In Britain a Car Has a Bonnet, in America a Hood
A bonnet is a head covering, and in Britain the cover over a car engine. The two nations diverged on almost every car part.
A bonnet is a head covering tied under the chin, and in British English the hinged cover over a car engine. Car vocabulary is one of the sharpest British and American divides: bonnet and hood, boot and trunk, windscreen and windshield, wing and fender. Each pair names exactly the same piece of metal.
- A tied head covering. *A baby's bonnet.*
- A car engine cover (British). *Under the bonnet.*
- A Scottish cap. *A blue bonnet.*
- A bee in your bonnet — an obsession. *He has a bee in his bonnet about it.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | bonnet | A straw bonnet. |
| Plural | bonnets | Sun bonnets. |
| American | hood | Pop the hood. |
| Idiom | bee in your bonnet | A bee in her bonnet. |
| Related | cap | A flat cap. |
How it is used in a sentence
- Have a look under the bonnet.British: the engine.
- She has a bee in her bonnet about parking.A fixed preoccupation.
- The Easter bonnet parade.Headwear.
British and American car parts
- bonnet / hood — the engine cover
- boot / trunk — the luggage space
- windscreen / windshield — the front glass
- wing / fender — the panel over the wheel
- gearstick / stick shift — the gear lever
From Old French *bonet*, originally the cloth from which a cap was made, from Medieval Latin *abonnis*, a headband.
Where does *a bee in your bonnet* come from?
From the image of a bee trapped under a hat, producing constant agitation about one thing.
Bonnet or hood?
Bonnet in Britain and much of the Commonwealth, hood in North America. Same part of the car.