Sunday, June 29, 2008

Canadian, eh?

Hey, it's almost Canada Day, eh? That means it's time to brush up on all things Canadian. So here's a refresher/primer course in Canadianisms.

CANADIAN SLANG;
Canuck; a Canadian
Canucklehead; someone who is a fan of the Vancouver Canuck's hockey team
eh? Pronounced "a" as in "say" a very popular term which means "don't you agree?" Can be used:
-At the end of a question: So when'r you goin to class eh?
-At the end of a statement: I heard John was goin out with Mary eh?
It sounds like a question, but it's not.
double-double; two cream and two sugar in your coffee
hoser; stereotypical Canadian male
Loonie; Canadian 1$ coin
Lotus Land; British Columbia (when it is not raining).
Mickey; 13 ounce bottle of liquor
Nanaimo bars; pretty much the same as "New York Slice" but we made 'em first!
Pop; Or soft drink, but not soda. If you ask for soda you may get carbonated water, or soda water.
Poutine; is a cholesterol-rich Canadian "delicacy" consisting of French fries covered in cheese curds and gravy.
Runners; Or running shoes, called tennis shoes in The States.
Screech; a nice (?) little distilled drink ....!(from Newfoundland)
The Rock; Newfoundland.
Timbits; donut holes from Timmies
Timmies; Tim Hortons Coffee Shops
Toonie; Canadian 2$ coin, ''Give me a couple toonies and a loonie for this five dollar bill.''
Two-four; Case of beer that has twenty-four bottles.
Tuque; In Canada, a tuque is a knitted woolen cap. It rhymes with kook.
Zed ;The letter after Y

Canadians Spelling (USA spelling in brackets); colour (color), endeavour (endeavor), favour (favor), flavour (flavor), honour (honor), humour (humor), litre (liter), metre (meter), etc. http://www3.telus.net/linguisticsissues/BritishCanadianAmerican.htm

Some famous Canadian advertising slogans;
"Always got time for Tim Hortons." (Donuts)"
At Speedy you're a somebody." (Mufflers)
"Ever been to sea, Billy?" (Cap'n Highliner foods)
"Only in Canada? Pity." (Red Rose tea)
"The Champagne of Ginger Ale." (Canada Dry)
"Where you give like Santa and save like Scrooge." (Canadian Tire)
"I am Canadian!" (Molson's Canadian Beer)
"Rrroll up the rrrim to win!" (Tim Hortons)

You know you're Canadian if :
-You know that a mickey and 2-4's mean "Party at the camp, eh?!"
-Pike is a type of fish, not some part of a highway.
-You drive on a highway, not a freeway.
-You know that the Friendly Giant isn't a vegetable product line.
-You know that Casey and Finnegan are not a Celtic musical group.
-If you live in some of the colder Canadian provinces, your car has a cord and plug sticking out of the grill ... it's a block heater for those sub-zero (in Celsius) days.
-You design your Halloween costume to fit over a snowsuit.
-The mosquitoes have landing lights.
-Driving is better in the winter because the potholes are filled in with frozen snow and slush.
-You find -40C a little chilly.
-The trunk of your car doubles as a portable deep freeze.
-You know 4 seasons: Winter, Still Winter, almost Winter and Construction.

Canadian inventions: Henry Woodward invented an electric light bulb in 1874 and sold the patent to Thomas Edison! Here are a few more Canadian inventions; Lacrosse. Hockey, Basketball, the jolly jumper, duct tape, insulin, walkie talkies, roller skates, Superman, air-conditioned vehicles, acrylics, standard time (and daylight saving time), the paint-roller, the radio compass, snowmobiles, jet skis, improved zippers, and the handles on cardboard beer cases, etc.,etc., etc. (there are thousands more!) http://inventors.about.com/od/cstartinventions/a/Canadian.htm

Interesting reading on Canadianisms;
http://www.members.shaw.ca/kcic1/index.html
http://www.members.shaw.ca/kcic1/canisms.html
http://www.members.shaw.ca/kcic1/canwhy.html
http://youtube.com/watch?v=xYKbTG3MdQI

Because I'm from Manitoba and live in Winnipeg, I thought I'd include a bit of local speak;
Nip; hamburger from Sal's
Sal's; Salisbury House Restaurants
Sev; 7-11
Social; a gathering of friends/family to dance/party/drink and raise money for an engaged couple or a charitable event
Winterpeg; Winnipeg in winter
So, there you have it, Canadianisms, eh!
dn

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