31 things Canadians say that Americans don't understand
Keener: A person who is extremely eager or keen. Used interchangeably with terms like 'brown-noser' and 'overachiever.'
Chirping and beaking: Making fun of someone. (Chirping is used in eastern Canada; beaking is used in parts of western Canada.)
Gotch/gitch/gonch: Tight men's underpants known elsewhere as briefs or tighty-whities. You might hear, "Do you separate your gitch from your socks when you do laundry?"
Mickey: A 375 ml bottle of alcohol. They're usually shaped like a flask and fit perfectly in a purse.
Texas mickey: A 3-liter (101-ounce) bottle of alcohol.
Washroom: A polite word for bathroom. The Canadian version of "restroom."
Stag and stagette parties: Bachelor and bachelorette parties.
Gong show or gonger: A situation that gets way out of control, often in a funny way. A total disaster. Sometimes used to refer to a party that gets out of hand.
Hang a larry or hang a roger: Turn left or right, respectively.
Homo milk: Homogenized milk, also known as whole milk.
Two-four: a case of 24 beers.
Toque: Pronounced "tuque," a toque is a winter hat or knit cap, like a beanie. It often refers to the type of beanie that rolls up at the bottom.
Dart: A cigarette.
Double-double: A coffee from Tim Hortons, Canada's most popular coffee and donut shop, prepared with two creams and two sugars.
Nanaimo bar: A popular rich dessert that requires no baking. Named after the city of Nanaimo, British Columbia.
Champagne birthday: The birthday when you turn the age of the date of your birth. So if you were born on the 26th of the month, your 26th birthday would be your champagne birthday. Known in the US as golden birthday.
Rockets: The candy that Americans call 'Smarties.' In Canada, 'Smarties' are candy-coated chocolates made by Nestlé that are similar to M&Ms.
Runners: Any kind of athletic footwear.
Chesterfield: A couch or sofa.
Garburator: An electric device underneath of a kitchen sink that breaks up food so it can be washed away. Americans call it a trash or garbage disposal.
Housecoat: A bathrobe.
Pencil crayons: Colored pencils.
College: This refers specifically to community colleges in Canada. Any institution that awards degrees is referred to as a 'university.'
Parkade: A multistory parking lot, otherwise known as a parking garage.
Bunnyhug: Used exclusively in Saskatchewan to refer to a hooded sweatshirt, or hoodie. But only in Saskatchewan — the rest of the country finds it as funny as you do.
Zed: The letter Z. Canada's not alone in this — most of the English-speaking world pronounces it 'zed' instead of 'zee.'
Loonies and Toonies: An informal name for Canadian one-dollar and two-dollar coins, respectively.
'Out for a rip': Going out for a drive. Or a snowmobile ride. Or any other kind of excursion, really.
Eavestrough: A rain gutter. An eave is the part of a roof that extends over the walls of a building.
Hydro bill: This is what Canadians call their electricity bill. It comes from 'hydroelectric power,' which is more prevalent in Canada than in the US.
Serviette: A napkin, especially a cloth one used in formal settings.
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