These and 980 other fun sayings appear in my book, Canadian Sayings 2.
1. It’s hotter than a two-dollar pistol.
The days of cheap revolvers—like the “Saturday Night special” referred to in this saying are not gone, as urban murder statistics constantly remind us.
2. Lady in a Bar: “Never went to bed with an ugly man. Woke up with a few though.”
3. How nasty was he? He has to sneak up on a glass of milk or he’d sour it.
4. A hot July makes for a fat churchyard.
5. Don’t judge bannock before it’s fried. (A translation from the Ojibwa language)
6. How angry did you get? I was chewing nails and farting tacks.
7. Rattlesnakes are so big on the Bruce Peninsula , they don’t have rattles; they have little bells that play “Nearer My God to Thee.”
8. Been there. Done that. Got that maple-leaf T-shirt.
9. I’ve seen live bait smarter than him.
10. Vite sur ses patins. Literally ‘quick on her skates,’ that is, clever in Québec.
11. Hey, pardner, this isn’t my first Stampede. (In other words, I’m not naïve. I’ve been to Calgary twice.)
12. How stupid is he? If you pick him up and put your ear to his ear, you can hear the sea.
13. Never mind about the rain. You’ll be safe. Shit floats.
14. It’s hot enough to singe the bristles off a hog’s back.
15. La rivière est tellement croche que les poissons ont des pentures. ‘The river’s so winding, the fish have hinges.’
16. Hard summer work: Busier than a one-eyed cat watching nine rat holes.
17. The chances are slim and none, and slim is visiting Alberta.
18. Threat: I’m gonna feed you a shut-up sandwich. (A punch in the mouth is on the way)
19. Prairie Railroad Slang for one who’s “a tetch off”: He ain’t all coupled up.
The railway cars in his train of thought are not connected. In fact, his train of thought may be derailed—permanently.
20. Done a lot of travel? I’ve been about as far as salt water wants to go.
This was an old sailor’s modest estimate of his seafaring excursions.
All of the sayings above and 980 more zingers await the reader of
In bookstores across Canada
or
Order this book online.
Index of Canadian Word of the Day
HOME
|
