# American to Canadian translations **URL:** \ **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:** 20\ **Page:** 9
**Author:** ![The\_Flying\_Dutchman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/9fc348/32.png) [@The\_Flying\_Dutchman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Flying_Dutchman)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2006, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-to-canadian-translations/375237/161 "2006-10-08T23:55:01Z")
I’ve never heard the term “sophimore” used in Canada. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2006, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-to-canadian-translations/375237/162 "2006-10-09T02:46:06Z")
[QUOTE=Balthisar] Oh, Canuck isn’t a pejoritive. That would be “hoser.” [/QUOTE] I’ve never heard anyone say “hoser” who wasn’t imitating Bob & Doug Mackenzie, and I’d never heard anyone suggest “Canuck” was a perjorative until I got onto the SDMB. If Canuck is a perjorative, this is kind of hard to explain: > **[Johnny Canuck](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnny_Canuck)** > > Johnny Canuck is a Canadian cartoon hero and superhero who was created as a political cartoon in 1869 and was later re-invented as a Second World War action hero in 1942. The Vancouver Canucks, a professional ice hockey team in the National Hockey League (NHL), currently use a hockey playing "Johnny Canuck" logo as one of their team logos. In addition, the Vancouver Canucks' American Hockey League affiliate, the Abbotsford Canucks, use it as their main logo. Johnny Canuck is a fictional lumberjac... ---
**Author:** ![GingerOfTheNorth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/cdc98d/32.png) [@GingerOfTheNorth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GingerOfTheNorth)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2006, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-to-canadian-translations/375237/163 "2006-10-09T03:03:53Z")
I used to say ‘hoser’ all the time. ---
**Author:** ![Savannah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b3f665/32.png) [@Savannah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Savannah)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2006, 7:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-to-canadian-translations/375237/164 "2006-10-09T07:04:03Z")
Driving home tonight from Thanksgiving dinner, I thought of another Canadianism. This one too, is probably almost gone from useage, but you used to go down to the **beer parlor** for a, well, beer. My parents referred to it as such, but now I think we’d say the pub or bar. I never saw the term ‘saloon’ in use unless we drove through the States (Washington). Old beer parlors had two entrances: Gentlemen, and Ladies & Escorts. ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2006, 7:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-to-canadian-translations/375237/165 "2006-10-09T07:43:35Z")
**RickJay** , they have fraternities at McGill too, but they have nowhere near the importance I understand they do in many US schools, much as with varsity sports. Also, we don’t talk about freshman/sophomore/junior/senior years in high school, or in university (except that “freshman year” is used in Quebec for what’s technically called “U0,” a general education year that students from out of province take before beginning the three-year specialized programs that students who went to CEGEP take.) I forget if anyone’s mentioned it yet, but we say “grade 11,” not “11th grade.” In Quebec we would usually say Sec (for “Secondary”) 1-5 for what would be grades 7-11 in the ROC. Oh, there’s another one: ROC, “rest of Canada” - i.e. other than Quebec. And Anglo - this one got me in trouble with an American once; I had to patiently explain that it means “anglophone,” i.e. from the community of Canadians whose first language is English, not “of English (as opposed to Scottish or Irish) descent.” It’s as opposed to “francophone” (first language French) or “allophone” (first language other than English or French). Incidentally, someone tried to insist once that I was French-Canadian because I am a Canadian and I speak French. I pointed out that by that logic I’m also an Italian-Canadian, because I am a Canadian and I speak Italian. Oh, here are two useful terms from the Prairies: -dainties: tiny little cakes/squares/cookies/pastries such as you would bring to a church tea. Apparently in other parts of the English world, if it means anything at all, it means a lady’s undergarments, which has caused some consternation upon a new arrival’s being asked to bring her dainties for after the service. The United Church has the best dainties, as far as I can tell. -snard lumps: those stalactites of brown snow that dangle from your car in wintertime. ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2006, 11:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-to-canadian-translations/375237/166 "2006-10-09T11:51:59Z")
[QUOTE=Savannah] Driving home tonight from Thanksgiving dinner, I thought of another Canadianism. [/QUOTE] Oh, yeah – that’s another Canadianism in itself. Today is Thanksgiving here in Canada-land. The only people working is our small group of United Statesians for whom it’s not a paid holiday today. ---
**Author:** ![GingerOfTheNorth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/cdc98d/32.png) [@GingerOfTheNorth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GingerOfTheNorth)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2006, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-to-canadian-translations/375237/167 "2006-10-10T04:18:24Z")
We had a very nice Canadian Thanksgiving, including a bunch of Pakistani men who couldn’t eat. It was very strange. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2006, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-to-canadian-translations/375237/168 "2006-10-10T04:31:41Z")
I’m with **RickJay** on the canuck thing - I’ve always just thought of it as a somewhat dated slang term for a Canadian, on par with “Yank” for an American. I wouldn’t see it as an insult. And it would be odd for a hockey team to adopt an insult to its fans as its nickname. 😕 But I understand it is an insult for some Americans of French-Canadian descent in northern New England - a fact that Nixon’s Dirty Tricks Squad™ took advantage of in killing Muskie’s campaign with the forged [Canuck Letter](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canuck_Letter). ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2006, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-to-canadian-translations/375237/169 "2006-10-10T04:33:00Z")
How about the term “mickey” for a 12 oz bottle of liquor? Is that familiar to Americans (or other Canadians)? It was a standard term here in Saskatchewan when I was growing up. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Flying\_Dutchman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/9fc348/32.png) [@The\_Flying\_Dutchman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Flying_Dutchman)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2006, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-to-canadian-translations/375237/170 "2006-10-10T04:47:41Z")
Canada’s only broadleaf evergreen tree is called the Arbutus tree.Just cross the border in the San Juan Islands in Washington they call it the Madrona tree. We don’t call our Chinook Salmon “Kings” We don’t call our Coho Salmon “Silvers” We don’t call our Pickerel “Walleye” We call your Northern Pike “Jackfish” ---
**Author:** ![The\_Flying\_Dutchman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/9fc348/32.png) [@The\_Flying\_Dutchman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Flying_Dutchman)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2006, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-to-canadian-translations/375237/171 "2006-10-10T04:52:22Z")
[QUOTE=Northern Piper] How about the term “mickey” for a 12 oz bottle of liquor? Is that familiar to Americans (or other Canadians)? It was a standard term here in Saskatchewan when I was growing up. [/QUOTE] Or how about the term 40 pounder for the 40 oz. bottle used in Manitoba? I still don’t know how much liquor is in a fifth. ---
**Author:** ![Savannah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b3f665/32.png) [@Savannah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Savannah)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2006, 5:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-to-canadian-translations/375237/172 "2006-10-10T05:47:44Z")
Absolutely called a mickey when I was growing up in BC. The big thing in high school was getting hold of a mickey of vodka or rye through an older friend. Ah, memories. I haven’t bought liquor in the mickey size in a long, long time, although it would fit nicely in my desk drawer at work. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Seven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Seven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seven)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2006, 7:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-to-canadian-translations/375237/173 "2006-10-10T07:25:13Z")
[QUOTE=Savannah] (snip-a-roo) Old beer parlors had two entrances: Gentlemen, and Ladies & Escorts. [/QUOTE] I saw a place in downtown New Westminster BC that still has those signs up. ---
**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 10, 2006, 7:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-to-canadian-translations/375237/174 "2006-10-10T07:35:35Z")
> [@matt\_mcl](#): > > And Anglo - this one got me in trouble with an American once; I had to patiently explain that it means “anglophone,” i.e. from the community of Canadians whose first language is English, not “of English (as opposed to Scottish or Irish) descent.” It’s as opposed to “francophone” (first language French) or “allophone” (first language other than English or French). Does anyone teach their kids English and French simultaneously? What would those kids be called? > [@Northern Piper](#): > > How about the term “mickey” for a 12 oz bottle of liquor? Is that familiar to Americans (or other Canadians)? It was a standard term here in Saskatchewan when I was growing up. If you used the noun “mickey” in a drinking context here, I think most people would either (a) be perplexed, (b) assume you’re talking about Mickey’s, an awful brand of malt liquor, or (c) figure you’re talking about date-rape drugs. Don’t offer to buy an American a mickey at a bar, anyway. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2006, 9:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-to-canadian-translations/375237/175 "2006-10-10T09:43:14Z")
True - the **Perfect Master** explained the American understanding of a [Mickey](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a3_092.html) in this column. Interestingly, the Canadian usage of “mickey” also varies from British usage, where “giving someone the mickey” seems to mean “pulling his leg” or some variant of that, as near as I can tell from its occasional usage in English novels. ---
**Author:** ![Bookkeeper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bookkeeper/32/281_2.png) [@Bookkeeper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bookkeeper)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2006, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-to-canadian-translations/375237/176 "2006-10-10T15:07:07Z")
[QUOTE=matt\_mcl] -snard lumps: those stalactites of brown snow that dangle from your car in wintertime. [/QUOTE] And after they fall off, my wife calls the resulting brown lumps in the road “car poop”. ---
**Author:** ![GingerOfTheNorth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/cdc98d/32.png) [@GingerOfTheNorth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GingerOfTheNorth)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2006, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-to-canadian-translations/375237/177 "2006-10-10T17:05:27Z")
[QUOTE=Northern Piper] How about the term “mickey” for a 12 oz bottle of liquor? Is that familiar to Americans (or other Canadians)? It was a standard term here in Saskatchewan when I was growing up. [/QUOTE] [QUOTE=The Flying Dutchman] Or how about the term 40 pounder for the 40 oz. bottle used in Manitoba? [/QUOTE] Yes, we used those growing up (Alberta), and people in Yellowknife and Kingston know them as well. It could be due to the nature of their populations, drawing on the whole country. [QUOTE=The Flying Dutchman] I still don’t know how much liquor is in a fifth. [/QUOTE] Me neither. Maybe it’s a mickey. [QUOTE=Bookkeeper] And after they fall off, my wife calls the resulting brown lumps in the road “car poop”. [/QUOTE] Now this will be used forevermore in our house. Tell your wife she’s a genius. ---
**Author:** ![mnemosyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@mnemosyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mnemosyne)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2006, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-to-canadian-translations/375237/178 "2006-10-10T21:27:07Z")
[QUOTE=fetus] Does anyone teach their kids English and French simultaneously? What would those kids be called? [/QUOTE] Most likely they would be called “bilingual” and identify as such. I sort of consider myself to be bilingual, although 6 years away from Québec and having done all my education in English tends to put me in the “anglophone” camp when francophones refer to me. Among anglophones, I’d be considered bilingual. I think. Unless they speak better french than I do 😃 Nope, no identity crises in Québec, no sir! Sort-of Canadianisms: holidays. We did a thread on this recently, but as was pointed out here, this Monday was Thanksgiving. Canada Day (formerly known as Dominion Day) is on July 1st. We share Easter, Christmas/New Year’s and Labour Day (although not Labor Day!) with the US. May 24th is known as Victoria Day throughout most of the country, but in Québec it has been changed to Dollard-Des-Ormeaux Day, or, more recently, Journée nationale des Patriotes. Most provinces have the first monday in August off, under various names (Civic Holiday is as I know it, from Ontario) with again, the exception of Québec, which has June 24th off for St. John the Baptist Day (the Fête nationale du Québec). Federally, November 11th, Remembrance Day, is recognised, but it is not a holiday. The various provinces may have other days that they consider holidays, but those are the big ones. And just for the record (though is is going away from translations and more into basic Canadian factoids) the provinces and territories, with their capitols, consist of (West to East) Provinces: British Columbia (Victoria) Alberta (Edmonton) Saskatchewan (Regina) Manitoba (Winnipeg) Ontario (Toronto) Québec (Québec City) New Brunswick (Fredericton) Nova Scotia (Halifax) Prince Edward Island (Charlottetown) Newfoundland and Labrador (Saint John’s) Territories: Yukon (Whitehorse) Northwest Territories (Yellowknife) Nunavut Territory (Iqaluit) ---
**Author:** ![Bookkeeper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bookkeeper/32/281_2.png) [@Bookkeeper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bookkeeper)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2006, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-to-canadian-translations/375237/179 "2006-10-12T14:08:15Z")
[QUOTE=mnemosyne] And just for the record (though is is going away from translations and more into basic Canadian factoids) the provinces and territories, with their capitols, consist of (West to East) Provinces: British Columbia (Victoria) Alberta (Edmonton) Saskatchewan (Regina) Manitoba (Winnipeg) Ontario (Toronto) Québec (Québec City) New Brunswick (Fredericton) Nova Scotia (Halifax) Prince Edward Island (Charlottetown) Newfoundland and Labrador (Saint John’s) Territories: Yukon (Whitehorse) Northwest Territories (Yellowknife) Nunavut Territory (Iqaluit) [/QUOTE] Not only fewer than the 50 that US kids have to learn, but easier to remember because the largest or second largest city is also the capital (except New Brunswick, where Fredericton has slipped to third largest city). ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2006, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-to-canadian-translations/375237/180 "2006-10-12T18:10:00Z")
[QUOTE=Bookkeeper] Not only fewer than the 50 that US kids have to learn, but easier to remember because the largest or second largest city is also the capital (except New Brunswick, where Fredericton has slipped to third largest city). [/QUOTE] Aussies have it much easier. There the largest city is always the capital (except at a federal level). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-to-canadian-translations/375237.md?page=8) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-to-canadian-translations/375237.md?page=10)