Gordon Barlow

In my old age, I like to reminisce (to myself!) about places I've lived, including my year and a half in Toronto back in the '60s. Going to Canada changed my life, as I've written in my "Life's Turning Points" thread in this forum. But for the life of me I can't recall any Canadian slang words of that period or any other! Can anybody here help me out? Thanks.

Gordon Barlow

Still racking my brain to recall any Canadian slang, and the only one I've found is "nooner". A young married work colleague of mine, back in the day, always excused himself at lunchtime to "nip home for a nooner". Once when he stayed behind with the rest of us, I asked him why he had forgone the treat. "My wife's got something on today, so we had a morner," he said. I head that as "mourner", which didn't make sense - until he explained that a morner was " the same as a nooner , only sooner". That made sense.

BristolUK

No idea how old they are but kitty corner and sketchy perhaps?

Gordon Barlow

Here's a Canadian slang-term that may actually have originated in the USA: Canuck. I have read - maybe in one of Mark Twain's books, maybe not - that Canuck began as a simple corruption of Kanaka, which is the Hawaiian word for "man". Hawaiian men were taken by ships' captains (abducted and enslaved, often) and employed on plantations up and down the western coast of North America. And, by the way, from other Pacific Islands too, and employed in Britain's nearby Australian colonies. One of my great-grandfathers employed nine of them on his sugar plantation in the state of Queensland. He died in 1909, and his kanakas may have been re-assigned to other land-owners by the State government.

Gordon Barlow

This post isn't about slang, really, but it is a wonderful example of Canadian eccentricity... Back when Linda and I were living in Canada, we spent a weekend in Montreal, and went to a nightclub with our friend. One of her friends (Canadian) bitterly resented having to speak French, and limited his speech in that language to "c'est la meme chose". Would monsieur like a drink? A shrug and "c'est la meme chose". Are you all ready to order again? "C'est la meme chose". That, or silence. It looks corny on paper, but it was hilarious at the time - stopping only just short of rudeness, and the rest of us were very careful not to laugh in front of the waiter. "Eccentric" scarcely covers it.

CanadaJimmy

Some I've picked up
Double double = coffee with 2 cream and 2 sugars
Runners = running shoes / trainers in UK speak, I've heard this is more common on the west coast
Toque = Winter hat
Washroom = not strictly Canadian but the most common term I've heard in Canada for toilets, vs restroom or bathroom, so I've gravitated to using it
Hydro bill = electricity bill

DownUnder69

I've been away from Canada for so long, I've forgotten more than I learned or can remember. But at my age, well...

Do Canadians (or "Canucks" as we once called them in fun?) still say "eh?" at the end of their sentences - much like a breed of Aussies who turn every statement into a question, an endearing if at times somewhat annoying trait but one we expats over here cheerfully put up with.

One thing about French speakers, as I remember them, is how even after decades away from my home country, I can still (more or less) identify what part of Canada they hail from when they speak French.

Recent experiences in point were an older couple I was walking behind on Collins Street, Melbourne, who I correctly guessed were from Saskatchewan (a high number of French speakers live in the Prairie provinces). Also a young family gadding about in the pool of a posh resort in Bali, who when speaking among themselves I knew came from New Brunswick.

Not so easy with Aussie speakers, but that's a can of worms I prefer to stay well away from.

Rete

Never heard of kitty cornered but do know and use catty cornered when arranging furniture.

I'm married to a Canuck and that is what he calls himself. The 'eh' is not a sentence ending used by any of the many Canadians I know. Heard it used a lot in the State of Maine and New Hampshire.

BristolUK

Yeah that one always puzzled me. Very common in the UK - like "that was a great match last night eh?" and I remember replacing the eh with huh as being an American thing but the only time I've ever heard a Canadian "eh" has been when someone has been commenting on this apparent habit or saying it as part of a Canadian stereotype.

MartynK

'Kitty corner' means diagonally opposite or on a diagonal line from your point of reference. It comes from French 'quatre', not cats.

Rete

Regardless of its French roots, in the US it is |catty| not |kitty| cornered and means the same thing.

Gordon Barlow

"Don't forget to bring your rubbers, eh?" I have to say, the first time I heard that was a bit of a shock.

neill

Two Four..... and EAVESTROUGH..... ugh.

And Housecoat -- to refer a to a dressing gown. An actual housecoat is an actual thing though, i guess.

Dorothy

What's wrong with eavestrough? The word is pretty explanatory for what it is. It's a trough on the eaves.

Two-four is simply a case of 24 beers rather than the small 12 pack. Pretty inoffensive but then there's some UK slang that's annoying to some of us born and bred Canadians.

neill

Nothing wrong with eavestrough... but I can't keep my mind out of the gutter.
As they say, "You do you."