Stephen and others:
As a fellow Canadian who has spent a little time in the States, I thought
I'd try to fill in the very few gaps in Stephen's interpretations of the
Canadian expressions.
On Wed, 16 Aug 2000, Stephen Black wrote:
> > > You know you're Canadian when:
> > >
> > > 5. You drink pop, not soda.
>
> Usage varies. Not a strong item
Despite being exposed to the term "soda" on American TV (including
Yosemite Sam's version, "sodey pop"), I had never heard a Canadian use the
word. Perhaps an even more common term is soft drink.
>
> > > 7. You know that a mickey and 2-4's mean "Party at the camp,
> > > eh!"
>
> I don't have a clue
A mickey is a small flask-like bottle of booze, while a 2-4 (or a square)
is a case of 24 beers. Or so I'm told... ;)
> > > 15. You drive on a highway, not a freeway.
>
> Sometimes.
And sometimes you drive on the parkway, and park on the driveway.
Shouldn't it be the other way around?
> > > 37. You never miss "Coaches Corner".
>
> I suspect this may refer to hockey.
Yes, as does about 80% of Canadian life (only kidding, percentages may
vary). Actually, Coach's Corner is a between-periods instalment on Hockey
Night in Canada (da dun da da da daaaa..) featuring a discussion between a
hockey commentator and Don Cherry, an ex-player and -coach known for his
high starched shirt collars, his dogs named Blue and his controversial
views, particularly regarding European "hockey" players.
-Max, a glorious and free (part of our anthem) Canadian who doesn't play
ice hockey (gasp!) but did spend most of his youth playing road hockey
(aka street hockey or ball hockey) and hence is familiar with the uniquely
Canadian warning call "Headlights!" (when a car rudely interrupts one's
ball hockey game rather than "pulling a U-ey" (doing a u-turn) and is
subsequently liable to be a victim of "skitching" (whereby ball-hockey
players grab its back bumper and get pulled along in a crouch position
over the hard-packed snow on the road)).
Maxwell Gwynn, PhD [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Department of Psychology (519) 884-0710 ext 3854
Wilfrid Laurier University
Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3C5 Canada
