Someone will get around to blaming this one on the French so I'll chime in early. Along with about 30% of the language, the Brits got the term from the French.
What Brits call biscuits, the French call biscuits sucre or sweet biscuits.
What Americans call biscuits, the Brits call scones and the French call biscuits sec or dry biscuits. They sometimes call it petits pains or 'little breads'.
Petits pains generally refer to what we call dinner rolls.
To further complicate things, what we call cookies are also called biscuits sec au lait, literally milk biscuits.
WWG1WGA
Garde la Foi, mes amis! Nous nous sommes les sauveurs de la République! Maintenant et Toujours!
(Keep the Faith, my friends! We are the saviors of the Republic! Now and Forever!)
LonePalm, le Républicain du verre cassé (The Broken Glass Republican)