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Canadian slang consists of words and phrases of slang exclusive to or originating from Canada.
List of Canadian slang words or phrases:
- 2-4 -- (two four) a case of 24 beers
- 26er (also 2-6) -- a 26 oz. (750 ml) bottle of alcohol
- 40 -- a 40 oz. (1.14 L) bottle of alcohol (see forty pounder)
- 66er -- a 66 oz. (1.89 L) bottle of alcohol (see gripper)
- alcool -- grain alcohol; everclear (from French, but pronounced as in English)
- Asiancourt -- a derogatory term for an area of Scarborough, Agincourt, which has a high asian population
- The Bend, le Coude -- the city of Moncton, New Brunswick
- BiWay -- see Zellers
- ByTown -- Ottawa, Ontario (Bytown is the former name of the capital of Canada)
- Buck -- unit of 100, most commonly directly replaces "dollar" ($1.25 - "a buck twenty five", $1.50 - "a buck fifty"), also used to describe highway speed ("I got caught doing a buck-thirty on the 401" meaning "I was caught driving at a speed of 130km/h on Highway 401")
- Buds -- the Toronto Maple Leafs hockey team, not - is marijuana
- bunnyhug -- a hooded sweatshirt (Saskatchewan)
- Caker -- is short for "Mange Cake" (pronounced manja cake, Italian for "cake-eater") and refers to Canadians of Anglo origin. It is said that the term originated in Italian-Canadian kitchens as a type of gentle mockery of Anglophone Canada's bland cultural and culinary habits.
- Canuck -- Canadian
- Caper -- Someone from Cape Breton (Nova Scotia)
- Chinook -- A warm, dry wind experienced along the eastern side of the Rocky Mountains in the United States and Canada. Most common in winter and spring, it can result in a rise in temperature of 20C (35 to 40F) in a quarter of an hour.
- chocolate bar -- a candy bar, whether it actually contains chocolate or not.
- click -- kilometre or kilometres per hour (sometimes spelled "klick").
- Cowtown -- Calgary, Alberta
- Cougar -- a middle-aged (or above) woman, dressed to the nines, out on the prowl looking for young (20-35 year old) men
- Crappy Tire -- Canadian Tire
- Deadmonton -- negative reference to Edmonton, Alberta
- Dead Rear -- Red Deer,Alberta
- deke, deke out -- to feint, to trick or avoid someone "to deke out of a meeting" or, to deftly maneuver around a sporting opponent (Esp. in Hockey)
- dick, dick all -- nothing
- Dipper -- a member of the New Democratic Party
- Dogan -- a Catholic; abusive, and now dying out
- double-double -- a coffee with double cream, double sugar (especially, but not exclusively, from Tim Hortons). Triple-triple and four-by-four (less common) are three and four creams/sugars, respectively.
- Drum -- Drumheller, Alberta
- Edmonchuk -- A name for Edmonton, Alberta, referring to the large Ukrainian population.
- eh -- a spoken interjection to ascertain the comprehension, continued interest, agreement, etc., of the person or persons addressed. May also be used instead of huh? or what?. Meaning please repeat or say again.
- Fish Police (also Tree Cop and Critter Cop) -- Derogatory reference to Federal or Provincial Fisheries or Wildlife Officers.
- Flip refers to someone of Philipino origin.
- fock -- Alternate spelling/pronounciation of "Fuck" used primarily by francophones while speaking english.
- forty pounder (forty ouncer) -- a 40 oz. bottle of alcohol (see 40)
- ghetto blaster -- a portable stereo system. The term was common throughout North America at one time, but is still common in Canada.
- The Gap Regina, Saskatchewan
- Gina -- a female (usually of Mediterranean descent) who dresses in tight clothing usually with fluffy accents; Ginas are usually only labelled as such because of their association with Ginos (see below) (this word may be considered a racial slur against Italian women, but many young people associate it exclusively with the Gino/Gina subculture with or without a negative connotation).
- Gino -- a male (usually of Mediterranean descent) who dresses in tight clothing (particularly denim), uses hair gel, wears gold chains, and has a macho attitude (this word may be considered a racial slur against Italian men, but many young people associate it exclusively with the Gino/Gina subculture with or without a negative connotation).
- goof -- 1: cheap sherry or fortified wine; 2: a mild insult; 3: to make a mistake (a goof, to goof)
- Grit -- a member of the Liberal party of Canada
- Gripper - a 66 oz. bottle of liquor. So named for either having a looped handle on the bottle neck, or matching indented "grips" on the body of the bottle.
- Habs -- the Montreal Canadiens hockey team (from a contraction of habitants, a term for residents of New France). Predominantly used by English fans of the team. (Pronounced as in English, not as in French.)
- The Hammer -- the city of Hamilton, Ontario
- The Hat -- Medicine Hat, Alberta
- Hogtown -- the city of Toronto
- Hongcouver -- somewhat negative reference to the city of Vancouver, so called because of its high Asian population. (especially in reference to the high amount of immigrants from Hong Kong)
- hoser -- a mild insult
- homo milk -- homogenized milk, particularly with a fat content greater than 2%, usually 3.25%. Referred to in the USA as whole milk.
- The Hub City -- the city of Moncton, New Brunswick
- hydro -- 1: (except Alberta) commonly as a synonym for electrical service, as in "The hydro bill is due on the fifteenth". Many Canadian provincial electric companies generate power from hydroelectricity, and incorporate the term "Hydro" in their names; 2: Hydroponically grown plants of any type, but especially used to refer to hydroponically grown marijuana; usage: "Manitoba Hydro... It's not just a Power Company anymore."
- jib -- methamphetamine (West/Central Canada)
- jib-tech warrior -- drug addict who is awake for long periods looking for things to steal. (British Columbia)
- The Kap -- Kapuskasing, Ontario
- Lethbian -- Citizen of Lethbridge
- LC (Elcee)-- Slang for Liquor Control Commission, the government-run liquor stores in Manitoba
- Loonie -- Canadian one dollar coin
- Lotus Land -- British Columbia, especially the Lower Mainland around Vancouver
- Low Blows -- Loblaws
- May 2-4 -- the Victoria Day holiday which takes place on the third Monday in May, on or around May 24. It also refers to the entire three day holiday weekend, which is Canada's "unofficial" start of the summer season, when many open cottages after the winter. (Note that the term May two-four may be used to refer to this weekend even if the holiday falls as early as May 17.) The name is a conscious pun on the date and the case of beer which is traditionally drunk on this holiday.
- Maylong -- see above; contraction of "May long weekend".
- mickey -- a small (13 oz.) bottle of liquor, shaped to fit in a pocket. Also fits conveniently alongside the calf of a cowboy boot or rubber boot.
- Mountie (also Mounty) -- a member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police
- N-Dipper -- A member of the New Democratic Party.
- Newfie, Newf -- a person from Newfoundland (Often considered derogatory.)
- The Peg -- Winnipeg, Manitoba
- Pepper -- Word used to describe French/Francophone Canadians
- pogey -- unemployment benefit (Especially in Newfoundland.)
- R.C. -- a member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police ("I was pulled over by the R.C.'s.")
- Redmonton -- derogatory name for Edmonton, Alberta, referring to its left-leaning politics relative to the rest of the province.
- The Rock -- Newfoundland (also used for Vancouver Island on the west coast)
- Runners -- term for running shoes or 'sneakers'
- Saskabush -- Saskatchewan or in some circles, Saskatoon
- Screech -- a particularly potent brand of Newfoundland rum
- "take off" -- expression of disagreement or command to leave, similar to "get lost" ("Take off, you hoser!").
- The Shwa -- Oshawa, Ontario
- The Smoke -- Toronto
- spores -- Magic Mushrooms
- Speedy Creek -- Swift Current, Saskatchewan
- Square Head/English Muffin -- Words used to describe English/Anglo Canadians, the former in French is "Tête Carré"
- Steeltown -- the city of Hamilton, Ontario
- Stupidstore -- The Real Canadian Superstore
- The Soo, The Sault -- Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario
- T. O. -- Toronto
- t-dot -- Toronto (from T. O.)
- Tundra Bay -- Thunder Bay, Ontario
- Tim's, Timmy's, Timmy Ho's, Timmy Ho-Ho's -- Tim Horton's doughnut chain
- Toonie -- Canadian two dollar coin
- Toon Town -- Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
- Tory -- a member of the Conservative Party of Canada
- twofer, two-four -- a case of 24 beers (see 2-4)
- Ukrainian Tire -- a nasty racist slur against Canadian Tire and Ukrainians of Canadian Descent. However, Most Ukrainian-Canadians will not take offence, and will actually grin when you refer to the store as such.
- Van (Van-City) -- Vancouver
- Vic -- Victoria
- Winterpeg -- Winnipeg
- Zellers -- cheap (from the name of a chain of discount stores); is derogatory
See also
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