Canadian culture is more unique than you might think. In fact, drop any of these common Canadian slang terms while visiting our neighbours to the south, and you may just be greeted with a blank stare or two. From ordering your coffee double double to wearing your toque in the winter — well, that’s just so Canadian.
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Caesar
Be careful if you order a Caesar from an American bartender — you might wind up with a salad. A Bloody Mary is the closest equivalent for our friends south of the border, but it's just not the same.
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Canadian tuxedo
A blue denim jacket when worn with a pair of blue jeans? That’s a Canadian tuxedo, and we're proud of it! Even our American friends love it: remember Justin Timberlake and Britney Spears at the 2001 American Music Awards?
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Housecoat
The item of clothing Americans refer to as a bathrobe or (if they’re classy) a dressing gown is known to Canadians by it’s true name: the housecoat.
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Freezies
What do you think of when you see one of these colourful, chilly tubes? Freeze pops? Here, we call ’em freezies! And in the summer, we like to spend our fun money on 'em!
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Toque
In Canada, a knit hat in a toque — not a beanie. Worn by everyone in winter and by hipsters over the summer.
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KD
Canadians love their Kraft Dinner — so much so that we’ve shortened the mac-and-cheese product to two letters that will mystify Americans who don’t have any idea what you’re talking about.
You may also like: Only in Canada: 20 products that are unique to Canadians in 2022.
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Parkade
In Canada, we call a parking garage called a parkade. Now to remember where we parked...
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Hydro bill
Americans pay their utility bills or electric bills, Canadians pay hydro bills. And that hydro bill can be expensive, because Canadian cities and towns have some of the worst winters.
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Toboggan
Americans like to go sledding in the winter, but Canadians will always prefer tobogganing.
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Timbit
The Tim Hortons' Timbit has become utterly ingrained in Canadian culture. In the US? Not so much. For our American friends it's a doughnut ball!
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Tap
When it comes to the sink, Americans turn on the faucet, but a Canadian gets water out of the tap.
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Serviette
Why use a napkin when you can use something as fancy-sounding as a serviette?
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Pencil crayons
Pencil crayons are a distinctly Canadian term for coloured pencils.
Speaking of office supplies and work, can we talk about these email phrases you need to stop using in work e-mails?
Speaking of office supplies and work, can we talk about these email phrases you need to stop using in work e-mails?
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Dart
More than just something you throw, a "dart" is also Canadian slang for a cigarette, as in, “I’m heading out behind the dumpster to go have a dart.”
Related: 20 most photogenic places across Canada.
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Dinged
In the US, cars get dinged. In Canada, it’s our wallets, as in, “I got dinged 90 bucks for that speeding ticket.”
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Elastics
Rubber bands? In Canada, we call them elastics.
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Gong show
To Americans, The Gong Show is an intentionally awful talent show hosted by a heavily disguised (and proudly Canadian!) Mike Myers. For us, the term “gong show” (sometimes shortened to “gonger”) is slang for anything that goes off the rails — a wild, crazy or just plain chaotic event.
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Hang a Larry or Roger
Where an American in a car’s passenger seat would tell the driver to take a left, a Canadian would say to hang a Larry (or a Roger for a right turn).
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Homo milk
Every Canadian knows that this is short for homogenized milk.
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Champagne birthday
Americans are often surprised to learn that a champagne birthday refers to the date when you celebrate the birthday that equates to the date of your birth, such as celebrating your 28th birthday on the 28th of May.
See also: The best foods to help cure a hangover.
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Chinook
An American might recognize the word as referring to a species of salmon or a type of Canadian military helicopter, but only a true Canadian knows a Chinook is an unseasonably warm wind that rise over the Rockies and heat up as they descend.
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Stag or stagette
In Canada, a stag is a bachelor party, while a bachelorette or bride's pre-wedding equivalent may be called a stagette.
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Keener
This one might be a bit on the not-so-nice side, but, simply put: a keener refers to a brown-noser, suck-up, bootlicker... You get the drift.
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The letter Z
Americans pronounce it zee. Canadians pronounce it zed, much to the detriment of the "Alphabet Song."
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Knapsack
A knapsack is another word for backpack. Speaking of, here are a few backpacks that are actually cool to wear as an adult.
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Washroom
Americans call it the "men's room" or "ladies' room." We're also promoting more gender neutral terms across our nation for a more inclusive vibe so all Canadians can love their lives.
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Eavestroughs
This is another way to say rain gutters. Our term sounds way cooler, no?
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Garburator
The garburator is the garbage disposal unit found beneath a kitchen sink.
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Runners
Runners refer to any kind of athletic footwear. We support the sneakerhead trend and get why it's all the rage!
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Mickey
A mickey is a 13-ounce (give or take) bottle of hard alcohol.
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Gitch or gotch
This is a Avery classy term for men's underwear.
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Chocolate bar
Americans call it a candy bar, which seems weird. To us, gummy worms are candy, ya know?
Related: 20 surreal places to visit in Canada.
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Processed cheese
AKA American Cheese. Make your own joke here.
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Humidex
This is a easurement used to gauge the combined effect of heat and humidity.
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Two-four
A case of 24 beers. Cans or bottles: your choice!
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Klick
Dreaming of road trips? This is a slang term for "kilometre."
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Chesterfield
A chesterfield is a couch or sofa. Refer to the Barenaked Ladies song, "If I Had a Million Dollars."
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Kerfuffle
A scuffle or commotion, typically resulting from conflicting views.
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Deke
This meao physically outmaneuver an opponent. Typically in hockey. Like hockey? These are the richest hockey players on the planet.
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Pogie
Derived from slang from our Scottish friends, "pogie" means being on welfare or social assistance.
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Molson muscle
A beer belly. And, while you're drinking all that beer, check out these cute dog names. No, "Molson" is not on the list.
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Head’r
AKA to leave. Head out. Duck out. Get out of there. "The meatloaf was superb, mom, but we've gotta head'r."
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Snowbird
Typically, this means a retired Canadian who travels south for the winter. Usually to tacky parts of Florida or Arizona.
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Rotten Ronnie’s / McD*cks
These are terms of "endearment" for McDonald's. While you're chowing down on a Big Mac, check out these 15 weird pet trends you have to see to believe.
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Booze can
An after-hours bar. They're technically illegal, so shhhhh. Don't tell your American friends.
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Thongs
No, we're not talking g-strings. Thongs are the casual style of footwear that you wear to the beach, the pool or the gym's communal showers.
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Give’r!
This means to really, truly go for it. All out. Pedal to the metal.
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Loonie and toonie
These are thee perfectly reasonable-sounding names of our one and two-dollar coins.
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Soaker or booter
When you step in a puddle or snow bank and the water penetrates your poor unsuspecting shoes.
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Double double
What's a double double? A coffee with two milk and two sugar, o ften ordered at Tim Horton's.
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