babine

n. a labret for the lower lip, formerly used by the Babines and certain other Indian tribes of northern British Columbia.

babish

baby bonus

a monthly allowance paid to the parents or trustees of children under 16 years of age.

bacaloo bird

baccalao

1a n. codfish, Gadus morrhua.

baccalao bird

in coastal Labrador and northeast Newfoundland, any of several birds of the family Alcidae, as the puffin, Fratercula artica, the razor-billed auk, Alca torda, the common murre, Uria aalge, and the thick-billed murre, U. lomvia.

Baccalaos

1 n. an early name for the region now comprising Newfoundland, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, Labrador.

Baccalieu

bachelor (seal)

n. a young adult male seal or sea lion that has not yet mated.

bachelors' hall

the quarters of unmarried clerks at certain Hudson's Bay Company trading posts.

back concession

1 a concession (def. 2), some distance removed from urban and heavily settled areas, especially one set some distance back from the St. Lawrence River and the Lower Lakes.

back country† 

1 unsettled regions remote from civilization; the wilderness beyond the explored areas.

Back Door Route

a route to the Klondike gold fields by way of Edmonton and the Mackenzie and Yukon river systems.

back east

back East

1 Ontario, especially Southern Ontario; sometimes, also Quebec and the Maritimes.

back forty

the back forty acres, that part of a farm most remote from the house and barn.

back junk

a large log placed at the back of a wood fire to make it last.

back lakes

in Upper Canada, the many lakes inland from the north shore of Lake Ontario, such as Lake Simcoe, Rice Lake, etc.

back range

a range of lots located back from the river front.

back settlement† 

a settlement located some distance back from the shore of a lake, ocean, river, etc.

back stoop

a back porch, usually unroofed.

back township

a township or settlement remote from or isolated from centres of population; formerly, one of the back settlements of Upper and Lower Canada.

back trail

1a a track leading to a starting place; the trail back.

back tree

one of the trees to which a skyline is attached.

back tripping

the moving of goods over a certain route in stages.

Back's grayling

a silver-gray freshwater fish, Thymallus arcticus, of the trout family, found in northern waters.

back-block

n. a block of land in the back country; hence (usually plural) an isolated rural region.

back-board

n. a thin, rectangular board to which a moss bag is fastened and in which infants are carried.

back-bush

n. the bush country or back settlements; regions remote from well-settled, civilized areas.

back-channel

n. a narrow, meandering, sluggish side-channel of a river, usually shallow and often coming to a dead end.

back-firing† 

n. the practice or process of setting backfires; also, an instance of this practice.

back-forty accent

rural or uneducated speech.

back-setting† 

n. See 1912 quote.

back-strap meat

See quote.

back-tilt

n. See 1792 quote.

back-trail

1 v. follow the trail left by a person or animal.

backband

n. that part of a sled-dog's harness that goes over his back. See picture at sled dog.

backcheck

v. engage in backchecking.

backchecker

n. a person who engages in back-checking.

backchecking

n. in hockey or lacrosse, the practice whereby forwards, having lost the puck or ball to the opposition, attempt to retrieve it by harrying the carrier as he moves towards their goal.

backer

n. in curling, a rock resting in the back zone of the house and functioning as a buffer for later rocks, preventing them from sliding outside the circle.

backfat

n. a layer of choice fat found between the skin and muscles of a well-fed animal, especially along the back.

backfire ((n.))† 

n. a fire deliberately set in an attempt to prevent the spread of a prairie or forest fire by burning off the area in front of it.

backfire ((v.))† 

v. start a backfire.

backfire line

in forest-fire fighting, a line along which a series of backfires is set.

backlander

n. a settler in the back country.

backlands† 

n.pl. back country (def. 1); wild, unsettled or sparsely settled areas.

backlog† 

n. a large log placed at the back of a wood fire to make it last.

backpack ((n.))† 

n. a pack carried on one's back.

backpack ((v.))

v. carry on one's back.

backpacker

n. one who carries a pack on his back, especially as a freighter (def. 1).

backpacking

n. the work of a backpacker.

backsettler† 

n. one who lives in a back settlement.

backwood† 

backwoods ((adj.))

1 adj. of, or having to do with, the backwoods.

backwoods ((n.))† 

n.pl. the bush country or back settlements; regions remote from well-settled, civilized areas.

backwoodser

n. one who works or lives in the backwoods.

backwoodsman† 

n. one who works or lives in the backwoods.

bad ice

thin or rotten ice.

bad Indian

n. an untrustworthy Indian, especially one hostile to the whites; a renegade Indian.

bad man

1 a desperado; outlaw; rustler.

bad medicine

1a in Indian parlance: misfortune; witchcraft; evil genius.

bad woods

a tract of forest characterized by brush, brulé (def. 1), and down timber.

bad-land caribou

a subspecies of caribou (def. 1) native to the tundra of northern Canada, Rangifer tarandus groenlandicus.

badlands

1 n.pl. an arid region in S. Alberta and S.W. Saskatchewan characterized by severe erosion and weird land formations and containing dinosaur and other fossils.

bag

1 n. a strong bag made of buffalo rawhide sewn hair side out, used as a container for 90 pounds of pemmican (def. 1).

bag boom

a type of boom (def. 3b) used in towing logs, especially pulp sticks, loosely packed and enclosed by linked boom logs. Such a boom assumes a baglike shape under tow. See picture at boom.

baggataway

n. a game formerly played by Indians in eastern Canada, each player having a ball and stick equipped with a netted pouch at one end; an early form of lacrosse.

baidar

n. a large skin boat resembling an oomiak, used by the natives of the Alaska coast and adjacent regions.

baidarka

n. a kayaklike skin boat having two, or occasionally three, cockpits.

bain

n. See quotes.

Bain wagon

a large freight wagon that was widely used in the West in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

bait station

a site at which poisoned bait is put out to destroy wolves and other marauding animals.

baiting

n. the setting out of poisoned bait for wolves or coyotes (def. 1).

bake kettle

a large flat pot of cast iron with a cover, used for baking bread.

bake pan

a large flat pot of cast iron with a cover, used for baking bread.

bakeapple

1 n. a low bog-dwelling plant, Rubus chamaemorus, having a solitary white flower followed by a berry that is amber when ripe.

baked wind pills

baked beans.

baked-apple

baked-apple berry

the amber-colored, raspberrylike, edible berry of the bakeapple.

baking apple

a low bog-dwelling plant, Rubus chamaemorus, having a solitary white flower followed by a berry that is amber when ripe.

baking-powder bannock

a kind of dough made with left-over grease and fried after rising; also, the bread or loaf made from this dough.

baking-powder bread

bread made with baking powder substituted for yeast as a rising agent.

balacada

bald eagle† 

See 1958 quote.

bald plains

the expanse of treeless grassland in the southern third of the Prairie Provinces, lying roughly between Winnipeg and Calgary.

bald prairie

the expanse of treeless grassland in the southern third of the Prairie Provinces, lying roughly between Winnipeg and Calgary.

bald-face(d) grizzly

a color variety of grizzly bear found in northern B.C. and the Yukon, so called because the sparse, white hair on its face suggests baldness.

bald-headed

n. the expanse of treeless grassland in the southern third of the Prairie Provinces, lying roughly between Winnipeg and Calgary.

bald-headed eagle

See bald eagle 1958 quote.

bald-headed plain

the expanse of treeless grassland in the southern third of the Prairie Provinces, lying roughly between Winnipeg and Calgary.

bald-headed prairie

the expanse of treeless grassland in the southern third of the Prairie Provinces, lying roughly between Winnipeg and Calgary.

balise ((n.))

n. one of a series of evergreen shrubs set up as markers at intervals of about 30 feet to outline the edges of winter roads, ice-roads (def. 1), etc.

balise ((v.))

v. mark a road with balises.

balize ((n.))

balize ((v.))

ballacarter

ballacater

n. an ice mass formed by pans drifting to shore and being subjected to showers of freezing spray, eventually becoming barricades between the land and the water.

ballaclauter

n. an ice mass formed by pans drifting to shore and being subjected to showers of freezing spray, eventually becoming barricades between the land and the water.

ballicater

ballotin

n. See quote.

ballycadder

ballycater

balm (tree)† 

n. the balsam poplar, Populus balsamifera, found throughout the forested areas of Canada.

Balm of Gilead† 

the balsam poplar, Populus balsamifera, found throughout the forested areas of Canada.

Balm of Gilead fir

a slender evergreen, Abies balsamea, found in Canada from northeastern Alberta eastward, the source of Canada balsam (def. 1).

Balm of Gilead poplar† 

Balm of Gilead tree

balsam (fir)† 

1 n. a slender evergreen, Abies balsamea, found in Canada from northeastern Alberta eastward, the source of Canada balsam (def. 1).

balsam gum

the clear resin of the balsam fir, much used as a cement in optical work, formerly used widely as a balm on cuts and minor wounds, and once popular as a chewing gum.

balsam poplar† 

the balsam poplar, Populus balsamifera, found throughout the forested areas of Canada.

balsam root

the Oregon sunflower, Balsamorrhiza sagittata, the roots of which were an important source of food for the Indians in the West.

bam (tree)

ban

banana belt

1 a region reputed to have a relatively moderate climate (often used facetiously).

band ((1)) ((n.))

1 n. a social unit of Indians, smaller than a tribe, who live or hunt together as a group.

band ((2)) ((v.))

v. place bands of birch bark on the gummed seams of a canoe in order to make it water-tight.

band ((3)) ((n.))

n. a detachable part of a timber raft, comprising about 25 cribs, each of 20-25 logs or square timbers bound together; dram.

band constable

an Indian employed by the R.C.M.P., earlier the N.W.M.P., as a constable with limited authority on a reserve or in other regions occupied by Indians.

Band List

the list of members of Indian bands recognized by the federal government.

bang

bang the bush

surpass everything.

bank ((1)) ((n.))

1 n. (usually plural) one of the more elevated portions of the submerged plateau lying off the Atlantic coast of Canada.

bank ((1)) ((v.))

v. pile logs on a river bank, lakeshore, etc. ready for rafting.

bank ((2)) ((n.))

n. See quote.

bank barn

a two-storey barn built into a hill so as to permit entry to the bottom level from one side and to the top level from the other side.

bank beaver

See 1964 quote.

bank burrow

a tunnel made by a beaver as an emergency shelter.

bank diggings

gold-mining claims on a stream bank rather than on a bar (def. 1) or bench.

bank fishery

1 the industry or business of fishing on the Banks.

bank fishing

the practice of fishing on the Banks.

bank herring

a variety of herring.

bank lodge

a tunnel made by a beaver as an emergency shelter.

bank paper dollar

a bank note for four shillings.

banked barn

banker

1 n. a vessel engaged in fishing on the Banks.

banker's row

a number of adjacent gold-mining claims, each of which has a high yield.

banking ((1))

n. the practice of fishing on the Banks.

banking ((2))

n. the storing underwater of illegally trapped live lobsters until the opening of the season.

bankman

n. a fisherman who frequents the Banks.

Banks

1 n. one of the more elevated portions of the submerged plateau lying off the Atlantic coast of Canada.

banks fishery

See green fishery quote.

Banksian pine

a species of pine, Pinus banksiana.

banksman

banlieu

n. the suburbs or outskirts of a town; city limits.

bannik

bannock

n. See 1913 and 1941 quotes.

bannock puncher

a bachelor cook with some degree of skill.

baptize

v. See quotes.

baptême

n. the practice of " baptizing."

bar ((n.))† 

1 n. a ridge of sand or gravel above the surface or along the shore of a stream in which gold has been found.

bar ((v.))

v. prepare fish by cutting slashes in the fillets about an inch apart to allow penetration of smoke and wind in drying or fat in frying.

bar diggings† 

gold-mining operations carried out on a bar (def. 1); also, the defined area of such operations.

bar harbo(u)r

a harbor, the entrance to which is partially obstructed by a sand bar.

bar island

a small island, permanently above water, formed on a sand bar.

barachois

1 n. See 1760 quote.

barber

1a n. a vapor or mist made up of tiny particles of ice, so called because of its cutting qualities.

barber chair

a stump having an upright flange left standing above the undercut when the tree topples.

barble

n. a large catfish, especially Ictalurus punctatus.

barbot

n. a large catfish, especially Ictalurus punctatus.

barbotte ((1))

barbotte ((2))

1 n. a gambling game played with dice, the winning throws being 3-3, 5-5, 6-6, and 6-5; the losing throws being 1-1, 1-2, 2-2, 4-4; the other combinations being neutral.

barbue

n. a large catfish, especially Ictalurus punctatus.

barcaliau bird

bardache

barge train

a number of connected barges drawn by a tug of shallow draft.

bark (canoe)† 

n. a canoe built from the bark of the white birch, long used by the Indians of eastern Canada.

barking crow

See quotes.

barn boss† 

See 1913 quote.

barn framer

a carpenter skilled in the construction of barns.

barn raiser

barn-raising† 

n. a community affair at which the frame of a neighbor's barn was put up, usually followed by eating, drinking, and dancing.

Barnardo boy† 

a boy or young man from Dr. Barnardo's Homes, a charitable institution in England.

barndoor game

in hockey, a game in which all or most shots on goal are blocked by the goalkeeper.

Baronet (of Nova Scotia)† 

n. a hereditary title conferred by James I on 150 persons granted extensive land holdings in what is now the Maritimes.

barony

1a n. the land holdings of a Baronet of Nova Scotia.

barouge

n. a shrub, Cornus stolonifera, with conspicuous red stems, the inner bark of which was often used in the making of kinnikinik (def. 1).

Barr colonist

a settler in the Barr Colony.

Barr Colony

n. an ill-starred colonizing venture conceived by the Rev. I. M. Barr, an Anglican clergyman who recruited some 2,000 persons in the south of England to establish a settlement in 1903 in the vicinity of the present Lloydminster, Sask.

barra-couta

n. the common murre, Uria aalge.

barrasway

n. Atlantic Provinces.

barrel boom

a kind of boom (def. 3b) used for towing wood in large lakes and salt water and, sometimes, for holding pulpwood, usually made of four logs or square timbers placed around short core blocks and bolted together.

barrelman

n. a man stationed in the crow's-nest of a sealing ship.

Barren

barren goose

a kind of large gray goose, Branta canadensis, with a black head and neck and white cheek patches.

Barren Ground(s)

the inhospitable tundra, of northern Canada.

Barren Ground(s) bear

a species of grizzly bear, Ursus richardsoni, native to the Barren Grounds.

Barren Ground(s) caribou

1 a subspecies of caribou (def. 1) native to the tundra of northern Canada, Rangifer tarandus groenlandicus.

Barren Ground(s) deer

Barren Ground(s) grizzly

a species of grizzly bear, Ursus richardsoni, native to the Barren Grounds.

Barren Ground(s) reindeer

a subspecies of caribou (def. 1) native to the tundra of northern Canada, Rangifer tarandus groenlandicus.

Barren Ground(s) wolf

a large, Canis lupus tundrarum, of the Arctic.

Barren Land(s)

the inhospitable tundra, or northern Canada.

Barren Land(s) caribou

Barren Land(s) wolf

a large wolf, Canis lupus tundrarum, of the Arctic.

Barren(s)

n. the inhospitable tundra, of northern Canada.

barren(s)

1a n. in the Atlantic Provinces, an elevated tract of exposed land that nourishes only scrubby trees, shrubs, berries, etc. and resembles a moor.

Barrens

n. the inhospitable tundra, of northern Canada.

Barrens grizzly bear

a species of grizzly bear, Ursus richardsoni, native to the Barren Grounds.

barrens partridge

the rock ptarmigan.

barricade

1 n. an ice mass formed by pans drifting to shore and being subjected to showers of freezing spray, eventually becoming barricades between the land and the water.

barricade out

camp out in a barricade (def. 2)

barricader

n. an ice mass formed by pans drifting to shore and being subjected to showers of freezing spray, eventually becoming barricades between the land and the water.

barricado

1 n. an ice mass formed by pans drifting to shore and being subjected to showers of freezing spray, eventually becoming barricades between the land and the water.

barrier

n. See 1897 quote.

Barrier

n. a vast area of mineral-rich, mostly granitic, Pre-Cambrian rock surrounding Hudson Bay and extending as far southward as the Great Lakes.

barrier net

a net set across a stream, replacing a fish weir, or barrier.

barrisway

barrocado

barron

bas-fond

n. See 1897 quote.

Basco

n. See quote.

base line† 

1 in government surveys, the east-west line that functions as a starting point for the parallel lines demarcating blocks, townships, etc.

base-line road

or trail a road that lies on or near a base line.

base-line trail

basin

basin hole

a hole for fishing nets, made in thick ice by chiselling out a basin-shaped depression until a hole is cut through at the centre.

basket

1 n. a special type of strong durable pannier used by the officers of the fur trade for personal food supplies.

basket canoe

See quote.

basket cradle

a cradle woven of vegetable fibres, used by the Indians of central British Columbia. See picture at cradle-basket.

basket sled

See 1964 quote.

basket sleigh

bass

n. the North American lime or linden tree, Tilia americana.

basswood

n. the North American lime or linden tree, Tilia americana.

bastard canoe

a birchbark canoe about 30 feet long and capable of carrying two tons of freight in addition to its ten-man crew.

bastard gear

See quote.

bastard maple

a deciduous tree, Acer negundo, common in western Canada; box elder.

Bastonnais

batard canoe

a birchbark canoe about 30 feet long and capable of carrying two tons of freight in addition to its ten-man crew.

bateau

1 n. a boat such as a sloop or large rowboat.

bateau yard

n. a place where bateaux were built, repaired, a stored.

bateau-man

1 n. a man employed on a bateau, usually a skilled riverman.

bater

batiste

n. a clumsy, flat-bottomed boat about 19 feet long between tapered ends, propelled by oars, crewed by six men, and capable of carrying about 4,000 pounds of cargo. This prototype for the York boat was widely used throughout the northwest until recent years.

batteau

battiche

battishe

batture

1 n. a shoal or rocky shore, usually exposed at low water.

bay

n. a municipal district serving also as a postal district.

Bay

1 n. (used with the) Hudson Bay, its shores, and the vicinity.

Bay man

an employee of the Hudson's Bay Company.

Bay route

the proposed route for the Hudson Bay Railway.

bay seal

a small seal, Phoca vitulina, common on the East Coast.

bay section

Bay Street

a Toronto street on which is located the Toronto Stock Exchange and numerous financial houses, considered the financial centre of Canada; hence, the moneyed interests of the country, especially of Ontario and eastern Canada, collectively.

bay-noddie

n. a native or resident of an outport (def. 1).

bayman

n. a native or resident of an outport (def. 1).

Bayside post

one of the Hudson's Bay Company's trading posts on the shores of Hudson Bay, as opposed to the inland posts.

beach

n. a shore from which logs can be floated; a headquarters camp of a logging outfit.

beach crawler

a boat operator who cruises close to the shore line.

beach lot

beach-hugger

n. a boat operator who cruises close to the shore line.

beachcomb

v. See 1958 quote.

beachcomber

1 n. See quote.

bean-cake

n. a cake or pattie made of beans.

bean-feast

n. an inexpensive meal of beans forming part of an informal social event at a college, camp, etc.

beanery

n. a small, usually run-down, restaurant featuring low prices and very ordinary food.

bear dog

a breed of small dog weighing 15 to 20 pounds and piebald in black and white or brown, found among the Indians of northern British Columbia, the Yukon, and the Mackenzie country.

bear feast

among voyageurs, a meal of fresh meat, such as bear, moose, etc., on the brigade route.

bear foot

an implement of Indian origin roughly resembling a bear's foot with protruding claws, used in harvesting blueberries.

bear grease

bear ham† 

the hind leg of a bear, salted and smoked.

bear tree

See quote.

bear walker

among the Ojibwa Indians, a witch or hoodoo (def. 2).

bear's berry weed

the leaf of the bearberry bush, dried and used in making Indian tobacco.

bear's butter

the rendered fat of the bear used in cooking, medicine, cosmetics, and for insulating the body against cold.

bear's grease† 

the rendered fat of the bear used in cooking, medicine, cosmetics, and for insulating the body against cold.

bear-paw

n. an almost circular snowshoe, varying considerably in size, used especially by the eastern Algonkians.

bear-paw (snow) shoe

an almost circular snowshoe, varying considerably in size, used especially by the eastern Algonkians.

bearberry

1 n. a trailing shrub, Arctostaphylos uva-ursi, found on bare, gravelly soils throughout Canada; kinnikinnik (def. 2).

bearberry bush

a trailing shrub, Arctostaphylos uva-ursi, found on bare, gravelly soils throughout Canada; kinnikinnik (def. 2).

bearberry leaf

the leaf of the bearberry bush, dried and used in making Indian tobacco.

bearded seal

a species of seal, Erignathus barbatus, characterized by its large size and prominent beardlike bristles about the mouth.

bears' grape

beat

n. a browsing area where a group of moose or deer in winter tread down the snow, remaining there for protection and warmth until the fodder within easy reach is exhausted.

beat meat

dried meat, beaten into a pulpy mass.

beat the path

break trail by going in front of a dog team.

beat the track

beat the trail

beater

n. a young harp seal whose white coat is beginning to show gray tinges and dark spots.

beating seal

beaver

1 n. an aquatic rodent, Castor canadensis, of North America, formerly of first importance in the fur trade and long used as an emblem of Canada.

beaver blanket

1 a blanket or robe of beaver skins sewn together.

beaver castor

the secretion from the scent glands of the beaver used as a lure or as an ingredient in a lure.

beaver chip

See quote.

Beaver Club

1 a social club in Montreal, founded by members of the North West Company.

beaver coat

1 five to eight prime beaver skins, from which the guard hairs had been removed, sewn together to make a robe, worn by the Indians with the fur next to the body. The oil-impregnated fur (coat beaver) made excellent felt and was eagerly bought by the hat-makers.

beaver coin

one of the coins or tokens constituting beaver currency.

beaver country

a region in which beaver are numerous and trapping is profitable.

beaver credit

credit established by a trapper in terms of made beaver.

beaver currency

a fur-trade monetary system in which one made beaver was the unit of value.

beaver cutter

See quote.

beaver cuttings

fallen trees, sticks, chips, and pointed stumps left from the activities of beavers.

beaver dam

a dam built by beavers to maintain a constant water level above their lodge.

beaver dog

a dog specially trained to hunt beaver.

beaver farm

a preserve where beaver are permitted to flourish without indiscriminate trapping.

beaver flats

a meadow, often swampy, lying behind an old beaver dam and prized by early settlers for its fertility.

beaver frontier

the limits of activity in the fur trade.

beaver grass

the rank grass that grows in beaver meadows.

beaver hay

the rank grass that grows in beaver meadows.

beaver house

a domed structure of mud, sticks, stones, etc. built as a rule in a beaver pond behind the dam and used as a den by a family of beavers.

beaver hut

a domed structure of mud, sticks, stones, etc. built as a rule in a beaver pond behind the dam and used as a den by a family of beavers.

beaver lodge

a domed structure of mud, sticks, stones, etc. built as a rule in a beaver pond behind the dam and used as a den by a family of beavers.

beaver marsh

a marshy area occupied by beavers.

beaver meadow

a meadow, often swampy, lying behind an old beaver dam and prized by early settlers for its fertility.

beaver medicine

the secretion from the scent glands of the beaver used as a lure or as an ingredient in a lure.

beaver money

a fur-trade monetary system in which one made beaver was the unit of value.

beaver net

a net, usually of the purse type, made of babiche and used for netting beaver.

beaver plu

beaver pond

a small body of water formed by the back-up from a beaver dam, usually shallow and swampy away from the dam itself.

beaver prairie

a meadow, often swampy, lying behind an old beaver dam and prized by early settlers for its fertility.

beaver preserve

a preserve where beaver are permitted to flourish without indiscriminate trapping.

beaver pride

the secretion from the scent glands of the beaver used as a lure or as an ingredient in a lure.

beaver reserve

beaver road

a trail made by and used regularly by beavers.

beaver robe

2 the pelt of an emasculated buffalo, valued for its huge size and glossy, silklike coat.

beaver root

a kind of water lily, Nymphaea odorata.

beaver run

a small body of water formed by the back-up from a beaver dam, usually shallow and swampy away from the dam itself.

beaver sanctuary

a preserve where beaver are permitted to flourish without indiscriminate trapping.

beaver skin

1 n. the pelt of the beaver as a staple of the fur trade; specifically, the pelt on which the long, outer guard hairs remain.

beaver standard

a system of values, the unit of which was one beaver skin (def. 2).

beaver stone

one of the two small sacs in a bear's groin from which castoreum is obtained.

beaver stretcher

a roughly circular frame made from a sapling on which to stretch a beaver skin while it is drying.

beaver swamp

a marshy area occupied by beavers.

beaver tail

1 the broad, fleshy tail of the beaver used as food.

beaver tockey

a calf-length greatcoat of skins, usually beaver, worn by Indians and traders in the Hudson's Bay country.

beaver token

one of the coins or tokens constituting beaver currency. See picture at beaver.

beaver tuggy

beaver wool

the fine fur close to the skin beneath the longer guard hairs, formerly, much prized by felt-makers for making beaver hats.

beaver-eater

n. the wolverine (def. la) or carcajou.

beaver-meadow hay

the rank grass that grows in beaver meadows.

beaver-press

n. a heavy press (of several types) for compressing furs into 90-pound bales.

beaverskin currency

a fur-trade monetary system in which one made beaver was the unit of value.

beaverskin token

one of the coins or tokens constituting beaver currency. See picture at beaver.

beavertail beans

See quote.

beavertail snowshoe

a type of snowshoe used by the Montagnais Indians of northern Quebec, having an oval or circular frame and a short tail. See picture at snowshoe.

bechon

bed berth

See quote.

bed chesterfield

an upholstered couch, or sofa, that is convertible into a double bed.

bed throw

a bedspread; coverlet.

bed-rock

1 n. the solid rock beneath drift or detritus.

bed-rock creek

See quote.

bed-rock mining

See quote.

bed-rock pay

See quote.

bed-rock scraper

a tool having a blade so set as to facilitate clearing gravel from the bedrock floor.

bedding timbers

See 1853 quote.

bedlamer

n. the young of the harp seal, one or two years of age with brown fur.

bee

n. in pioneer days especially, a neighborly gathering for various kinds of work, often followed by a party.

beef boot

a boot or shoe of ox or buffalo hide, used by voyageurs, canoemen, settlers, etc., usually of local manufacture.

beef cut

See quote.

beef gather

a cattle round-up held in the fall.

beef maker

a steer, etc. being raised for beef.

beef ring

a co-operative arrangement among members of a community for providing fresh beef.

beef shoe

a boot or shoe of ox or buffalo hide, used by voyageurs, canoemen, settlers, etc., usually of local manufacture.

beef-skin moccasin

a kind of sturdy moccasin having uppers reaching well up the lower leg; shoe pack (def. 1).

beer high-grade

money made by high-grading (def. 1).

beer licence

a saloon or beer parlor.

beer parlo(u)r

a room in which a hotel is licensed to sell beer; beverage room.

beer-room

n. a room in which a hotel is licensed to sell beer; beverage room.

beer-slinger

n. a person who serves beer in a beer parlor.

behind the glass

in the spectators' lounge, which is separated from the rink by large windows.

bell

n. See 1904 and 1937 quotes.

below

1 adj. or adv. below zero Fahrenheit.

below discovery

downstream from the discovery claim, on a creek or stream.

belt

1 n. a belt of shell beads used by eastern Indians, especially the Iroquois, as a mnemonic device for recording the terms of treaties etc. or as a mark of honor.

belt of wampum

a belt of shell beads used by eastern Indians, especially the Iroquois, as a mnemonic device for recording the terms of treaties etc. or as a mark of honor.

bench† 

n. a relatively level terrace lying between a river or lake and the nearby hills or plateau, once part of the river or lake bed.

bench claim

a mining claim situated on a bench.

bench diggings

gold-mining operations on a bench; also, the defined area of such operations.

bench penalty

in hockey, a two-minute penalty charged against a coach or one or more players on the bench for any of several infractions, such as abusing officials, and served by a player or players designated by the coach of the team so penalized.

bencher

n. one of the elected officials of a provincial law society.

benchland† 

n. level stretches of land forming benches.

Bennett Barnyard

a farm in the Dust Bowl during the drought-years of the 1930's.

Bennett buggy

See 1960 quote.

berdache

berdash

1 n. among Indians, a homosexual; sodomite; transvestite.

berlin

berline

1 n. a rude winter vehicle improvised from a sled or toboggan by erecting a framework to provide a backrest and to support a wrap-around cover and roof, pulled by a horse or by dogs and first used by the French Canadians.

berlot

n. a kind of sleigh resembling a cutter (def. 1) and having a front and back seat for passengers.

berry bank

a bank or patch where berries are plentiful.

berry cake

an Indian preparation of dried berries pressed into a cake and preserved for winter use.

berry pemmican

See 1956 quote.

berth

1 n. a tract of forested land the bounds of which have been established by the government, which leases or sells the rights to fell and remove timber.

berth money

the fee paid by each man in the crew for his share of the costs of provisioning a vessel and the right to share in the profits of the hunt.

beverage room

a room in which a hotel is licensed to sell beer; beverage room.

Bible Bill

William Aberhart (1878-1943), Premier of Alberta from 1935 to 1943, so called because of his widely popular radio sermons.

biche

n. the North American elk or stag, Cervus canadensis.

bichon

n. a horse having a fawn or light-bay coat; a buckskin, pony or mustang.

bidar

bidarka

bidarra

big chipmunk

See quote.

big deke

an extravagant attempt at deception, especially in hockey.

Big Dipper

a popular dark rum from the West Indies.

Big Eyebrow

n. a white man.

big horn

Big horn

big house

the residence and office of the officer in charge of a fur-trading post.

big jack

See quotes.

big kettle

Big Knife† 

in Indian parlance, originally, a Virginian; in Canada, an American; U.S. citizen.

big medicine

in Indian parlance, anything of a supernatural nature, especially something considered as an influence for good or evil.

big mucky-muck

a leading person in a group; big-shot.

big skate

Bigfoot

n. the legendary Sasquatch of the Coast Range.

Bighorn

n. a sheep, Ovis canadensis, found in the western mountains.

bighorn sheep

a sheep, Ovis canadensis, found in the western mountains.

bight

n. an indentation or bay in the edge of pack ice.

binational

adj. in Canada, consisting of two ethnocultural groups, French and non-French or English-speaking, the meaning of national in this sense being from French nation, race or ethnic group.

binationalism

n. the principle or fact of existing in a state that is binational.

binder twine

a coarse, tough cord for tying sheaves in a binder, also used for a variety of purposes around the farm.

bingo ((1))

bingo ((2))

n. any cheap wine.

birch

n. a canoe built from the bark of the white birch, long used by the Indians of eastern Canada.

birch (tree) syrup

a sweet syrup made by boiling the sap of the birch tree.

birch canoe

a canoe built from the bark of the white birch, long used by the Indians of eastern Canada.

birch horn

See moose-call 1902 quote.

birch partridge

a partridge-like game bird, Bonasa umbellus, occurring in many subspecies across Canada.

birch rogan

See rogan 1923 quote.

birchbark

n. a canoe built from the bark of the white birch, long used by the Indians of eastern Canada.

birchbark bugle

n. a device for calling moose.

birchbark canoe

a canoe built from the bark of the white birch, long used by the Indians of eastern Canada.

birchbark horn

a device for calling moose.

birchbark rogan

n. See rogan 1923 quote.

birchbark talk

writings in the Cree syllabic script.

birchbark trumpet

a device for calling moose.

birchrind

1 n. the bark of the birch tree, especially of the white birch; birch bark.

birchrind canoe

a canoe built from the bark of the white birch, long used by the Indians of eastern Canada.

birchsap ginger ale

a beverage made from the sap of the birch.

bird of warning

bird's-eye maple

1 a maple tree, Acer saccharum, found in Canada from Lake Superior eastward and commercially valuable for its hard wood and for its sap, which is used in making maple sugar and syrup; also, its wood.

bird-eye(d) maple

a maple tree, Acer saccharum, found in Canada from Lake Superior eastward and commercially valuable for its hard wood and for its sap, which is used in making maple sugar and syrup; also, its wood.

birdie

n. a form of clog dance.

birler

n. a lumberjack who birls logs, often in a contest or competition.

birling

n. the act of birling logs, especially in competition.

biscuit root

See prairie turnip 1892 quote.

Bishop pippin

See 1934 quote.

bison† 

n. a North American mammal, Bison bison, usually called the buffalo (def. 2).

bit† 

1 n. See 1880 and 1913 quotes.

bit of brown

among the fur traders, an Indian woman kept by a white man in a country alliance.

bitch

n. See quotes.

bite-'em-no-see-'em

bito

n. a dike (def. 1) or dam equipped with a gate which functions as a valve releasing flood water from behind but preventing sea water from entering at high tide.

bitter berry

black

n. a rare color phase of the North American red fox, Vulpes fulva.

black bass

a game fish common in central and eastern Canada. There are two species: the smallmouth, Micropterus dolomieu, and the largemouth, Huro salmoides.

black bear

the most common of the bears of North America, Ursus americanus.

black beaver

a rare dark-color phase of the beaver.

black belt

a belt of dark purple wampum indicative of hostility, sorrow, death, condolence, and mourning, often used as a declaration of war.

black blizzard

a dust storm of black prairie soil.

black cat

a weasel-like fur-bearer, Martes pennanti.

black cod

a large dark gray or black food fish, Anoplopoma fimbria, of the Pacific Coast.

black devil

a large fur-bearing animal, Gulo luscus, of the northern forests and tundra, noted for its guile and craftiness.

black fly

a small, winged biting insect especially common in the northern woods, Simulium spp.

black fox

1 a rare color phase of the North American red fox, Vulpes fulva.

black ice

1 thin, new ice on fresh or salt water, appearing dark in color because of its transparency.

black jacket

a young hoodlum wearing a black leather jacket.

Black Jersey

a breed of small cattle developed in Quebec from stock brought to Canada by early French settlers.

black moose

a large ruminant mammal, Alces alces, of the northern forests.

black pilot

See 1933 quote.

black rat snake

See quotes.

black salts

See quotes.

black sand

See 1897 quote.

Black settlements

settlements of Negroes in Nova Scotia, occupied mostly by the descendants of U.E. Loyalist slaves.

black snow

drab, grayish snow soiled by dust in the atmosphere.

black tobacco

a strong, dark tobacco once sold by the Hudson's Bay Co.

black wampum

a belt of dark purple wampum indicative of hostility, sorrow, death, condolence, and mourning, often used as a declaration of war.

black-man

n. a dark variety of maple sugar or taffy.

black-snake† 

n. a whip having a long, tapering lash or plaited rawhide, often loaded with shot at the tip.

black-snake lash

black-snake whip

a whip having a long, tapering lash or plaited rawhide, often loaded with shot at the tip.

blackcoat

n. originally in Indian parlance, a priest, especially a missionary of the Roman Catholic or Anglican denominations.

blackjack

1 n. strong, black tobacco for chewing or smoking in a pipe, sold in figs or plugs.

blackout

n. in bingo, the stage in play of having a marker on every numbered square on the card.

blackrobe

n. originally in Indian parlance, a priest, especially a missionary of the Roman Catholic or Anglican denominations.

blackskin

n. the edible skin of narwhal and beluga, called muktuk by the Eskimos, eaten fresh and raw by them but usually cooked by whites.

blackstrap

1 n. strong, black tobacco for chewing or smoking in a pipe, sold in figs or plugs.

blacktail

n. the mule deer, Odocoileus hemionus, of western North America, or its smaller relative of the Rocky Mountain region, O. hemionus columbianus, the Columbia blacktailed deer.

blacktail(ed) deer

the mule deer, Odocoileus hemionus, of western North America, or its smaller relative of the Rocky Mountain region, O. hemionus columbianus, the Columbia blacktailed deer.

blanket ((n.))

1a n. a blanket made for or by Indians, formerly much used by them as a robe.

blanket ((v.))

1 v. stake only the margins of a group of claims so as to give the impression that staking has been done fully and properly.

blanket aristocracy

Indians.

blanket bag

a sleeping bag.

blanket capote

a capote made of blanket cloth, much used as winter wear in the North.

blanket coat

a warm, usually short coat made of heavy blanket cloth, scarlet, blue, gray, or white, often decorated by needlework at the seams or with fringes.

blanket Indian† 

an Indian living remote from civilization and following the traditions of his people; originally, an Indian who dressed in a trade blanket.

blanket leggings

a kind of sock or legging made of duffle or blanketing or wrapped around the feet and legs for warmth in winter.

blanket marriage

among North American Indians, a marriage performed according to local custom, in some tribes by having a blanket placed over the couple.

blanket sock

a kind of sock or legging made of duffle or blanketing or wrapped around the feet and legs for warmth in winter.

blanket staking

in mining, registering for all claims over a large area.

blanket suit

See quote.

blanket wrapper

a kind of sock or legging made of duffle or blanketing or wrapped around the feet and legs for warmth in winter.

blanket-case

n. a protective covering of blanket cloth for a gun; gun case; gun coat.

blaze ((n.))† 

1 n. a white mark made in a tree, usually by chopping off a slice of bark, to indicate a trail or survey line in a forest.

blaze ((v.))

1 v. chop a piece of bark from a tree so as to reveal the white wood to serve as a marker.

blaze out

mark or identify (a trail, property line, etc.) by cutting a series of blazes in trees.

blaze-trail

n. a trail marked by blazes.

blazed

1 adj. of a tree, marked by the removal of a piece of bark to reveal the white wood.

blazing

n. See 1853 quote.

Bleu

n. a Quebec Conservative, so called because the traditional color of the Conservative party is blue.

bleu

adj. of or having to do with the Quebec Conservative party or its policies.

blind line

See quote.

blind slough

a narrow, meandering, sluggish side-channel of a river, usually shallow and often coming to a dead end.

blind snye

blister gum

the gum of the Canada balsam.

blizzard

n. a snowstorm accompanied by high winds and intense cold.

blizzard cap

a warm, tight-fitting cap suitable for use in blizzard weather.

blizzard storm

a snowstorm accompanied by high winds and intense cold.

Bloc Populaire

a political party that flourished in the province of Quebec from about 1941 to 1947.

block

1 n. in Upper and Lower Canada, a subdivision of a newly surveyed township, in turn subdivided into concessions (def. 2) and lots.

blockpile

n. a large stack of pulpwood logs.

blond Eskimo

a member of a tribe of Eskimos, also called Copper Eskimos, reported to have blond individuals among them.

blood brother

among Indians, one who has gone through a ceremony of mixing blood with another person and is therefore considered his brother.

blood-friend

n. among Indians, one who has gone through a ceremony of mixing blood with another person and is therefore considered his brother.

bloody belt

a bloodied belt symbolizing war among certain North American Indians

bloody hatchet

a bloodied hatchet symbolizing war among certain North American Indians.

Bloody Nose

any of various wild flowers, Castilleja sp., having bright scarlet to orangey floral bracts.

blow in

be or become obliterated by snow.

blowdirt

n. blown soil, etc. from summerfallow field.

blowdown† 

n. a tree blown down by wind.

blowhole† 

n. a breathing-hole in ice, made by seals.

blowing hole

a breathing-hole in ice, made by seals.

blowout

n. a workout; a spell of intense effort and application.

blowpot

n. a device for cooking on, such as a Primus or Coleman stove.

blubber lamp

a shallow, crescent-shaped dish of soapstone in which seal-oil or caribou fat is burned to provide light and heat for cooking in an Eskimo home. See picture at kudlik.

blubberbag

n. See quotes.

Blue

1 n. a Quebec Conservative, so called because the traditional color of the Conservative party is blue.

blue

adj. of or having to do with the Quebec Conservative party or its policies.

blue belly

a Yankee, an American.

blue book

any of several types of Canadian parliamentary reports, especially financial reports.

blue fox

a rare colour phase of the Arctic fox.

blue goose

a white-headed, gray color phase of the snow goose, Chen hyperborea, breeding on the Arctic islands.

blue grouse† 

n. a variety of grouse, Dendragopus obscurus, of the Rocky Mountain region.

blue ice

clear, translucent ice that is compact and solid.

Blue Noser

n. a New Brunswicker.

blue pickerel

a food fish, Stizostedion glaucum, related to the walleye and found in the lower Great Lakes.

blue pie

a gray, crestless jay, Perisoreus canadensis.

blue ticket

See 1926 quote.

blue trunk

a hope chest.

blue wavey

a white-headed, gray color phase of the snow goose, Chen hyperborea, breeding on the Arctic islands.

blue wavy

blue wolf

a rare color phase of the timber wolf.

blue-beech tea

a beating with a blue-beech stick.

blueback

1 n. a young hood seal.

blueback salmon

a three-year-old coho.

blueberry barren

a tract of untillable land on which blueberries flourish.

bluefish

n. a silver-gray freshwater fish, Thymallus arcticus, of the trout family, found in northern waters.

blueline

n. either of the two blue lines midway between the centre of a rink and each goal.

blueline corps

a team's defencemen collectively.

blueliner

n. in hockey and lacrosse, one of the players who constitute a team's defence.

bluelinesman

n. in hockey and lacrosse, one of the players who constitute a team's defence.

bluemilion

n. laundry bluing, used by some Indians as a pigment.

Bluenose

1a n. a Nova Scotian residing in that province before the American Revolution and the subsequent arrival of the Loyalists.

bluenose potato

a variety of potato having a bluish tip.

Bluenose Special

See quote.

bluenosed

adj. of or having to do with Nova Scotia or Nova Scotians.

bluet

n. the blueberry, Vaccinium canadense.

bluff

1 n. a clifflike bank, often wooded, at the edge of a river or lake.

bluff country

the lightly wooded, grassy belt of rich land lying between the open prairie and the northern forests in the three Prairie Provinces; also, similar but smaller areas of lightly wooded rolling grasslands, as the Peace River country.

bluffie

n. a practice arrow.

bluffy

adj. having numerous groves of trees.

Bo Jo(u)

a salutation heard in northern Canada among Indians, traders, and trappers, long a traditional greeting.

board ((1))

v. offer for sale at a dairy board meeting.

board ((2))

v. in hockey or box lacrosse, bodycheck an opponent into the boards.

board cradle

a thin, rectangular board to which a moss bag is fastened and in which infants are carried. See picture at cradle-board.

board hole

a slot cut by loggers in the trunk of a tree and intended to hold the board on which the fellers stand.

Board of Broadcast Governors

an independent body appointed in 1961 by the Canadian government to regulate broadcasting and telecasting.

Board of Control

in some Canadian cities, an elected group in the field of civic government, comprised of the mayor and a varying number of controllers.

board of trustees

1 a group of persons (usually elected) who are responsible for the administration of the public elementary and secondary schools in a given area.

board pine

pine trees cut and trimmed so as to leave wanes.

board-ice

n. See quotes.

boarding

n. in hockey and box lacrosse, the act or practice of bodychecking an opponent into the boards bordering the playing area.

boarding house agent

a person soliciting patronage for a boarding house.

boards

1 n. the board fence enclosing a hockey rink or box-lacrosse field.

boardwood

boat brigade

a fleet of canoes, bateaux, or York boats carrying trade goods, supplies, and furs to and from the inland posts of the fur companies.

boat encampment

a point at the head of navigable water on a river; specifically, the head of navigation of the Columbia River, where it meets the Canoe River.

boat guide

man in charge of a brigade of boats.

boat song

a chanson sung by the voyageurs, in rhythm with their paddling or rowing.

boat voyaging

boater

n. a man other than a permanent employee, taken on for single trip with a brigade (def. 1).

boatman

n. a voyageur, especially a man working with the boat brigades of the fur companies.

bob

n. one of the double-runnered sections of a bobsleigh.

bob-jacket

n. a small linen jacket.

bob-sledge

n. a sleigh made up of one or more (usually two) double-runnered sections called bobs, having a deck or box mounted on top, long associated with lumbering operations and now also used in tractor trains in the North.

bobbing

n. the process of hauling logs on a bobsleigh (def. 1).

bobbing hole

an opening in rotten ice.

bobskate

n. a child's skate consisting of two sections of double runners, the sections being joined in such a way as to be adjustable to the size of the wearer's foot.

bobsled

1 n. a sleigh made up of one or more (usually two) double-runnered sections called bobs, having a deck or box mounted on top, long associated with lumbering operations and now also used in tractor trains in the North. See picture at bobsleigh.

bobsleigh ((n.))

1 n. a sleigh made up of one or more (usually two) double-runnered sections called bobs, having a deck or box mounted on top, long associated with lumbering operations and now also used in tractor trains in the North.

bobsleigh ((v.))

v. use a bobsleigh (def. 3).

bocan(n)e

bodewash

n. dry buffalo dung used as fuel.

bodycheck ((n.))

n. in hockey, lacrosse, etc., a defensive play by which a player impedes an opponent's progress by body contact.

bodycheck ((v.))

v. employ a bodycheck.

bodychecker

n. in hockey, lacrosse, etc., a player who checks an opponent by using body contact, especially one skilled at checking in this way.

bodychecking

n. the practice of using bodychecks.

bog apple

a low bog-dwelling plant, Rubus chamaemorus, having a solitary white flower followed by a berry that is amber when ripe.

bog barren

a tract of boggy heath.

bogan ((1))

n. See quotes.

bogan ((2))

n. a kind of sled used in hauling pulpwood logs.

boganning

n. a method of hauling pulpwood. See quotes.

bogie

n. a small, square stove.

bogus settler

a person who takes up land with the pretended purpose of farming it but with the real motive of cutting and selling timber on it; timber pirate.

bogy

boil ((n.))

n. a frost heave.

boil ((v.))

v. stop on the trail to make tea and rest.

boil the kettle

prepare tea.

boil up

stop on the trail to make tea and rest.

boil-up

1 n. a stretch of seething water, as in a rapids or below a waterfall.

boil-up place

a stopping place on the trail, where the kettle is boiled for tea.

boiler

n. a stretch of seething water, as in a rapids or below a waterfall.

boiling place

1 a building where sugaring-off (def. 1) takes place.

boiling-down shack

a building where sugaring-off (def. 1) takes place.

bois blanc

basswood or whitewood, Tilia americana.

bois d'arc

the Osage orange, Maclura pomifera, used by plains Indians for making bows, and by settlers for hedges.

bois de diable

the vine maple of British Columbia, Acer circinatum.

bois de flèche

the wood of the saskatoon bush, Amelanchier canadensis.

bois de pelon

a small tree or shrub, Dirca palustris, having tough, pliant bark.

bois de vache

dry buffalo dung used as fuel.

bois des prairies

dry buffalo dung used as fuel.

bois grille

a half-breed, especially one having French blood; Métis.

bois inconnu

the hackberry, Celtis occidentalis.

bois picant

a shrub, Oplopanax horridus, of western Canada, having large leaves, a prickly stem and conspicuous red berries.

bois rouge

a shrub, Cornus stolonifera, with conspicuous red stems, the inner bark of which was often used in the making of kinnikinik (def. 1).

bois tors

bittersweet, a climbing shrub, Celastrus scandens.

bois-brule

bois-brûlé

n. a half-breed, especially one having French blood; Métis.

boisson

n. a session of heavy drinking that accompanied the trading activities when Indians or others visited a post.

bombardier

n. a vehicle used for travelling over snow and ice, equipped with caterpillar tracks at the rear and set of skis at the front.

bombardier trail

a road used by bombardiers.

Bon Jou

bond

boneyard

1 n. an old, broken-down horse.

Bonhomme (Carnaval)

n. a Quebec City winter-carnival character.

bonne

n. a sturdy flat-bottomed boat about 20 ft. long, pointed fore and aft and having a shallow draft, specially designed for use in river drives.

bonnet bleu

a blue, tasselled tuque, traditional wear among rural French Canadians.

bonnet rouge

a red, tasselled tuque, traditional wear among rural French Canadians.

bons

n. pl. See quotes.

bonus

v. offer extra money, property, or stock as an inducement to build or establish something; subsidize.

boom ((1)) ((n.))† 

1 n. a barrier of logs or other timbers linked by chains and serving to restrain or enclose floating logs, pulpwood, etc.

boom ((1)) ((v.))

1 v. gather or confine (logs, pulpwood, etc.) in a holding boom.

boom ((2)) ((n.))

n. the horizontal pieces of a rail fence.

boom ((3)) ((n.))† 

n. a sudden increase in business activity; entry into a period of prosperity.

boom ((3)) ((v.))† 

1 v. go ahead rapidly in business activity and prosperity.

boom boat

a small tug used to control a boom of logs under tow or in the booming grounds.

boom camp

the camp at a booming ground.

boom chain

a chain linking two boomsticks or boom timbers.

boom company

a company that contracts to build and tow booms (def. 3).

boom crew

a gang of boom-men.

boom dozer

a small tug used to control a boom of logs under tow or in the booming grounds.

boom pool

an expanse of quiet water where logs, often retained by a boom, are penned till needed.

boom scooter

a small tug used to control a boom of logs under tow or in the booming grounds.

boom timber

See quote.

boom-house

n. a shanty on a log raft or floating wharf, used by boom-men.

boom-man

n. a man who works on or with booms of logs.

boomcat

n. a man who works on or with booms of logs.

boomed

adj. brought to public notice; promoted; boosted.

boomer† 

1 n. a person who boosts or promotes a town, undertaking, etc.

boomer days

prosperous times, when employment opportunities are exceptionally good.

booming ((adj.))† 

adj. moving ahead rapidly; growing prosperously and fast.

booming ((n.))

n. the practice of penning logs in booms.

booming ground ((1))† 

the mating place of prairie chicken, so called because of the booming sound made by the males.

booming ground(s) ((2))

that part of a river, lake, or ocean where logs are dumped to be gathered into booms (def. 3), or where booms and rafts of logs are held.

booming place

that part of a river, lake, or ocean where logs are dumped to be gathered into booms (def. 3), or where booms and rafts of logs are held.

boomlet

n. a short-lived period of prosperity or increased business activity; a minor boom.

boomster

1 n. a person who creates enthusiasm for an undertaking; a promoter; boomer (def. 1).

boomstick† 

1 n. one of the logs or timbers that form a boom (def. 1).

boondoggle

n. a device used to take up the slack in a chin-strap, such as a large wooden bead, or a woven knot such as a Turk's head.

booseman

n. the crewman of a canoe or York boat whose position is in the bow.

booshway

n. master; employer; boss.

bordage

n. See 1807 quote.

Bordeau(x)

n. an inferior grade of beaver pelt.

border

n. the boundary between Canada and the United States.

borrow pit

a pit from which fill is taken as ballast for road and railway building.

boss

n. the spinous process on the vertebrae in the hump above the shoulders of a buffalo, much prized as a delicacy.

boss dog

the dog in a dog-team recognized by his owner and his team-mates as the "boss," usually the strongest and most dominant, and usually harnessed nearest the sled.

boss hurdy

the manager of a group of hurdy-gurdies (def. 1).

boss logger

a superintendent or manager of a logging outfit; the owner-manager of a small logging outfit.

boss rib

the spinous process on the vertebrae in the hump above the shoulders of a buffalo, much prized as a delicacy.

boss-bully

adj. best, foremost.

bossbone

n. any one of several vertebrae forming the boss of the buffalo, used by the Indians for a number of purposes.

Boston

n. on the Pacific Coast, a person from the United States, as opposed to an Englishman or Canadian.

Boston clothing

n. white man's dress.

Boston man

n. on the Pacific Coast, a person from the United States, as opposed to an Englishman or Canadian.

Boston name

n. on the Pacific Coast, an English word or name as opposed to one that is Indian.

Boston pedlar

1 an American trader, especially on the Pacific Coast.

Boston people

a person from the United States; a United States citizen.

Boston ship

an American ship.

Boston States

New England.

Bostonais

Bostonnais

1 n. a person from the United States; a United States citizen.

Bostonnois

botte française

a boot or shoe of tanned leather, as opposed to the soft leather moccasin of the Indians and coureurs-de-bois.

botte sauvage

a kind of sturdy moccasin having uppers reaching well up the lower leg; shoepack (def. 1).

bottom ((n.))† 

n. the level, low-lying land bordering a stream; interval.

bottom ((v.))

v. excavate down to bed-rock (def. 1).

bottom bark

birch bark of especially high quality, used for the underside of bark canoes.

bottom ice

See 1958 quote.

boucan

n. See quotes.

boudet

n. a portable, folding, canvas cot.

boueau

n. See quote.

bough bed

a makeshift bed in which evergreen boughs function as a mattress, used by Indians, campers, etc.

bouillon

n. a kind of stew.

boulder ice

large chunks of ice left in a stream bed after a fall in the water level.

boulder pool

a pool scattered with boulders forming lurking places for trout.

boulevard ((n.))† 

1 n. a wide, paved street, usually flanked by strips of grass and rows of shade trees.

boulevard ((v.))

v. furnish with the characteristics of a boulevard.

boulevard strip

n. the strip of grass between the curb and the sidewalk, often furnished with trees.

boundary

n. the boundary between Canada and the United States.

Boundary Country

See quotes.

Bouquet Sou

See quote.

bourassa

n. a variety of eating apple well known in early Canada; also, the tree.

bourdigneau

n. See 1950 quote.

bourdion

n. See bourdigneau 1950 quote.

bourg

n. especially in Quebec, a village, town, or settlement.

bourgeois

1a n. master; employer; boss.

bourgeois pemmican

n. See quote.

bout(te)

n. either the bowsman or the steersman in a canoe, bateau, or York boat.

bow and arrow

n. North American Indian.

bowl and beans

See platter 1792 and 1921 quotes.

bowman

1 n. the crewman of a canoe or York boat whose position is in the bow.

bowsman

n. the crewman of a canoe or York boat whose position is in the bow.

box

1 n. on a wagon, truck, or sleigh, the rectangular superstructure that functions as a receptacle for the goods to be transported; body.

box heater

a sheet-metal stove, usually small and flat-topped.

box lacrosse

a form of lacrosse played by teams of seven men each on an enclosed playing area roughly the size of a hockey rink.

box phone

an early type of telephone, shaped like a box with an opening to speak into.

box social

a social event at which boxes (often decorated with colored paper and ribbons) of food are offered at auction to male bidders, the successful bidder having the privilege of eating and dancing with the woman who prepared the lunch.

box stove† 

a large cast-iron stove having a big firebox suitable for burning wood.

box-skin

v. See quote.

box-sled† 

box-sleigh† 

n. a large horse-drawn sleigh having a boxlike body, used mainly for carrying goods.

box-trap

n. a trap consisting of a box with a baited trigger, so constructed that when it is disturbed the box falls and catches the victim.

boxla

n. a form of lacrosse played by teams of seven men each on an enclosed playing area roughly the size of a hockey rink.

boy cook

a cook's helper or apprentice in a camp.

boy-hoy

n. in the Maritimes, a low-class tough or ruffian, usually found in gangs.

brag load

See quote.

Brahmin(ical)

n. in Upper Canada, one of a class of evangelists from the United States, usually Methodists, who publicly expressed their republican sympathies.

braillet

n. a loin covering of cloth or soft leather.

bran-emptyings

n. the yeasty lees of bran soaked in water, used as a home-made leaven in colonial days.

bran-rising

n. a kind of leaven made from bran-emptyings, soaked in water.

brand up

engage in branding.

branding

1a n. the clearing away of trees and brush on a tract of land by burning.

bras

n. a long narrow bay or arm (now only in place-names, as Bras d'Or, N.S.).

bras(s)e

n. See 1910 quote.

Brasil tobacco

brave

1 n. a male Indian, especially a warrior.

brayet

n. a loin covering of cloth or soft leather.

Brazil tobacco

a strong, black tobacco twisted into a rope and sold by the fathom as an important item of trading goods by the Hudson's Bay Co., beginning in 1685.

bread-root

n. See prairie turnip 1892 quote.

break

1 v. of (ice in) rivers and lakes, melt as a result of the spring thaw.

break camp

pack up, leave a camp, and go elsewhere.

break out

undertake the break-out.

break track

move ahead of a dog team, a vehicle, or a party of people, making a way through heavy snow, often on snowshoes.

break trail

move ahead of a dog team, a vehicle, or a party of people, making a way through heavy snow, often on snowshoes.

break up

1 of (ice in) rivers and lakes, melt as a result of the spring thaw.

break-head

n. See quotes and picture at casse-tête.

break-out

n. the removal of key pieces from a pile of logs, permitting them to roll from the landing (def. 1a) into the water for driving or booming.

break-up

1 n. the spring thawing of the ice on rivers and lakes, especially the point in time when the ice breaks into pieces that are flushed away by the current.

break-up ice

the chunks of ice freed during break-up and carried downstream by the current.

break-up period

the period of time taken for the ice in rivers and lakes to soften, crack up, and disappear.

break-up wind

the spring winds that hasten break-up in the North.

breakaway

n. an opportunity to move in on goal without interference, the defensive players all being behind the advancing player.

breaker

n. an icebreaker.

breaker plough† 

a large plough, especially designed for the heavy work of breaking new land.

breaking† 

n. new land prepared for cultivation.

breaking plough† 

a large plough, especially designed for the heavy work of breaking new land.

breaking-up

1 n. the melting of the snow and the frozen ground in spring; spring thaw.

breaking-up rapid

a rapids so violent as to break up a timber raft.

breakup

n. See break-up.

breathing-hole

n. an opening in the ice, made as a breathing-hole by some animal.

breathing-place

n. a hole in the ice, especially where the water is moving too swiftly to freeze.

breechcloth† 

n. a loin covering of cloth or soft leather.

breechclout† 

n. a loin covering of cloth or soft leather.

breed

n. a half-breed.

breed half mile

See quote.

breed trail

See quote.

breeze pole

See quote.

brewis

n. a kind of stew prepared by boiling ship's biscuit with codfish and pork fat, sometimes including potato chunks and wild herbs.

bride's boys

See quote.

bridge

1 n. a bridge across a river, bay, etc., formed by the natural freezing of the water and used as a means of crossing from one shore to the other.

bridle

n. the loop of a snowshoe in which the toes are placed.

Brier

n. the bonspiel for the men's curling championship of Canada.

brigade

1 n. a fleet of canoes, bateaux, or York boats carrying trade goods, supplies, and furs to and from the inland posts of the fur companies.

brigade trail

a route followed by brigades (def. 2) of pack horses.

brin

n. See quotes.

brin bag

a sack or bag of coarse cloth; gunny sack; burlap bag.

brisket bell

See bell (1904 and 1937 quotes).

British America

the lands in North America colonized by the British or claimed by them; after 1776, the lands now comprising Canada.

British American

n. a Canadian.

British American League

See British North America(n) League 1957 quote.

British Canada

1 that part of Canada ceded to the British by the Treaty of Utrecht, comprising what is now the Maritime Provinces.

British Canadian

1 a Canadian of British ancestry.

British Columbia fir

British Columbia maple

See quote.

British Columbia pine

See quote.

British connection

1 British ancestry.

British Connectionist

n. a supporter of close ties between Canada and Great Britain.

British Constitutionalist

a supporter of the view that the British system of parliamentary government should be adopted in Canada as opposed to the congressional system established in the United States.

British feeling

sympathy with and support for the British connection (def. 2).

British Loyalist

one of a large number of persons loyal to the British Crown during the American Revolution, many of whom came to the eastern provinces of Canada as settlers during the Revolution and for some years afterwards.

British North America

1 that part of North America that ultimately came to be called Canada.

British North America Act† 

the act of the British Parliament that created the Dominion of Canada in 1867, uniting the provinces of Ontario and Quebec (formerly United Canada), Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick.

British North America(n) League

n. See 1957 quote.

British North American

n. a Canadian.

British Northwest

the territories to the west and north of the old province of Upper Canada, north of the U.S. border.

British party

a political group in Upper and Lower Canada who supported the traditional British connection (def. 2).

British preference

a concept of trading by which British goods could enter Canada at advantageous tariff rates.

British Provinces

Canada.

British-American

adj. of or pertaining to British America and, after 1776, to Canada.

British-Canadian

adj. associated with or sympathetic with British Canada or British Canadians.

Brito-Canadian

broad-axe

n. a large axe having a broad blade, used for trimming and shaping logs into square timber, planks, etc.

Broadcast Governor

a member of the Board of Broadcast Governors.

broadleaf maple† 

See British Columbia maple quote.

broadleaved maple† 

brochet

n. a large species of pike, Esox lucius, found in northern waters.

brochet banana

the tongue of the caribou, considered a delicacy in the North.

Brock copper

a copper coin, worth about a farthing, that circulated in Canada after the War of 1812 until stopped by law because an influx of American counterfeit coins rendered them worthless.

broken brigade

See quote.

broken concession

n. a concession (def. 2) of irregular shape lying along a river or lake front.

broken country

terrain intersected by ravines and valleys.

broken fish

n. the lowest grade of cured codfish.

broken front

in Ontario, parcels of land of irregular shape, situated along a river or lake, at the front of a concession (def. 2).

broken lot

a lot at the front of a broken-front concession; a lot of irregular shape lying along a river or lake front.

broken-front concession

a concession (def. 2) of irregular shape lying along a river or lake front.

bronc† 

1 n. a wild or semiwild horse.

bronc fighter

one who breaks wild horses to the saddle or to harness.

bronc stomper

one who breaks wild horses to the saddle or to harness.

broncho

bronco

1 n. a wild or semiwild horse.

bronco-buster

n. one who breaks wild horses to the saddle or to harness.

bronco-busting

n. the breaking of wild horses.

brookie

n. a brook trout.

broom game

a winter sport first popular in Scotland, played by two teams of four players, each of whom slides, in turn, two stones down the surface of a sheet of ice, a team's object being to finish with its stone closest to the "tee" in the centre of the target area.

broomball

n. a game played, usually, on a hockey rink, the players, with or without skates, having corn brooms with which to advance a volleyball toward the opposing team's goal.

broomballer

n. one who plays broomball.

brother

n. among Indians, one who has gone through a ceremony of mixing blood with another person and is therefore considered his brother.

Brother Jonathan

a personification of the United States.

brow

1 n. originally, that part of a river bank where logs were piled ready to be rolled into the water at spring break-up; also, the apron. Now also applied to log dumps from which logs are transported by trucks or railway cars.

brow-log

n. See Haig-Brown quote.

brown bear

n. any of several North American bears, including the grizzly bear, and a color phase of the black bear.

brown biscuit

a kind of whole-wheat hardtack.

brown oil

brown-sugar house

n. in Nova Scotia, an inferior hotel or inn.

Brownie

n. a Japanese.

browse bed

a makeshift bed in which evergreen boughs function as a mattress, used by Indians, campers, etc.

browse line

the height to which moose and deer browse the foliage of trees.

browse out

haul out logs by block and tackle.

bruck

n. a type of bus having seats for twenty passengers and a large compartment in the rear for baggage and freight.

brue

n. the edible red berries of this shrub.

brulot

n. black fly; sand fly.

Brulé

1 n. a half-breed, especially one having French blood; Métis.

brulé

1 n. an area that has been burnt out by a forest fire, characterized by charred stumps and rampikes.

brush ((n.))

1 n. low-growing trees and shrubs; undergrowth.

brush ((v.))

1 v. clear the brush from land.

brush bed

a makeshift bed in which evergreen boughs function as a mattress, used by Indians, campers, etc.

brush camp† 

a temporary shelter of brush built after the style of a lean-to (def. la).

brush corral

a temporary fence made of branches and any such material at hand for forming an enclosure, usually for horses.

brush fence

an early type of fence.

brush fishery

a fishery in the backwoods.

brush out

v. clear the brush from land.

brush shed

a temporary shelter of brush built after the style of a lean-to (def. la).

brush tent

a temporary shelter of brush built after the style of a lean-to (def. la).

brush up

pile up (timber) in the process of falling.

brush wolf

1 a small wolf, Canis latrans, usually associated with the prairies but found across Canada, mainly in the region south of the range of the larger timber wolf.

brush-hook

n. a long-handled implement with a sharp cutting edge on a hooked blade, used in cutting brush, lopping off branches, etc.

brushed

adj. cleared of brush.

brushing (out)

n. the process or operation of clearing the land of brush.

brushland

n. land covered with brush.

brushman

n. a legendary Indian living in solitude in the woods.

brushpile fence

an early type of fence.

brushwood

1 n. low-growing trees and shrubs; undergrowth.

buck ((1))

n. a male North American Indian.

buck ((2))

1 v. saw wood into lengths, as with a bucksaw.

buck beaver

1 a male beaver (def. 1).

buck cop

a constable, especially a rookie of the R.C.M.P.

buck Indian

a male North American Indian.

buck policeman

a constable, especially a rookie of the R.C.M.P.

buck rein

a single rope attached to the hackamore of a bucking horse, to assist the rider to keep his balance.

buck set

often in logging and other camps where there are no women, an all-male square dance; a square made up of men only.

buck the brigade

See quote.

buck-jumper

n. at stampedes, rodeos, etc., a horse specially given to bucking and, for this reason, used as a mount in bronco-riding competitions.

buckboard† 

1 n. a light, four-wheeled vehicle having a single seat resting on springs that are attached to a springy platform.

bucker

n. See 1963 quote.

bucket cable

an endless cable stretched across a chasm or gulch and equipped with receptacles for carrying people or materials from one side to the other.

bucking

n. the work done by a bucker.

bucking horse† 

at stampedes, rodeos, etc., a horse specially given to bucking and, for this reason, used as a mount in bronco-riding competitions.

bucking pole

a primitive type of hay loader.

bucking season

of range sheep, the breeding season.

bucksaw† 

n. a saw consisting of a blade set in an H-shaped frame one side of which is extended to form a handle, used for cross-cutting wood.

buckskin

n. See 1885 quote.

Buckskin Gloves

an all-Indian boxing tournament.

buckskin horse

See buckskin 1885 quote.

buckskin pony

buckwheat farmer

a lazy, improvident farmer.

buckwheat pine

the white pine (def. la), which has a cone resembling buckwheat flour in color.

bud run

in sugaring-off (def. 1), the third run of maple sap, which makes inferior syrup and sugar.

buddy sap

maple sap collected late in the season when the buds begin to burst.

buff

n. the North American bison, Bison bison.

Buffalo

n. a large twin-engined transport plane (CV-7A) designed by de Havilland of Canada for short takeoff conditions.

buffalo ((n.))

1 n. the musk-ox, Ovibos moschatus.

buffalo ((v.))

1 v. run off; evict.

buffalo apple

the buffalo pea, Astragalus crassicarpus, a wild pea having yellow blossoms and a pod that is red and fleshy at first, becoming hard and brownish when dry.

buffalo apron

See robe (def. 1b) 1848 quote.

buffalo bean

1 the buffalo pea, Astragalus crassicarpus, a wild pea having yellow blossoms and a pod that is red and fleshy at first, becoming hard and brownish when dry.

buffalo berry† 

a shrub of the genus Shepherdia, as S. canadensis; also, the edible red berry of this shrub.

Buffalo Bill

See quote.

buffalo bird

a small, black bird, Molothrus ater, having a short bill and bright eyes, noted for its practice of laying eggs in the nests of other birds and for its symbiotic attendance on cattle.

buffalo blanket

See robe (def. 1b) 1848 quote.

buffalo boss

the hump on the shoulders of a buffalo, much esteemed as a delicacy.

buffalo bush

a shrub of the genus Shepherdia, as S. canadensis; also, the edible red berry of this shrub.

buffalo camp

a buffalo hunters' camp.

buffalo chip† 

a piece of dried buffalo dung, often used for fuel on the prairies.

buffalo coat

a long winter coat of buffalo skin.

buffalo compound

an enclosure, corral, or large trap into which the Indians drove buffalo in order to slaughter them.

buffalo country

the prairies, where the buffalo once was plentiful.

buffalo days

the time when buffalo were to be found on the praires in their natural state.

buffalo fish† 

a species of sucker, Catostomidae, resembling a carp and having a humped back.

buffalo fruit

buffalo gnat† 

a small, winged biting insect especially common in the northern woods, Simulium spp.

buffalo grass

any of several short grasses, as Buchloë dactyloides, common on the prairies.

buffalo grounds

the prairies, where the buffalo once was plentiful.

buffalo head

See quotes.

buffalo horse

a horse or pony trained for hunting buffalo.

buffalo hump

the hump on the shoulders of a buffalo, much esteemed as a delicacy.

buffalo hunt

on the prairies, an organized hunt for buffalo.

buffalo hunter

a person who took part in buffalo hunts.

buffalo hunting

engaging in a hunt for buffalo; the practice or institution of hunting buffalo.

buffalo jump

a place where Plains Indians slaughtered buffalo by stampeding them over a precipice.

buffalo jumping pound

a place where Plains Indians slaughtered buffalo by stampeding them over a precipice.

buffalo knife

a straight, double-edged steel knife about six inches long and three inches wide at the base, tapering to a point.

buffalo lands

the prairies, where the buffalo once was plentiful.

buffalo lick

buffalo meat

the flesh of the buffalo, once the basic meat of the prairie posts and, in the form of pemmican (def. 1a), of the trappers, hunters, and traders on the move.

buffalo ox

an emasculated buffalo, highly prized for the fine robe made from its skin and its choice meat.

buffalo park

a tract of land st aside in which buffalo may roam unmolested by hunters, as Wood Buffalo National Park in Northern Alberta.

buffalo pass

a trail made and frequented by buffalo.

buffalo path

buffalo pemmican

pemmican (def. la) made from the meat and fat of the buffalo.

buffalo period

buffalo pit

a depression formed by buffalo wallowing in mud or, less often, sand.

buffalo placotte

buffalo plain(s)† 

the prairies, where the buffalo once was plentiful.

buffalo pony

a horse or pony trained for hunting buffalo.

buffalo pound

an enclosure, corral, or large trap into which the Indians drove buffalo in order to slaughter them.

buffalo preserve

a tract of land set aside in which buffalo may roam unmolested by hunters, as Wood Buffalo National Park in Northern Alberta.

buffalo race

a buffalo hunt in which the animals were pursued on horseback rather than impounded.

buffalo racer

a horse or pony trained for hunting buffalo.

buffalo range

1 the normal habitat of the wood buffalo.

buffalo ranger

a warden responsible for the herds on a buffalo reserve.

buffalo reserve

a tract of land set aside in which buffalo may roam unmolested by hunters, as Wood Buffalo National Park in Northern Alberta.

buffalo road

a trail made and frequented by buffalo.

buffalo robe† 

See robe (def. 1b) 1848 quote.

buffalo root

See prairie turnip 1892 quote.

buffalo run

1 n. a buffalo hunt in which the animals were pursued on horseback rather than impounded.

buffalo runner

1 a horse or pony trained for hunting buffalo.

buffalo skin

1 especially among fur traders, a buffalo hide dressed on both sides.

buffalo stone

a fragment of a fossil cephalopod, Bacculites, valued by Prairie Indians as a charm.

buffalo tongue

the tongue of the buffalo, fresh, smoked, or dried, much esteemed as a delicacy.

buffalo trail† 

n. a trail made and frequented by buffalo.

buffalo wallow† 

a depression formed by buffalo wallowing in mud or, less often, sand.

buffalo wolf

the great wolf of the plains, Canis lupus nubilus.

buffalo wool

1 n. the fine hair beneath the coarse outer hair on a buffalo skin.

buffalo wool cloth

a kind of cloth made from buffalo wool by the Buffalo Wool Company.

Buffalo Wool Company

a subsidiary of the Hudson ' s Bay Company formed in 1821 to manufacture cloth from buffalo wool (def. 1).

buffalo-leather tent

a tent made of buffalo leather, especially the teepee of the Plains Indians.

buffalo-running

n. the hunting of buffalo by running them as opposed to impounding them.

buffalo-skin coracle

a coracle-like boat of saplings and hide used by prairie Indians. See picture at bull boat.

buffer food

food that keeps predatory animals satisfied and makes it unnecessary for them to prey on game that the authorities wish to protect.

bug ((1))

n. See 1950 quote.

bug ((2))

1 n. a germ, or microbe; the cause of an illness.

bug-bag

n. a sleeping bag.

bug-man

n. an expert on "bugs"; an entomologist.

buggy

1 n. a light four-wheeled carriage, often having a collapsible top and drawn by a single horse.

building lot† 

n. a plot of land surveyed and zoned for building on.

bulk

n. a quantity of fish salted and piled in layers.

bulk carrier

n. a lake boat designed for carrying cargoes of bulk commodities such as ore or grain.

bulker

n. a lake boat designed for carrying cargoes of bulk commodities such as ore or grain.

bull ((1))

n. a working ox.

bull ((2))

n. the dovekie, Alle alle; little auk.

bull block

a large pulley through which the main line (def. 3) passes in yarding operations.

bull boat† 

a coracle-like boat of saplings and hide used by prairie Indians.

bull brigade

a brigade (def. 2) of Red River carts pulled by oxen.

bull bucker

See 1966 quote.

bull gang

unskilled laborers in a construction crew, road gang, at the surface of a mine, etc.

bull nun

a monk.

bull pen

that part of a river, lake, or ocean where logs are dumped to be gathered into booms (def. 3), or where booms and rafts of logs are held.

bull pine

1 a slim, straight pine, Pinus contorta var. latifolia, common in the Rocky Mountain region, so called because the young trees make good lodgepoles.

bull team† 

a team of several pairs of oxen, used for heavy freighting.

bull through

force through by great power or exertion.

bull train† 

a train of carts or wagons drawn by oxen.

bull trout

a char, Salvelinus malma spectabilis, characterized by reddish-orange spots on an olive-green skin, found in western lakes and rivers and on the Pacific coast.

bull work

v. heavy physical labor, as that performed by a bull gang.

bull's-wool trousers

trousers of heavy cloth.

bull-driver

n. one who drove oxen in a bull train.

bull-flogger

n. a long whip used by the drivers of the bull trains.

bull-fly

n. any one of several species of horsefly, especially Chrysops.

bull-hook

n. See 1958 quote.

bull-in-the-ring

n. a children's game.

bull-nay fence

See quote.

bullberry† 

n. a shrub of the genus Shepherdia, as S. canadensis; also, the edible red berry of this shrub.

bullbird

n. the dovekie, Alle alle; little auk.

bullcook ((n.))

n. See 1913 quote.

bullcook ((v.))

v. See quote.

bulldog

n. any one of several species of horsefly, especially Chrysops.

bulldog fly

any one of several species of horsefly, especially Chrysops.

bulldozer† 

n. a powerful machine equipped with caterpillar traction and a horizontal steel blade or ram, used for clearing land, building roads, making firebreaks, etc.

bulldozer-plough

n. a bulldozer equipped with a snow plough.

bulltow

bullwhacker† 

1 n. the driver of a bull train of oxen.

bully (boy)

n. in the fur trade, a hired tough whose job it was to intimidate rival traders and to do the fighting for the brigade or post.

bullyar

n. in the fur trade, a hired tough whose job it was to intimidate rival traders and to do the fighting for the brigade or post.

bultow

n. a type of hand line used in coastal fishing. See 1849 quote.

bum gun

on a sealing vessel, a gun fired periodically to let the sealers know where the ship is.

bun

n. a sturdy flat-bottomed boat about 20 ft. long, pointed fore and aft and having a shallow draft, specially designed for use in river drives.

bunch ((n.))† 

1 n. the spinous process on the vertebrae in the hump above the shoulders of a buffalo, much prized as a delicacy.

bunch ((v.))† 

v. of cattle or horses, to round up; to collect into a herd.

bunch-quitter

n. a horse or steer that has a habit of leaving the herd.

bunchgrass ((n.))† 

n. any of several nutritious grasses, as Agropyron spicatum, widely distributed in the West and growing in clumps.

bunchgrass ((v.))

v. of horses or cattle, forage in winter for bunch grass by pawing through the snow.

bundle boom

a raft or boom (def. 3b) of logs bound together in a bundle.

Bungay

Bungee

1 n. an Ojibwa, or Salteaux, Indian.

bunk patrol

a period of off-duty sleep.

bunkhouse† 

n. a building in which the men working in a lumber, mining, or other such camp sleep.

bunt

n. a blunt arrow used for stunning game without penetrating the skin.

burbot

n. a freshwater cod, Lota lota maculosa.

burdash

bureaucrat

n. in Lower Canada, a supporter, whether French Canadian or English, of the English party, against which Papineau and his Reformers were ranged in the 1830's, a situation that led to the Rebellion of 1837-8.

burgess

1 n. a member of a provincial House of Assembly representing an incorporated town.

burgoo

n. thick stew made from whatever meat and vegetable might be available.

burial-tree

n. a tree (or scaffold) used as a resting place for the dead, especially among the Prairie and West Coast Indians.

burleau

burline

burn ((n.))

1 n. in clearing land, the process of piling and setting fire to the brush (def. 1).

burn ((v.))

1 v. clear land by cutting the brush (def. 1) and burning it.

burn off

clear land by cutting the brush (def. 1) and burning it.

burned country

a tract of forest or prairie swept by fire.

burned-out

adj. of veterans, broken in health as a result of war service.

burning

1 n. See 1832 quote.

burning harrow

a heavy harrow used for breaking up land newly cleared by burning (def. 1).

burnt country

burnt ground

a tract of forest or prairie swept by fire.

burnt land(s)

1 a tract of forest or prairie swept by fire.

burnt wheat

roasted wheat grains, used as a substitute for tea or coffee.

burnt woods

an area that has been burnt out by a forest fire, characterized by charred stumps and rampikes.

burnt-out area

1 an area that has been burnt out by a forest fire, characterized by charred stumps and rampikes.

burnt-out pension

See quote.

bury the hatchet

stop fighting; make peace; end a quarrel.

bush ((n.))

1 n. forested wilderness, especially the extensive sub-arctic forest of Canada; the largely unsettled hinterland.

bush ((v.))

1 v. cause to become or become fatigued or worn out.

bush ague

a kind of ague caused by protracted isolation in the bush.

bush aircraft

a relatively light aircraft flown by a bush pilot and used to carry freight and passengers to isolated points in the northern bush and barrens and usually equipped with pontoons or skis.

bush airline

a company which operates aircraft on scheduled flights transporting freight and passengers over the largely uninhabited wilderness of Northern Canada. See also bush company.

bush airplane

a relatively light aircraft flown by a bush pilot and used to carry freight and passengers to isolated points in the northern bush and barrens and usually equipped with pontoons or skis.

bush bread

See bannock, 1913 and 1941 quotes.

bush buggy

a cross-country vehicle for use in the bush.

bush camp

the offices, living quarters, cook-houses, and other buildings of a lumbering, mining, or other operation in the bush.

bush clearing

a farm on cleared land in the bush.

bush coat

a heavy, warm coat reaching from the shoulders to the upper legs; Mackinaw coat.

bush company

a company which operates aircraft on scheduled flights transporting freight and passengers over the largely uninhabited wilderness of Northern Canada.

bush country

the wooded wilderness of Northern Canada.

bush cowboy

a rancher in the bush country, especially that of the interior of British Columbia.

bush farm

a farm in the bush country, often one that has much uncleared or waste land on it.

bush fence

an early type of fence.

bush fever

bush fire

a raging fire that sweeps through a forest.

bush flier

bush flyer

a pilot who flies commercial aircraft (bush planes) over the trackless wilderness of the northern bush and barrens.

bush flying

flying over and in remote areas.

bush gang

men who work in the bush for surveyors, cruisers (def. 1), and others.

bush horse

a horse used in logging camps.

bush Indian

1 one of a band of Indians living in a forested area as opposed to the prairies.

bush lore

knowledge of the woods; woodcraft; the knowledge necessary to survival in the bush.

bush lot

1 a holding of uncleared land.

bush mail

See quote.

bush meat

the meat of wild game.

bush partridge

a grouse, Canachites canadensis, dark gray barred with black, found in swampy woods.

bush people

1 the Woods Cree.

bush pilot

a pilot who flies commercial aircraft (bush planes) over the trackless wilderness of the northern bush and barrens.

bush plane

a relatively light aircraft flown by a bush pilot and used to carry freight and passengers to isolated points in the northern bush and barrens and usually equipped with pontoons or skis.

bush rabbit

a species of hare, Lepus americanus, especially common in the North, so called because its fur is brown in summer and white in winter.

bush ranch

a ranch or homestead in the wooded valleys of the interior.

bush ranching

clearing land for and operating a bush ranch.

bush rat

a species of wood rat, Neotoma cinerea.

bush road

a rough road cut through the bush.

bush searcher

an itinerant preacher.

bush tavern

a drinking establishment catering to lumbermen and raftsmen.

bush tea

tea made from the hemlock or any of various wild herbs.

bush trail

1 a path through the bush.

bush, take to the

bush-crew

n. a gang of bushworkers.

bush-French

n. the French patois spoken in the backwoods, especially by the Métis.

bush-pop

v. of cowhands, ride into the bush to round up cattle.

bush-popper

n. a cowhand who bush-pops.

bush-range

v. travel through the forests.

bush-ranger

1 n. a settler in the bush (def. 5).

3 n. a whisky peddler.