17 Canadian Slang words that Confuse even Advanced English Speakers
If you’re like many people, you think Canadians are just like Americans, but colder and further north (and possibly housed in igloos). For the most part, Canadian Slang is about the same as American or British Slang, so you’ll have little trouble understanding folks if you head up to Toronto or Vancouver. (Newfoundland might be another story.) But there are a few words and phrases that might confuse English learners – they certainly confuse most native English speakers who don’t hail from Canada.
So here are 17 Canadian slang phrases that are confusing to most English learners:
Rink rat
A lot of ice hockey gets played in Canada, because it’s cold up there for about half the year. A rink rat is a person who’s always hanging out at the hockey rink.
Double-double
This is a short form for how many Canadians take their coffee when buying it from Tim Horton’s, a nationwide coffee chain (Canada’s answer to Dunkin Donuts). It means two creams and two sugars. A triple-triple is also an option, believe it or not.
Homo milk
It might sound rude and insensitive, but homo is short for homogenized, which is what Canadians call whole (not skimmed or partly skimmed) milk.
Pencil crayon
This is Canadian slang for a coloured pencil, and if you think about it, the term makes perfect sense. It’s a pencil that you can use like a crayon, to colour with.
Kitty-corner
A Canadian will tell you that the store is kitty-corner to the bank, and they mean it’s located diagonally across the intersection.
All-dressed
If you combined all the major flavours of potato chips and put them all on one chip, you’d get all-dressed. It’s a mash-up of ketchup, salt and vinegar, sour cream and onion, and barbecue chips.
Two-four
This is the perfect thing to go with your all-dressed chips: a 24-pack of beer (cans or bottles, both are referred to as a two-four). Also used as slang for the Victoria Day long weekend which often falls on or near May 24th and is an excuse for many people to grill and drink lots of beer.
Back bacon/peameal bacon
This is known as “Canadian bacon” in the United States, and is bacon that comes from the back, not the side or belly, of the pig. It’s often rolled in cornmeal before slicing, hence the alternate term “peameal.”
Klick
Canadian Slang for “kilometre,” the metric unit of distance used in Canada and most other countries instead of the mile. For example, Ottawa is about 350 klicks from Toronto.
Toque
While in France this is what they call a tall hat worn by a chef, in Canada it’s a knitted winter hat, often with a pompom on the top. In the U.S. it may be referred to as a beanie.
Loonie/toonie
Canada uses coins for its one- and two-dollar denominations of currency. The one-dollar coin has a picture of a loon (a bird native to Canada) on one side, hence the nickname “loonie.” The toonie was introduced later and is a mashup of the words “two” and “loonie.”
Toboggan
I mentioned above that it’s pretty cold in Canada for half the year. They also see a lot of snow, and kids have to play outside in it, so they go tobogganing. It’s just another word for a snow sled, generally made of wood with a curved front, but these days even the plastic ones go by that name.
Washroom
In the U.S. they say ladies’ room and men’s room, in the UK they say toilet or restroom, and in Canada, the common term is washroom (because one can certainly wash up in there).
Serviette
Canada is a bilingual nation, with its second official language being French. We assume that’s where this Canadian slang comes from. Serviette is Quebec French for napkin, and the word has been anglicized and normalized into common use.
Chesterfield
Canada was originally a British colony, and some British words have persisted in the language in interesting ways. In England, a chesterfield refers specifically to a type of leather couch with buttons, as popularized by a former nobleman, the Earl of Chesterfield. However, in Canadian Slang Chesterfield is interchangeable with couch or sofa.
Eavestrough
This is a piece of metal attached to the underside edge of a building’s roof (the eaves) that helps drain away water. It is trough-shaped, and from there we find the origin of the word eavestrough. Americans call these rain gutters.
Knapsack
This Canadian slang probably came via German immigrants, and is more commonly known as a backpack, rucksack, or haversack.
If you plan on traveling to Canada, why not ask your Skype English language partner to review some of these Canadian Slang words with you before you go, so you won’t be confused when offered a double-double or a serviette, eh?
Useful resources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_English#Informal_speech
