November 25, 2014

Canadian Colloquialisms

Whether you’re visiting or have recently immigrated to Canada, you would have likely heard Canadians say “eh”, “Canuck”, and “double-double”.  These are just a few colloquialisms (informal expressions) that are unique to Canadians that might have left you puzzled and perhaps reaching for a dictionary. To help you decode these, the following is a short list of Canadian colloquial expressions and their meanings:

Canuck – a Canadian person

Chinook – a warm and dry wind usually during the spring and fall seasons; also a type of salmon

Double-double – a cup of coffee with 2 milk/ cream and 2 sugar bought from Tim Horton’s coffee shop

Eh – used instead of “Huh?”, “What?”, or “Come again/ Please repeat”; also used when asking for someone’s opinion or someone’s agreement

Loonie – a Canadian one dollar coin

Pop – soft drink or a non-alcoholic carbonated beverage

Toonie (also, twonie) – a Canadian two dollar coin

Toque (also, tuque) – a knitted hat used during the winter

For a list of other Canadian colloquialisms, check out this website here: