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A few years ago we was sitting absolutely with essay colleagues during an annual Board of Directors assembly in Ventura, Calif. At some indicate during a march of ubiquitous contention we accidentally done what we suspicion was an trusting (and utterly frankly, universal) statement: “Well, this is only a initial flog during a cat, right?”
By a horrified, wide-eyed stares looking my approach in a arise of that comment, we wondered only how concept that informed aged observant competence be. Hastily adding that we don’t typically disciple kicking cats as a ubiquitous order of thumb, we done a mental note to set out to establish if any of my other American friends were informed with that phrase, or if my associate house members maybe only led easeful lives. Surprisingly, we could not find a singular chairman who had ever listened a phrase, nor looked during me like they weren’t creation mental records to immediately hit a Society for a Prevention of Cruelty to Animals as shortly as we walked away.
All of that led to an epiphany – a word we used was expected a “Canadian-ism” – something we ordinarily use here, instead of simply adopting renouned American sayings – such as “nothing ventured, zero gained”, “where there’s a will there’s a way”, or “up your nose with a rubber hose”. Our neighbours to a south do have a certain utterance with word play.
While many sayings change depending on a segment we live in, there are positively phrases and/or difference that are singly Canadian. As Canadian as beavers wearing parkas. As Canadian as wearing a toque to a beach in August. As Canadian as removing teary-eyed while hoisting a Tim Hortons coffee during a curling brier, while fluttering a maple leaf:
1) “La Premiere Etoile”. Even yet we are a proudly bilingual country, many Canadians sadly aren’t all that smooth in French (I once got a C in high propagandize for suggesting that a French word for “orange juice” was “le Tang”). However ALL Canadians know that refreshing phrase, with honour to Hockey Night in Canada. It refers to a “first star” of a evening’s match, and in many broadcasts refers to any actor NOT compared with a Toronto Maple Leafs. Apologies to that excellent city.
2) “Forty-Pounder”. This is an aged word for a vast bottle of drink that has rather been replaced by a acclimatisation to a metric system, though will still be used by males wearing sunglasses, AC-DC T-shirts, and sporting mullets. We also charmingly impute to a box of drink as a “two-four”. Who says math is irrelevant after (or if) you’ve graduated?
3) “Double Double”. No, this isn’t that small Roman animation impression that sells pizza on TV – this is a anxiety to how we cite a coffee, and ONLY refers to Tim Hortons coffee. A Starbucks barista will kindly omit your ask as he or she awaits correct instructions in Canadian Italian. Oh – that word refers to double cream and double sugar. Yet another unsentimental focus for math in a genuine world.
4) “Hoser”. You competence assume that this refers to firefighters, your gardener or a pool child though once again, you’d be wrong. This is simply a locate word done famous by Canadian Second City TV characters Bob and Doug McKenzie, who aren’t genuine people, though are worshiped only a same here in Canada. If conference “Take off, Hoser” brings a grin to your face, we are clearly Canadian.
Whoops! Out of space – there are positively approach some-more renouned Canuck-isms, though this list currently was only my initial flog during a cat, eh?
Humour columnist and author Dan St. Yves was protected with Royal LePage Kelowna for 11 years. Check out his website during www.nonsenseandstuff.com, or hit him during ThatDanGuy@shaw.ca.
Article source: http://www.remonline.com/home/?p=11126
