PunBB

Summiteer Wrote:We also have our own word for saying "Cheerz" Up To here, we say "Chimo" when we cheerz our drinkz, I hardly, if ever hear it used though...

come again...?

I have never heard "Chimo" in my entire life! And I've been drinking for like the last ten years almost and in four different provinces with thousands of people! (I might be exaggerating that ever so slightly) :wink: Unless it's a west coast thing?

lord brazle Wrote:I have never heard "Chimo" in my entire life! And I've been drinking for like the last ten years almost and in four different provinces with thousands of people! (I might be exaggerating that ever so slightly) :wink: Unless it's a west coast thing?

never heard it either...

I know, thatz how much of an oddity the phrase is. I actually read it in this book called ......1001 thingz about Canada. I've used it a few timez and no - 1 knowz what-the-hell I'm talkin about.

april_wino1 Wrote:

akoso Wrote:Restaurants serve vinegar with French fries.

Malt vinegar, right?

Normally regular vinegar, but most places have malt vinegar. Which smells quite foul by the way.

The only lyric that crosses my mind when I think of "things that would confuse Americans" is definitely from Road Apples, in Long Time Running are the lyrics:

"I'll drop a caribou, I'll tell on you."

Canadian 25 cent coins have a caribou (like a moose) printed on one side. Hence, in order to make a phone call from a pay phone, one needs to "drop a caribou".

I had never actually heard that expression until I heard that song but as soon as I heard it, I knew exactly what he meant.

Sunday

Sunday_Gamer Wrote:The only lyric that crosses my mind when I think of "things that would confuse Americans" is definitely from Road Apples, in Long Time Running are the lyrics:

"I'll drop a caribou, I'll tell on you."

Canadian 25 cent coins have a caribou (like a moose) printed on one side. Hence, in order to make a phone call from a pay phone, one needs to "drop a caribou".

I had never actually heard that expression until I heard that song but as soon as I heard it, I knew exactly what he meant.

Sunday

Learn somthing new everyday!

LoftyPines Wrote:

april_wino1 Wrote:

akoso Wrote:Restaurants serve vinegar with French fries.

Malt vinegar, right?

Normally regular vinegar, but most places have malt vinegar. Which smells quite foul by the way.

I think I'll stick to ketchup, then.

Sunday_Gamer Wrote:The only lyric that crosses my mind when I think of "things that would confuse Americans" is definitely from Road Apples, in Long Time Running are the lyrics:

"I'll drop a caribou, I'll tell on you."

Canadian 25 cent coins have a caribou (like a moose) printed on one side. Hence, in order to make a phone call from a pay phone, one needs to "drop a caribou".

I had never actually heard that expression until I heard that song but as soon as I heard it, I knew exactly what he meant.

Sunday

I never would've thought it meant a quarter. I always thought it was about poaching. Anyway... why would you tell on someone for making a phone-call?

Uh...no that's "I'll make a phone call and tell on you."

Sunday

Sunday_Gamer Wrote:Uh...no that's "I'll make a phone call and tell on you."

Sunday

Yes, you're right. I missed that. I just read the book again. I thought it was "drop a caribou and i'll tell on you." It sounds like that. Your whole post makes so much more sense now. Sorry.

Yo! Lord!!!

Just exactly what cornfield can we do this thing in?

I can't believe how far this topic has strayed from my first question.

Anyway, you have all my contacts, and the Avatar help was very much appreciated.

All the best,

CJ

april_wino1 Wrote:you guys measure temperature in degrees Celcius, distance in kilometres, and speed in kilemetres per hour. But you measure height in feet/inches and weight in pounds, right? So what all do you use the metric measuament for? And what about the imperial measurament? What about as far as ovens go?

SD handled this pretty darn well, so I'll leave it.

april_wino1 Wrote:Also, it's 'runners' instead of 'tennies' or 'sneakers', right?

Exactly. Brits have "trainers," and we certainly have cross-trainers, but they're usually runners.

april_wino1 Wrote:'Pop', - not 'soda', right? 'Washroom' - not 'restroom', right? 'Housecoat' - not 'bathrobe', right?

Generally, yes. I hear they also say "pop" in Chicago to mean soft drinks. Soda sounds strange to me.

april_wino1 Wrote:Instead of 12th grade - it's grade 12, right? Instead of grading a paper/test - it's marking a paper/test, right? And it's 'supply teacher' - not 'substitute teacher', right? Do you really say 'public school' instead of 'elementary school' - or do you say 'primary school'?

I say I went to elementary school, to junior high, and to high school. I don't say "public school," but I think this is very regional. Supply teachers are pretty universally Canadian, I think. As for Grade 1, 2, 3, etc, I think that's also pretty universal.

april_wino1 Wrote:I know it's 'girl guides' instead of 'girl scouts' - and they sell 'girl guide' cookies instead of 'girl scout' cookies, right? What about 'boy scouts', though? Is that 'boy guides', too - or is it 'boy scouts'?

Yeah, Stephen's taken care of this. Boys have beaver, cubs, scouts, and usually something called "venturers" while girls have sparks, guides, etc.

april_wino1 Wrote:What are some other wording differences between Canada and the US?

Well, you Canadians might say:
"elastic" to mean "rubber band"
"being sick" to mean "puke"
"regular" meaning "medium" (i.e. size of a pop or coffee) and not meaning a particular cream/sugar combination in coffee (as in U.S. northeast)
"all dressed" meaning "all ingredients on it"
"eavestroughs" not "gutters" (on the "rooves" not "rufs" of "how-ses", not "houses")
"March Break" not "Spring break"
"pogey" as in unemployment assistance
"shit disturber" meaning a trouble-maker, often a witty one
"two four" meaning a case of beer
"mickey" meaning a small bottle of booze (what Americans call "a fifth")
"Javex" (a brand), meaning bleach (the way you say Kleenex to mean tissue)
"garburetor" to mean garbage disposal
"cake" to mean "non-immigrant white Canadian" (this is important given higher numbers of foreign-born citizens)

Also, they "write" exams rather than "take" or "sit" them.

april_wino1 Wrote:Do you say 'herb' or 'erb'? Do you say 'proe-gress' and 'proe-ject' instead of 'prah-gress' and 'prah-ject'? Do you say 'cair-ruh-bee-uhn' - not 'cuh-ri-bee-uhn'? And is it 'sheh-jule' - not 'skeh-jule'? I know you pronounce it 'a-bout', not 'a-boot' - but you use a raised vowel type pronunciation, though?

This is also very regional. The Canadian norm tends to be "proe" rather than "prah" (and, in fact, our "prah" never sounds like yours - it's more a "proeah" ). Generally, it's "erb"' rather than "herb", but this was different just a generation ago. Caribbean is a mess. Usually, it's skeh-jule. There are lots of strange variants.

Generally, pronunciation favours the earlier part of words. For example, a Canadian never says to-MOR-row, but always TO-mor-row. This is actually an easy way to distinguish Americans from Canadians (especially as many Americans say what to our ears sounds like to-MAHR-ow). There are also lots of other variants. For example, for "foyer," a Canadian will never say "foy-er" but "foy-eh" as if it were proper french.

Canadians also usually pronounce Montreal Mun-tree-all and never MON-treeal" like the Yanks.

Cheers mate.

Quote: ... having American TV only prolongs the change since we hear WAY more measurments in feet/inches etc.

Sucks to live in Windsor, even the local stations report weather in farenheit and snow and other measurements in inches/feet... nevermind having to hear it from the stations in Detroit!

On the weather getting real hot and then real cold in Toronto, that is true. But you can live in the heat in TO, whereas in the heat in Windsor is like being in a sauna, drinking beer makes you sweat LOL. And although it gets cold down here in the winter, it doesn't get AS cold, so I guess there's a tradeoff.

And on the topic of "soda" vs. "pop". I used to tend bar at a local banquet hall, there were always some yankees at every wedding, always wanted "soda", I poured them a Club Soda every time and then got a stupid look... it was priceless... the joke was on them... LOL

Also, they don't ask for types of beer, they just ask for brands, like, "I'll have a Molson" or "Gimme a Labatt's"... which translates to asking for a "Canadian" or a "Blue". Always confused them and ask back, "What kind of Labatt's?"...

theAryanTwang Wrote:

Quote: ... having American TV only prolongs the change since we hear WAY more measurments in feet/inches etc.

Sucks to live in Windsor, even the local stations report weather in farenheit and snow and other measurements in inches/feet... nevermind having to hear it from the stations in Detroit!

On the weather getting real hot and then real cold in Toronto, that is true. But you can live in the heat in TO, whereas in the heat in Windsor is like being in a sauna, drinking beer makes you sweat LOL. And although it gets cold down here in the winter, it doesn't get AS cold, so I guess there's a tradeoff.

And on the topic of "soda" vs. "pop". I used to tend bar at a local banquet hall, there were always some yankees at every wedding, always wanted "soda", I poured them a Club Soda every time and then got a stupid look... it was priceless... the joke was on them... LOL

Also, they don't ask for types of beer, they just ask for brands, like, "I'll have a Molson" or "Gimme a Labatt's"... which translates to asking for a "Canadian" or a "Blue". Always confused them and ask back, "What kind of Labatt's?"...

Hey, you don't have anything against Americans, do you?