In reply to:

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And I've often heard it said that "traffic circle" is the US English for "roundabout", but it seems that the ratio of users is only about 2:1 (although in the region of the US where a roundabout is most likely to be found, they seem to call it a "rotary").

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Well I'm the rarity of an Englishman living in Los Angeles in a community that has roundabouts at almost every junction. They seem to call them "turning circles" here. And while we're on the subject... (a) they have stop signs at all four entrances to the roundabouts (thus totally defeating the purpose of having them to keep the traffic flowing), but this is probably because of: (b) none of the residents actually understand how to use them, so if I enter a roundabout, and someone else is already in it, driving round, they will quite often just slam on the brakes and stop, confused. Argh!

Anyway, I've succumbed to some of the Americanisms, like Zee (from having to say Zee 80 processor in the old days and Zee-Buffer a lot) and also say "tomayto", otherwise I'd be trying explain my sandwich order at Subway all day long.

Anybody really interested in the development of US English vs. UK English would probably enjoy the books "Troublesome Words" and "Made In America" by Bill Bryson. Very funny and interesting, written by an American journalist who lived in the UK for 20 years.

Time to catch some zees...

- Gary