When I was growing up "bacon" to me ALWAYS meant the stuff with a large sort-of-circular piece of meat at one end and some narrow fat-streaked meat at the other end. That is, British-style "bacon". With or without the rind on top. But then, I grew up in a British-influenced place. When I was in the UK "bacon" still meant the one I described, naturally. I encountered what was (IIRC) called "streaky bacon" here and there, what I later learned was the default meaning of "bacon" in the USA, which I also learned later was made from pork belly. During my youth and while in the UK "bacon and eggs" ALWAYS meant the kind of bacon with the loin piece at one end together with fried eggs, usually in what is known here in the USA as "sunny-side-up". It wasn't until I crossed the Atlantic that I learned that "bacon" was this strange stuff with streaky layered fat and lean, no largish blob of not-fat-streaked lean at one end, and that MOST of the folks here had never seen or heard of "bacon" with this blob of non-fat-streaked lean at one end.
ETA: Then, when I lived in Canada for a few years, I learned about "Canadian bacon" and "pea meal bacon" (although purists would fulminate about those terms) and was an observer of purchases of whole pieces of such by the sister of my companion at the time, from pubs and other places which appeared to be places which made really good versions of said meat products; and eater of dishes made with those large chunks of meat. :-)
