# American to Canadian translations

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-to-canadian-translations/375237>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [October 4, 2006, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-to-canadian-translations/375237 "2006-10-04T14:12:02Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 11

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**Author:** ![Cerowyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/82dd89/32.png) [@Cerowyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cerowyn)\
**Post date:** [October 24, 2006, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-to-canadian-translations/375237/201 "2006-10-24T16:24:25Z")

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[QUOTE=fetus]  
I live almost as far away from Canada as you can while still doing your History homework in English  
[/QUOTE]  
So, you live in Perth, then?

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**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\
**Post date:** [October 24, 2006, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-to-canadian-translations/375237/202 "2006-10-24T16:45:11Z")

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[QUOTE=matt\_mcl]  
Huh. I’ve always heard “buck” as simply meaning the currency: so I could have five bucks regardless of whether it was a $5 bill, 5 loonies, two twonies and a loonie, etc.  
[/QUOTE]  
You’re right, “buck” is still used that way. But I find that usage to be less common than it once was. Maybe it’s a general vs. specific thing. Consider thse examples:

“Matt, can you loan me five bucks until tomorrow?” (General: I need five dollars; I don’t care in what form.)

“Matt, can you loan me a couple of loons so I can get a Coke from the machine?” (Specific–I need loons; the machine won’t take bills.)

I don’t know. Maybe the times when we have to speak specifically of the coin is why I find “buck” to be less common now that we have loonies and toonies.

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**Author:** ![Hostile\_Dialect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e495f1/32.png) [@Hostile\_Dialect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hostile_Dialect)\
**Post date:** [October 24, 2006, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-to-canadian-translations/375237/203 "2006-10-24T18:10:45Z")

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> [@Cerowyn](#):
>
> So, you live in Perth, then?

No, but I live in its sister city.

:smack: I meant to say “as far directly south”, of course.

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