That would describe most bungalows too. I think to be a flat it has to be in a multifloor or at least multiunit dwelling.

Yep - an upstairs and downstairs flat in one building.

That would describe most bungalows too.

These are what I would call a bungalow. My neighborhood is full of them, including my own home, built in the 1920s.

Commonly two-bedroom, one bath. Some have an additional attic bedroom.

Right. That's the kind of thing I was thinking of. One unit of accommodation on one floor. Some have an additional attic story. But not most, in my experience.

That's what I call a bungalow too -- there were whole neighbourhoods of them in Toronto -- not so much in older areas of the city, but in post-war suburban ones. I think the term is still used by real-estate agents to describe houses that don't have a second floor.

That's what I call a bungalow too -- there were whole neighbourhoods of them in Toronto

In Chicago as well. There's even a nonprofit association here that deals with their preservation and upkeep: HCBA. You can find a definition of a Chicago bungalow at its Web site.

For an amusing take on gap years and British pronunciation, watch this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKFjWR7X5dU

Frock is still used in the U.S. mostly in the context of clothing advertisements and usually refers to a somewhat fancy waistcoat made of woven fabric (in contrast to a knitted sweater type of affair)

Well that's certainly a difference. A 'frock' to me (NZer 32yrs) is a dress. A bit of an old fashioned word which has come back into usage, but certainly a dress.

The bungalows which nutrax linked to would be considered bungalows here too. However, they would be called California Bungalows. The description of them in Australia mostly applies to NZ as well. Although, in saying that, the pictures they've linked to for Australia are far bigger than what I would expect here. I'd expect it to be much simpler (the 2 or 3 bedrooms etc). NZ houses were also more likely to be built from wood than Australia. They were still built from other materials, particularly in the South Island, but wood was common. And of course they were adapted somewhat for local tastes.

In terms of 'common' architectural styles here they fell between the wooden villas of the late 1800s to the early 1900s and before the post war buildings (also bungalows...but without the 'californian').

history of them here

one example

Edited by: sneaker_fish

I never would have expected frock to mean waistcoat but I don't spend much time in the fashion pages.