Nanaimo bar

Probably from the name of the city Nanaimo (British Columbia, Canada).

Today, Nanaimo's signature cuisine is a little sweeter. That would be the Nanaimo bar, a layered custard, coconut and chocolate confection that originated in 1952 and put the little town on the map.

2009 October 8, Reb Stevenson, “Travel: Rejuvenated Nanaimo now a place to be”, in Toronto Star, Canada, retrieved 2016-01-26:

(chiefly Canada) A chilled dessert confection consisting of a chocolate crumb-based layer, covered by a layer of custard icing, and topped with a layer of smooth chocolate.


air marshal

(British, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, military) A military rank between that of air vice-marshal and air chief marshal, equivalent to an army lieutenant general.


prepping

(Canada, US) The practice of making active preparations for a possible catastrophic disaster or emergency, typically by stockpiling food, ammunition, and other supplies.


ice pellets

(chiefly Canada and US, meteorology) Sleet.


no screaming hell

In overall management skills, "he's no screaming hell," says the analyst. "He doesn't have the long view."

1979 May 5, Jay Bryan, “Jake Moore is a man used to getting his way”, in Montreal Gazette, retrieved 2011-08-29, page 48:

Factory speakers are no screaming hell.

2005 Nov., "Re: 6 volt speakers? old car radio question," jalopyjournal.com, posting by Poncho62 (Hanover, Ontario, Canada) (retrieved 17 Dec. 2007)

I hate to say it but Canadian television was no screaming hell before Corner Gas.

2007 June 28, "The Ruby," cornergas.com, posting by WandasTrainee (retrieved 17 Dec. 2007)

[I]f we're being honest, Markov was no screaming hell in his first four or five games back.

2010 November 16, Sean Gordon, “Sports: The only constant is change”, in Globe and Mail, Canada, retrieved 2011-08-29:

(Canada, idiomatic) Not particularly effective or impressive; below expectations.


peace bond

"... We're scared for you, and we think you oughta do something about him."
Atticus smiled wryly. "Do what? Put him under a peace bond?"

1960 July 11, Harper Lee, chapter 23, in To Kill a Mockingbird, Philadelphia, Pa., New York, N.Y.: J[oshua] B[allinger] Lippincott Company, →OCLC:

“She's awready^([sic]) about to get us put under a peace bond. She's all the time spying in that alley behind her shutters.”

1963 (date written), John Kennedy Toole, chapter 7, in A Confederacy of Dunces, London: Penguin Books, published 1980 (1981 printing), →ISBN, page 151:

(Canada, US, law) A court order forbidding one party to bother another.

lähestymiskielto

Court order forbidding one party to bother another


quinzhee

quinzhees (plural)
quinzee (alternative)
quin-zhee (alternative)

Borrowed from South Slavey kǫ́ yíi (“in the house”).

Knowing the proper art of building a quin-zhee could have saved me and my friends from many snow fort cave-ins when young.

1990 February 1, Sue Lebrecht, “You need patience building snow fort”, in Toronto Star, page A23:

(Canada) A shelter made by hollowing out a pile of snow.


buttfucker

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2012, John Butler, Boys Hard at Work, page 143:

Jeff Palmer was gorgeous, he too had a wonderful physique, and his impressive cock stayed as hard as Tom Chase's; what set Jeff apart was that he was perhaps the most savage, most ferocious buttfucker any of them had ever seen.

2012, John Butler, Model/Escort, page 274:

(Canada, US, vulgar, derogatory) One who engages in anal sex.


sparkling cider

en-noun

sparkling cider (countable and uncountable, plural sparkling ciders)

(Canada) A carbonated alcoholic beverage based on apples, a champagne-style apple cider/hard cider/hard apple cider/cider


bird course

Possibly referring to the small size of bird's brains (compare birdbrain).
In the movie Sister Act 2, a bird course is referred to as being a course one can "fly right through," a reference to the course being easy to pass.

One of the most popular targets for criticism has been the credit system, Rutledge said, "because the public has the impression that students are just taking a bunch of bird courses—I wish they'd even tell me what a bird course is."

1975 August 30, Elaine Carey, “Back to school: What's happening in the classes?”, in Toronto Star, page A2:

Clarke stumbled into music by way of a high school course he took to raise his grades. "Music was a bird course. I had more interest in math, science, and women", he divulged.

2002 October 26, Nathalie Younglai, “Conducting without boundaries”, in Guelph Mercury, page C3:

Forty-five years ago, a McGill University commerce student named Seymour Schulich was looking for a bird course to bolster his grades and came upon a prime candidate — business history.

2006 March 13, Gordon Pitts, “Forward-looking CEOs are looking to the past”, in Globe and Mail, page B12:

(Canada) In an educational institution, a course which is regarded as particularly easy.


visible minority

visible minority (plural visible minorities)

Almost 4 million Canadians identified themselves as a visible minority in the 2001 Census, accounting for 13.4% of the total population.

2007, "Visible Minorities Making Canada Increasingly Diverse," Ministry of Finance, Government of Ontario (retrieved 12 June 2008)

(Canada) A visually recognizable racial group, excluding aboriginal peoples, whose members constitute less than half of a population; an individual member of such a group.


hooped

en-adj

hooped (comparative more hooped, superlative most hooped)

more hooped (comparative)
most hooped (superlative)

Wayne Zandarco says he doesn't have a Plan B for a possible shutdown of bus service. "I'm hooped," he said.

2014 September 19, CBC News, Saskatoon bus riders rattled by possible lockout:

(western Canada, slang) beset with unfortunate circumstances that seem difficult or impossible to overcome; screwed.


CF

(Canada, military) Abbreviation of Canadian Forces.


core lane

(Canada) In a multi-lane controlled-access highway or expressway system, a lane close to the median and physically separated from the outer lanes, which has fewer entrances and exits than the outer lanes and which is intended for vehicles traveling longer distances, so that these vehicles may proceed in a relatively uninterrupted manner and often at greater speed.


collector lane

(Canada) In a multi-lane controlled-access highway or expressway system, a lane which is physically separated from the (core) lane(s) closest to the median and which is intended for vehicles traveling relatively shorter distances, so that these vehicles may enter and exit the highway system without unduly interrupting the flow of traffic.


LB

Happy Valley-Goose Bay, LB A0P 1E0

1999, Mark Rowh, Opportunities in Electronics Careers, Lincolnwood, IL: VGM Career Horizons, →ISBN, page 120:

(Canada, dated) Abbreviation of Labrador.


social insurance number

en-noun

social insurance number (plural social insurance numbers)

(Canada) A nine-digit number issued by the government of Canada to citizens, permanent residents, and some categories of temporary residents, for official identification in the provision of government services and income taxation. Abbreviation: SIN.


SIN

social insurance number
social insurance number#English

(Canada) Initialism of social insurance number, an identification number issued by the government of Canada.


swarming

(colloquial, Canada) A crime where an unsuspecting innocent bystander is attacked by several culprits at once, with no known motive.


Reformer

(Canada, historical) A member of the Reform movement in 19th-century Canada.


hand truck

hand trucks (plural)
handtruck (alternative)

(Canada, US) An L-shaped box-moving handcart with handles at one end, wheels at the base, with a small ledge to set objects on, flat against the floor when the hand-truck is upright. It makes otherwise bulky and heavy objects easier to move.


road train

Road trains are big rigs made of tractors that pull more than one trailer.[…]They are driven in remote areas of Canada, the United States, and Australia. Australia is home to the largest road trains in the world.[…]It is common for Australian road trains to have up to six trailers attached to a single tractor, with each trailer holding up to 140 tons (127 tonnes) of freight.

2007, Adrianna Morganelli, Trucks: Pickups to Big Rigs, page 17:

Livestock road trains tend to travel in convoys and its^([sic]) best to pull over for a rest and watch them pass.

2007, Dick Eussen, Australia′s Savannah Way: Cairns to Broome, page 13:

Where there are two semi-trailers and one motive unit this is called a double bottomed articulated vehicle or road train. Especially in Australia, road trains may consist of more than two trailers. In the UK, serious consideration is being given to their use on motorways.

2010, Alan Rushton, Phil Croucher, Peter Baker, The Handbook of Logistics & Distribution Management, page 398:

(US, Australia, Canada) A transport conveyance consisting of a conventional prime mover truck pulling two or more trailers.

bridge; B; A; There are no (drawbar) connected Dolly Converter in the train

B-double (A Prime mover Towing a - trailer and a turntable

Double Roadtrain

A-double, Prime mover towing 2 semi Trailers, with one(1) -(Drawbar) Dolly Converter

Triple Roadtrain

A-triple, Prime mover towing 3 semi Trailers, with two (2) -(Drawbar) Dolly Converters

B-Triple (3 trailers, 2x trailers towing a third connected semitrailer

and connections

A; B; A; dolly converter; i.e. Tractor/Prime-mover pulling 2x B-Doubles interconnected by an - (drawbar)

ABB Quad Roadtrain

4 trailers i.e. a Semitrailer towing an-connected .

BBA Quad

B-connections LoadShare on rear wheelsets with the following semitrailer, A-connected trailers do not LoadShare, i.e. use a drawbar to the dolly

often with a more stable (3x) hybrid A-type drawbar interconnections


OHIP

health insurance
health insurance#English

(Canada) Acronym of Ontario health insurance plan.


NSERC

(Canada) Acronym of Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, a Canadian government agency that provides grants for research in the natural sciences and in engineering.


bar room

bar rooms (plural)
barroom (alternative)

(Canada, US) A room where alcoholic drinks are served over a counter.


soaker

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(Canada, slang) The experience of stepping in a deep puddle and having one's foot become completely engulfed in water.


light rail

light rail (countable and uncountable, plural light rails)

The new Denver light rail runs along the Interstate highway.

(US, Canada, rail transport) A kind of passenger railway in urban and suburban settings typically characterized by a mixture of tram (or in North America streetcar) and metro features, crossing streets at grade crossings and normally powered by electricity.

lättbana

translation of "light rail"; of rare usage


snow fort

snow forts (plural)
snowfort (alternative)

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2008, Laura Dolce, "Seeing snow through a child's life," seacoastonline.com (New Hampshire), 3 Jan.,
It wasn't a big lawn . . . but to us it was stadium-sized, with plenty of room for snow angels, snowball fights and the all-important snow forts.

(chiefly Northern US and Canada) A walled structure constructed of snow and used for children's wintertime play.


PAYE

(Canada) Initialism of pay at year end, i.e. with funds from the prior fiscal year.


oh my

Which might mean shaping it, gelling it, snooting it, barn dooring it, and putting it on a stand or a clamp. Maybe taking the dome diffuser off. Perhaps zooming it. Oh my. And you thought you were just taking a picture.

(idiomatic, euphemistic, chiefly US and Canada) oh my God


HMCS

(Canada, nautical, military) Initialism of His (or Her) Majesty's Canadian Ship; ship prefix of the Royal Canadian Navy.


recreational vehicle

recreational vehicle (plural recreational vehicles)

desc

→ Canadian French: véhicule récréatif (calque)

(Canada, US) A self-propelled vehicle (motor home), or trailer designed for use as living quarters on overnight recreational activities and travel.


let out

en-verb

let out (third-person singular simple present lets out, present participle letting out, simple past and past participle let out)

lets out (present singular third-person)
letting out (participle present)
let out (participle past)
let out (past)

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We're gonna have practice tomorrow morning for an assembly we're giving on Thursday before school lets out for Easter.

1999, Laura Beckham, A Bad Seed: And Other Stories, page 47:

(Canada, US, intransitive) Of a school: to finish for the day or term, allowing the pupils to go home.


front yard

(US, Canada) A yard to the front of a house or similar residence, typically having a lawn and often trees, shrubs, and/or flowers.

natad

area with greenery to the front of the house


Supreme Court

The highest court in a legal jurisdiction.


cariole

carioles (plural)
carriole (alternative)

(Canada, historical) A sleigh drawn by horses, with seats for a driver and possibly passengers.

(Canada, historical) A toboggan drawn by dogs, with a passenger or cargo compartment enclosed by skins or fabric, and a small platform at the rear.


ghost car

The committee is asking Metro Council to tack new restrictions onto Metro licences, including . . . an expanded ghost car program.

1984 October 10, “Curbing Metro's auto ripoffs”, in Toronto Star, page A18:

Officers in a ghost car were doing speed enforcement near 82 Street and 132 Avenue when a white 1995 Ford Contour sped by.

2007 July 13, Eliza Barlow, “Police pursuit called off”, in Edmonton Sun, Alberta, retrieved 2008-02-28:

(Canada) An unmarked police car or an unmarked vehicle used as a decoy by police.


Cowtown

From cowtown, being the centre of the Canadian cattle industry.

(Canada, slang) Nickname for Calgary: a major city in Alberta, Canada.


EF

Enhanced Fujita scale
Enhanced Fujita scale

(Canada, US, meteorology) Followed by a number from 0 to 5: initialism of Enhanced Fujita, a rating on the Enhanced Fujita scale used to indicate the intensity of a tornado; it has superseded the Fujita scale.


drop the gloves

drop the gloves (third-person singular simple present drops the gloves, present participle dropping the gloves, simple past and past participle dropped the gloves)

drops the gloves (present singular third-person)
dropping the gloves (participle present)
dropped the gloves (participle past)
dropped the gloves (past)

From the practice of ice hockey players of removing their heavy gloves before striking blows in fistfights.

Nobody used to care when players such as John Ferguson, Bobby Orr, Gordie Howe and Maurice Richard dropped the gloves, because they could play the game, too.

2007 March 27, Mike Brophy, “Getting rid of the goons”, in Globe and Mail, Canada, retrieved 2008-10-14:

(Canada and US, ice hockey, idiomatic) To fight.

But Bradley, who dropped the gloves on Gore in a combative debate Wednesday night and called the vice president chronically dishonest, ignored Sullivan's advice.

2000 January 30, Thomas DeFrank et al., “George W. & Al Bank on Bubba”, in New York Daily News, retrieved 2008-10-14:

(Canada and US, idiomatic, by extension) To remove a prior impediment to action; to prepare for or engage in a dispute.


dollar store

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(US and Canada) A retail store selling inexpensive items, especially one in which all items have a price of one dollar.


ratfink

ratfink (third-person singular simple present ratfinks, present participle ratfinking, simple past and past participle ratfinked)

ratfinks (present singular third-person)
ratfinking (participle present)
ratfinked (participle past)
ratfinked (past)
rat fink (alternative)
rat-fink (alternative)

It led to some rather incredible and colourful claims in the submission by the union that the employers had ratfinked on previous agreements.

1980 November 21, Anthony George Malcolm, “Agricultural Workers Amendment Bill: Report of Labour and Education Committee”, in Parliamentary Debates (Hansard): Second Session, Thirty-ninth Parliament: House of Representatives, volume 435, Wellington, N.Z.: P. D. Hasselberg, government printer, published 1981, →OCLC, page 5237:

The dumb bastard says he never rat-finks on a woman. They're too precious, he tells me. And he should know. He has had many of them.

1992, Sean Flannery, Moving Targets, New York, N.Y.: Tor Books, →ISBN:

There's a breed of people in every office who breed problems around them—ratfinking about your long lunch breaks, revealing confidential salary information, blaming everyone for every error.

1999, Karen Salmansohn, The 30-day Plan to Whip Your Career into Submission: Transform Yourself from Job Slave into the Master of Your Destiny in just One Month, 1st trade paperback edition, New York, N.Y.: Broadway Books, →ISBN:

On Feb. 11, McLeod officials marched into the FCC [Federal Communications Commission] to relate this story, just as Netscape rat-finked on Microsoft to the Department of Justice. FCC officials demanded that Qwest tell them what the heck was going on.

2000 May 1, David [Stephenson] Rohde, “Qwest's Behind-the-scenes Merger Maneuver”, in John Dix, editor, Network World, volume 17, number 18, Southborough, Mass.: Network World, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 40:

Take a three-inch notepad (similar to a Post-It note), and print a large, brightly colored letter on it. […] "T" stands for "Tattle Tale." Punishment for rat-finking on the other child.

2010, Jill Milligan, Michael Milligan, “Creative Moms: Putting the 'D-I-S' in 'D-I-S-C-I-P-L-I-N-E'”, in Mom Rules: Notes on Motherhood, the World's Best Job, New York, N.Y.: Skyhorse Publishing, →ISBN, page 59:

I shoved Sahlil off of me. He fell backward on my bed. "What? Who the hell rat finked on me?"

2016, Mo (Monique) Daviau, Every Anxious Wave, New York, N.Y.: St. Martin's Press, →ISBN, page 88:


dialled

(British), (Canada), simple past and past participle of dial


open water

en-noun

open water (usually uncountable, plural open waters)

At the end of June, James Bay was generally open water except for loose ice persisting over its northwestern section.

2005, "Seasonal Summary for the Canadian Arctic, Summer 2005," Canadian Ice Service, Government of Canada, 6 Dec, p. 1 (retrieved 14 Mar. 2008)

(chiefly Canada) An area of an ocean, sea, lake, or river which is not covered by ice.


OB-GYN

OB-GYN (countable and uncountable, plural OB-GYNs)

OB-GYNs (plural)
ob-gyn (alternative)
obgyn (alternative)
ob/gyn (alternative)
ObGyn (alternative)
Ob-Gyn (alternative)
Ob/Gyn (alternative)
OBGYN (alternative)
OB/GYN (alternative)
OB-Gyne (alternative Philippines)

He was a doctor; she was a nurse. She assumed he was the authority on this part of the body. “I never worked in OB-GYN before,” said Gillian, who asked to be identified by her first name to protect her privacy. “I was pretty clueless.”

2022 October 17, Rachel E. Gross, “Half the World Has a Clitoris. Why Don’t Doctors Study It?”, in The New York Times:

(uncountable, informal, medicine, initialism, acronym) Obstetrics and gynecology.

(countable, initialism, acronym) A physician in these specialties; an obstetrician-gynecologist.

(countable, initialism, acronym) (prefixed with the) A clinic or doctor's office with these specialties.


red rocket

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Toronto's Red Rocket streetcars are renowned worldwide as a symbol of our city.

1991, "Save the Red Rocket," (editorial) Toronto Star, 9 Sep., p. A14

(Canada, slang) Any of the red-painted electrical streetcars and subway trams operated by the Toronto Transit Commission in Toronto, Canada, especially the classic models used during the early and mid-20th century.


fiador

(Canada, US) In some styles of horse halter and bridle, an optional part similar to a throatlatch.


butt-slapping

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(Canada, US, slang) Slapping the buttocks (an action associated with jest or as in a locker room).


colourize

en-verb

colourize (third-person singular simple present colourizes, present participle colourizing, simple past and past participle colourized)

colourizes (present singular third-person)
colourizing (participle present)
colourized (participle past)
colourized (past)

(Canadian spelling, Canada) Standard spelling of colourise.


flatlander

ridge-runner

antonym(s) of “person who was born or raised by someone outside low altitude mountainous regions”

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(chiefly derogatory) A person who lives at, lived at, or was raised by someone at a low altitude or from any city. A person not raised in or by someone directly from high mountain areas. (used by those who were born, raised, and are still living in higher altitude non-city or city like areas).


check mark

check marks (plural)
checkmark (alternative)

Put a check mark in the box corresponding to the correct answer.

(Canada, US, Philippines) A mark (✓) made to indicate agreement, correctness or acknowledgement.


non-commissioned member

en-noun

non-commissioned member (plural non-commissioned members)

commissioned officer
commissioned officer

non-commissioned officer
non-commissioned officer

(Canadian military) A members of the Canadian Forces that is not a commissioned officer; includes warrant officers, non-commissioned officers and privates.


butter tart

(Canada) A tart filled with butter, sugar, eggs, and often raisins.


Smithereen

From the name of the city, after Sir A. W. Smithers (1850–1924), chairman of the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway. Influenced by smithereens?

(Canada) A native of Smithers, British Columbia.


kubasa

kubasa (countable and uncountable, plural kubasas)

kubasas (plural)
kovbasa (alternative uncommon)

From Ukrainian ковбаса́ (kovbasá /kowbasˈa/, “sausage”, see there for more), a very early Slavic borrowing with no clear antecedent.
The Slavic variants (including Polish kiełbasa, whence kielbasa) point to several reconstructed forms from Proto-Slavic *kъlbasa, *klobasa, *kobasa. It is considered most likely to be borrowed from Proto-Turkic *kül + *bastï, literally “ash pressed”; compare Turkish külbastı (“roasted meat”), basmak (“to press”).

bor

(Canada) A smoked pork sausage with garlic, originating in Eastern Europe.


holubtsi

From Ukrainian го́лубці (hólubci), singular голубе́ць (holubécʹ). Doublet of golubtsy.

(Canada, especially western) cabbage rolls.


farmer's sausage

en-noun

farmer's sausage (countable and uncountable, plural farmer's sausages)

farmer's sausages (plural)
farmer sausage (alternative)
farmers sausage (alternative)

(Canada) Smoked raw pork sausage of Mennonite origin.


fibreboard

fibreboard (countable and uncountable, plural fibreboards)

British and Canada standard spelling of fiberboard.


training wheel

From training (“relating to the moving of a firearm laterally so that it points in a different direction; relating to imparting and acquiring skills”) + wheel.

compound

(chiefly Canada, US and in the plural, cycling) One of a pair of small wheels, each attached to one side of a bicycle's rear wheel to provide support for new riders.

輔助輪 /辅助轮

one of a pair of small wheels, each attached to one side of a bicycle’s rear wheel to provide support for new riders — see also stabilizer


medicare

He said, for him, the Liberals defined Canada by championing medicare and the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and by addressing such issues as same-sex marriage.

2009 January 20, Les Whittington, “Ignatieff decries Harper's 'plan'”, in Toronto Star:

(Canada) The Canadian public health insurance system.


first minister

first ministers (plural)
First Minister (alternative)

(Canada, often in plural) The prime minister or a provincial or territorial premier.


First Nations

Crown–Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada

From an attributive use of the noun First Nations.

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of or pertaining to a First Nation or First Nations collectively

ensimmäisten kansojen (genitive of noun)

Generally speaking, the works of First Nations artists were made with materials such as wood, leather or cloth.

2001, Benoit Prieur [et al.], “Portrait”, in Canada 2000–2001 (Ulysses Travel Guides), 3rd edition, Montreal, Que.: Ulysses Travel Guides, →ISBN, →ISSN, page 37, column 2:

As "savages" become soldiers, and soldiers become social activists, the tribe has rapidly developed a First Nations identity as advocates of both stripes mobilize memories of past resistance in different contexts. Whether the state is green or blue, therefore, Taroko memories will continue to shape the relationship between state and tribe.

2006 January 4, Scott Simon, “Formosa’s First Nations and the Japanese: From Colonial Rule to Postcolonial Resistance”, in Japan Focus: An Asia Pacific e-Journal, [Ithaca, N.Y.]: Japan Focus, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2008-03-09:

First Nation leaders in Ontario will support demonstrations and protests, until six band councillors are released from jail.

2008 April 4, “Ontario Chiefs unite against jailing”, in Kenora Daily Miner and News, Kenora, Ont.: The Klein Group, →ISSN, →OCLC:

Of or pertaining to a First Nation or First Nations collectively.

(Canada) Of or pertaining to the indigenous peoples of Canada (typically not including the Inuit or Metis); Indian.


First Nation

From first (adjective) + nation, coined in the late 1970s in place of the word Indian which had become regarded by some as derogatory (though it is still used: see the usage note).

alkuperäiskansa

community or settlement of indigenous peoples of any country or region — see also indigene, native

Today we speak as the descendants of our grandfathers who signed treaties with the Commissioners representing Her Majesty Queen Victoria in the late 1800s. […] The various governments of this country have made attempts to abrogate our treaties in one way or another. In spite of this, our treaties stand stronger than ever because we have had to rise as First Nations to defend them.

1980 December 18, Eugene Steinhauer, President of the Indian Association of Alberta, witness, Minutes of Proceedings and Evidence of the Special Joint Committee of the Senate and the House of Commons on the Constitution of Canada: Respecting the Document Entitled “Proposed Resolution for a Joint Address to Her Majesty the Queen Respecting the Constitution of Canada” Published by the Government on October 2, 1980 (First Session of the Thirty-second Parliament), number 29, [Ottawa, Ont.]: Queen’s Printer for Canada, archived from the original on 2024-08-04, page 101, column 1:

The Campbell River First Nation claims the 40 hectares of prime real estate has been illegally acquired, and it wants the land returned to it, along with damages.

2008 April 4, “Band sues for waterfront property”, in Edmonton Sun, Edmonton, Alta.: Sun Media Corporation, →ISSN, →OCLC:

The prolonged sufferings and ghastly deaths of Jesuit missionaries at the hands of hostile First Nations on the borders of the French colonies in Canada in the early seventeenth century rank high in the history of Christian suffering.

2009, Diarmaid MacCulloch, “A Worldwide Faith (1500–1800)”, in A History of Christianity: The First Three Thousand Years, London: Allen Lane, Penguin Books, →ISBN, part VI (Western Christianity Dismembered (1300–1800)), page 714:

(Canada) A community of indigenous peoples of Canada (typically not including the Inuit or Metis), especially one officially recognized by the federal government.

Primere Nacion

community of indigenous peoples of Canada (typically not including the Inuit or Metis) — see also Indian


skunky

en-adj

skunky (comparative skunkier, superlative skunkiest)

skunkier (comparative)
skunkiest (superlative)

Don't know when to expect reimbursements from Chloe. After all this time I consider her behavior skunky.

1944, Patricia Highsmith, Her Diaries and Notebooks, Weidenfeld & Nicolson 2021, April 4

(Canada, US, colloquial) Mean, contemptible.


manual labour

en-noun

manual labour (countable and uncountable, plural manual labours)

(British spelling, Canada) Alternative spelling of manual labor: physically demanding work done by hand.


CIC

Citizenship and Immigration Canada
w:Citizenship and Immigration Canada

(Canada, historical) Initialism of Citizenship and Immigration Canada.


urban reserve

(US, Canada) A division of property owned by a First Nations community within an urban area.


pure laine

en-adj

pure laine (comparative more pure laine, superlative most pure laine)

more pure laine (comparative)
most pure laine (superlative)

From French pure laine (literally “pure wool”).

bor

(Canada) Of or pertaining to francophone Quebecers of "pure" French ancestry, descended from settlers in New France.


RCN

Royal Canadian Navy
w:Royal Canadian Navy

(Canada, military, nautical) Initialism of Royal Canadian Navy.


RCI

(Canada, radio) Initialism of Radio Canada International.


depanneur

(Canada, Quebec) Alternative spelling of dépanneur.


CIAU

(Canada, sports) Initialism of Canadian Interuniversity Athletics Union: now called CIS - Canadian Interuniversity Sport.


stage mom

(Canada, US) A woman who aggressively manages her children's acting or performing career, often in what is considered a detrimental and overbearing manner.


green paper

(Canada) An official document sponsored by the Crown of propositions put before the nation for discussion.


saltie

Ah, but when will the first oceangoing boat arrive [in Duluth, Minnesota]? . . . In 2015, the first saltie to arrive was the Malta-flagged Kom, which arrived April 13 with a Bulgarian crew to load durum wheat headed for Italy.

“The season's first ships”, in (Please provide the book title or journal name), Midwest Weekends, 2015 April 16, archived from the original on 2015-04-29

(Canada, US, nautical) An ocean-going ship that enters the Great Lakes via the St. Lawrence Seaway.


Canadiens

(Canada) the Montreal Canadiens ice hockey club


Habs

(Canada) The Montreal Canadiens hockey club.


hockey bag

(Canada, slang) A bag the size of a hockey bag, large enough to carry a body.


hadda

If I hadda known, I wouldn't've gone.

(Canada, US, nonstandard) had (used in conditional statements; compare had've)


Texas mickey

(Canada, informal) A very large bottle of hard liquor, holding 3,000 ml (106 imperial oz. or 101 US oz.), or, formerly, one holding 133.3 oz.


driver's licence

en-noun

driver's licence (plural driver's licences or drivers' licences)

driver's licences (plural)
drivers' licences (plural)

(Australia, Canada, New Zealand) An official identification document which states the recipient may drive a motorized vehicle.


Girl Guide

It′s cookie season every spring, from early April to mid-May, when hundreds of Girl Guides hit the street flogging boxes of trets in their annual fund-raising drive.

2002, Scott Mitchell, Secret Toronto: The Unique Guidebook to Toronto's Hidden Sites, Sounds & Tastes, page 117:

She was wearing the blue uniform of a Girl Guide.

2006, Richard Whittington-Egan, Molly Whittington-Egan, Murder on File: The World′s Most Notorious Killers, unnumbered page:

Daisy told the group that in Britain, Girl Guides wore uniforms.

2007, Susan Bivin Aller, Juliette Low, page 32:

(UK, Canada) A member of the Girl Guides, a world wide youth organisation for girls.


Girl Guides

1935 July 16, Kenya Gazette, page 802,
The proviso to clause 5 makes it possible for existing Girl Guides organizations which were not formed and do not function under the authority of the Girl Guides Association to avoid the penalties prescribed by the Bill.

Baden-Powell enlisted his sister, Agnes Baden-Powell, to help him form the Girl Guides, when, at his first call to form the group, 6,000 girls registered.

2002, Robert T. Grimm, Notable American Philanthropists: Biographies of Giving and Volunteering, page 189:

A small satellite exhibition at Casa Loma (1 Austin Tce 416-923-1171) celebrates the contributions of Lady Mary Pellatt, wife of the castle′s builder, to Girl Guides in Canada.

2002, Scott Mitchell, Secret Toronto: The Unique Guidebook to Toronto′s Hidden Sites, Sounds & Tastes, page 117:

Hore-Ruthven accepted appointment as Governor of South Australia, arrived in Adelaide in May 1928, and began to travel the state by Moth aeroplane. He took an active role in the Boy Scouts, his wife in the Girl Guides.

2004, Brian Carroll, Australia's Governors General: From Hopetoun to Jeffery, page 103:

(UK, Canada) A worldwide youth organisation for girls. Known as Girl Scouts in the USA.


kiss-ass

(Canada, US, slang) An obsequious person who tries to win the favor of someone, usually their superior.


bohunk

Probably Bohemian + Hungarian. Compare hunk, hunky, honky.

I know you're surprised that I live in a Czech neighborhood. But my father-in-law, a smart old Jew, bought investment property in this nice safe Bohunk district.

1976 September, Saul Bellow, Humboldt’s Gift, New York, N.Y.: Avon Books, →ISBN, page 287:

(Canada, US, ethnic slur) An immigrant from Central Europe, Eastern Europe, or the Balkans, especially one who is regarded as vain, aggressively masculine, and socially unsophisticated.

(Canada, US, derogatory) A brawny or coarse person.


babiche

First attested around 1800–10. From Canadian French, from Mi'kmaq ápapíj (“cord, thread”), diminutive of ápapi, from Proto-Algonquian *aʔlapa·py, *aʔlapa·pyi, from *aʔlapy- (“net”) + *-a·py (“string”).

(Canada, US) Thong(s) of rawhide or sinew used as cord, lacing, or webbing, in the manufacture of snowshoes, braided straps and tumplines, fishing and harpoon lines, knit bags, etc.


rag the puck

en-verb

rag the puck (third-person singular simple present rags the puck, present participle ragging the puck, simple past and past participle ragged the puck)

rags the puck (present singular third-person)
ragging the puck (participle present)
ragged the puck (participle past)
ragged the puck (past)

You're having a brutal year, with sales of Hyundais in Canada down nearly 20 per cent. Are you just trying to rag the puck and kill time until the new Sonatas arrive?

2004 September 30, Michael Vaughan, “Five Questions for President, CEO Hyundai Canada”, in Globe and Mail, Toronto, retrieved 2008-05-12:

We're kind of running the clock here and there's a question as to whether the government's ragging the puck. There's absolutely no reason why we can't get an agreement. I'm optimistic we can, but it's getting a bit late.

2010 June 12, Michael Ignatieff, “Harper may be ‘ragging the puck’ on detainee records: Ignatieff”, in Globe and Mail, Toronto, retrieved 2010-06-12:

(chiefly Canada, by extension) To proceed slowly in order to use up time; to stall for time.


stickhandle

stickhandle (third-person singular simple present stickhandles, present participle stickhandling, simple past and past participle stickhandled)

stickhandles (present singular third-person)
stickhandling (participle present)
stickhandled (participle past)
stickhandled (past)

He has ducked questions in Parliament on everything from Afghan detainees to Radarsat 2, leaving them to be stickhandled by other ministers.

2008, "Editorial: Hillier goes, not Bernier, Toronto Star, 16 Apr. (retrieved 13 May 2008)

Obama, on the other hand, stickhandled his preacher problem and retained his poise and dignity.

2008 May 8, Diane Francis, “Obama vs McCain. Finally”, in National Post, Canada, retrieved 2008-05-13:

(chiefly Canada, by extension) To deal capably and swiftly with a situation, especially in a manner which deflects potential problems.


outharbour

outharbours (plural)
outharbor (alternative)

Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador

(Canada) In Newfoundland and Labrador, any city, town, or village having a harbour, other than the main port of St. John's.


canaille

en-noun

canaille (countable and uncountable, plural canailles)

(uncountable, Canada) Shorts or inferior flour.


rebroadcaster

(Canada) A radio or TV station that relays the programs of another


canaller

canallers (plural)
canaler (alternative)

(nautical, chiefly Canada) A vessel of a design modified for use in a particular canal.


kogo

Blend of K- (“Korea, Korean”) + pogo (“corndog-on-a-stick”)

blend

(Canada, food) Korean-style deep-fried battered sausage on a stick


oogle

If you want to be accepted by them, you have to wear all black. My hair wraps, I have one that's a rainbow, so I'm not a hobo. I'm an oogle, because I'm not wearing all black. That's just kid stuff. But the old hoboes are cool.

2009, Cliff (Oats) Williams, One More Train to Ride (page 52)

[…] an older couple with a dog and a coffee cup containing coins that the woman rattled hopefully. "Like this is a scene. Like this is a choice, like it's some party you can drop by and then leave when you get tired of it. But for some stupid reason, oogles like to playact."
"Wait. You're saying this girl liked to pretend she was homeless?"

2014, April Henry, The Body in the Woods (page 134)

And while Eli's vibe is hipsterish and cheerful, his friends are clearly "travelers" — also known as crusties, also known as crust punks, also known as gutter punks, also known as oogles, also known as homeless, transient young people.

2019, Emily Guendelsberger, On the Clock:

(Canada, US, slang, often derogatory) A hobo or transient who is homeless by choice rather than necessity.


zipperhead

From zipper + head. From the leather helmets formerly used by early Canadian armoured crewmen, with a pattern of stitching resembling a zipper. There is also a folk etymology referring to the zippers on armoured-vehicle crew suits (repurposed flight suits).

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-zipperhead.wav

(Canada, military slang) A soldier in the Royal Canadian Armoured Corps or in the Armoured Crewman military trade.


tube steak

tube steaks (plural)
tube-steak (alternative)
tubesteak (alternative)
tube-steak (alternative)

A rhyming allusion to cube steak and the item's shape.

She said it's often used in doughnuts and American hot dogs (solving at least a minuscule part of the what's-in-a-tube-steak mystery).

2008 May 14, Lisa Donovan, “Mace has sweet, mild flavor all its own”, in Chicago Sun-Times:

(chiefly Canada, US, idiomatic, humorous) A frankfurter/hot dog.

I want to slip my tube steak into your sister. What'll you take in trade?

1987, Stanley Kubrick, Michael Herr, Gustav Hasford, directed by Stanley Kubrick, Full Metal Jacket, spoken by Joker (Matthew Modine):


PMO

en-noun

PMO (countable and uncountable, plural PMOs)

Prime Minister's Office
Prime Minister's Office#English

(government, Canada, Australia, Singapore) Initialism of Prime Minister's Office; The Office of the Prime Minister, composed of the prime minister and his or her top political staff.


D-bag

Just get out of my life, you D-bag!

(neologism, slang, Canada, US) An idiot or jerk; a general-purpose moderate insult.


dogan

dogans (plural)
Dogan (alternative)
dogun (alternative)

First used in the 19th century, exact origin uncertain. Possibly from Dugan.

I turned, expecting to see some skirted, leering priest with a crucifix in his hands summoning us into his dogan den.

2006, Terrence Rundle West, Run of the Town, →ISBN, page 45:

(chiefly Canada, offensive) A Roman Catholic, especially one of Irish origin.


power wall

They're called "power walls"—those highly visible shelves behind convenience store cashiers. Tobacco companies pay big bucks to use them ($100 million in Canada in 2005), admitting the walls are their single most effective advertising tool.

2006 October 9, Jacqueline Nunes, “Can't find the smokes?”, in Maclean's, volume 119, number 40, page 26:

2008, "Tobacco "power wall" displays banned," at www.toronto.ca, (retrieved 2 June 2008),
When you go into your local convenience or grocery store after May 31, 2008, you'll notice the "power wall" displays of tobacco products behind the counter are gone.

(marketing, Canada) Behind retail sales counters in jurisdictions where tobacco advertising has been banned or heavily restricted, a prominent, enticing display of tobacco products.


walk in the snow

walk in the snow (plural walks in the snow)

From a remark by Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Eliott Trudeau (1919-2000) on February 29, 1984, describing how he made his decision to retire.

Mr. Trudeau told reporters yesterday he made the decision to put an end to almost 16 years in office after a long, solitary walk Tuesday night through a blinding Ottawa blizzard. . . . "It was a great walk in the snow."

1984 March 1, Charlotte Montgomery, Thomas Walkom, “Pierre Trudeau steps down. New leader likely by end of June”, in Globe and Mail, Toronto, page 1:

"I went for a walk in the snow last night—and I'm staying." So said Jean Chretien on January 15th, varying the phrase with which Pierre Trudeau announced his sudden resignation as Canada's prime minister in 1984.

2002, “Shuffle in the snow; Politics in Canada”, in The Economist, volume 362, number 8256, page 49:

Even in defeat, Ignatieff could not shake even one more Trudeau comparison. Trudeau's historic long walk in the snow came in February 1984.

2006 December 4, Mike Blanchfield, Norma Greenaway, “Ignatieff takes his own walk in the snow”, in Calgary Herald, Alberta, page A9:

(Canada, chiefly politics, idiomatic) An occasion when a momentous career decision is made, especially a decision to resign or retire.


PQ

(dated, Canada) Abbreviation of Province of Quebec: a province of Canada.


King's Counsel

head

King's Counsel (plural King's Counsel or King's Counsels, abbreviation KC)

King's Counsel (plural)
King's Counsels (plural)
KC (abbreviation)

When the case eventually came to court in December 1903, Wellcome’s team, headed by Moulton, contained three King’s Counsel; they had marshalled seventy-two witnesses and intimated that they could produce as many again.

1994, Robert Rhodes James, “‘A Morbid Misery’”, in Henry Wellcome, London: Hodder & Stoughton, →ISBN, page 292:

Arrayed in front of him was a very expensive line-up of London’s best legal brains. Each director had his own team of two, and in some cases three, defence barristers. Including two King’s Counsels who represented the Official Receiver, there were a dozen silks in court.

2011, Martin Vander Weyer, “[Misfeasance] Wilful Neglect?”, in Fortune’s Spear: The Story of the Blue-Blooded Rogue Behind the Most Notorious City Scandal of the 1920s, London: Elliott and Thompson Limited, →ISBN, page 256:

(UK, Canada, New Zealand, occasionally Australia) An honorific status officially conferred on senior or meritorious barristers (and occasionally other kinds of lawyer) during the reign of a king.


aboideau

en-noun

aboideau (plural aboideaux or aboideaus)

aboideaux (plural)
aboideaus (plural)
aboiteau (alternative)

(Canada, Acadia) A tide gate, designed to protect marshland, so constructed as to let out water at low tide, but to prevent an influx of water at high tide.


plew

From Canadian French, from French poilu (“hairy”). Doublet of poilu.

The cured "plew" of the adult beaver weighed about a pound and a half and at best would fetch from four to six dollars a pound at the mountain rendezvous

1967, John Arkas Hawgood, America's Western Frontiers: The Exploration and Settlement, page 96:

"The days when a good plew fetched six dollars, beaver or kitten, is over," he grumbled. "The beaver trade's rubbed out, Lank.

2001, Armstrong Sperry, Wagons Westward: The Old Trail to Santa Fe, page 7:

The price for a pint was a beaver plew or an Indian buffalo robe. Coffee and gunpowder were a plew or a robe a pound, blankets fifteen plews apiece,

2005, Ralph Moody, Stanley Galli, Kit Carson And The Wild Frontier, page 46:


kabloona

kabloona (plural kabloonas or kabloona or kabloonat)

kabloonas (plural)
kabloona (plural)
kabloonat (plural)
kabluna (alternative)
kadloona (alternative)

Borrowed from Eastern Canadian Inuktitut ᖃᓪᓗᓈᖅ (qallunaaq, “foreigner”) or Greenlandic kablunâk (“white person, Dane”) (now spelled qallunaaq), or a combination of the two.

bor

After food and pleasantries had been exchanged, the old man asked what they were doing so far from the God-Walking People's northern lands, and when one of the hunters explained that they were looking for living or dead kabloona […]

(Canada, US) A non-Inuit person in Canada or Greenland, especially a European or someone of European descent.


kudlik

kudliks (plural)
qudlik (alternative)
qulliq (alternative)

Borrowed from Greenlandic ĸutdleĸ, now spelled qulleq; cognate to Inuktitut ᖁᓪᓕᖅ (qolliq).

(Canada, historical) A type of soapstone lamp used by the Inuit, a qulliq.


machicote

Borrowed from Ojibwe majigoodenh (“dress”), from Proto-Algonquian *-iko·tay (“skirt”), with an empty prefix and contemptive suffix.

bor+

(US, Canada, historical) An underskirt worn by some Native American girls and women.


nitchie

nitchies (plural)
neechee (alternative)
neechie (alternative)
neechi (alternative)

From Ojibwe niijii (“my friend”); its further origin is not entirely clear. Eugene Stillday says it is a short form of niijikiwenh (“my brother, my fellow man”).
Also from Cree [Term?].

(Canada, derogatory) A Native North American.

(Canada, used among ethnic Ojibwe and Cree) (my) friend


quickhatch

quickhatches (plural)
quickehatch (alternative obsolete)
quickèhatch (alternative obsolete)
quiquehatch (alternative obsolete)
queequehatch (alternative obsolete)
quequahatch (alternative obsolete)
quequehatch (alternative obsolete)
quiquahatch (alternative obsolete)
quiquihatch (alternative obsolete)
quickahash (alternative obsolete)

From East Cree *ᑸᐦᑾᐦᐋᒉᐤ (*kwiihkwahaacew) (modern Cree ᑮᐦᑿᐦᐋᐦᑫᐤ (kiihkwahaahkew, “wolverine”); compare Ojibwe gwiingwa'aage); assimilated to quick + hatch, omitting the middle syllable present in older forms.


unhyphenated

... when we shall recognize in our press and at the ballot box no votes but American votes, and no citizens but simply unhyphenated American citizens; when we shall insist that every man who places a ballot in our ballot box shall be able to read that ballot in the language of Lincoln and Grant, we shall have reached the hour when we may begin the most momentous and delicate task ever set before a people—the creation of a great nation out of the fragments of many diverse and even hostile nationalities.

1894, Rena Michaels Atchison, Un-American immigration: its present effects and future perils, C. H. Kerr & company, page 140:

For Pennsylvania yields to no State in the courage and virility of her sons—plain, unhyphenated Americans, not yet pushed by invaders off the soil; loyal men, whose fathers gave their blood like water for the Union.

1916, Agnes Repplier, quoted in "The Glory of Pennsylvania", American Lutheran survey, Volume 5, Lutheran Survey Pub. Co., page 78

First of all, and probably greatest of all in view of most present-day writers, they were "unhyphenated!" This is indeed wonderful! And again, most wonderful! Unhyphenated! So interesting a fact as this, and one so eminently desirable, invites most critical investigation, for the very breath of suggestion insinuates at once that "hyphenism" and "Americanism" are by the very nature of things contradictory, and that "hyphenism" must needs be on a par with, if not exactly the same as, treason. We are therefore very much interested in the new fact that Pennsylvania's glory lies in the giving of "unhyphenated" Americans to the new nation born of the travails of the Revolution.

1916, L. W. Rupp, "The Glory of Pennsylvania", American Lutheran survey, Volume 5, Lutheran Survey Pub. Co., page 78

Some believe it is an expression of Hebrew-Americanism, others think it is an expressio of Negro-Americanism, still other's think it is pure American, unhyphenated.

1922-10-26, "Leave jazz alone", The Musical Courier (reprinted in 2002, Karl Koenig, Jazz in print (1856-1929): an anthology of selected early readings in jazz history, Pendragon Press, page 210)

The concept that Canada was "one nation" and its citizens "unhyphenated", in Diefenbaker's words, had to be set aside.

1984, Janet Kerr Morchain, Mason Wade, Search for a nation: Canada's crises in French-English relations, 1759-1980, Fitzhenry & Whiteside, page 66:

The score for Unhyphenated white men, 36.0, falls just about midway between all white men and black men; the mean prestige score for Unhyphenated white women is 33.6, is considerably closer to the level for black women than all white women.

1985, Richard D. Alba, Ethnicity and race in the U.S.A.: toward the twenty-first century, Routledge & K. Paul, page 178:

Early on Trudeau scorned the idea of making everyone "good, clean, unhyphenated Canadians," and the Reform is explicitly opposed to the Trudeau government's bilingual and multicultural programs.

1992, R. Kent Weaver, The Collapse of Canada?, Brookings Institution Press, page 149:

Stanley Lieberson (1985) has used the term unhyphenated white to identify a growing group of Americans who lack any clear-cut identification with or knowledge of specific European origins.

1996, Wynetta Devore, Elfriede G. Schlesinger, Ethnic-sensitive social work practice, Allyn and Bacon, page 34:

Who—what—were African Americans becoming in relation to political change in America and Africa? Would they simply become unhyphenated Americans, or, in gaining formal equality, would they enact a transnational American citizenship in solidarity with African peoples and in so doing participate in the democratization of America?

2006, Kevin Kelly Gaines, American Africans in Ghana: Black expatriates and the civil rights era, UNC Press Books, page 76:

2007, Herb Duerr, The Unhyphenated Canuck: Reflections and Confessions of an Opinionated Immigrant, iUniverse.com
The Unhyphenated Canuck: Reflections and Confessions of an Opinionated Immigrant (title)

The color barriers in superhero comic books began to fall in 1969 when Marvel Comics introduced the Falcon, the first African-American superhero (the Black Panther, an unhyphenated African superhero preceded him three years prior) in Captain America #117.

2010, Steve Kenson, Mutants & Masterminds: Silver Age, Green Ronin Publishing, →ISBN, page 16:

(Canada, US) Of people, belonging to a single ethnicity or nationality.


job action

(chiefly US, Canada) A workplace protest by employees designed to inconvenience or disrupt the business of the employer, especially one which is limited in duration or severity.


Edmonchuk

Edmonton + -chuk, a suffix from Ukrainian surnames, from Ukrainian -чук (-čuk), in reference to Edmonton's large proportion of residents of Ukrainian ancestry.

(Canada, informal) The city of Edmonton, Canada.


Rand formula

From Supreme Court of Canada Justice Ivan C. Rand (1884–1969), who developed the formula in 1946.

collective agreement
collective agreement

(Canada, law) The principle, widely recognized in Canadian law and in collective agreements, that all employees of a unionized workplace must pay dues to the labor union, whether they choose to be members of the union or not.


NORAD

w:North American Aerospace Defense Command

(US, Canada, military) Acronym of North American Aerospace Defense Command

Commandement de la Défense Aérospatiale de l'Amérique du Nord

北米航空宇宙防衛司令部

ほくべい こうくううちゅうぼうえいしれいぶ


smokie

(Canada, US) A type of smoked sausage, often used for hot dogs.


country wife

(Canada, historical) A fur trader's First Nations or Métis common-law wife.


cover someone's ass

en-verb

cover someone's ass (third-person singular simple present covers someone's ass, present participle covering someone's ass, simple past and past participle covered someone's ass)

covers someone's ass (present singular third-person)
covering someone's ass (participle present)
covered someone's ass (participle past)
covered someone's ass (past)

Killian kept the files because "he was trying to cover his ass," Via said. "He was always worried something would come back on him."

2004 September 14, Jim Drinkard, Dave Moniz, “Secretary: Memos are forgeries”, in USA Today:

(Canada, US, idiomatic, vulgar) To make preparations or take precautions to ensure that a person is not blamed or punished for his or her conduct.


bloater

From bloat + -er, because they swell during preparation.

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-bloater.wav

(Canada, US) A freshwater fish native to the Great Lakes (Coregonus hoyi).


humourless

en-adj

humourless (comparative more humourless, superlative most humourless)

more humourless (comparative)
most humourless (superlative)

Every guest is appalled and fantastically humourless about the experience, even at this distance. You cannot help but wonder at cultural divides and how differently the British might have approached – or at least recalled – such events, at least in the early days. For us, surely, it would be a story for the ages. You could dine out on it for ever, so to speak.

2025 June 24, Lucy Mangan, “Poop Cruise review – a fascinating look at a toilet disaster that still haunts passengers 12 years later”, in The Guardian:

(British spelling, Canada) Alternative spelling of humorless.


assward

en-adv

assward (comparative more assward, superlative most assward)

more assward (comparative)
most assward (superlative)

(Canada, US, informal) Ass first; backward.


asswards

asswards (comparative more asswards, superlative most asswards)

more asswards (comparative)
most asswards (superlative)

(Canada, US, slang) Ass first; backwards.


grounders

"It's so cool," Nolan, a Grade 5 student at Dalhousie said, adding that he was looking forward to the first game of grounders. "It has three slides and I like the colours. They're really nice."

2016 May 16, “Dalhousie ready to play”, in Winnipeg Free Press, archived from the original on 2023-03-04:

Apparently, kids like to climb, swing and slide. Who knew? And they like playground games. Two favourites (ask a kid if you don't know) are grounders (it combines tag and hide-and-seek) and gaga ball (a kinder, gentler version of dodge ball).

2017 April 5, Jeff Outhit, “UW students building the perfect playground”, in Waterloo Region Record, archived from the original on 2023-03-04:

The games they learn to play — like the tag game "grounders" or "cops-and-robbers" — are things that show up on many school playgrounds.

2019 July 16, Clare Hennig, “Future of summer camp for refugee children uncertain as student founders graduate”, in CBC News, archived from the original on 2021-10-26:

(Canada, playground games) A playground game in which one person is chosen to be "it" (and must keep their eyes shut) and tries to tag others, who become "it" instead, either by touching them or by calling out "grounders" while they are on the ground (rather than on a climber).


parkland

(Canada, US) A landscape characterized by a mixture of treed groves and open grasslands, akin to a Eurasian forest steppe.


tire kicker

(Canada, US) Alternative form of tyre kicker.


scrutineer

(Canada) A person who observes any process which requires rigorous oversight.


bush pilot

Last month, landed by a bush pilot on a glacier at 7,000 ft., the four began their long push—the kind of adventure that pales a plains dweller.

1959 July 13, “‘The Great One’”, in Time:

(chiefly Canada, Australia, New Guinea) A pilot who flies small aircraft to and from remote locations, over expanses of relatively unpopulated territory.


God Save the King

Based on an Old English translation of 2 Kings 11:12 likely made by Dunstan for King Edgar's coronation in 973.

(Australia, Canada, New Zealand, UK) An expression of one’s patriotism and hope for the long life of the monarch, especially in his presence.


storm-stayed

(Scotland, Canada, Maritimes and Ontario) stranded due to bad weather, snowed in.


jelly doughnut

jelly doughnuts (plural)
jelly donut (alternative)

(Canada, US) A doughnut filled with jam and usually topped with icing sugar.


file cabinet

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-file cabinet.wav

(Canada, US) An item of office furniture comprising a set of either drawers, or shelves with individual doors or panels, sized to standard widths of file folders and traditionally used for the storage of files.


Johnny-jump-up

(Canada, US) Any of several violets or pansies.

Any of several violets or pansies.
Viola bicolor (American field pansy)

Any of several violets or pansies.
Viola cornuta (tufted pansy)

Viola pedunculata (California golden violet)

Viola tricolor
Viola tricolor#Translingual

Viola tricolor (heartsease, wild pansy, pansy, et al.)

He spoke almost dreamily, as if he was all by himself, out in the woods, picking johnny-jump-ups.

1940, Raymond Chandler, Farewell, My Lovely, Penguin, published 2010, page 6:


chequing account

en-noun

chequing account (plural chequing accounts)

In the next town he wired money to his daughter’s chequing account and kept driving.

2009, Emily St. John Mandel, Last Night in Montreal, Picador (2015), page 149:

checking account
checking account#English

(British and Canada) Alternative spelling of checking account.


mailpiece

From mail + piece; part of the business jargon of postal services and mail marketers for more than a century, but not common among the general public until the 21st century.

You have 0 mailpiece(s) and 1 inbound package(s) arriving soon. [U.S. Postal Service Informed Delivery email of the 2020s]

Each mailjob is composed of pages that go into a single envelope. These are called mailpieces.

1995 April, Anthony F. Stuart, Technical Association of the Graphic Arts, Proceedings, page 442:

The name and return address of the authorized nonprofit organization must be either on the outside of the mailpiece or in a prominent location

2002, Bruce R. Hopkins, The Law of Fundraising, page 316:

(chiefly Canada, US) (countable) A piece of mail, that is, an item of (physical) mail; especially, an item of flat envelope form factor as contrasted with an item of package form factor.


drop the writ

en-verb

drop the writ (third-person singular simple present drops the writ, present participle dropping the writ, simple past and past participle dropped the writ)

drops the writ (present singular third-person)
dropping the writ (participle present)
dropped the writ (participle past)
dropped the writ (past)

Compression of draw up the writ. "Writ" means a writ of election issued by the Governor that initiates a parliamentary election.

Mr. Chrétien visited Governor-General Adrienne Clarkson and asked her to drop the writ, meaning that for the next 36 days, Canada will be hit with election fever.

2000 October 22, Allison Dunfield, “Chrétien calls election for Nov. 27”, in Globe and Mail, Toronto:

(Canada, idiomatic) To call a federal or provincial election.


brokedown

But it's got a brokedown drive. It can only hobble along. They can't try to get but so far! What's the nearest sol-type star?

2012, Murray Leinster, A Matter of Importance, page 25:

(Canada, US, informal) Broken; not working properly.


Golden Horseshoe

Reportedly coined by Westinghouse President Herbert H. Rogge, in a speech to the Hamilton Chamber of Commerce on 12 Jan. 1954.

The big success story in Canada this year is the tale of the 120-mile rim of rolling land that hugs the western shore of Lake Ontario from Oshawa to Niagara Falls. One out of every seven Canadians now lives there. . . . They proudly call the area "the Golden Horseshoe."

1960 February 22, “‘An Ongoing Process’”, in Time:

Half of those new immigrants came to Ontario. . . . Once here, most of them settled in the Golden Horseshoe area, now home to 8.1 million people, or one-quarter of all Canadians.

2007 May 18, “Editorial: Immigration targets go beyond numbers”, in Toronto Star, retrieved 2008-09-08:

(Canada, informal) The U-shaped area of the Canadian province of Ontario which extends along the northwestern, western, and southwestern shoreline of Lake Ontario from metropolitan Toronto to the Niagara River, comprising one of Canada's most populated and economically productive regions.


canoeman

(chiefly Canada, historical) A voyageur.


head cheese

en-noun

head cheese (countable and uncountable, plural head cheeses)

(US, Canada) A terrine made from the flesh of the head of a pig (such as the face).


heavy cream

heavy cream (countable and uncountable, plural heavy creams)

(Canada, US) A rich cream, at least 36 percent of which is milkfat.


light cream

The standard of identity is from 21 CFR §131.155.

(Canada, US) A cream at least 18 percent of which is fat.


cross the aisle

en-verb

cross the aisle (third-person singular simple present crosses the aisle, present participle crossing the aisle, simple past and past participle crossed the aisle)

crosses the aisle (present singular third-person)
crossing the aisle (participle present)
crossed the aisle (participle past)
crossed the aisle (past)

Liberal members pounded their desks in delight as Social Crediter Horace (Bud) Olson (Medicine Hat) picked up his books and papers and crossed the aisle to take the last seat in the third row on the Government side. This symbolic gesture completed his defection.

1967 September 26, Geoffrey Stevens, “Kind thoughts, gentle words, then House reverts to form”, in Globe and Mail, Canada, page 1:

A Conservative member of Parliament crossed the aisle this weekend to join the resurgent Labor Party of Tony Blair.

1995 October 9, John Darnton, “Tories, With a Bagful of Woes, Are Hurt by a Defection”, in New York Times, retrieved 2008-09-27:

When asked by Duffy about rumours that he was being heavily courted by the Tories to cross the aisle and join them, Kilgour replied that they've opened "No doors."

2005 April 14, “Kilgour can't 'live with himself,' quits Grits”, in CTV.ca, retrieved 2009-04-01:

After Stronach's 2005 defection to Paul Martin's Liberals . . . . [a]t least one Tory MP openly called her a "whore" for crossing the aisle.

2007 April 16, David Olive, “Belinda accomplished much in relatively short time”, in Toronto Star, Canada, retrieved 2009-04-01:

(chiefly British and Canada, idiomatic, politics) Of a member of a parliament, to resign from one's political party and join another party, resulting in moving from one's currently assigned desk or seat in the legislative chamber to a new desk or seat physically located with the other members of one's new party.


Main Street

Thanks to a $700 billion TARP bailout and hundreds of billions of dollars in nearly free of charge loans by the Federal Reserve (a policy Soros himself told me was a "hidden gift" to the banks), Wall Street has surged back to pre-crisis levels of compensation even as Main Street continues to struggle.

2011 January–February, Chrystia Freeland, “The rise of the new global elite”, in The Atlantic, archived from the original on 2015-12-20:

(idiomatic, Canada, US, collective) Everyday working-class people and small business owners, especially with regard to their concerns, social views, etc.


javelina

javelinas (plural)
jabalina (alternative)
javeli (alternative)

From Spanish javalina, jabalina, feminine form of jabalí (“wild boar”), from Andalusian Arabic جَبَلِي (jabalī) (in خِنْزِير جَبَلِيّ (ḵinzīr jabaliyy, “mountain pig”)), from Arabic جَبَل (jabal, “mountain”). Cognate with Portuguese javalina, and similar in other Iberian languages.

The Javelina (Peccari) is an animal peculiar so far as I know to Spanish America.

1831, Benjamin Lundy, editor, The Genius of Universal Emancipation, page 117:

Some well-mounted heads of deer and one of an enormous black javeli projected from the walls.

1903 February, O. Henry [pseudonym; William Sydney Porter], “Hygeia at the Solito”, in Everybody’s Magazine, volume VIII, number 2, New York, N.Y.: John Wanamaker, →ISSN, page 174, column 2:

We […] were ready to send some prickly pears to the next world when the most unfortunate group of javelina on earth walked into view.

2013, Philipp Meyer, The Son, Simon & Schuster, published 2014, page 264:

(Canada, US) A peccary (Tayassuidae spp.), especially a collared peccary (Dicotyles tajacu).


have the biscuit

have the biscuit (third-person singular simple present has the biscuit, present participle having the biscuit, simple past and past participle had the biscuit)

has the biscuit (present singular third-person)
having the biscuit (participle present)
had the biscuit (participle past)
had the biscuit (past)

From have + the + biscuit (“Communion wafer”).

(idiomatic, Canada) To be of no further use; to be near death.


gas pedal

(Canada, US, automotive) An accelerator; a foot control for fuel flow.


square off

square off (third-person singular simple present squares off, present participle squaring off, simple past and past participle squared off)

squares off (present singular third-person)
squaring off (participle present)
squared off (participle past)
squared off (past)

Hey, man, don't square off on me with some bullshit.

1984, Daniel Petrie Jr., Beverly Hills Cop, spoken by Axel Foley (Eddie Murphy), Paramount Pictures:

When James Baldwin Squared Off Against William F. Buckley Jr. [title]

2019 October 18, Thomas Meaney, “When James Baldwin Squared Off Against William F. Buckley Jr.”, in New York Times:

2023 September 7, “US, China square off on the South China Sea as Indonesia urges leaders to maintain peace”, in CNA:

(Canada, US) To get ready for a confrontation (debate, argument, fight).


chequing

(British and Canada) Alternative spelling of checking.


grilled cheese

en-noun

grilled cheese (countable and uncountable, plural grilled cheeses)

The syntax around the term's usage supports the idea that it originated as an ellipsis of grilled cheese sandwich.

I'll have a grilled cheese and a bowl of tomato soup, please.

—Do you like grilled cheese? —I love grilled cheese! Especially with bacon and tomato!

Third, when you go to lunch today, instead of ordering a steak, ask for a grilled cheese.

1970, “Time”, in Time Inc., volume 96, numbers 1-9, page 43:

A man of impeccable class, he also buys ready-made suits on sale and would as soon have grilled cheese and iced tea as coq au vin.

1973 September, Anne Crawford and Jack Keever, “John Connally Between the Acts”, in Texas Monthly, ISSN 0148-7736, Volume 1, Issue 8 (September, 1973), page 44

We sat out among the sidewalk tables, and I had a grilled cheese with bacon.

a. 2000, C. Bard Cole, “Young Hemingways”, in Briefly told lives, Macmillan, published 2000, →ISBN, page 120:

I passed on the healthy stuff and had a grilled cheese.

2001, Terry Bisson, The Pickup Artist, Macmillan, published 2002, →ISBN, page 23:

Stewie: Does anybody wanna buy my shirt? [pause] I'll trade you my shirt for a grilled cheese!

2008 March 2, Danny Smith, “Play It Again”, in Family Guy, season 6 episode 10, 14:44-14:50:

He lunched on grilled cheese in Toronto and sashimi in Tokyo and had the chance to stick his finger in a true-to-life Dutch dike in Almere, Holland.

2009 December, in Dwell, ISSN 1530-5309, Volume 10, Number 2 (December 2009/January 2010), page 28

(Canada, US, usually countable) A cheese sandwich typically toasted or fried in butter.


Conservative

(politics) A member of a political party incorporating the word "Conservative" in its name.

(Canada, politics) A member or supporter of the Conservative Party of Canada, or its predecessors, or provincial equivalents, or their predecessors


unpolite

en-adj

unpolite (comparative more unpolite, superlative most unpolite)

more unpolite (comparative)
most unpolite (superlative)

From un- + polite. Compare earlier unpolished.

[H]e has all along (by his threatening and unpolite behaviour to my friends, and whenever he speaks of them) given me reason to conclude, that there is more malice to them, than regard to me, in his perseverance.

1748, [Samuel Richardson], “Letter LVII”, in Clarissa. Or, The History of a Young Lady: […], volume (please specify |volume=I to VII), London: […] S[amuel] Richardson; […], →OCLC:

(now chiefly Canada, US) Lacking in good manners; impolite, discourteous.


carry the can

en-verb

carry the can (third-person singular simple present carries the can, present participle carrying the can, simple past and past participle carried the can)

carries the can (present singular third-person)
carrying the can (participle present)
carried the can (participle past)
carried the can (past)

For Vajpayee, who is keen that he alone does not carry the can for his unwieldy alliance, it is a tough decision.

1998 April 25, Arati R. Jerath, "18 partners hunt for one voice," Indian Express (Bombay) (retrieved 21 Oct 2008)

You could reasonably argue that Brown himself should carry the can for much of the regulatory failure of the banks.

2008 October 16, Adrian Hamilton, “Comment: I wouldn't get too carried away by success if I were Brown”, in The Independent, UK, retrieved 2008-10-21:

They're not going to play the patsy where they carry the can for all the woes caused by a tanking in oil prices that's already happened.

2015 June 17, Rick Bell, “Alberta NDP government chooses not to kick province's oil industry when it's down”, in Calgary Sun, Canada, retrieved 2015-09-25:

(British, Canada, idiomatic) To take responsibility, especially in a challenging situation.


regular coffee

en-noun

regular coffee (countable and uncountable, plural regular coffees)

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-regular coffee.wav

Gimme three regular coffees and three blacks.

Coffee of the sort which is considered the default in a given area:

(Canada) Coffee with one cream and one sugar.


news anchor

(US, Canada) A presenter of news broadcasts.


Saskabush

(Canada, informal, humorous) The city of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada.


purple gas

(Canada, Prairies) Gasoline priced with reduced taxes for farm use, identified by adding purple dye.


cheap like borscht

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-cheap like borscht.wav

Calque of Yiddish ביליק ווי באָרשט (bilik vi borsht), as the beets used to make it were among the cheapest vegetables.

calque

ביליק ווי באָרשט

(Canada, informal, simile) Very inexpensive.


play silly buggers

en-verb

play silly buggers (third-person singular simple present plays silly buggers, present participle playing silly buggers, simple past and past participle played silly buggers)

plays silly buggers (present singular third-person)
playing silly buggers (participle present)
played silly buggers (participle past)
played silly buggers (past)
play silly beggars (alternative)

"Look," he said, "it's just fate playing silly buggers with you. With me. With us. It's a complete coincidence."

1982, Douglas Adams, Life, the Universe and Everything, page 95:

(British, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, idiomatic) To act in a stupid or reckless manner.


N/S

(Canada, military) Abbreviation of non-serviceable, used on tags attached to equipment needing servicing.


half note

(Canada, US, music) A musical note that is two beats long, which is half the length of a semibreve and equal in length to two crotchets; a minim.


wah-wah

onom

Imitative

When told during a Fox News segment about a 10-year-old with Down syndrome who was separated from her mother at the southern border, the former campaign manager of President Trump replied, "Wah wah."

2018 June 20, “Corey Lewandowski Mocks Immigrant Child With Down Syndrome Taken From Mother: 'Wah, Wah'”, in Inside Edition:

(US, Canada, onomatopoeia) The sad trombone sound, used to indicate failure or disappointment. May be used mockingly; also written wah wah and womp womp.


sugar cookie

(US, Canada) A cookie with granules of sugar sprinkled on the top before baking.


microneighbourhood

UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, and South Africa spelling of microneighborhood.


leg.

One argument made a lot in the leg. was that the bill would simplify voting.


legislative building

en-noun

legislative building (plural legislative buildings)

legislative buildings (plural)
leg. (alternative)

(Canada) The meeting place of a provincial legislature.


National Assembly

en-proper noun

National Assembly (plural National Assemblies)

National Assemblies (plural)
national assembly (alternative)

(Canada) Provincial legislature of Quebec.


governor general

en-noun

governor general (plural governors general)

governors general (plural)
governor-general (alternative)

/ˈɡʌvənɚ ˌdʒɛn(ə)ɹəl/

/ˈɡʌv(ə)nə ˌdʒɛnɹəl/

[ˈɡɐv(ɘ̃)nɜ ˌdʒẽnɹɯ]

حَاكِم عَامّ

governor or viceroy possessing some military authority

In 1968, as one of the projects sponsored by the federal Centennial Commission, Irma Coucill was asked to add drawings of all the Governors General and Prime Ministers since Confederation.

2005, Irma Coucill, Preface: Canada′s Prime Ministers, Governors General and Fathers of Confederation, page 7:

But in a minority government scenario, the governor general might still be called upon to play a part.

2009, Rand Dyck, Canadian Politics, page 320:

(Canada, Australia, New Zealand) An official appointed by the reigning British monarch to govern a Commonwealth realm as the monarch's representative.


emergency room

(Canada, US, Philippines, healthcare) A department of a hospital where seriously ill or injured patients, often with life-threatening conditions that require urgent or immediate treatment, are brought in, usually by ambulance.

otdelénije ékstrennoj medicínskoj pómošči

отделе́ние э́кстренной медици́нской по́мощи


grocery store

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-grocery store.wav

(chiefly US, Canada) A store where groceries can be purchased, especially a supermarket.


harbourmaster

(British, Canada) Alternative spelling of harbormaster.


CPC

C.P.C. (alternative)
C. P. C. (alternative)

(Canada, sports) Abbreviation of Canadian Paralympic Committee.


CRAP

(Canada, politics) Initialism of Conservative-Reform Alliance Party, since merged into the Canadian Alliance.


Natural Governing Party

So called because it has been the governing political party of Canada for most of its history.

Liberal Party of Canada
Liberal Party of Canada

(Canada, politics, slang) The Liberal Party of Canada (LPC).


Progressive Conservative Party

the Progressive Conservative Party (canonical)

Conservative Party of Canada
Conservative Party of Canada

Liberal-Conservative Party of Canada
Liberal-Conservative Party of Canada

Progressive Party of Canada
Progressive Party of Canada

(Canada, politics) a political party in Canada with a right of centre ideology, which succeed the old Conservative Party of Canada, Liberal-Conservative Party of Canada, Blue Party and absorbed the Progressive Party of Canada. It was itself succeeded by the new Conservative Party of Canada.


Progressive Conservative

Progressive Conservative (plural Progressive Conservatives)

Progressive Conservative Party
Progressive Conservative Party

(Canada, politics) A member of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada.


Progressive Conservative

en-adj

Progressive Conservative (not comparable)

(Canada, politics) Pertaining to the Progressive Conservative Party.

progressiste-conservateur

pertaining to the Progressive Conservative Party


slobby

slobby (comparative slobbier, superlative slobbiest)

slobbier (comparative)
slobbiest (superlative)

They had to run for his father and then launch a skiff into the slobby ice, half poling, half hauling toward the spot where he'd last been seen […]

2003, Michael Crummey, Flesh and Blood, page 38:


gapers' block

gapers' blocks (plural)
gapers block (alternative)

In the lingo of the traffic reporters, "gapers' block" is a tie-up caused by motorists slowing down to gape at an accident.

In the pretty, tranquil valley, elk were feeding just off the highway, creating a gapers block.

2001, "Rocky Road Rocky Mountain National Park boasts as ear-popping drive full of peak experiences," Wichita Eagle (Kansas), 25 Mar., p. 1G

(chiefly US and Canada, idiomatic) A traffic jam resulting from motorists slowing to look at a motor vehicle collision or other roadside distraction.


reoffer

en-verb

reoffer (third-person singular simple present reoffers, present participle reoffering, simple past and past participle reoffered)

reoffers (present singular third-person)
reoffering (participle present)
reoffered (participle past)
reoffered (past)

"I am announcing that I will not be reoffering as the candidate in the riding of Malpeque in the next federal election."

2021 June 14, Sara Fraser, “'It's been an honour': Wayne Easter announces he won't reoffer in next federal election”, in CBC News (news):

Meanwhile, in the riding of Cape Breton-Canso, Rodger Cuzner also plans to reoffer.

2018 July 11, Jeremy Fraser, “Sydney-Victoria MP to reoffer”, in Cape Breton Post (news):

(Canada, politics) To campaign for elected office on a second or subsequent occasion, esp. in the context of declining to do so.


jeweller's

jewellers' (plural)
jeweler's (alternative)

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-jeweller's.wav

(UK, Canada) A shop that sells jewellery.


smoked meat

en-noun

smoked meat (countable and uncountable, plural smoked meats)

smoked meats (plural)
smoke meat (alternative)

pastrami

a similar deli meat made from a navel cut

(Canada) A salt-cured, spiced, smoked beef brisket, similar to pastrami, developed in Montreal from Eastern European Yiddish Jewish traditions. Traditionally, this is made from a brisket cut, though derivatives may use other cuts.


tea dance

tea dances (plural)
T-dance (alternative)
T dance (alternative)

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-tea dance.wav

(US, Canada) Any late afternoon or early evening dance, especially one similar to nightclub dancing that would usually be held later at night.


alexanders

alexanders (plural)
Alexanders (alternative)

From French alisander, apparently named for Alexander the Great, for one or more species thought to be endemic to Macedonia.

/ˌælɪɡˈzændɚz/

/ˌælɪɡˈzɑːndəz/

(chiefly Canada, US) Various plants of genus Zizia or Angelica thought to resemble European alexanders.


byelection

byelections (plural)
by-election (alternative)
byeelection (alternative)

(Canada, New Zealand, often UK) Alternative form of by-election.


ratepayer

The government is supposed to mediate between ratepayers and the power company.

(chiefly Canada, US) Someone who pays for a public utility or service.


stovetop

stovetops (plural)
stove-top (alternative)

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-stovetop.wav

You make this on the stovetop, not in the oven.

(cooking, US, Canada) The top of a stove; usually specifically the burners.


friulano

friulano (countable and uncountable, plural friulanos)

From Italian friulano (“Friulian”). In Italian the cheese is called montasio.

(Canada) A cow's-milk cheese with firm pale-yellow flesh and a mild flavour, originating in Friuli, Italy.


-emia

From the New Latin combining form of Ancient Greek αἷμᾰ (haîmă), αἵμᾰτος (haímătos, “blood”).

(chiefly Canada, US) Alternative spelling of -aemia.


brainpan

brainpans (plural)
brain-pan (alternative)
braynepan (alternative)

From Middle English brayn panne, from Old English bræġnpanne, corresponding to brain + pan.

Many a time but for a Sallet, my braine-pan had bene cleft with a brown Bill.

1591 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Second Part of Henry the Sixt, […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies. […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene ix]:

Yet, whether thwart or flatly it did lyte, / The tempred steele did not into his braynepan byte.

1596, Edmund Spenser, “Book VI, Canto VI”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC:

(now chiefly Canada, US, colloquial) The braincase; the skull.

‘And a hard word it is,’ said Richie, ‘as my brainpan kens to this blessed moment.’

1822, Walter Scott, The Fortunes of Nigel:

(now chiefly Canada, US, colloquial) The brain or mind.


chief petty officer

chief petty officer (plural chief petty officers)

chief petty officer first class
chief petty officer first class

chief petty officer second class
chief petty officer second class

(Canada, Navy) A warrant officer belonging to one of the two classes of chief petty officer: chief petty officer first class and chief petty officer second class.


Medicare

(Canada) Alternative letter-case form of medicare.


reading week

From reading + week.
From every class period of the school day during the school week being a reading period, where students read their notes and self-revised class material in preparation for assessments.

(UK, Canada) A week during a university's term where no teaching takes place, generally so that students may prepare for tests.

(Canada) A spring break; often specifically the March break.


Tyndall stone

Tyndall stone (usually uncountable, plural Tyndall stones)

After the town of Tyndall, Manitoba, where the stone is quarried, in turn named after Irish physicist John Tyndall (1820–93). Tyndall, Tindall (“inhabitant of the Tyne river valley”) < Tyne.

More and more my father chooses to decorate the stone surfaces with elaborate cipher, even though Tyndall stone, with its mottled coloring, is thought to be resistant to fine carving.

1994, Carol Shields, The Stone Diaries, Toronto: Penguin., →ISBN, page 64:

(Canada) A dolomitic limestone quarried in the vicinity of Tyndall, Manitoba, Canada, famous for its pervasive mottling and numerous fossils.


Abitibi

From Algonquin abi'ta-bi-g (“halfway across water”), from abi'ta (“halfway”) + bi (“water”).

bor

(ethnography, Canada) A member of a certain Algonquin people of Ontario.


toboggan slide

(Canada) A track prepared with ice or snow, for sledding down a slope or slide.

(Canada, figuratively) A quick, unstoppable decline.


Manitoba maple

(Canada) A small, fast-growing and fairly short-lived species of North American maple with pinnately compound leaves, Acer negundo.


Gordie Howe hat trick

en-noun

Gordie Howe hat trick (plural Gordie Howe hat tricks)

From Gordie Howe + hat trick.
Named for Gordie Howe (1928–2016), considered one of the all-time best ice hockey players, but known for his tendency to fight.

"Basil got a ‘Gordie Howe hat trick’," Dave Gagner said. "He scored a goal, got an assist on the winner and got into a fight. A hell of a fight!"

1989 December 17, “North Stars Snap Road Slump 4-3”, in St. Paul Pioneer Press, retrieved 2013-09-21:

"Last February against Anaheim," Severyn said . . . "I got a Gordie Howe hat trick that night. You know, a goal, a fight and an assist."

1996 November 23, Rick Sadowski, “Severyn has starring role as AVs trip up Islanders”, in Rocky Mountain News, retrieved 2013-09-21:

The assist came in the first period. . . . The goal came later in the first. . . . Then in the third, to complete the Gordie Howe hat trick, the fight just happened, said Milan Lucic.

2010 October 20, Fluto Shinzawa, “Lucic settles a score and Bruins capitalize”, in Boston Globe, retrieved 2013-09-21:

(Canada and US, ice hockey) The triple achievement of a goal, an assist for a goal, and participation in a fight, within a single game.

Gordie Howe
Gordie Howe hat trick
en:Gordie Howe


Bombardier

Company founded in Valcourt, Quebec, in 1941; from family name of founder Joseph-Armand Bombardier.

(Canada) An enclosed passenger vehicle, propelled over snow and ice by caterpillar tracks and steered by skis, whose actual original product name was Auto-Neige™/Snowmobile™, made by Bombardier Ltée.


Bloody Caesar

Bloody Caesars (plural)
bloody Caesar (alternative)
bloody caesar (alternative)

(Canada) A cocktail made from clamato (clam-tomato juice) and vodka, and often garnished with celery.


beavertail

beavertails (plural)
beaver tail (alternative)
beaver-tail (alternative)

(Canada, US) Any object like a beaver's tail, oval or tear-drop in plan, usually broad and flat; usually beaver-tail.

(Canada, US) A fried-dough pastry of such shape; usually beaver tail or Beaver Tail.


booze can

Mom Wassilyn claims she and Pal Hal had a one-night stand after a night at a "booze can" (after-hours joint) and son Mike was the result.

1990 November 4, “Ballard's death hasn't brought stability to Leafs”, in St. Paul Pioneer Press, USA, page 3C:

"The establishment was operating as a booze can serving drinks well after hours," Mammoliti said.

2008 September 9, Robyn Doolittle, “Alcohol commission shuts down booze can”, in Toronto Star, Canada, retrieved 2009-02-02:

(chiefly Canada, idiomatic) A nightclub or bar, especially one which operates illegally or is otherwise disreputable.


cooktop

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-cooktop.wav

These include such precautions as swimming only in the company of a responsible adult who knows about your condition and how to manage a seizure; getting your doctor to assess whether or not you should drive; having showers rather than baths, and leaving the bathroom door unlocked; using guards for open fires, radiators and cooktops.

2009 January 25, By Dr Cindy Pan, “Living with epilepsy”, in Herald Sun:

(cooking, US, Canada) An assembly of burners for cooking, designed to fit onto a surface such as the top of a table


handwell

"This is not a unique handwell in a unique area – it's just like all others.

2009 January 31, Nick Aveling, “School kids 'zapped' by sidewalk electricity”, in Toronto Star:

Last Thursday five students, aged 10 and 11, from Regent Park/Duke of York Junior Public School, were zapped by a handwell on Dundas St. E. near Sumach St., said Toronto District School Board spokesperson John Caldarone.

2009 February 3, Emily Mathieu, “Repairs underway to metal lids that jolted dogs, kids”, in Toronto Star:


granny panties

I didn't even remember that I was wearing my spinster lingerie until the underwire bra and granny panties were off my body and lying at the foot of the bed.

2004, Eric Garcia, Cassandra French's Finishing School for Boys:

Much like a bib for children, granny panties are worn as a preventive measure...

2006, Giuliana DePandi, Think Like a Guy:

I held up what had to be the most wholesome pair of granny panties I'd ever seen. They were like great-granny panties. They were even white.

(plural only, US, Canada, slang, derogatory) Women's and girls’ underpants considered of a traditional, old-fashioned, or staid kind (e.g. control briefs or bloomers), as opposed to bikini-cut briefs or thongs.


coteau

coteaus (plural)
coteaux (plural)
côteau (alternative rare)

(US, Canada) A hilly upland including the divide between two valleys.


Sally Ann

Amenities for the Canadian army in the battle zone were few and far between, but the prime one of them all was the Salvation Army, the Sally Ann, a religious organization back home that served all ranks and religions.

2005, Robert E. Rogge, Fearsome Battle: With the Canadian Army in World War II Europe, →ISBN, page 50:

'Then she must be a member of the Sally Ann.' / That's what some people called the Salvation Army, whether with affection or not I don't know.

2006, Thomas Healy, I Have Heard You Calling in the Night, →ISBN, page 97:

(informal, Canada, British) The Salvation Army.


gino

Ginos are essentially teenagers of Italian background who take on what they think are traits that characterize an Italian...

1993, Purdue Research Foundation, Romance Languages Annual:

Ginos and Ginas typically came from Italian households, wore stylish clothing, and listened to disco-type music.

1994, Marcel Danesi, Cool: The Signs and Meanings of Adolescence:

Not all ginos and ginas are the same, just becuz you've come across a couple you hate, doesn't mean you hate them all. ... Where I live it is probably 99% ginos and ginas and I get along with them just fine, in fact, my boyfriend is a gino.

2000, "[+//Tania//-]", "They're not going there just to get high" (discussion on Internet newsgroup alt.rave)

(US, Canada, slang, derogatory) A person of Mediterranean (especially Italian) descent, stereotypically regarded as shallow and materialistic.


laneway

We pulled into a laneway at 496 Evans and drove to the back[…].

2009 January 15, Jack Lakey, “Hiding under a cold tin truck is no way for a cat to spend the winter”, in Toronto Star:

(Canada, Scotland, Ireland, Australia) A narrow roadway; a lane


English muffin

(Canada, US, Australia) A flat, round, yeast-leavened form of bread.


pantiliner

(Canada) Alternative form of pantyliner.


gaspereau

gaspereau (plural gaspereaus or gaspereaux)

From French gaspereau, a variant of gaspareau.

(Canada, dated) An alewife (type of fish).


yardwork

Mr. Romney endured tough questioning from reporters in Des Moines yesterday about revelations last week that a yardwork company he employed was found for a second time to be using illegal immigrants.

2007 December 8, Sarah Wheaton, “Huckabee Immigration Plan Emphasizes Security”, in New York Times:

(Canada, US) Work done in maintaining a lawn, and related landscaping activities


pizza-ghetti

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-pizza-ghetti.wav

(Canada) A dish consisting of a slice of pizza and a serving of spaghetti.


overtop

/ˌəʊvə(ɹ)ˈtɒp/

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Naomi Persephone Amethyst (NaomiAmethyst)-overtop.wav

Paul put the skull back in its proper place, put back the coffin lid, and kicked dirt and rocks overtop.

2013, Philipp Meyer, The Son, Simon & Schuster, published 2014, page 154:


box score

box scores (plural)
boxscore (alternative)

(sports, Canada, US) A score showing the final scores of the teams in a game, as well as certain individual and team achievements.


harbourfront

harbourfronts (plural)
harborfront (alternative)

Jones' Boathouse beside James’ Bay Bridge rented out boats and canoes; many people living along the harbour front had boathouses and boats of their own, for regattas and water sports were one of Victoria's chief attractions.

1942, Emily Carr, “Regatta”, in The Book of Small, Toronto, Ont.: Oxford University Press, →OCLC:

Construction of new wave deck near harbourfront well underway.

2009 February 27, Vanessa Lu, “Chirpy Miller joins Twitter craze”, in Toronto Star:

(British, Canada) The area that fronts on a harbor


ass call

(Canada, US, slang) An unintentional telephone call made from a cell phone in a back pant pocket due to body movement or sitting down.


butt call

(slang, Canada, US) An unintentional telephone call made from a cell phone in a back pant pocket due to body movement or sitting down.


buzzworthy

en-adj

buzzworthy (comparative more buzzworthy, superlative most buzzworthy)

more buzzworthy (comparative)
most buzzworthy (superlative)

The most buzzworthy has to be Glasgow's Optimo, an underground Glimmers, for what should be a sell-out at the Toff, while the following night obscure UK disco stalwart Felix Dickinson plays the club.

2009 February 12, “Club land”, in Herald Sun:

(chiefly Canada, US) Worthy of enthusiastic popular attention, or buzz


paddleboat

paddleboats (plural)
paddle boat (alternative)
paddle-boat (alternative)

Naval sources report the amazing rescue of two 65-year-old women who were found floating 400 miles off the coast of California — in a tiny paddleboat!

1996 April 2, Lisa Merakis, “Two women found floating in paddleboat — 400 miles from shore!”, in Weekly World News, →ISSN, page 33, [satirical]:

Outdoors, guests can take a paddleboat and pedal their way around shaded waterways filled with swans and Nile perch

2010, Anne Anderson, Insiders' Guide® to the Greater Tampa Bay Area (Insiders' Guide Series), Rowman & Littlefield, →ISBN, page 70:

(nautical, US, Canada, Australia) a pedalo


movie theatre

(Australia, Canada, New Zealand) Alternative spelling of movie theater.


grow operation

(Canada) An illegal marijuana-growing operation, usually indoors.


Bay Street

(Canada, by extension) Financial interests in Canada, especially in Toronto.


Sussex Drive

Ellipsis of 24 Sussex Drive, the street address of the prime minister's residence, formerly 24 Sussex Street.

2009: Elizabeth Payne, “Cooking is a skill that is becoming essential”, Ottawa Citizen, undated.
Campaigns are underway to persuade households, including even those at 10 Downing Street and the White House (no word on Sussex Drive), to plant vegetable gardens this year as buffers against dismal economic times.

(Canada, idiomatic) The Canadian prime minister, or the federal government of Canada.


24 Sussex Drive

From 24 + Sussex Drive. The street address of the Canadian prime minister's official residence, since 1951. Until about 1958, 24 Sussex Street (see also drive). The road was named in the early 19th century, after Prince Augustus Frederick, Duke of Sussex (1773–1843).

So I guess he figured that if he kept on plugging away as he had down there, the same formula would get him into 24 Sussex Drive. But it didn't.

1975, Winnett Boyd, Kenneth McDonald, The National Dilemma and the Way Out, BMG, page 33:

By 1965 Pierre Trudeau, en route to Ottawa and 24 Sussex Drive, had concluded that advocates of an associate state or special status were ‘those who do not feel capable of saying they are separatists and carrying their thinking to its logical conclusion.’

1977, John T. Saywell, The Rise of the Parti Québécois 1967–76, University of Toronto Press, →ISBN, page 5:

(Canada) The office of Prime Minister of Canada.

24, promenade Sussex

residence on Sussex Drive, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada


boost

en-verb

boost (third-person singular simple present boosts, present participle boosting, simple past and past participle boosted)

boosts (present singular third-person)
boosting (participle present)
boosted (participle past)
boosted (past)

Unknown. The verb is first recorded 1815; the noun, 1825. Compare Scots boost (“to move; drive off; shoo away”), bost, boast (“to threaten; scold”), Middle English boosten, bosten (“to threaten”). Possible doublet of boast.

cog

It's easy to boost a dead battery, but this can be dangerous if it's done the wrong way.

1980, Popular Mechanics, volume 154, number 4, page 152:

If I want to use the charged Montana battery to boost my old Summit where do I connect the negative cable on the good battery of the Montana?

2004, Doug Mitchell, “how to connect for boost?”, in alt.autos.gm (Usenet):

Virtue is therefore like boosting one car battery from another: you want to connect positive to positive and negative to negative.

2010, Thomas Hurka, The Best Things in Life: A Guide to What Really Matters, page 121:

(Canada, transitive) To jump-start a vehicle by using cables to connect the battery in a running vehicle to the battery in a vehicle that won't start.


ouchie

ouchies (plural)
outchie (alternative)
owchie (alternative)
owtchie (alternative)

(colloquial, Canada, US, childish) Synonym of owie (“a painful but minor injury”).


banjo eyes

(US, Canada, slang) Wide-open eyes, as from being surprised or startled.


candy-ass

candy-asses (plural)
candyass (alternative)
candy-arse (alternative)

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-candy-ass.wav

(slang, sometimes vulgar, often humorous, somewhat endearing, US, Canada) A cowardly or timid person; a wimp.


study hall

en-noun

study hall (countable and uncountable, plural study halls)

He finished drafting his essay in study hall.

(Canada, US) A class period, usually in boarding school or high school, where students are afforded the time for independent study and homework assignments, as part of the curriculum or after hours, the last notably as a punishment called detention.

The supervising teacher's stern expression at the front of the drab study hall left little doubt that no nonsense would be tolerated there.

(Canada, US) The classroom or other school hall used for such a purpose.


UBC

“Iʼm going to UBC in the fall.”
“Good for you. Thatʼs a good school.”

2020, Emily St. John Mandel, The Glass Hotel, Picador (2021), page 26:

University of British Columbia
w:University of British Columbia

(Canada) Initialism of University of British Columbia.

United Brotherhood of Carpenters
w:United Brotherhood of Carpenters

(Canada, US) Initialism of United Brotherhood of Carpenters.


tea cozy

(Canada, US) Alternative form of tea cosy.


government wharf

government wharf (plural government wharves or government wharfs)

government wharves (plural)
government wharfs (plural)

(chiefly Canada) A government-built wharf.


cheapass

en-adj

cheapass (comparative more cheapass, superlative most cheapass)

more cheapass (comparative)
most cheapass (superlative)

(Canada, US, slang) Cheap, stingy; unwilling to spend money.


cheapass

(Canada, US, slang) A stingy person; a cheapskate.


shoot the boots

en-verb

shoot the boots (third-person singular simple present shoots the boots, present participle shooting the boots, simple past and past participle shot the boots)

shoots the boots (present singular third-person)
shooting the boots (participle present)
shot the boots (participle past)
shot the boots (past)

The family moved about—Hamilton, Mississauga, Jane and Weston Road. "That's when my whole life switched from the good guy to the bad guy," he says now. "Right here in this city. The first day of school, I learned how to spit. Shoot the boots."

2000 June 1, Jennifer Wells, “Trouble with Tracy”, in Toronto Life, Canada, retrieved 2009-04-13:

It was strange because the boy I was fighting with had developed a reputation for being able to shoot the boots and I was supposed to be good with my hands.

2006, Paul Dupuis, Armageddon Forever, Trinity Enterprise (Canada), p. 2

(Canada, idiomatic, slang) To kick swiftly and violently, especially in the groin.


frazil

en-noun

frazil (countable and uncountable, plural frazils)

From Canadian French frasil, frazil, fraisil, from French fraisil (“coal cinders”), from Old French faisil.

It has been suggested that it may be due to the accumulation of frazil or anchor-ice.

1888 March 17th, The Montreal Gazette, Cent.:

The greater the surface of the swift open water, the greater the quantity of frazil made in a minute, hour, or day. Every open rapid is, in ‘zero weather’, a frazil-factory.

1893 February 9th, The Youth’s Companion, Boston: Perry Mason & Co., page 71/4:

Following currents that flow across the Bering and Chukchi shelves, microplastics from the Pacific that arrive in Arctic waters are gathered up by the tiny crystals that clump together to form ‘frazil’ (the gloss of soft ice that forms on the surface of the water) and then are bound into the sea ice.

2020, David Farrier, “The Library of Babel”, in Footprints, 4th Estate, →ISBN:

(Canada, US) A collection of stray ice crystals that form in fast-moving water.

frazil

a collection of stray ice crystals that form in fast-moving water


last post

Twenty minutes is allowed for the duration of the roll-call, the commencement and finish of which are sounded on the bugle, and are called the first and last ‘posts.’

1876 September 30, “Drummers and Fifers”, in Chambers's Journal of Popular Literature, Science, and Art, volume 4, number 666, page 629:

(British and Canada) The sounding of a bugle, signalling the evening hour to bed down, also used at military funerals and remembrance services.


lest we forget

From Rudyard Kipling's 1897 poem Recessional.

(British and Canada) Used in Remembrance Day ceremonies as a caution against forgetting those who died in war.