Canadianisms

(contrasted and compared with the US)

EXPRESSIONS

"Eh?"	Don't you think? Conversational device that allows an unconfrontational canadian to turn a statement into a poll of opinion.
Canuck	nickname for a Canadian
clicks	slang for kilometres or kilometres per hour
hoser	unsophisticated person
keener	boot-licker, brown-noser, suck-up
kerfuffle	commotion; flurry of agitation
Molson muscle	potbelly (Molson is a Canadian brand of beer)
lineup	line of people; queue
"for sure"	definitely
to be on pogey	to be on welfare
mickey	375 ml. (13 oz.) bottle of liquor
two-four	case of beer containing 24 bottles
arse, bum	one's hind quarters.

WE CALL IT, THEY CALL IT

Food
backbacon	Canadian bacon
icing sugar	powdered sugar
whitener	powdered non-dairy creamer put in coffee or tea
processed cheese	american cheese
chocolate bar	candy bar.
brown bread	whole wheat bread
homo milk	whole milk
rye & ginger	canadian whiskey and gingerale
Academic
write (a test)	take a test
invigilate (an exam)	to proctor an exam
tutorial	recitation
marking (a test)	grading a test
public school	elementary school
supply teacher	substitute teacher
college	community college
Other
zed (Z)	zee (Z)
chesterfield	couch
the bill	what Canadians ask for in a restaurant (Americans ask for the check)
eavestrough	rain gutter on the eaves (edge of the roof) of a house
elastic	rubber band
girl guides	girl scouts
housecoat	robe or bathrobe
hydro	electricity
serviette	paper napkin
tap	faucet or spigot
washroom	bathroom
track pants	sweat pants
runners	tennis shoes
muskoka chair	large, usually wooden deck chair
postal code	zip code

THINGS YOU'LL ONLY FIND IN CANADA

Food
beavertail	deep-fried dessert pastry resembling a beaver's tail
poutine	French fries covered with cheese curds and gravy
ketchup chips	believe it or not
vinegar on fries	especially fish & chips
butter tart	a small, pecan-pie-like tart
nanaimo bar	a multilayer brownie and icing
tortiere	a french-canadian meat pie
milk in a bag	comes in a group of 3 bags
Brands
Smarties	something like M&Ms
Crispy Crunch	chocolate bar
Coffee Crisp	chocolate bar
Caramilk	chocolate bar
Shreddies	cereal
Other
5-pin bowling	a smaller ball, and only 5 pins---great for kids and drunks
mountie	member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (like the FBI)
toonie (or twoonie)	Canadian two-dollar coin (since 1996)
toque (or tuque)	woollen, usually pointed cap worn in the winter

MEDIA THAT IS POPULAR IN CANADA BUT NOT IN THE US

David Wilcox	not the american folk singer, the canadian blues guitarist and poet
The Tragically Hip	sell out multi-day festivals in canada, play 100-person bars in the US
Bare Naked Ladies	after many years, broke into the US on the "american pie" soundtrack
Maclean and Maclean	two low-brow Nova Scotian comedian/musicians

* this is far from complete

OTHER INTERESTING DIFFERENCES

The Canadian 'accent' can be heard most easily in the following words: out, about, house, and others with 'ou'. For example, canadian pronounciation of the word 'out' is like 'e' as in 'pet' followed by 'oot' as in 'boot', sounding like 'e'+'oot'. American pronounciation of 'out' is more like 'ow' as in 'cow', sounding like 'ow'+'t'. Other words often pronounced differenctly are 'pop', and 'roof'. Of course, the trademark 'eh' at the end of a statement is a dead giveaway.
Canadian spellings can also cause confusion: colour vs color, cheque vs check, centre vs center, etc.
Canada uses the metric system, although canadians quote their height and wieght in feet/inches and pounds. Industry, for the most part, still uses imperial units.
For measuring temperature, Canada uses celcius (rather than fahrenheit).
Although there are many differences in prices of things between US and Canada, two that stand out are the after-exchange lower prices of electronics in the US, and the far lower prices of CDs in Canada. Also, there is a pricing inversion for CDs such that in the US the older CDs are the cheapest, while in Canada it is the newest releases that are usually on sale.
The drinking age in Canada is 19 in most provinces, and 18 in Alberta, Manitoba, and Quebec. Note that the provinces where it is 18 alternate as you go west to east. Coincidence?
Soda/pop is made with corn syrup in the US, and sugar in Canada---this changes the taste significantly.
It's been said that Canadians are simply disarmed Americans with health care.
Some of these 'Canadianisms' are of British origin, and can be found there as well.
Football rules: size of our footballs, football fields, and one less down
Canadian inventions: ski-doos, jet-skis, velcro, zippers, insulin, penicillin, zambonis, the telephone, short wave radios, robertson screws (square hole)