A friend of mine has just become a Canadian citizen. We are having a “Welcome to Canada” party for her and one of the things we were planning on testing her on things that are purely Canadian. (like Stompin’ Tom Connors, Tim Horton’s, etc)
We are also compiling a list of things that are called something different in the US, such as:
Soda (US) = Pop (Canada)
Sofa (US) = Chesterfield (Canada)
Hat (US) = Toque (Canada)
Any suggestions?
Thanks
Brad
Tabernac eh!
Tabernac is an all-purpose swear that can be used in variable strengths. For instance “tabernac, c’est Montréal!” means “hot damn, it’s Montreal”. On the other hand, just muttering “tabernac” is equivalent to saying “oh f***”.
washroom vs restroom springs to mind
SSN vs SIN
401k vs rrsp
Bob’s your uncle seems to be a phrase a lot of American’s don’t get (at least here in VA)
I think having them define what a pair of Stanfield’s is would be pretty good too.
when I have a break at work I will try to get you a few more
Wow, that Bob’s Your Uncle phrase would have been lost on me. I had to look it up in Wikipedia (though I vaguely remember having heard it once before).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob's_your_uncle
FWIW, I’m a Californian.
Uniquely Canadian , eh? (Y’all talk funny over there BTW)
How about serving her a heapin’ helpin’ of poutine? yum! That will be a proper welcome to Canada.
Yeah - it usually garners me looks like I have two heads.
On the other hand, I work with a Texan that has some pretty wild phrases as well - so turn about is fair play.
Just sow the canadian flag on every piece of clothing you own.
Do you mean “sew” or it that another “Canadianism”?
Brad
Sofa (US) = Chesterfield (Canada)
Hat (US) = Toque (Canada)
Hang on a second…
No one say chesterfield. Seriously. Couch.
And a toque is NOT a hat. These are two distinctly different items.
Uniquely Canadian , eh? (Y’all talk funny over there BTW)
How about serving her a heapin’ helpin’ of poutine? yum! That will be a proper welcome to Canada.
Better get a big stack of serviettes…
Get her dvd’s of the “Red Green Show”, and make sure she has an ample supply of duct tape.
Be sure that she knows how to sing “Take Off” in her best Geddy Lee voice (which is hard to duplicate).
Make sure “roof” and “about” is pronounced the Canadian way. We also spell it “colour”, “favourite” and several other words the same way the Brits do. And of course be sure to end every sentence with “eh”. 
Make sure the differences between CFL and NFL rules are explained.
If she’s moving to Western Canada then watching Fubar is a must. I would suggest buying a 2-4 of Pil to drink while enjoying the movie and explain the importance of finding the bunny on the can. While you’re at it, try to convince her that the May 2-4 long weekend is a celebration of beer.
Teach her to sing the old Hockey Night in Canada theme song.
Explain that she has to pronounce the following words differently - roof, out, about, pasta, drama.
She must agree that Tragically Hip is the best band to ever grace the earth.
Teach her to convert to metric.
If she’s moving to Western Canada then watching Fubar is a must. I would suggest buying a 2-4 of Pil to drink while enjoying the movie and explain the importance of finding the bunny on the can. While you’re at it, try to convince her that the May 2-4 long weekend is a celebration of beer.
Teach her to sing the old Hockey Night in Canada theme song.
Explain that she has to pronounce the following words differently - roof, out, about, pasta, drama.
She must agree that Tragically Hip is the best band to ever grace the earth.
Teach her to convert to metric.
You forgot the word aboot, eh!
It’s all aboot being Canadian, eh!
Other frequently forgotten but ‘important’ differences:
Postal Code (CAN) vs Zip Code (US)
Pronouncing the letter ‘Z’ → ‘Zed’ (CAN) vs ‘Zee’ (US)
Kilometer (CAN) vs Mile (US) (and similarily Meter (CAN) vs Yards (US))
Chocolate Bar (CAN) vs Candy Bar (US)
Celcius (CAN) vs Fahrenheit (US)
.
she can no longer say “in the hospital” - she must say “in hospital” (that one really bugs me)
she must know what shinny and ringette are and the rules of curling
she must understand the significance of the 1972 Summit Series
she must know what the May 2-4 weekend means and the correct month to celebrate Thanksgiving
she must watch at least one episode of The Littlest Hobo and the original Degrassi Junior High
she should understand what a Commonwealth country is
lastly, she should know how to cross country ski, hook up a dog sled, make an igloo and hunt baby seals
.
I think you need to add Anne of Green Gables (the Megan Follows (sp?)) version to list of required shows.
Royal Canadian Air Farce wouldn’t be a bad indoctrination either.
she can no longer say “in the hospital” - she must say “in hospital” (that one really bugs me)
she must know what shinny and ringette are and the rules of curling
she must understand the significance of the 1972 Summit Series
she must know what the May 2-4 weekend means and the correct month to celebrate Thanksgiving
she must watch at least one episode of The Littlest Hobo and the original Degrassi Junior High
she should understand what a Commonwealth country is
lastly, she should know how to cross country ski, hook up a dog sled, make an igloo and hunt baby seals
This is the 2nd “Littlest Hobo” reference on ST in a week. I’m fairly certain that it’s never been referenced here before - or at very least within the last few years.
yeah - but they haven’t stooped to Beachcombers yet …