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About This Quiz
You might know that Canadians love to get their coffee at Tim Hortons, but could a non-citizen string together an order for a coffee with two creams and two sugars like a natural? What about adding on a frozen cappuccino or two? Either way, when you're visiting a coffee shop you'll definitely be in need of a toque (even if the weather's balmy — let's say around the time of the May two-four long weekend.) If this sounds made up, just wait until you're looking for where you parked your car (hint: it's not in the garage!) You'll run into mysterious things like metros, chesterfields, KD, stag and does, runners and Garburators in this quiz. Canadian hockey slang is also an integral part of the vernacular on the ice and in daily conversation, just ask The Great One what he thinks (and maybe ask him about his toboggan while you're at it.)
So c'mon eh, don't be a hoser! Put on your very best Canadian tuxedo, lace up those hockey skates and place all your loonies and toonies as bets: Let's figure out if you could pass as a real Canadian next time you find yourself north of the border.
Employment-based school
High school
University
College
In Canada, vocational schools are referred to as colleges. Unlike American colleges, Canadian colleges are career-oriented. Universities tend to be more focused on academic programs, although the two types of learning can overlap (nursing programs, for example.)
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Coke
Pop
While the word for pop can vary from region to region, Canadians generally refer to their carbonated beverages as pop rather than soda. Why pop? Supposedly it's because of the effervescent popping sound the carbonated bubbles make as they break the surface.
Sparkling juice
Soda
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Metro
In Quebec (as well as Ontario, to a lesser degree) the subway is referred to as the metro. As in, "Let's take the metro to the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, have a look around and then go get some poutine for dinner!"
Streetcar
Express train
Tunnel train
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America
Down south
The States
Just like the United States and Mexico, Canada is part of North America. Depending on where you are in Canada, you might hear the term "the U.S." being used but "the States" is the most ubiquitous term for the geographical area that lies beneath the 45th parallel.
The United States of America
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Queen's hat
Two-four
The May two-four weekend is in reference to May 24th, Queen Victoria's birthday. In Canada, this is a federal holiday (although it doesn't always fall on the 24th) and it means Canadians get the Monday off for a three-day weekend.
Royal ride
Loyal Labatt
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Athletic shoes
Runners
You're looking for runners, the Canadian slang shorthand for running shoes. Runners can include actual running shoes, sneakers and tennis shoes. Basically, any lace-up athletic or athleisure shoes with laces (or possibly Velcro) fall under the category of runners.
Sneakies
Exercise slippers
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Skinny crayons
Craft pencils
Fun sticks
Pencil crayons
Pencil crayons (or coloured pencils as they're called in The States) are the official term for this commonly used art supply in Canada. Although some packaging may refer to pencil crayons as coloured pencils, Canadians prefer the former term when identifying or discussing them.
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Orange Macaroni and Cheese
KD
KD, short for Kraft Dinner, is what Canadians call the famous boxed bright orange macaroni and cheese. The nickname is so prevalent it's been incorporated into Kraft's Canadian advertising campaign ("Gotta be KD.")
Kraft Special Pasta
Stovetop Surprise Noodles
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Pop-pops
Iced lollies
Freezies
Canada loves their freezies! In fact, Kisko Freezies (the Canadian-owned company responsible for freezies as they are known and loved today) celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2017 and in honour of their Jamaican heritage, built a school in Kingston, Jamaica to give back to the community.
Frozen fruities
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Chesterfield
A chesterfield, also known as a sofa or couch in other English-speaking countries, gets its name from the British Earl of Chesterfield, who lived during the 1600s. In England, the word chesterfield typically describes an upholstered sofa with buttons. In Canada, chesterfield is a catch-all term for any type of couch.
Couch
Big ottoman
Coffee lounger
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Wiffle ball kick game
Footballer baseball
Soccer baseball
Keeping the name as literal as possible, Canadian gym teachers and students alike always have a blast when a game of soccer baseball is being played. The rules are similar to baseball except for one major difference, a soccer ball is used in place of a softball or baseball.
Easy baseball
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Half and half
No skim
Fatty milk
Homo milk
Homo milk, or homogenized milk, refers to milk that has a butterfat content of 3.25 percent. The homogenization process is used to make fat molecules even smaller to prevent them from separating and rising to the top of the milk as cream.
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Dressing coat
Housecoat
A housecoat is indispensable any time of the year, but is extra-appreciated during the cold winter months. Made from terrycloth, cotton, velour (or any soft fabric) a housecoat is perfect for lounging around on lazy days spent indoors.
Inside coat
Snuggly coat
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Garburator
Canadians refer to their garbage disposal units as Garburators, a misspelled version of the now defunct Garberator brand. Garburators have been banned in several cities across the country and as a result, American brands have never had a motive for opening their product up to a Canadian audience.
Garbage masher
Trash Smasher
Garbage Destroyer
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Log cabin
Cottage
Whether you're in the Muskoka district, lounging on a dock beside one of the region's 1,600 lakes, or relaxing on a sandy beach by Lake Huron there's nothing better than spending a weekend at the cottage.
Yurt
Mini-house
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Serviette
Pass the serviette, please! While the term serviette is widely used across Canada for paper napkins, when a serviette is made from fabric, it's referred to as a cloth napkin.
Doily
Paper cloth
Dinner scarf
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Maple bill
Hydro bill
Most Canadians refer to their electricity bill as a hydro bill, because just over half of the power used in Canada is hydroelectric. While the term hydro is commonly used, power also comes from nuclear and, to a lesser extent, coal sources.
Solar power bill
Wind bill
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Back bag
Bum bag
Knapsack
Canadians love their knapsacks, especially when they've been packed with snacks. The word comes from the Dutch "Knapzak" or the German "knappsack", both of which translate to "snack bag" in English.
Kit bag
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Washing up stall
Washroom
Canadians aren't just being polite when they ask to use the washroom! The term originally referred to a room where washing was the only activity being done, as toilets were outside or in separate rooms.
Cleanroom
Bathingroom
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Canadian tuxedo
A denim-on-denim outfit is called a Canadian tuxedo. Depending on where you're from (or the denim wash) this look is generally undesirable — but still worn by some avid Canadian denim fans.
Fashionable
Double denim
Denim duster
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Twosies
Two plus two
Cream and sugar
Double-double
Sure, you could ask for double cream and double sugar when you order coffee — but why not order Canadian style and ask for a double-double? While this phrase is most often used at Tim Hortons, every barista knows what this shortened version of the order means.
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Toboggan
Unlike a traditional sled with skis or runners on the bottom, a toboggan sits flat on the snow. Traditionally used by Inuit and Cree peoples in the far north, toboggans are now mainly used for whizzing down snowy hills by children and the young at heart.
Snowracer
Flying saucer
Crazy Carpet
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No worries
Eh!
The word eh is typically used at the end of a sentence and can mean different things, most often confirmation of the previous statement, a question or a call for response. Usage of the term eh depends on one's geographic location (for example, Torontonians use it more than Vancouverites.)
Sorry
Meh!
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Zebra
Zed
Canadians aren't alone in their pronunciation of the letter zed, it's also how the British, Australians and New Zealanders spell and say the final letter of the alphabet.
Zany
Zonk
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Beanie
Canadian cap
Hockey hat
Tuque
A tuque (or toque, depending on who you're asking) is a knit beanie-like hat worn by Canadians across the country when it's cold out (but also when the weather warms up.)
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Twofour
Double dollar
Toonie
The toonie made its first appearance in 1996. Made from two different metals, the toonie features Queen Elizabeth II on one side and has featured several different pictures on the other, including a polar bear, Remembrance Day poppies and an Inuit drummer.
Double loonie
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The 99
The 6ix
Metro Toronto used to be made up of six municipalities: Etobicoke, York, East York, North York, Scarborough and the City of Toronto. In 1998, these areas were combined to form Metro Toronto, although locals continue to use these names to this day.
The 519s
The Tdot
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Timmies
Tim Hortons, or Timmies, named after beloved hockey player Tim Horton, has over 3,800 locations in Canada. Fun fact about Tim Hortons punctuation: The name lacks an apostrophe so that it doesn't have to be translated into a different format in French-speaking parts of Canada.
Dunkin' Donuts
Krispy Kreme
The Maple Shack
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The car house
The concrete cabin
The parkade
That's right, in Canada you park your car in a parkade. You may see signs for a parking lot, but rest assured what you're really looking for is the parkade. Interestingly, the only other country to use this term is South Africa.
The automobile bungalow
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Elastics
If you're looking for something to pull your hair back in the presence of Canadian company, you'll need to ask for an elastic (a hair elastic, specifically.) On the other hand, if you need something to keep a bag sealed, ask for an elastic band.
Stretchies
Grippers
Twisties
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Poser
Puck hog
Ice princess
Hoser
Popularized by Canadian "SCTV" actors Rick Moranis and Dave Moranis on their segment "The Great White North," referring to someone as a hoser is roughly the same as calling them a loser.
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Loonie
Canadians know their $1 coin as a loonie, featuring Queen Elizabeth II on one side and the common loon on the other. First put into circulation in 1987, commemorative editions of the loonie have also featured the Toronto Maple Leafs logo, Terry Fox and the CN Tower.
Peacock
Penguin
Birdie
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Ice Coff
Chill Caff
Iced Capp
The Iced Capp, also formally known as a Tim Hortons Iced Cappuccino, has been a Canadian favourite since 1999. With a slushier texture than mere iced coffee, the first four flavours were original, vanilla, caramel and mocha; feature flavours have included maple, s'mores and pumpkin spice.
Cold Capp
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Hog and hen
Stag and doe
Stag and does (also known as buck and does) are joint bachelor and bachelorette parties often held in rural communities. The bride and groom to be sell tickets to the event for cash and door prizes to help fund the wedding and future purchases as a couple.
Horse and mare
Dove and crow
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Bodega
Grocery store
Variety store
Although usage of the term variety store varies from province to province, a large percentage of Canadians think of their local corner store as a variety store. Variety stores tend to sell snacks, magazines, pop, and other sundries. In most parts of the country, it is illegal to sell alcohol at variety stores.
Chip store
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