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One of the great things about moving from the UK to Canada is there’s no language barrier to worry about (unless you land in Quebec, of course). Or so I thought.
Sure, Canadians speak English, but some of the words that I’ve heard on the streets of Toronto have been completely baffling. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve nodded along politely before whipping my phone out to Google an unfamiliar phrase.
And even after two months living across the Atlantic Ocean, I still hear Canadian expressions almost daily that make me pause and think: wait, what?
Here are 11 Canadian slang words I still can’t quite wrap my head around. If you’re a fellow newcomer, you’ll probably relate.
Toque
Ellie wears a toque.
Ellie Hutchings | Narcity
This one baffled me before I even arrived.
While researching what to pack for my move, like a warm coat (thank you, Aritzia SuperPuff), snow boots and thermals, I kept seeing one essential item pop up: a toque.
I assumed it must be some kind of specialist winter gear needed to survive extreme Canadian weather.
But no, it turns out a toque is just a winter hat.
To be fair, we call them beanies in the UK, which probably sounds just as confusing to Canadians.
Washroom
I learned pretty quickly that saying ‘toilet’ or ‘loo’ in Canada can come across as a bit uncouth. Perhaps we Brits are more crass than I thought.
Instead, I’ve had to get used to referring to the facilities as ‘washrooms’ — which feels a bit fancy when you’re heading into a questionable set of stalls at a local A&W.
I already know my friends back home will absolutely rinse me the first time I say this unironically.
Loonie/Toonie
Loonies and Toonies sound a lot like a bunch of cartoon characters to me, so you can imagine my confusion when my partner said he’d found a stray loonie down the back of the sofa.
He’s not Canadian either, so I’m not entirely sure where he picked up the phrase, and I didn’t truly believe him when he first explained to me that “loonie” and “toonie” are just slang for money.
A loonie for $1 and a toonie for $2 — it’s not exactly obvious, but I’ll admit, there’s a certain charm to it.
I’m more of a contactless girl, though, so I’m not sure how much I’ll be using these particular phrases.
Runners
If you mention ‘runners’ in the UK, people will assume you’re talking about joggers, or perhaps the people working behind the scenes in TV.
They probably won’t realize you’re talking about shoes, anyway, because we Brits call them trainers.
The first time I came across the term was in a WhatsApp message from someone I was meeting at an event. She kindly described her outfit so I could spot her in the crowd:
‘I’m in dark jeans, a camel trench coat and beige runners,’ she wrote.
It took me a moment, but the process of elimination eventually made me realize that the ‘runners’ she described must be her shoes.
Timmies
Ellie tries a ‘Timmies’.
Ellie Hutchings | Narcity
It might have confused me at first, but I’m a huge fan of this Canadian slang word.
As any Brit will tell you, we love shortening phrases to something a little cuter.
Expensive to ‘spenny’, sauvignon blanc to ‘savvy b’, McDonald’s to ‘Maccies’ and even our General Election became the ‘genny lec’ to those of us who are chronically online.
So, when I first heard that Canada’s favourite coffee chain, Tim Hortons, is affectionately called ‘Timmies’, it felt like I’d chosen the right country as my new home.
Snowbird
If I had the time and money to escape to Florida or the Caribbean every winter, trust me, I’d be a snowbird too.
But I just don’t think this one makes sense. Surely snowbirds like the snow and the colder weather?
Wouldn’t it make more sense to refer to the Canadians fleeing the country for warmer climates as ‘sunbirds’?
Maybe I’m overthinking it…
Two-four
This Canadian slang phrase has a double meaning.
As well as referring to May 24 — which is a long weekend here in The Great White North — it’s also used to describe a case containing 24 beers.
We don’t have an equivalent for this in the UK, so I guess I’ll have to import the phrase myself.
Trash panda
A raccoon (aka a ‘trash panda’).
Ellie Hutchings | Narcity
I’d never seen a raccoon in real life before moving here — so I’m still very much in the novelty phase.
I know they hang around in the garbage, are probably quite annoying and that novelty will inevitably wear off.
But calling them trash pandas feels a bit harsh.
Eh?
This one might not technically count as slang, but I started hearing it within minutes of stepping off the plane from London.
Where we Brits might tag a ‘you know?’ or a ‘right?’ on the end of a sentence, Canadian’s opt for a simple ‘eh?’
I actually think it’s pretty cute, and I’ve already caught myself using it.
Hogtown
I thought I had Toronto’s nickname down — I’d have to have been living under a rock not to be familiar with Drake’s ‘The 6ix’.
Plus, I’ve seen plenty of local businesses marketing themselves with plays on the name, too.
So imagine my surprise when I heard someone refer to my new home as ‘Hogtown’. Not exactly flattering, is it?
Apparently, Toronto got the nickname because of its history as a major pork-processing hub.
It may not be a glamorous nickname, but at least it has a story behind it.
Canuck
A Canadian flag.
Praveen Kumar Nandagiri | Unsplash
Canadians are just… Canadians. Right? Apparently not.
I’ve not heard the word ‘Canuck’ used much in conversation, but I’ve seen it here and there in Canadian media.
A quick Google told me that it’s just another term for the people who live in the True North, as well as Vancouver’s NHL team.
So, to all the Canucks reading this: thanks for keeping me on my toes with your weird and wonderful slang.
The opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Narcity Media.
