# Canadians: Enlighted this American **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 21, 2003, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadians-enlighted-this-american/176569 "2003-05-21T14:57:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![FranticMad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c68b51/32.png) [@FranticMad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FranticMad)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2003, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadians-enlighted-this-american/176569/41 "2003-05-23T19:27:47Z")
The idea of a mickey is that it is a flat bottle that fits into the breast pocket of a coat. When you’re at the talkies watching a flick with your gal, you can sneak out a mickey and share a wee dram without getting caught. More than one lucky fellah got to second base that way. ---
**Author:** ![Manduck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manduck/32/256_2.png) [@Manduck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manduck)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2003, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadians-enlighted-this-american/176569/42 "2003-05-23T20:55:49Z")
BTW, a 3-litre bottle is called a “texas mickey” ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2003, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadians-enlighted-this-american/176569/43 "2003-05-23T21:23:08Z")
Yeah, I think ‘chesterfield’ was driven out by the insidious linguistic subversion associated with the term ‘couch potato’. ‘Couch’ alone wouldn’t have done it. I’m almost 40, and I remember using ‘chesterfield’ exclusively when I was a kid in Peterborough, Ontario. There’s even a chain of stores in the Toronto area called ‘The Chesterfield Shop’. These days I tend to use ‘couch’… How old are you, _RickJay_? I tend to use ‘serviette’ almost exclusively. I was mentioning this to one of our cafeteria staff when she used ‘napkin’ for the folded sheets of paper in the dispenser at the cafeteria counter, and she said that she always uses ‘napkin’, and that ‘serviette’ sounded odd to her. Me, I find that ‘napkin’ sounds odd, almost euphemistic or infantile. Now, the cloth items we put on our laps in fancy restaurants are a different thing… Very few people I know use ‘sofa’. ---
**Author:** ![WaryEri](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ea666f/32.png) [@WaryEri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WaryEri)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2003, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadians-enlighted-this-american/176569/44 "2003-05-25T20:09:56Z")
When I lived in Manitoba, my roomates always meant a 24 ounce bottles when they said 2-4. LIke a 2-4 of Crown Royal. Never heard of it used in here in the East. ---
**Author:** ![Manduck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manduck/32/256_2.png) [@Manduck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manduck)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2003, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadians-enlighted-this-american/176569/45 "2003-05-25T20:25:20Z")
But those bottles of whisky were actually 25 ounces. And we called them twenty-sixers, for some reason. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2003, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadians-enlighted-this-american/176569/46 "2003-05-25T23:21:35Z")
Is ‘twenty six’ a Canadianism? I still use that all the time, as in, “Honey, I’m going to run out and pick up a case of beer and a twenty six of Vodka.” Most of the people I know use the same terminology. A case of beer is, well, a case of beer (12 bottles). Two cases is a ‘flat’ of beer, because they’re usually packaged two cases on a cardboard tray. A half-case is a six-pack. Half a twenty six of hard liquor is a mickey. ---
**Author:** ![3trew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/3/13edae/32.png) [@3trew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/3trew)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2003, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadians-enlighted-this-american/176569/47 "2003-05-26T01:51:53Z")
Lessee. Around here (Saskatchewan), at least among the people I know, you have the 3 litre “Texas mickey”, the 1.14 litre “40”, the 750ml “26”, and the 375ml “mickey”. 12 beer is a case, 24 is a flat, and a pint can be anywhere from 18 to 24 ounces depending on where you’re drinking. I think it works out to 473 ml, but I’m not entirely sure. I also believe the “26” was 25.6 ounces. I think we just rounded up. Oh, and I really miss stubbies. ---
**Author:** ![Lew\_Archer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e480ec/32.png) [@Lew\_Archer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lew_Archer)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2003, 6:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadians-enlighted-this-american/176569/48 "2003-05-26T06:56:03Z")
**Rodd Hill** , The comedian you’re thinking of is a Nova Scotian named [Ron James](http://us.imdb.com/Name?James,+Ron) ; he had a one-man show a few years ago called ‘Up and Down in Shakeytown’ (it toured across Nova Scotia, and it was also shown on CBC). It was about his time spent in L.A. looking for work. The bit with the Canadian Tire money is where he gave some to a homeless guy, with the excuse that this is the currency in his native land. He also talked about Canada’s version of a drive-by shooting: a drive-by yelling (“Hey! You’re wearing white after Labour Day!”). Not a bad show; like listening to a humourous uncle describe his five years spent in the States and his misadventures. ---
**Author:** ![NoGoodNamesLeft](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/8797f3/32.png) [@NoGoodNamesLeft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NoGoodNamesLeft)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2003, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadians-enlighted-this-american/176569/49 "2003-05-26T13:36:49Z")
> [@](#): > > Oh, and I really miss stubbies. Brick Beer is using the stubbies again. > [@](#): > > 2-4: a case of 24 beer-- usually in bottles ALWAYS in bottles. In my area (Southern Ontario), you order a two-four, you get bottles. If you wanted cans you’d have to specifically ask for cans. I’m always surprised that American’s I talk to have a hard time grasping the concept of bagged milk. My parents (English) always used ‘Chesterfield’. And the matching footstool was an ‘automan’ (or ‘autumnun’ maybe). ---
**Author:** ![NoGoodNamesLeft](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/8797f3/32.png) [@NoGoodNamesLeft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NoGoodNamesLeft)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2003, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadians-enlighted-this-american/176569/50 "2003-05-26T13:38:20Z")
Oh, and on a recent trip to the US, I was stunned to see weird amounts of beer in cartons. 28, 18, 32, 8… Here we’ve got 6, 12, 24. Outside of promotions, that’s really it. ---
**Author:** ![Horrifying\_Howler\_Monkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/df788c/32.png) [@Horrifying\_Howler\_Monkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horrifying_Howler_Monkey)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2003, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadians-enlighted-this-american/176569/51 "2003-05-26T14:23:10Z")
Here you can’t use Canadian Tire money at their pump, even though they give it you. Don’t know if that is just this store, or if that is all Canadian Tire gas pumps. Side note: I talked to a man from Tampa last night who couldn’t believe I don’t speak french. “But you live in Canada!” He thought it was against the law not to be bilingual. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2003, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadians-enlighted-this-american/176569/52 "2003-05-26T15:23:36Z")
I use chesterfield, couch and sofa pretty much simulatenously. A 2-4 is definitely the beer, not the weekend. No one talks about Casey and Finnegan, even though everyone knows who they are. I would have thought mickey and chesterfield were widespread. Many cartons of homogenized milk are labelled “homo”. Since people started drinking 1% and 2% you don’t see as many of them though. ---
**Author:** ![furlibusea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aca169/32.png) [@furlibusea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furlibusea)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2003, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadians-enlighted-this-american/176569/53 "2003-05-26T15:36:19Z")
I moved to the States and married a Yank. I never realised that chesterfield was a word he wouldn’t know until on a vacation visiting relatives we saw a sign in the laundrymat asking people to keep their children from jumping on the chesterfield, and he had to ask what it was. He also didn’t know what a parkade was. He also didn’t know what a cartigan was. Did anyone else grow up with the word sywash for a particular type of sweater. I ran into this as a kid in Saskatoon. ---
**Author:** ![Raygun99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Raygun99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raygun99)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2003, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadians-enlighted-this-american/176569/54 "2003-05-26T16:29:04Z")
A sywash is a kind of woolen pullover, similar to a poncho, if I’m not mistaken. I know I’ve heard the term before. Is this another Saskatchewanism (a la bunnyhug)? ---
**Author:** ![Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e19adc/32.png) [@Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2003, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadians-enlighted-this-american/176569/55 "2003-05-26T17:25:45Z")
It’s “ottoman.” 😉 And **Magayuk** , you’d be surprised how many people in BC are surprised at the excellent quality of my english :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![wolfman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a8b319/32.png) [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2003, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadians-enlighted-this-american/176569/56 "2003-05-26T18:47:53Z")
Out of curiousity, how is ‘2-4’ pronounced? Like “two four”, or “two to four”? ---
**Author:** ![Raygun99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Raygun99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raygun99)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2003, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadians-enlighted-this-american/176569/57 "2003-05-26T18:52:51Z")
The first way. FWIW, I’ve never heard it used as a reference to Victoria Day weekend. That’s always “May Long”. ---
**Author:** ![3trew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/3/13edae/32.png) [@3trew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/3trew)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2003, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadians-enlighted-this-american/176569/58 "2003-05-26T19:10:16Z")
I get “Siwash” as being a particular type of sweater made by or after the fashion of Native tribes in B.C. and (apparently) Washington State. I have no idea whether it’s currently used anywhere outside of Saskatchewan or not, though. ---
**Author:** ![NoGoodNamesLeft](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/8797f3/32.png) [@NoGoodNamesLeft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NoGoodNamesLeft)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2003, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadians-enlighted-this-american/176569/59 "2003-05-26T19:30:04Z")
> [@](#): > > I’ve never heard it used as a reference to Victoria Day weekend. That’s always “May Long”. In Southern Ontario, we’ve always called the beer “a two four” and the weekend “May two four”. It’s a double-meaning thing. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2003, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadians-enlighted-this-american/176569/60 "2003-05-26T19:31:51Z")
Never heard of siwash. Cardigan is commonly used in Toronto, parkade less so. I’m sure you know all about dulce, fish n’ brews, screech, hoser, sweeping the rock and jumpins. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadians-enlighted-this-american/176569.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadians-enlighted-this-american/176569.md?page=4)