Canadian vs. British English
Speakers of British English and Canadian English can understand each other most of the time. However, there are a few words that are used differently in Canada from the way they are used in the United Kingdom, and they can cause confusion. Here is a list of words that have the potential to trip up a British visitor to Canada:


CANADIAN ENGLISH BRITISH ENGLISH




Buildings
first floor - ground floor
second floor - first floor
lounge (in hotel) - bar




Food
appetizer - entree or starter
entree - main course
tea is a drink- a hot drink OR late afternoon- evening meal



Clothing
fanny pack - bum bag
purse -handbag
wallet-purse
pants- trousers
briefs, boxers - underpants (men's)
panties- knickers, undies (women's)
sweater- jumper
jumper- pinafore
vest - waistcoat
undershirt - vest
housecoat - dressing gown

sidewalk (CAN) = pavement (UK)
pavement (CAN) = road, [surface of] (UK)
trunk (CAN) = boot (UK) [of car]
hood (CAN) = bonnet (UK) [of car]
candy (CAN) = sweets (UK)
wrench (CAN) = spanner (UK)
two weeks (CAN) = fortnight (UK)
gas [car/mower etc] = petrol (UK)

omg, what am I doing? ..... this has been done quite a few times before ...... here: we even have it on wiki http://britishexpats.com/wiki/Canada_english_words

This is Brilliant.....cheers

Well I've come across a few buildings in Toronto that have Ground Floor and then First Floor above. Even in the UK often the bar in a hotel is called a Lounge.

Food. Appetisers and Entrees isn't that uncommon in the UK either. Plus the Brits definitely also have a drink called tea, the empire was built on it.

People have wallets in Canada, and in the UK. No difference there. Never heard a female's purse being referred to as a wallet in Canada so I could be wrong. Also briefs and boxers are also common words for mens underwear in the UK, when they are briefs or boxers. Sweater and jumper ditto.

I will definitely give you fanny pack though. Hearing a north American refer to their fanny in the UK is quite frankly hilarious.

One word of warning for all you smokers in Canada though, never ask if you can bum a fag, you'll just get strange looks.

i thought that my OH got funny looks and reather friendly handshakes when he last asked lol

Vacume, canada - hoover UK
hoover, canada, - blow job UK.

When some of the staff at my little girls nursery were asking me where my OH was, and if he had returned home yet from his rotation, I replied "yes I have left him home hoovering!"

I spoke to mr minihaha about 6 weeks later and told him how confused they looked at this (as I thought it was the confusion between vacum and hoover) and he nearly fell off his chair laughing at me and told me that based on the fact that I had told them my husband was at home giving someone oral sex, he wasn't at all surprised that they looked a little odd.

Oh yes, I love Canadian English.

Mrs Miggins

OMG.....naughty...

OMG - I don't know how many times I told my neighbours (holiday home) that I had some hoovering to do at home. They never said, though.

The only words I can think off is:

trolley (UK) - shopping cart (CA)

bin (UK) - trash can (CA) - DS once asked for a bin in Tim Hortons; the guy looked at him as if he was from another planet

Well, I was just telling my granddaughter that I thought it would be an improvement over here if we called a Movie Theatre a Cinema. It would be a heck of a lot quicker- one word instead of two. Then as in the UK, we could differentiate between a Theatre and a Cinema in that the first one is live and the second one isn't.

Elevator (CAN) = Lift (UK)
Sneakers (CAN) = Trainers (UK)
Bangs (CAN) = Fringe (UK)
On/Off Ramp (CAN) = Sliproad (UK)
Broil (CAN) = Grill (UK)

So we really say "thee-ate-er in SK?

Everyone here calls them runners not sneakers

i got mine from Trip Advisor!!, under useful phrases, they even have a lot of American-canadian words too!

Chips (Can) - Crisps (UK)
Fries (Can) - Chips (UK)
Eraser (Can) - Rubber (UK)
Truck (Can) - Lorry (UK)

Oh if only Zoe had known this before she went to the hairdresser.