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Travel
Mark Abadi and Erin McDowell
Updated
- Canada and the US are both English-speaking countries, but residents of each don't speak exactly alike.
- Canadians have a long list of slang terms and colorful expressions that set their dialect apart.
- Words like "keener," "gonger," and "Texas mickey" might confuse Americans.
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A keener is a person who is extremely eager or keen.
"Keener" is used interchangeably with terms like "brown-noser" and "overachiever."
Chirping and beaking means making fun of someone.
Chirping is used in eastern Canada, while beaking is used in parts of western Canada.
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Gotch, gitch, and gonch all refer to tight men's underpants, known elsewhere as briefs or tighty-whities.
You might hear, "Do you separate your gitch from your socks when you do laundry?"
A mickey is a 375 ml bottle of alcohol.
They're usually shaped like a flask and fit perfectly in a purse.
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A Texas mickey is a 3-liter bottle of alcohol.
The oversized version probably won't fit in a bag.
The washroom is a polite word for the bathroom.
"Washroom" is basically the Canadian version of "restroom."
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Stag and doe parties (or Jack and Jill parties) are the Canadian words for bachelor and bachelorette parties.
Pre-wedding parties are called different things all over the world. In the UK, bachelor parties are also called stags, while bachelorette parties are called "hen dos."
A gong show or a gonger is a situation that gets way out of control, often in a funny way.
It also often means a total disaster and sometimes refers to a party that gets out of hand.
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To hang a larry or hang a roger means to turn left or right, respectively.
"Larry" starts with the same letter as left, while "roger" corresponds with right.
hom*o milk is another word for hom*ogenized milk.
It's more commonly known as whole milk.
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A two-four is a case of 24 beers.
When throwing a party, you might tell your friend to pick up a two-four.
A toque, pronounced "tuque," is a winter hat or knit cap, like a beanie.
It often refers to the type of beanie that rolls up at the bottom.
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A dart is a Canadian slang term for a cigarette.
If someone asks for a dart, you'll now know what they really mean.
A double-double is a coffee prepared with two creams and two sugars.
It is most likely from Tim Hortons, Canada's most popular coffee and donut shop.
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A Nanaimo bar is a popular rich dessert that requires no baking.
They are named after the city of Nanaimo, British Columbia.
A champagne birthday is what's known in the US as a golden birthday.
It's the birthday when you turn the age of the date of your birth. So, if you were born on the 26th of the month, your 26th birthday would be your champagne birthday.
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Rockets are the candy that Americans call Smarties.
In Canada, Smarties are candy-coated chocolates made by Nestlé that are similar to M&Ms.
Runners are any kind of athletic footwear.
They are called sneakers in the United States and trainers in the UK.
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A Chesterfield is a couch or sofa.
It usually refers to a specific type of sofa with a buttoned back.
A garburator is an electric device underneath a kitchen sink that breaks up food so it can be washed away.
Americans call it a trash or garbage disposal.
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A housecoat is a bathrobe.
Unless you're Cardi B, you'd probably only wear a bathrobe around your house.
Pencil crayons are what Americans know as colored pencils.
Crayons are a completely different art supply in the US.
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College refers specifically to community colleges in Canada.
Similar to the terminology used in the United Kingdom, any institution that awards degrees is referred to as a "university."
A parkade is a multistory parking lot.
It's otherwise known as a parking garage.
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Bunnyhug is used exclusively in Saskatchewan to refer to a hooded sweatshirt or hoodie.
The term is only used in Saskatchewan — the rest of the country finds it as funny as you do.
Loonies and toonies are the informal names for Canadian one-dollar and two-dollar coins, respectively.
The name for the two-dollar coin is occasionally spelled "twoonie."
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"Out for a rip" means going out for a drive or a snowmobile ride.
It can also mean any other kind of excursion, really.
An eavestrough is a rain gutter.
An eave is the part of a roof that extends over the walls of a building.
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Hydro bill is what Canadians call their electricity bill.
It comes from "hydroelectric power," which is more prevalent in Canada than in the US.
A serviette is a napkin.
The term especially refers to a cloth napkin used in a formal setting.
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