Friday, May 15, 2026

Speaking Canadian

Since I don't drink much, I don't use some of these terms, but I know most of them. A few of my most common ones are double double, click (or klick), hydro, back bacon, timbit, pop, and touque. I take exception to toboggan, or at least as pictured, above. Toboggans ↓ have flat bottoms without runners. We call the one pictured in the list, a sled.

I am totally unfamiliar with street meat (hot dogs), darts (cigarettes), out for a rip (drive). Instead of pencil crayons, I am more more likely to say coloured pencils, but pencil crayons are familiar too. 

For the most part, the list is accurate, and I think most Canadians know most of the terms and would actively use many of them.




14 comments:

  1. This is a fun list and I'm saving your chart! If I'm going to be a Canadian I'd better learn the lingo!

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  2. What fun, and I wouldn't have had a clue about most of these, except pop of course. Now I can imagine listening to a great Canadian accent making sentences with some of these.

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  3. I didn't know many of them (about three!) and am pleased to note you pronounce' z' the correct way.

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    1. Yes, but it gets harder and harder because the influence is so strong and prevalent.

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  4. We have some great expressions. I know about 75% of them.

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  5. I only knew a handful, what the heck is back bacon?

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    1. It’s what you call Canadian bacon. Yeah, no, we don’t call it Canadian bacon. 😀

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  6. Most are new to me. Lots to do with alcohol, eh?

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  7. Some of these I never heard of either.

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  8. I only knew a couple of them.

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  9. Huh, I always thought it was spelled toque. Or is that extra u a Canadian spelling? (the ou thing?))

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  10. I have the same areas of familiarity and not as you do. Some of them are quite funny out of context. Re Margaret's comment above, a toque is something else - an old woman's wrapped headdress. The woolie hats, for me, require two u's.

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