# Are these really Canadianisms? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 15, 2003, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-these-really-canadianisms/182061 "2003-06-15T18:25:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2003, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-these-really-canadianisms/182061/1 "2003-06-15T18:25:18Z")
I received this paragraph in an email about a Canadian dictionary, and I’m amazed that these are all apparently Canadianisms. Being Canadian, I just thought everyone knew and used these words. So, Dopers of the world, give me your perspective - are these words really used only in Canada? > [@](#): > > "Last night, I cashed my pogey and went to buy a mickey of C.C. at the beer parlour, but my skidoo got stuck in the muskeg on my way back to the duplex. I was trying to deke out a deer, you see. Damn chinook, melted everything. And then a Mountie snuck up behind me in a ghost car and gave me an impaired. I was S.O.L., sitting there dressed only in my Stanfields and a toque at the time. And the Mountie, he’s all chippy and everything, calling me a “shit disturber” and what not. What could I say, except, “Sorry, EH!” The Canadianisms: pogey mickey C.C. beer parlour skidoo muskeg duplex deke chinook Mountie snuck ghost car impaired S.O.L. Stanfields toque chippy shit disturber ---
**Author:** ![Raygun99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Raygun99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raygun99)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2003, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-these-really-canadianisms/182061/2 "2003-06-15T19:07:05Z")
This is from How to Be A Canadian by the Ferguson Brothers and some definitely are fairly exclusive Canadianisms. pogey mickey (that usage) deke chinook (I mean, come on) Stansfields (not sold anywhere else afaik) and toque absolutely are. The others I don’t know if they’re exclusively Canadian but have Canadian flavour to them. ---
**Author:** ![Blueapple](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a183cd/32.png) [@Blueapple](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blueapple)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2003, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-these-really-canadianisms/182061/3 "2003-06-15T19:18:37Z")
SOL = Shit Outta Luck And from what I know, it isn’t a Canadianism. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2003, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-these-really-canadianisms/182061/4 "2003-06-15T19:34:40Z")
Yeah, that’s what I was thinking. Some of these just can’t be exclusive to Canada. ---
**Author:** ![TWDuke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e495f1/32.png) [@TWDuke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TWDuke)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2003, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-these-really-canadianisms/182061/5 "2003-06-15T19:39:00Z")
Unless duplex, snuck and SOL mean something different than a building comprising two attached dwellings, a variant of “sneaked” and “shit out of luck”, then they’re not Canadianisms, or they’re Canadianisms that have been thoroughlyadopted here in central North America. Skidoo (Ski-Doo?), if it refers to a snowmobile, should be familiar to people who live in areas where snowmobiling is popular. Mountie, if it refers to RCMP, should be familiar to everyone, thanks to Dudley Do-Right. Beer parlour, ghost car and shit disturber and impaired used as a noun are unfamiliar but seem pretty easy to figure out, although I may be missing some subtleties. Mickey and chippy are old-fashioned slang for a drug slipped in someone’s drink and a woman of easy virtue, but I’m sure that’s not what they mean in your example. ---
**Author:** ![TWDuke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e495f1/32.png) [@TWDuke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TWDuke)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2003, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-these-really-canadianisms/182061/6 "2003-06-15T19:45:42Z")
Just to clarify, I would assume “beer parlour” is a bar or pub, ghost car is an umarked car, shit disturber is a troublemaker and an impaired is what we would call a DUI (driving under the influence), and I wouldn’t assume someone was a furriner for using those terms, although I would think they had a colorful way of speaking. ---
**Author:** ![Gorsnak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gorsnak/32/7587_2.png) [@Gorsnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorsnak)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2003, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-these-really-canadianisms/182061/7 "2003-06-15T19:48:56Z")
Mickey in the example refers simply to a small (often curved) flask of liquor, and chippy means ready to fight, aggressive, etc. I have no comment on the question in the OP except to say that I’m familiar with all the usages except for ‘impaired’, which I’ve never heard used that way before. Maybe an eastern thing? No idea which are exclusively Canadianisms. On second though, I can’t recall hearing ‘shit disturber’, either, but ‘stirring up shit’ is plenty common, and obviously closely related. ---
**Author:** ![chique](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@chique](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chique)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2003, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-these-really-canadianisms/182061/8 "2003-06-15T22:49:45Z")
“Chinook” a Canuckianism? I thought it was South Dakotan. ---
**Author:** ![GingerOfTheNorth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/cdc98d/32.png) [@GingerOfTheNorth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GingerOfTheNorth)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2003, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-these-really-canadianisms/182061/9 "2003-06-15T23:07:16Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Gorsnak \* > \*\*Mickey in the example refers simply to a small (often curved) flask of liquor \ \*\* No, it doesn’t. It refers to a small bottle of liquor - I believe in the US it’s referred to as a pint. ---
**Author:** ![Daizy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/46a35a/32.png) [@Daizy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daizy)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2003, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-these-really-canadianisms/182061/10 "2003-06-15T23:14:30Z")
Sorry, **GingerOfTheNorth** I’m going to have to agree with **Gorsnak**. It is indeed a small bottle, but the bottle is curved, so as to fit in one’s pocket. [Definition](http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=mickey) Daizy ---
**Author:** ![Flutterby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Flutterby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flutterby)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2003, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-these-really-canadianisms/182061/11 "2003-06-15T23:15:54Z")
Yeah pretty sure Mickey is a pint… because whenever my roomie goes to pick up a mickey it’s not a small bottle… it’s enough to get us all nicely drunk and a small bottle wouldn’t do that for us ---
**Author:** ![Daizy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/46a35a/32.png) [@Daizy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daizy)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2003, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-these-really-canadianisms/182061/12 "2003-06-15T23:20:08Z")
Just thought of a couple more terms we use: serviettes chocolate bar Smarties And… Robertson Screwdriver. Daizy ---
**Author:** ![Poysyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Poysyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poysyn)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2003, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-these-really-canadianisms/182061/13 "2003-06-15T23:52:42Z")
Mickey is a pint. A two-six is a twenty-six ouncer. A two-four is 24 beers. A Texas mickey is a big huge (60 ounces?) bottle, usually awarded at a social, as a big bottle of “perfume”. Here’s my crack at them - pogey - is an unemployment check mickey - answered C.C. - Canadian Club Rye beer parlour - I have never heard it used, but I would think pub, or maybe Legion skidoo - snowmobile muskeg - I think it’s boggy tundra duplex - a house dived into two either side by side, or top/bottom deke - fool someone into thinking you are zigging when you zag chinook - Used most often by those in Calgary - warm wind that melts everything Mountie - RCMP snuck - to sneak ghost car - unmarked car impaired - DUI S.O.L. - Shit Outta Luck Stanfields - gitch toque - winter cap, usually with a pom-pom on top chippy - crabby shit disturber - troublemaker YAY - I AM A CANADIAN. Now where’s my beer, hosers? ---
**Author:** ![GingerOfTheNorth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/cdc98d/32.png) [@GingerOfTheNorth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GingerOfTheNorth)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2003, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-these-really-canadianisms/182061/14 "2003-06-16T00:06:51Z")
Saizy, a flask is something different. A mickey holds about 2 cups (455 ml, iirc) of liquor. A mickey is larger than a flask. ---
**Author:** ![GingerOfTheNorth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/cdc98d/32.png) [@GingerOfTheNorth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GingerOfTheNorth)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2003, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-these-really-canadianisms/182061/15 "2003-06-16T00:08:44Z")
Er, that would be “Daizy”, not Snaizy, and in case you weren’t aware, I am indeed Canadian, from Alberta. ---
**Author:** ![look\_ninjas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b2d939/32.png) [@look\_ninjas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/look_ninjas)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2003, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-these-really-canadianisms/182061/16 "2003-06-16T00:22:54Z")
My brother uses the word “deke” when describing someone’s moves while playing hockey. “He really deked that defenseman!” We’re not from Canada - however, he only seems to use the word when he’s talking about hockey, so there you go. ---
**Author:** ![Daizy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/46a35a/32.png) [@Daizy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daizy)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2003, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-these-really-canadianisms/182061/17 "2003-06-16T00:33:37Z")
I stand corrected GingerOfTheNorth. 🙂 (And you can call me Saizy, Snaizy or Dizzy… 😉 ) And I’m thinking of handing in my Canuck citizenship… 'cause I thought Stanfields, were long underwear. Daizy ---
**Author:** ![Flutterby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Flutterby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flutterby)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2003, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-these-really-canadianisms/182061/18 "2003-06-16T00:41:50Z")
That is a more traditional usage of deke… ie That player did a triple deke… meaning to fake out a goalie make him think zig when you zag (as was said)… and of course more generally as a fake out ---
**Author:** ![beagledave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6de8d8/32.png) [@beagledave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beagledave)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2003, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-these-really-canadianisms/182061/19 "2003-06-16T00:50:42Z")
To add to the confusion, [Mickey’s](http://www.mickeys.com/) is a beer that comes in a wide mouth glass jar. I seem to recall downing a few in the day. Damn, I settled for anything alcoholic in college. ---
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2003, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-these-really-canadianisms/182061/20 "2003-06-16T00:53:15Z")
“Duplex” is used in Australia, although this tends to be for newer houses, either side-by-side, or two storeys. The older ones, which were always single-storey, and shared a common wall, were “semi-detatched houses”, simply known as “semis”. “C.C.” is used by the Scots to refer to “Carlton Club” whisky. I’m not a snow person, but I think “Skidoo” is used in Australia too. **Daizy** , we use serviette, chocolate bar, and smarties. However, it is considered very uncool to say “serviette” though if you are trying to impress visitors, or talking to a waiter at a snooty restaurant. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-these-really-canadianisms/182061.md?page=2)