Don't you think? Conversational device that allows an unconfrontational canadian to turn a statement into a poll of opinion.
Canuck
nickname for a Canadian
clicks
slang for kilometres or kilometres per hour
hoser
unsophisticated person
keener
boot-licker, brown-noser, suck-up
kerfuffle
commotion; flurry of agitation
Molson muscle
potbelly (Molson is a Canadian brand of beer)
lineup
line of people; queue
"for sure"
definitely
to be on pogey
to be on welfare
mickey
375 ml. (13 oz.) bottle of liquor
two-four
case of beer containing 24 bottles
arse, bum
one's hind quarters.
WE CALL IT, THEY CALL IT
Food
backbacon
Canadian bacon
icing sugar
powdered sugar
whitener
powdered non-dairy creamer put in coffee or tea
processed cheese
american cheese
chocolate bar
candy bar.
brown bread
whole wheat bread
homo milk
whole milk
rye & ginger
canadian whiskey and gingerale
Academic
write (a test)
take a test
invigilate (an exam)
to proctor an exam
tutorial
recitation
marking (a test)
grading a test
public school
elementary school
supply teacher
substitute teacher
college
community college
Other
zed (Z)
zee (Z)
chesterfield
couch
the bill
what Canadians ask for in a restaurant (Americans ask for the check)
eavestrough
rain gutter on the eaves (edge of the roof) of a house
elastic
rubber band
girl guides
girl scouts
housecoat
robe or bathrobe
hydro
electricity
serviette
paper napkin
tap
faucet or spigot
washroom
bathroom
track pants
sweat pants
runners
tennis shoes
muskoka chair
large, usually wooden deck chair
postal code
zip code
THINGS YOU'LL ONLY FIND IN CANADA
Food
beavertail
deep-fried dessert pastry resembling a beaver's tail
poutine
French fries covered with cheese curds and gravy
ketchup chips
believe it or not
vinegar on fries
especially fish & chips
butter tart
a small, pecan-pie-like tart
nanaimo bar
a multilayer brownie and icing
tortiere
a french-canadian meat pie
milk in a bag
comes in a group of 3 bags
Brands
Smarties
something like M&Ms
Crispy Crunch
chocolate bar
Coffee Crisp
chocolate bar
Caramilk
chocolate bar
Shreddies
cereal
Other
5-pin bowling
a smaller ball, and only 5 pins---great for kids and drunks
mountie
member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (like the FBI)
toonie (or twoonie)
Canadian two-dollar coin (since 1996)
toque (or tuque)
woollen, usually pointed cap worn in the winter
MEDIA THAT IS POPULAR IN CANADA BUT NOT IN THE US
David Wilcox
not the american folk singer, the canadian blues guitarist and poet
The Tragically Hip
sell out multi-day festivals in canada, play 100-person bars in the US
Bare Naked Ladies
after many years, broke into the US on the "american pie" soundtrack
Maclean and Maclean
two low-brow Nova Scotian comedian/musicians
* this is far from complete
OTHER INTERESTING DIFFERENCES
The Canadian 'accent' can be heard most easily in the following words: out, about, house, and others with 'ou'. For example, canadian pronounciation of the word 'out' is like 'e' as in 'pet' followed by 'oot' as in 'boot', sounding like 'e'+'oot'. American pronounciation of 'out' is more like 'ow' as in 'cow', sounding like 'ow'+'t'. Other words often pronounced differenctly are 'pop', and 'roof'. Of course, the trademark 'eh' at the end of a statement is a dead giveaway.
Canadian spellings can also cause confusion: colour vs color, cheque vs check, centre vs center, etc.
Canada uses the metric system, although canadians quote their height and wieght in feet/inches and pounds. Industry, for the most part, still uses imperial units.
For measuring temperature, Canada uses celsius (rather than fahrenheit).
Although there are many differences in prices of things between US and Canada, two that stand out are the after-exchange lower prices of electronics in the US, and the far lower prices of CDs in Canada. Also, there is a pricing inversion for CDs such that in the US the older CDs are the cheapest, while in Canada it is the newest releases that are usually on sale.
The drinking age in Canada is 19 in most provinces, and 18 in Alberta, Manitoba, and Quebec. Note that the provinces where it is 18 alternate as you go west to east. Coincidence?
Soda/pop is made with corn syrup in the US, and sugar in Canada---this changes the taste significantly.
It's been said that Canadians are simply disarmed Americans with health care.
Some of these 'Canadianisms' are of British origin, and can be found there as well.
Football rules: size of our footballs, football fields, and one less down
Canadian inventions: ski-doos, jet-skis, velcro, zippers, insulin, penicillin, zambonis, the telephone, short wave radios, robertson screws (square hole)
