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Pop Culture

30 Canadian Words our American Friends Don’t Understand

by Steven Shehori

Updated August 4, 2020

Canadian culture is more unique than you might think. In fact, drop any of these terms while visiting our neighbours to the south and expect to be greeted with a blank stare or two.

To go coffee cup from Tim Hortons

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Double-Double

A coffee with two milk and two sugar. Often ordered at Tim Hortons.

Person standing in a puddle

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Soaker/Booter

When water penetrates your poor unsuspecting shoes.

Canadian coins including loonies and toonies

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Loonie/Toonie

The perfectly reasonable-sounding names of our one and two-dollar coins.

A croud celebrating

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Give’r!

To really, truly go for it.

Thongs poolside

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Thongs

No, we're not talking g-strings. Thongs are the casual style of footwear depicted here.

Drink sitting on a bar

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Booze can

An after-hours bar. They're typically illegal, so shhhhh!

People at a McDonald's restaurant

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Rotten Ronnie’s/McD*cks

Terms of 'endearment' for McDonald's.

Senior citizens sitting on a beach in lawn chairs

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Snowbird

A Canadian who travels south for the winter. Usually to tacky parts of Florida.

Person heading out the front door

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Head’r

To leave. "The meatloaf was superb, mom, but we've gotta head'r."

Person trying to fasten their jeans

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Molson Muscle

A beer belly.

Government of Canada building

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Pogey

Being on some form of social assistance, especially EI.

Hockey players playing a game

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Deke

To physically outmaneuver an opponent. Typically in hockey.

A kerfuffle in the stands at a sporting event

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Kerfuffle

A scuffle or commotion, typically resulting from conflicting views.

Person sitting on a chesterfield

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Chesterfield

A couch or sofa.

Sign showing distances to different destinations

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Klick

Slang term for kilometer.

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Two-four

A case of 24 beers. Cans or bottles: your choice!

Electronic weather monitor

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Humidex

Measurement used to gauge the combined effect of heat and humidity.

Stack of processed cheese slices

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Processed cheese

American Cheese. Make your own joke here.

Chocolate bar on a table

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Chocolate Bar

Americans call it a candy bar, which seems weird. To us, gummy worms are candy, ya know?

Men's underwear hanging on a line

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Gitch/Gotch

A very classy term for men's underwear.

Mickey of whiskey

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Mickey

A 13-ounce (give or take) bottle of hard alcohol.

Person wearing runners

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Runners

Any kind of athletic footwear like sneakers or trainers.

Person putting waste in to garburator

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Garburator

A garbage disposal unit found beneath a kitchen sink.

Person cleaning their eavestroughs of leaves

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Eavestroughs

Rain gutters. Our term sounds way cooler, no?

Men's and women's bathrooms

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Washroom

Americans call it the 'men's room' or 'ladies' room.'

Kid wearing knapsack

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Knapsack

A backpack or a bookbag.

A letter Z balloon

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The letter Z

Americans pronounce it 'zee.' Canadians pronounce it 'zed,' much to the detriment of the 'Alphabet Song.'

Child giving his teacher an apple

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Keener

A brown-noser.

Person passed out on a chesterfield

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Stag

A bachelor party. The female equivalent: stagette.

Person wearing a toque

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Toque

A knit hat. Worn by everyone in winter and by hipsters over the summer.

Written BySteven Shehori

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