When Americans think of Canadian English, certain stereotypical Canadianisms found in pop culture might come to mind, such as the ubiquitous “eh” or the distinctly Canadian way of saying “about.” But there is so much more than that! Just like their counterparts in the United States, the people of the Great White North have a bunch of cool slang words for a whole range of different things.
In celebration of our neighbors to the north, we searched high and low for as many Canadian slang words as we could find. If you Saskatche-wanna learn more about Canadian lingo, check below for Montre-all of our favorite Canadian slang words!
Canuck
Both inside and outside of Canada, the word Canuck has been used to mean “a Canadian.” Canuck was sometimes used as a meanspirited word in the past, but many Canadians today use it as a neutral or friendly term. Hockey fans would know this word from the name of an NHL hockey team, the Vancouver Canucks.
keener
A keener is a very enthusiastic person who is bursting with eagerness. In particular, keener is often used to describe students who are just a little too excited about school.
parkade
The word parkade refers to a parking garage or any multi-level building for parking vehicles.
eavestrough
An eavestrough is a rain gutter. It combines the word eaves, meaning “the edge of a roof that projects beyond the wall,” and trough, meaning “a long, narrow, open receptacle, usually boxlike in shape, used chiefly to hold water or food for animals.”
stagette
A stagette is a Canadian slang term for a bachelorette party. As in British English, Canadians may also refer to the male counterpart as a stag party.
bachelor apartment
The term bachelor apartment refers to an apartment that has a room that consists of a kitchenette, dining room, living room, and bedroom. Luckily, the bathroom is not included in this all-in-one room and does get its own separate space.
two-four
In Canada, a two-four refers to a case of beer with 24 bottles. But this isn’t the only Canadianism referring to specific alcoholic measurements…
mickey
A mickey refers to a 375-ml bottle of liquor in Canada. For the imperial units fans, that’s a little more than a 12-ounce bottle.
fire hall
In Canada and some parts of the US, too, the term fire hall refers to a fire station.
tuque
The word tuque or toque is used in Canada to refer to the knitted stocking cap that Americans know as a beanie.
Newfie
The slang Newfie is used to refer to a person from the Canadian province of Newfoundland. Many Canadians, both from inside and outside of Newfoundland, use this word neutrally or affectionately to refer to people from Newfoundland. However, some Newfoundlanders see the word as an offensive slur, especially when it is used by outsiders.
The Rock
While Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson does have Canadian citizenship, Canadians are more likely to use the term The Rock to refer to Newfoundland or to Vancouver Island if they hail from British Columbia.
Cowtown
The city of Calgary, Alberta, Canada is nicknamed Cowtown. Calgary is a major player in the Canadian beef industry, and it’s said that many hootin’, tootin’ cowboys and cowgirls hung out there during the Wild West days of Canadian history.
hoser
While Canadians are renowned worldwide for their politeness, they still have a mean bit of slang. The popular slang word hoser is a negative term that typically means “idiot” or “loser.” According to one theory of its origin, a losing team in a game of hockey would have to hose down the ice rink after the game, and this inspired the slang hoser.
rink rat
Try as we might, we couldn’t stay away from the hockey rink. In Canada, a rink rat is a (usually younger) person who spends all day at the ice rink. A rink rat loves hockey so much that they are willing to do unpaid labor in order to spend more time at the rink.
dart
Let’s take a short smoke break and define the word dart, which is used in Canadian slang to mean a cigarette.
kerfuffle
Let’s not fight about the word kerfuffle, which is used in Canadian (and British) English to mean a commotion or noise. Typically, the word kerfuffle specifically refers to a dustup caused by an argument or a fight.
hooped
In Western Canada, the slang hooped is used to mean that someone is stuck in a bad or hopeless situation. The American slang word screwed is often used to express this same meaning.
chinook
In certain parts of Canada, especially British Columbia, the term chinook or snow eater is used to refer to a warm wind that occasionally blows over the Rocky Mountains and causes sudden dramatic increases in temperature.
loonie
The Canadian one dollar coin is commonly referred to as a loonie, as the coin features a loon on one side.
give’r
The slang word give’r, or any number of other variant spellings, is used in Canada to mean to give it all you’ve got or to try as hard as possible at something.
double-double
It’s not a basketball term! Double-double is often used in Canada to refer to a coffee with two creams and two sugars. A Canadian is most likely to get a double-double at Tim Hortons. Speaking of which…
Tim’s, Timmy’s, Timmies
Tim’s, Timmy’s, Timmies, and many other nicknames are used in Canada to refer to Tim Hortons, an extremely popular Canadian restaurant chain that serves coffee and doughnuts.
bunny hug
In Saskatchewan, the slang bunny hug is a disgustingly adorable term used to refer to hooded sweatshirts or hoodies, as most Americans know them.
gotch, gotchies, and more
Sticking with Canadian slang words for clothing, the slang words gotch, gotchies, ginch, gonch, ginches, gitch, gitchies, gaunch, and possibly many other similar terms are used to refer to underpants.
The Six
Fans of Canadian rapper Drake are likely familiar with The Six, the 6, or the 6ix. These numerical nicknames all refer to the city of Toronto. Speaking of Toronto…
mans
In Toronto, the word mans is often used as a synonym of the pronoun I, as in It was cold this morning, so mans (I) had to grab a jacket. The exact origin of this slang is unknown, but most researchers believe it comes from the Jamaican Patois language spoken in the Jamaican communities of Toronto.
bibitte
In the French-Canadian province of Quebec, you’ll hear the slang bibitte, which means “bug” or “insect.”
coupe longueuil
Coupe longueuil is another bit of slang you’ll find among French Canadians. What does it mean? A coupe longueuil is a haircut that is all business in the front and all party in the back, and Americans have long cherished this hallowed haircut known as the mullet.
Practice Canadian slang with our word list!
Think you’ve learned all of the Canadian slang words? When you’re ready for a review, check out this Canadian slang word list!
