: ''Main article:'' Canadian English
Canadian English has its own terms not found, or not widely used, in other variants of English.
Additionally, like other dialects of English that exist in proximity to Francophone s, French Loanword s have entered Canadian English. This list comprises words, both proper English terms and French loanwords, that are distinctive for their relatively widespread use in Canada.
- : a resident of Quebec who speaks a first language other than English or French. Used only by linguists in other English-speaking countries, this word has come to be used by journalists and broadcasters, and then by the general public, in some parts of Canada.
- : outdoor toilet usually located over pit or a septic tank. The Americanism "john" and the Britishism "loo" are relatively common in British Columbia.
- : lately co-opted by Toronto but originally and for a long time in BC and Alberta used ''only'' in reference to Vancouver, either with or without a definite article. The origin of the term is not mill-smoke, as might be guessed at first, but from the use of "smoke" in the Chinook Jargon to mean rain and/or fog (of which Vancouver has plenty)
- : (derogatory term) a member of the Bloc Québécois
- : Whole Wheat Bread
- : a single-serving sweet pie, often with raisins; very like pecan pie, minus the pecans - but in Canada a single-serving pecan pie is called a "butter tart with pecans".
- : A slang term for "Canadian" in the U.S. and Canada. It sometimes means "French Canadian" in particular, especially when used in the Northeast of the United States and in Canada.
- : 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 20 °C (35 to 40 °F) in a quarter of an hour. In British Columbia, the word is pronounced with an Affricate ''ch'' instead of the Fricative ''sh'' sound as used elsewhere in Canada, and means an extremely wet, warm constant southwesterly, which actually is the same weather pattern as the drying wind that it becomes when it hits Alberta. The use of the word to mean a wind is from the Chinook Jargon, "i.e. the wind from the direction of the country of the Chinooks" (the lower Columbia River ), as transmitted to the Prairies by the francophone employees of the North West Company, hence the Frenchified pronunciation east of the Rockies. A Chinook in BC is also one of the five main varieties of salmon, and can also mean the Chinook Jargon, although this older usage is now very rare.
- : in southern Ontario and southern Quebec, one of a set of roads laid out by the colonial government as part of the distribution of land in standard lot sizes. The roads were laid out in squares as nearly as possible equal to 1,000 acres (4 km&2). Many of the concession roads were known as sidelines, and in Ontario many roads are still called ''lines''.
- (also Northern California & Britain ): a sofa, couch, or loveseat {Link without Title}
- : a Budd Rail Diesel Car , a self-propelled diesel passenger railcar, typically called a "Budd Car"
- : a cup of coffee with two creams and two sugars
- : (especially Newfoundland ) coppice, thicket
- (also Northern & Western U.S.): grooves or channels that attach to the underside of the roof of a house to collect rainwater. Known to most Americans and to Britons as Gutter s.
- ''' who exercised substantial political control of Ontario during part of the 1800 s. The Quebec equivalent was the Chateau Clique
- : Fire Station , firehouse
- : a garbage disposal unit located beneath the drain of a kitchen sink.
- (in ; pronounced roughly as in Italian
- : a shortened form of "give her," this slang term is used to encourage someone on (i.e. if one wanted to get the driver to go faster, he could say "just give'r buddy!")
- : a member or supporter of one of the federal or provincial Liberal parties (but ''not'' the Parti Libéral Du Québec )
- : Divide , water parting
- : a low-class, low-paying job. Not to be confused with the American term Joe Job .
- : an enthusiastic student, not necessarily a positive term
- ''' made in the Kootenay district, also known as "Blue Cocaine".
- '''
- : see ''Concession road''.
- ''' on the obverse.
- : a tree with branches lopped.
- : public transit, i.e. the bus. Usually only used by owners of vehicles when speaking disparagingly of transit riders. Occasionaly heard in Vancouver is " Proletariat chariot"
- : A thick flannel jackeolett either red and black or green and black favoured by blue collar workers and heavy metal/grunge afficinados. This apparel is more commonly referred to as a ''mackinac'' (pron ''mackinaw''). In parts of British Columbia , it is referred to as a doeskin.
- ''' and made of egg custard with a Graham-cracker-based bottom and a thin layer of chocolate on top; however, this term is now common in the United States and elsewhere, thanks to the efforts of Starbucks in popularizing them.
- : the name for the top grade of washed pea gravel in the hardware/landscaping business in British Columbia . Named for the first white settler in West Vancouver, a British " Navvy " who supplied this type of gravel to the growing communities of Burrard Inlet.
- , ''' Newf ''': A colloquial, often derisive term used to describe one who is from Newfoundland and Labrador.
- : parking garage
- '''. Pickerel are actually a number of species that are members of the '' Esox '' family, commonly called the pike family, while Walleye is a member of the '' Percidae '' family.
- : unemployment benefit, welfar, dole
- : see ''loser cruiser''.
- '''
- '''. While this is used outside the country for that screw head type, the screws are much less common.
- : public transit Toronto The TTC was called the Red Rocket because it was so slow. Co-opted in ads now Ride the Rocket promotion
- : running shoes; sneakers. Also used somewhat in Australian English.
- : a small square of cloth or paper used while eating (a.k.a. a "napkin").
- : a person who tends to create controversy or chaos.
- '''. Can also be used as a verb. Also ''skidoo''.
- : a Canadian who spends the winter in the U.S. (often Florida ). Often retired. Also the name of The Canadian Forces Aerobatics Team .
- ''' and a staple in Québécois home cooking.
- ''' that has become a generic term
- : Canadian two dollar coin. Modelled after ''loonie'' (q.v.).
- : a knit winter hat.
- : a member of the Conservative Party Of Canada ; previously used to refer to one of its predecessors, the Progressive Conservatives
- : a reception held by the mother of a bride, for neighbours not invited to the wedding
The Bob & Doug McKenzie "Take off to the Great White North" comedy routines, popular in both the U.S. and Canada in the early 1980 s, drew heavily on linguistic differences such as pronunciation (such as ''Trawna'' for Toronto or ''brudle'' for brutal) as well as once-obscure historical terms such as ''hoser'' or ''hosehead'' (originally used to refer to gas Siphon ing on the Prairies in the Depression era).
Often native French Canadian speakers will use Calque s of French Idiom s, so in Quebec it is relatively common of for both Anglophones and Francophones to "close the light" or to "open the light", meaning to turn on or off the light in a room. This was especially common in the Gaspé Peninsula , where until recently Anglophones and Francophones lived in mixed communities for generations. Similar Calque s from other languages are found in English throughout Canada, particularly in BC and the Prairies where translated usages from European languages are common, whether inherited from parents or spoken by new immigrants.
- : a sluice gate or dam.
- : grain Alcohol ; Everclear (pronounced as if English, ''al-cool'').
- (Collège d'enseignement général et professionnel): a two- or three-year pre-university or professional college. (Quebec only)
- : a corner store (convenience store), shortened to ''dep'' (Quebec only).
- : the fish Alewife .
- ''' (or chips) topped with cheese Curd s and covered with hot gravy (Quebec) or a dumpling filled with ground meat (Maritimes).
- : the Société Des Alcools Du Québec , a Liquor store. Often called the SAQ (pronounced ''sack'' or ''S-A-Q'') by anglophones. Formerly called the Regie (for Regie des alcools). (Quebec only)
- ''''', which is assimilated from a different kind of hat, or ''touque''). Akin to a Stocking-cap , Knit Cap or Watch Cap .
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