# Canadianisms! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 30, 2017, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadianisms/783368 "2017-03-30T19:26:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**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:** [April 4, 2017, 9:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadianisms/783368/81 "2017-04-04T09:29:29Z")
> [@zoogirl](#): > > … which I drank on the chesterfield while watching The Friendly Giant! “Look up! Look waaaaaay up! And I’ll call Rusty.” How many Canadian kids _don’t_ know that phrase? ---
**Author:** ![Sparky812](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb9ed0/32.png) [@Sparky812](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sparky812)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2017, 11:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadianisms/783368/82 "2017-04-04T11:34:44Z")
> [@Spoons](#): > > “Look up! Look waaaaaay up! And I’ll call Rusty.” > > How many Canadian kids _don’t_ know that phrase? Sadly these days, not too many. It was cancelled in 1984, the last episode aired in 1985 and it had a limited period of repeats. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2017, 11:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadianisms/783368/83 "2017-04-04T11:43:47Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > Phones and Tapatalk appear to be creating new regionalisms before our very eyes! 😉 I know. And I’ve never been successful editing with Tapatalk. ☹ ---
**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:** [April 4, 2017, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadianisms/783368/84 "2017-04-04T13:16:29Z")
I don’t know whether or not Canadians owned all of the local stores, but this Michigander grew up with homo milk advertised everywhere in my town across the river. ---
**Author:** ![zweisamkeit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zweisamkeit/32/4360_2.png) [@zweisamkeit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zweisamkeit)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2017, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadianisms/783368/85 "2017-04-04T20:27:29Z")
> [@Drummond\_Bays](#): > > Gainer - to fall, especially on one’s head. 'To take a gainer. That’s a Canadianism? Huh. Maybe I just absorbed it through CBC. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2017, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadianisms/783368/86 "2017-04-04T20:45:42Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > My comment was based on recollections of direct experiences like these: > > \*Scene: An American restaurant. > > I and some others are sitting down for dinner. A waitperson enters.\* > > Waitperson: Can I get you a drink before dinner? > > Me: Yes, I’d like a Caesar, please. > > Waitperson: [Looks at me in complete bewilderment, like I’d just asked for a flask of Elixir of Dragon’s Breath.] > > Me: Just bring me a Bloody Mary. The _cocktai_l, a Bloody Mary made with Clamato is well known. But the term “Caesar” I had not heard referring to that drink. ---
**Author:** ![Poysyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Poysyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poysyn)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2017, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadianisms/783368/87 "2017-04-05T03:20:54Z")
> [@swampspruce](#): > > Then as a fellow Winnipegger you should know a jambuster when you hear one…😉 > > Calgary, Pfft! I was born in Saskatoon but I called Winnipeg home after my Dad left the CAF in 1980. I’ve been in Cold Lake forever, it seems. Jambusters have **jam** in them. Bismarks have custard/cream. Also, \*\*Sugar Shack? \*\*MON DIEU! Cabane à sucre! ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2017, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadianisms/783368/88 "2017-04-05T05:55:59Z")
No jambusters or bismarks here, but there’s a sugar Shack just down the road. Sent from my adequate mobile device using Tapatalk. ---
**Author:** ![swampspruce](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/swampspruce/32/261_2.png) [@swampspruce](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/swampspruce)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2017, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadianisms/783368/89 "2017-04-05T14:31:17Z")
Another regionalism I thought of (Thanks **Poysyn**!) is Nips and Chips. If you’re from Manitoba you know exactly what we’re going to do when I say the following, "Hey **Poysyn** , you up for going to Sal’s for some nips and chips before we go to the social? After we can hit the Village for dainties! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2017, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadianisms/783368/90 "2017-04-05T14:45:10Z")
What the hell’s a nip? ---
**Author:** ![swampspruce](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/swampspruce/32/261_2.png) [@swampspruce](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/swampspruce)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2017, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadianisms/783368/91 "2017-04-05T14:47:51Z")
[Nips](http://salisburyhouse.ca/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Menu-Fall-2016-4.jpg), definitely safe for work… ---
**Author:** ![GinoC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f4b2a3/32.png) [@GinoC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GinoC)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2017, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadianisms/783368/92 "2017-04-06T15:17:32Z")
> [@rjk](#): > > Also: > > - Liquor comes in a mickey, a 26, or a 40. (Those are Imperial ounces, a bit larger than US ones, and the bottles are now labelled in metric.) > - Poutine is, of course, made with chips or _pommes frites_, no matter what you Merkins call them. > > (Shoulda previewed, eh?) Also referred to commonly as 26ers and 40 pounders. 😀 ---
**Author:** ![GinoC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f4b2a3/32.png) [@GinoC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GinoC)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2017, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadianisms/783368/93 "2017-04-06T15:24:49Z")
> [@Spoons](#): > > I’ve had sort of the opposite happen in Canada, when I’ve asked for a Bloody Mary. They think I really mean a Caesar, so they bring one. Problem is, I can’t stand Caesars. I’ve given up trying to get a Bloody Mary in Canada, unless I make them myself, at home. I’m as Canadian as Bob and Doug McKenzie, but I’d like to know who the demented individual was who first took a sip of tomato juice, which is vile stuff to begin with, and said, “You know what this really needs? Some clam juice.” Ugh. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2017, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadianisms/783368/94 "2017-04-06T15:44:01Z")
> [@GinoC](#): > > I’m as Canadian as Bob and Doug McKenzie, but I’d like to know who the demented individual was who first took a sip of tomato juice, which is vile stuff to begin with, and said, “You know what this really needs? Some clam juice.” Ugh. Apparently not a Canadian. > [@"\[beverage](#): > > ([https://www.drpeppersnapplegroup.com/brands/clamato](https://www.drpeppersnapplegroup.com/brands/clamato))"]When it was created in 1969, Clamato wasn’t just a new beverage. This spicy drink created an entirely new category in blended juices – “seafood blends.” Clamato was created in California by the Duffy Mott Company … One factor contributing to the success of Clamato was the creation of the Bloody Caesar Cocktail in 1969. Walter Chell was commissioned by the proprietors of Marco’s restaurant to come up with a new drink to celebrate their grand opening in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. After three months of exploring different recipes, Chell discovered a spicy drink made of Clamato juice, vodka, salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce and a dash of oregano. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2017, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadianisms/783368/95 "2017-04-06T17:07:09Z")
It gets better, Clamato juice when introduced to the American market didn’t exactly take off. Sales were flat, they were considering discontinuing it. But there were curious spikes in sales, in areas close to the Alberta border as the drink took off in Canada. The company sent people out to see what was up. They discovered it was exploding in Canada and we all got Clamato juice, effectively keeping the product profitable long enough for it to make inroads into the US market. Something of a reversal to how it usually plays out! ---
**Author:** ![Sparky812](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb9ed0/32.png) [@Sparky812](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sparky812)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2017, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadianisms/783368/96 "2017-04-06T18:12:29Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > Apparently not a Canadian. Well, yes and no. Although Caesars and Clamato are synonymous now, they were developed independently of each other from completely different influences. From Wiki: > [@](#): > > The Caesar was invented in 1969 by restaurant manager Walter Chell of the Calgary Inn (today the Westin Hotel) in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. He devised the cocktail after being tasked to create a signature drink for the Calgary Inn’s new Italian restaurant.[1] He mixed vodka with clam and tomato juice, Worcestershire sauce, and other spices,[2] creating a drink similar to a Bloody Mary but with a uniquely spicy flavour.[3] > > Chell said his inspiration came from Italy. He recalled that in Venice, they served Spaghetti alle vongole, spaghetti with tomato sauce and clams. He reasoned that the mixture of clams and tomato sauce would make a good drink, and mashed clams to form a “nectar” that he mixed with other ingredients.[4] > [@](#): > > Clamato was produced in its current form beginning in 1966 by the Duffy-Mott company in Hamlin, New York, by two employees who wanted to create a Manhattan clam chowder style cocktail by combining tomato juice and clam broth with spices. Its history extends farther back, however, as a nearly identical drink was already present in a cookbook published 10 years earlier.[2] ---
**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:** [April 6, 2017, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadianisms/783368/97 "2017-04-06T18:15:03Z")
> [@GinoC](#): > > I’m as Canadian as Bob and Doug McKenzie, but I’d like to know who the demented individual was who first took a sip of tomato juice, which is vile stuff to begin with, and said, “You know what this really needs? Some clam juice.” Ugh. Exactly. What tomato juice needs is vodka, not clam juice. > [@elbows](#): > > It gets better, Clamato juice when introduced to the American market didn’t exactly take off. Sales were flat, they were considering discontinuing it… I wish they had! Then we’d get proper Bloody Marys in Canada when we ask for them, instead of “You mean a Caesar, sir.” ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2017, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadianisms/783368/98 "2017-04-06T18:41:58Z")
> [@Spoons](#): > > Exactly. What tomato juice needs is vodka, not clam juice. I think he means that it’s better to have a Bloody Mary, hold the Bloody Mary mix. I recently paid money for a Bloody Mary for the first time in my life. It was a microdistillery mix which actually tasted pretty good; normally I can’t abide the stuff. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2017, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadianisms/783368/99 "2017-04-06T18:53:23Z")
> [@swampspruce](#): > > 1. BI AND BI-A shortening for bilingualism and biculturalism relating to the 1963 Royal Commission on Bilingualism and Biculturalism, which was established to provide reports and recommendations on issues relating to Canada’s English and French speaking populations. There are 36,000,000 people in Canada and not one of them says “Bi and bi” to mean this. It would be meaningless to a Canadian today, since the country doesn’t call itself “bicultural” and hasn’t for two generations. The most Canadian Canadianism I can think of is the already-cited “Hydro.” Only Canadians refer to electricity as water, even in Ontario, where most electricity is, in fact, generated by nuclear power. Also, Canadians usually call things like Kit Kats and Mars bars “chocolate bars.” Americans tend to call it them “candy bars.” ---
**Author:** ![K364](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k364/32/5_2.png) [@K364](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/K364)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2017, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadianisms/783368/100 "2017-04-06T19:23:09Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > … > The most Canadian Canadianism I can think of is the already-cited “Hydro.” Only Canadians refer to electricity as water, even in Ontario, where most electricity is, in fact, generated by nuclear power. > > … In B.C. and Ontario but definitely not on the Prairies. Not sure about the Maritimes but I’m doubtful. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadianisms/783368.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadianisms/783368.md?page=6)