So far as I can tell, very few UK words are used here - they are all American - except for me -- I often talk about phone booths and stuff like that. People who know me - they understand!!

I actually think I saw something on the news not long ago about Quebec bringing in right turns on red lights.

Reminds me of a time when my Mom was staying with me and I was at work. The two neighbours were having coffee and they decided to invite my Mom. So one got on the phone and invited her. When she hung up the other neighbour said "so is she coming" and the one who had phoned said "Yes, she is coming when she has finished the hoovering." Neither of them actually knew what hoovering was until my Mom got there and explained!!

It reminds me of our British friend who has lived in Michigan for 10 years or more. He kept referring to the word 'lorry' and eventually somebody finally said - 'what on earth is a lorry?' They'd spent ages trying to figure it out!!

As Canadian words are mainly based on American words (but bear in mind the English spellings just to confuse) some folks may be interested in a very good book called 'The very best of British- The American's guide to speaking British ' by Mike Etherington (a British expat). I thought some of the words in there were a hoot and highlights all the differences between the 2 languages - enough to cover 128 pages!! He also has a website where you can see a list of words at http://www.effingpot.com/

For the record - Quebec now allows right turns on red everywhere EXCEPT on the island of Montreal

a word that messed me up recently, whilst I was at the hairdressers was 'bangs'!! Who the hell came up with that word??? It means your fringe - ie the front bit of your hair....

From the little that I have read on these forums so far, my understanding is that you are planning on moving to the city of Winnipeg correct? I would say the Lingo even differs (albeit slightly) across the entire country. Since I'm from the city of Winnipeg, I would like to complete your list of lingo:

Sidewalk or Pavement: "Sidewalks" are the paved areas specific for walking. "Pavement" is a general word used just for finished cement on the ground basically. Ex. My knee scraped on the pavement. This could mean on the road or a parking lot, etc. So "sidewalk" is more specific, whereas "pavement" is general. "Driveway" is for the pavement in front of or beside your house for your vehicles.

Hood or Bonnet: Definitely "hood" if you're talking about the front cover for the engine of a vehicle. However, for something on your head, it can be either -- usually "a hood" though if it's attached to your jacket or coat. A "bonnet" is most often a specific type of fancy hat, usually (but not always) for babies [see image attachment]. Don't forget to learn about the words "toque" and "parka" if you haven't already. You'll definitely need those in Winnipeg winters!! Earlier today it was -41C with a windchill around -55. Hmm... come to think of it, you might also want to make sure you know what a balaclava is. We sometimes feel the need to use them even when we're not robbing banks.

Restroom or Toilet: You can use "restroom"... nobody will think you're strange. Even "toilet" can work in context, but that's not as common. The word "toilet" is usually just used for the actual part you sit on. "Bathroom" or "washroom" is the most common, or you can even use "lady's room".

Cookies or Biscuits: "Cookies" no doubt, but we use "biscuits" as well for some kinds of snacks. I don't really know how to explain this, but basically the two words are not usually interchangeable.

Candy or Sweets: Let's see, "May I have a candy?" would work, but "May I have a sweet?" wouldn't. But "I love sweets" works in general for candies or other sugar-filled goodies like cake with icing, etc. Basically "sweets" (in plural form) refers to all edibles that are sweet. "I have a sweet tooth" means that you like sweets in general.

Candy bar or Chocolate bar: "chocolate bar" works best, but nobody is going to misunderstand you if you say "candy bar". If they give you a strange look, it would only be because you have a British accent, yet are using the American wording for it. But then again, they might just assume that's what the British use as well.

Plush or Teddy: I don't even know what a plush is. I imagine you mean a stuffed animal toy? If so, "teddy" is short for "teddy bear". If it's not a bear, use "(toy) stuffed animals" as the general term.

Flashlight or Torch: Here's one that may result in people laughing at you if you use "torch". A "torch" here only refers to the flammable type!

Soda or Pop: Doesn't matter really, but "pop" is more common here. Make sure that you try out a slush/slurpee/froster, whatever. I use "slush" for the general term, but FYI it's called a "Slurpee" at 7-Eleven stores, and "Froster" at Mac's. It may seem weird calling it a "Froster" anywhere else other than actually at the Mac's stores though.

Leash or Lead: I imagine you're referring to a pet leash? In that case, always "leash".

Yard or Garden: "Yard" for your lawn/lot/property. A "garden" is the specific area for planting vegetables or flowers. When it's flowers, it's almost always with the prefix added ("flower garden"). With food, you can call it just "garden" or if you like being specific, "vegetable garden".

Cider or Applejuice (non alcholic): "applejuice"

Applejack or Cider (alcholic): "cider"

Lumber or Timber: "lumber". Also, "Two-by-four" (2x4) for lumber that has dimensions 2 inches by 4 inches, in whatever length.

Freeway or Motorway: Actually, it's "highway" in the sense that Americans use "freeway". In Canada, a freeway is where you can drive even faster than on a highway. Winnipeg has no freeways by the way, only highways and regular streets/roads.

Mail Carrier or Postman: You can use either really. "Mailman", "Postman", "Mail Carrier" or "Postal Carrier" (politically correct terms), and there's probably more titles as well. Just don't call a woman postal carrier a "mailman" or "postman" or she might go postal! j/k

Pants or Trousers: "pants"

Soccer or Football: "soccer"

Line or Queue: "line"

Principal or Head Teacher: "Head Teacher" can sound a bit odd. It almost sounds like something like "head hunter", or a term for some kind of manipulator or brainwasher (ie. don't use it). So definitely use "principal".

Beef pattie or Beef burger: "Hamburger" (even if it's actually beef and not ham), or just "burger". There's also "cheeseburger" for a certain type which is hard to distinguish with words from other burgers. I suppose "beef pattie" could be used if you really are referring to the meat part only, and not the bun and the rest of it. In other words, if you said you'd like a beef pattie, you might just get the meat by itself! LOL

Biscuit or Savory Scone: I have no idea what a savory scone is, and I don't know how to explain biscuits. It's an enigma Hmm.... if you want to put puzzled looks on most Canadians faces for fun, I strongly recommend using "savory scone". It sounds strangely poetic. My immediate thought however, is some kind of soap or bathroom scrubbing cleaning chemical.

Grill or BBQ (outside): "Slap it on the grill" or "fire up the grill" would work, but basically a BBQ (barbecue) is the correct term you're looking for I think. You could say, "We're having a barbecue", but you wouldn't say "We're having a grill". Basically, a "grill" is just the metal "grills" on the barbecue. So come to think of it, a barbecue is both the device used outside for cooking, as well as the method of cooking or event... whereas "grill" is either the metal grills or the barbecue cooking device (in some contexts). Does this make sense? I didn't think this would be the most difficult thing to try and explain clearly. Who would have thought?

Broil or Grill (inside): Now I'm confused. "Broil" and "grill" are cooking methods, like baking, frying, or boiling. Also, like I already said above, "grill" can also be the physical "grills" on the barbecue or in some cases the barbecue cooking device as a whole. There's also a "broiler" that broils food, which is a cooking device as well.

Gas or Petrol: "gas" (woah, way easier for that one)

Hope this helps!

Yeah it is actually a weird word now that I think about it. I just take it for granted what it means.

Hey MacMat - you're right 'tis Winnipeg we're a heading and your explanations have been really helpful! Re: the savory scone thing - it maybe a southern delicacy in the States but if you ask for a biscuit you get this scone which tastes salty and not a lovely chocolate hob nob if you know what I'm saying!! Also, I once asked for cider and got applejuice instead! Broil here means to grill, we have 2 selections on our oven - bake or broil. Brits use bake or grill. Whereas the meat goes on the Barbie (UK) and the meat goes on the grill (US). Also if someone asks if you like barbecue in the south and you say yes you end up with this stringy stuff (bit like donor kebab meat) which is apparantly called barbecue. Plush means soft toy (not sure why) - hmmm, best go and look that up!!

Anyway, thanks for your help - as they say here - that was awesome!!

Personally I've never heard the word scone until now, but maybe it is used sometimes here as well. Most likely "biscuit" here means the same thing it does in the States. I've never heard of a biscuit having chocolate in it... not like "chocolate chip cookies". Just out of curiousity, in Britain do they use the phrase, "had the biscuit", like "I've had the biscuit!"? Also, let's not forget about "dog biscuits", which is a common treat for dogs.

"Broil" and "grill" here basically mean the same thing when you're referring to cooking methods. When I melt cheese on toast in the (small) oven, I call it "grilled cheese", but actually set the oven to "broil". It's not called "broiled cheese" in the States, is it? Judging by what you say, in your area of the US at least, it would seem that "barbecue" doesn't always mean the same thing as it does here. Like I said, here it's either the event ("having a BBQ"), the cooking method ("it's barbecued"), or the outdoor cooking device itself ("the barbecue has two wheels").

Now that I think about it, deep in the recesses of my mind, I do recall hearing about "plush puppies" once, but that's the extent of it. I looked it up just now, and it seems that plush toys can also be called that in Canada too. Maybe this is something that has caught on lately, or else I just didn't know because I don't often buy toy stuffed animals, so I'm out of the loop so to speak.

In the end, I'd say that often Canada is just a mix of terms and sayings from the US and the UK, and sometimes there's uniquely Canadian lingo added as well. Does the word "beater" (referring to a car) mean anything in the States or Britain? If not, it just means a very old and dilapidated car that is still (barely) working to get you from point A to point B. In this city, you'll still find many of them on the road.

On second thought, maybe I'm getting mixed up with "Slush Puppies" from my youth (http://www.slushpuppie.com)

...which by the way, were never quite as good as "slushes" (Slurpees or Frosters).

Oh, I love slush puppies - deeelish. Or is that what we wear on our feet? No, wait that's hush puppies!

Na, I can't say that I've heard of Beaters but we do use the word bangers, which can means sausages (the ones in skins used to go bang when you fried them) and also old car wrecks can be called bangers and there'd be banger racing where old cars get to drive into each other for the sheer fun of it - or is that the M40 I'm thinking off? Ah, well!

Re: plush - there's a lovely website here - http://www.personalcreations.com/ - type in plush in search and you get some lovely bunnies and teddies - aghhh!! Meaning ah bless, not argh, get me out of here!

Then again - that site is pretty boring - check this one out instead http://plushteddybears.com/ - you can get a whole plethora of plushes and even ickle furniture to go with them.

I think "plush" is an American (US) term.
When I worked for the Disney Store, they constantly referred to the pile of stuffed toys at the far end of the shop as "Plush Mountain". It took me a while to get my head round it. We were in Manchester for ****'s sake! Mind you "Teddy Mound" sounds a bit dodgy...

I'm kinda looking forward to confusing the hell out of everybody when I get there with my northernisms, in some perverse kind of way! My Canadian girlfriend has trouble understanding some northern phrases still after 6 years of living here in the Republic of Mancunia!

I don't know if it's the same in Canada but the Americans keep asking if we're Australian. Hubby has just read a book by Arthur C Clarke where it reads something like 'hey, are you from Australia?' Answer 'blimey, you Americans never understand accents - I'm a Mancunian!' (Or something similar - can't be bothered to find the page to get the exact words but u get the gist - I reckon you could have a lot of fun!) My boss from Manchester used to call me a gissy (a pig?) and we used to call the snack machine a 'gissy machine' meaning going for a piggy snack!! Ah, those were the days

I get the Aussie thing all the time, and I'm not from manchester. Ive got a mixed up home counties / scouse/ yorkshire / norfolk thing going on, so i'm not surprised they are confused, so am I!

I think anyone who sounds "English" but doesnt sound cockney or like the queen is labelled an Aussie?

Iain

learn to say budder when asking for butter on your bagel/toast

When travelling in the Southern States learn to say Jeeeeeeeeeeeem not Jam and Heeeeeeeeem not Ham.