Canadian Vocab Lesson - Part 1

Over the past four months, I've discovered a number of interesting linguistic differences between Australia and Canada. These differences can often result in funny lost-in-translation moments, but they also provide great opportunities to learn more about the country. Here are a few of my favourite examples:

Words

Canadian	Australian translation
Appetiser	Entrée
Entrée	Main meal
Timmy's	Tim Horton’s (Canadian coffee chain)
Double double	Percolated drip coffee with two milks and two sugars (typically from Tim Horton’s)
Homo Milk	Full cream (homogenised) milk
Timbits	Donut balls sold at Tim Horton’s
To go	Take away
Washroom	Bathroom
Loonie	$1 coin (the coin features a loon, which is a common bird in Canada).
Toonie	$2 coin (worth two loonies)
Kraft dinner	Macaroni & Cheese
Cookie	Biscuit
Rice Krispies	Rice bubbles
Arugula	Rocket (lettuce leaf)
Cilantro	Corriander
Pop	Soft drink
Canuk	Canadian
Newfie	Someone from Newfoundland
T dot	Slang for Toronto (T.O. shortened to just T.)
Snowbird	Someone who relocates to a warmer place each winter (e.g. Florida)
Hoser	Bogan / Redneck
Basement Apartment	A self-contained basement of a property that is rented out to tenants separately.
Hydro	Electricity
Void cheque	A blank cheque marked as void, which you use to give your bank details to a person or company.
Pencil crayon	Coloured pencil
Vacation	Holiday
Fall	Autumn
Toque (to rhyme with luke)	Beanie (winter hat)
Flip flops	Thongs
Burlap	Hessian

Expressions

I've also noticed a few sayings that are quite common here:

Super - everything can be described as super - it seems to take the place of 'very' or 'really' (e.g. super friendly", "super embarrassing", "super cold").

Right? - used at the end of a sentence to gain agreement/acceptance (e.g. "Monday mornings are the worst though, right?").

Anyways - tends to be used when changing topics or wrapping up conversation (e.g. "The subway was so busy this morning, I could hardly move! Anyways...").

'Feels like' - this is Canadian weather terminology that refers to the combination of the actual temperature plus humidity (in summer) or windchill (in winter). (e.g. tomorrow morning the weather in Toronto is expected to be 11 degrees Celsius, with a 'feels like' temperature of 9 degrees).

Let's practise!

Scene: Purchasing a coffee at Tim Horton's (Timmy's)

Customer: Can I get a double double with homo milk and a six timbits?

Server: Oh sure, is that for here or to go?

Customer: To go please! I’m super busy this morning, I have to pay my hydro, put an offer in on a basement apartment and buy a new toque – it’s getting cold eh?

Server: Yeah, this week has been pretty cold, right? This morning it's 7 degrees, feels like 1! Anyways, here's your double double and timbits. That'll be $4.00.

Customer: *rummages through bag* I know I had another twoonie in here somewhere! Ah, there we go. One other thing - could you tell me where the washroom is please?

Pronunciation

I highly recommend watching this funny clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m0EsYiNA76Q