Word Power: Test Your Knowledge of These Canadian Slang Terms
Updated: Jun. 23, 2022
It's a snap to tell a toque from a chesterfield, but not all Canadianisms stretch from coast to coast to coast. Master this Canadian slang and you'll be sure to blend in while you're oot and aboot.
Canadian Slang Quiz: Can you guess the correct definition of the following terms?
Bunny hug
A: Chocolate Easter egg
B: Fuzzy slippers
C: Hooded sweatshirt
Answer: C—Hooded sweatshirt (Saskatchewan)
As in, “A bunny hug is cozy on a cold night.”
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Miskeen
A: Petty thief
B: Patchwork quilt
C: Pathetic
Answer: C—Pathetic (Ontario, from Arabic)
As in, “Look at this miskeen guy,” said Jer jokingly. “He’s never been to Canada’s Wonderland.”
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Dep
A: Corner store
B: Mason jar
C: Certainly
Answer: A—Corner store (Quebec, from French)
As in, “Ming asked his roommate to pick up some milk at the dep.”
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Nuisance grounds
A: Garbage dump
B: Schoolyard
C: Legion branch
Answer: A—Garbage dump (West)
As in, “Property values plummeted when the municipality established nuisance grounds nearby.”
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Skoden
A: Snowmobile tracks
B: Let’s go, then
C: Family picnic
Answer: B—Let’s go, then (multiple First Nations)
Often an invitation to engage in a fight, skoden has recently been used in battles over pipeline projects.
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Jambuster
A: Jam-filled doughnut
B: Kitchen party
C: Tugboat sent to break up logjams
Answer: A—Jam-filled doughnut (Manitoba and northwestern Ontario)
As in, “Having grown up in Winnipeg, the cashier knew what his customer meant when she ordered a jambuster.”
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Scribbler
A: Notebook
B: Leaky boat engine
C: Defensive hockey player
Answer: A—Notebook (mainly the Maritimes)
As in, “Get our your scribblers and write your names on the covers,” instructed the teacher.
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Huck
A: Eat quickly
B: Hitchhike
C: Throw
Answer: C—Throw (West)
As in, “Alina called for her friend to huck her the ball.”
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Donnybrook
A: Brawl
B: Good-looking boy
C: Swimming hole
Answer: A—Brawl (hockey commentary)
As in, “The Donnybrook Fair in Dublin, Ireland, was so rowdy that any tussle became known as a donnybrook.”
New to hockey? Consider this guide to Canadian hockey slang required reading.
Skookum
A: In the sky
B: Strong or brave
C: Grandmother
Answer: B—Strong or brave (West)
Derived from Chinook Jargon, skookum appears in many place names in the Pacific Northwest.
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Windrows
A: Hedges planted to shelter crops
B: Depressed mood
C: Snow left blocking a driveway after a snowplow passes
Answer: C—Snow left blocking a driveway after a snowplow passes (mainly the Prairies)
As in, “Shovelling windrows was not Klara’s idea of a good start to the day.”
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Mamaqtuq
A: Delicious
B: Town gossip
C: Beautiful morning
Answer: A—Delicious (North, Inuktitut)
As in, “Nina added the #mamaqtuq hashtag to her post celebrating traditional foods.”
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Guichet
A: Tacky
B: Bank machine
C: Cotton undershirt
Answer: B—Bank machine (Quebec, from French)
As in, “Hari stopped at a guichet to take out some cash.”
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Ahlie
A: Skateboard trick
B: Am I right?
C: Go away!
Answer: B—Am I right? (Ontario, from Jamaican patois)
As in, “There’s no way our bus will arrive on time, ahlie?” said Luther, glancing at his phone.
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Right good
A: Excellent
B: Poor quality
C: Lucky thrift-store find
Answer: A—Excellent (Atlantic)
As in, “That was a right good meal!” declared Josée.
If you enjoyed our Canadian slang quiz, be sure to check out the 50 funniest town names across Canada.
