Browse Entries: C

there are 1141 entries under the letter C

C form

in hockey, a contract signed by a young amateur agreeing to play for a specified professional team and for that team only.

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C.C.F.

See CCF.

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C.E.

that part of United Canada [1841-1867] which was formerly the Province of Lower Canada, embraced in present-day Quebec.

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C.P.R. strawberries

prunes (originally so called in derision by railway work gangs).

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C.W.

that part of United Canada [1841-1867] which was formerly the Province of Upper Canada.

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ca'ing whale

See caa'ing whale.

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caa'ing whale

a blackfish, Globicephala melaena, of the Atlantic coast.

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cabane

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

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Cabbagetown

n. a depressed area on the east side of downtown Toronto, so called from the supposed diet of its impoverished Anglo-Saxon population.

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cabbagetown

n. any rundown urban area; slum.

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cabin

n. 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.

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cabin dram

in rafting lumber, that portion of a large raft on which the rafters' shanty and cook-house or the foreman's quarters were built.

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cabin fever

n. surliness and bad temper resulting from being confined with someone else in a small, isolated cabin.

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caboose

1 n. a stove, used by voyageurs, explorers, etc.

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caboteur

1 n. a French-Canadian wooden coastal vessel ranging from 50 to 500 tons.

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Cabotia

n. a name proposed for a British province incorporating the general area of the Atlantic Provinces.

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cabri

1 n. the pronghorn, Antilocapra americana, of the southern prairies.

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cabriole

n. originally, a light open sleigh used in French Canada, drawn by one or two horses (sometimes by dogs), and having a seat for the driver.

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cache ((n.))

1a n. a secret hiding place.

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cache ((v.))

1a v. of things, hide or conceal.

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cache house

a hut, tent, lean-to or other structure used as a storehouse.

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Cadborosaurus

n. a monster sea-serpent supposed to frequent the waters off Victoria, B.C.

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Caddy

n. a monster sea-serpent supposed to frequent the waters off Victoria, B.C.

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cadge crib

a raft equipped with a windlass driven by horse-power and having the function of drawing, by means of a cable, booms of logs to a desired anchoring spot.

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cadge-sleigh

n. See tote-sleigh 1912 quote.

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cahot

n. one of a series of depressions and ridges caused by impacted snow on a winter road, a source of much jolting and bouncing to passengers in sleighs, carioles, etc.

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caisse populaire

a credit union.

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calash

1 n. a two-wheeled one-horse carriage, built to carry two passengers and having a seat on the splashboard for the driver. Nowadays the calèche is mainly used for sight-seeing tours in Quebec City and Montreal.

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calendar stick

a stick notched each day to keep track of the date, used by trappers and others isolated in the wilderness.

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Calgary redeye

a mixture of tomato juice and beer, a drink associated with Calgary, Alberta, and the surrounding area.

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calico ball

a type of charity ball.

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calico salmon

the chum or dog salmon of the Pacific coast, so called because of its mottled summer coloring.

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call ((n.))

1a n. See quote.

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call ((v.))

1 v. call game by imitating their cries, either by mouth or by instrument.

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call camp

pack up, leave a camp, and go elsewhere.

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call off

chant the changes or movements for a square dance.

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call one's jaw

See quote.

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call-boy

n. a boy employed as a helper; nipper.

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call-off

n. the cry of an animal simulated by a hunter to lure game into range.

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caller

1 n. a hunter skilled in luring game with a call (def. 1b).

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caller-off

n. a person who chants or calls out the changes or movements for square dances.

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callibogus

n. See 1963 quote.

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calling

1 n. the practice or method of hunting by luring game with simulated calls.

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calling hare

a small mammal of the genus Ochotona, found in the western mountain region.

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calling-off

n. the chanting of the changes or movements for a square dance.

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calumet

n. an ornamented ceremonial pipe, used by certain Indian tribes as a symbol of peace and adopted by the white traders in their dealings with these Indians.

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calumet dance

a ceremonial dance in honor of the calumet, a symbol of peace.

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Calumet fever

among Ottawa Valley lumbermen, fear of riding a crib of logs down the slide at Calumet, Quebec.

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calumet of peace

an ornamented ceremonial pipe, used by certain Indian tribes as a symbol of peace and adopted by the white traders in their dealings with these Indians.

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calèche

1 n. a two-wheeled one-horse carriage, built to carry two passengers and having a seat on the splashboard for the driver. Nowadays the calèche is mainly used for sight-seeing tours in Quebec City and Montreal.

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camas

n. a plant of the hyacinth family having blue flowers and a nutritious white bulb, used as a staple food by the Indians of the western prairies (Camassia hyacinthina) and of the Pacific coast (Camassia quamash).

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camboose

1 n. a stove, used by voyageurs, explorers, etc.

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camboose camp

1 a camp at which logging (def. 2) is carried on.

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camboose fire

an open fireplace in the living quarters of a lumber camp.

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camboose shanty

a specially designed log bunkhouse used by a gang of loggers.

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camp

1a n. a temporary shelter, often at a stopping place in the bush.

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camp fish

fish brought to market from fish camps (def. 2).

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camp robber

a gray, crestless jay, Perisoreus canadensis.

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camp stove 

a small stove used in camping or in shanties and cabins in the bush.

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camp tender

See quote.

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camp wagon

a kind of caravan or caboose (def. 4) used on the open range by sheepherders, cowhands, etc.

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camp-house

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

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camp-push

n. a foreman, especially one in charge of a logging gang.

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camp-trade party

a group of traders sent to visit Indian hunting camps to trade for furs.

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camp-trader

n. in a trapping area, an Indian sub-trader who receives a stock of goods on commission and trades with his fellows as agent for the white trader.

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camp-trading

n. the practice of trading furs with Indians by means of an agent.

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campsite

1 n. a stopping place set aside for people to make camp in, usually operated and maintained by the government.

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Canada

1 n. See 1615 quote.

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Canada balsam

1 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.

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Canada bird

the white-throated sparrow, Zonotrichia albicollis.

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Canada boot

a high-topped moccasin worn by voyageurs and others in the bush.

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Canada bushel

in Lower Canada, a unit of dry measure equal to 1.07 Imperial bushels.

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Canada Company

See 1963 quote.

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Canada Confederacy

n. the loyalist Indians from the Six Nations and certain other tribes who supported the British during the American Revolution.

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Canada corn

a variety of Indian corn (maize).

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Canada Day

a statutory holiday celebrated annually on July 1 in commemoration of the creation of the Dominion of Canada, July 1, 1867.

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Canada East

that part of United Canada [1841-1867] which was formerly the Province of Lower Canada, embraced in present-day Quebec.

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Canada First (party)

a post-confederation nationalist movement which urged greater political attention to domestic problems in Canada as opposed to the current pre-occupation with such matters as British trade preference and the reciprocity issue with the United States.

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Canada First man

a supporter or member of the Canada First party.

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Canada First movement

a post-confederation nationalist movement which urged greater political attention to domestic problems in Canada as opposed to the current pre-occupation with such matters as British trade preference and the reciprocity issue with the United States.

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Canada goose

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

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Canada grouse

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

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Canada hedgehog

a porcupine, Erethizon dorsatum.

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Canada honker

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

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Canada jay

a gray, crestless jay, Perisoreus canadensis.

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Canada Land Company

See 1963 quote in Canada Company.

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Canada lynx

a North American wildcat, Lynx canadensis, having prominently tufted ears, large cushioned paws, and a black tail-tip.

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Canada Medal

a civilian award for outstanding service to Canada.

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Canada paper

Canadian bank notes.

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Canada pedlar

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Canada porcupine

a porcupine, Erethizon dorsatum.

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Canada Rebellion

the abortive rebellion in Upper Canada in 1837-38, led by William Lyon Mackenzie.

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Canada Roll tobacco

a kind of twist tobacco, an important item in trade goods.

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Canada stove

See Canadian stove 1899 quote.

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Canada thistle

a thistle, Cirsium arvense, introduced into Canada from France.

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Canada trader

a trader from Quebec other than a Hudson's Bay man, especially a Northwester (def. la).

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Canada West

that part of United Canada [1841-1867] which was formerly the Province of Upper Canada.

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Canada whisky

whisky distilled in Canada; specifically, blended whisky derived mainly from rye, and called "rye" by Canadians.

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Canada-ite

n. a supporter of the Canada First party.

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Canadas

1 n. pl. Upper and Lower Canada [1791-1841].

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Canadese

adj. a native of French Canada having French-speaking parents.

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Canadian ((adj.))

1a adj. of or having to do with French Canadians; French-Canadian.

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Canadian ((n.))

1 n. one of the aboriginal inhabitants of Canada; an Indian or Eskimo.

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Canadian (Land) Company

See Canada Company 1963 quote.

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Canadian balsam

1 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.

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Canadian belt

a colorful sash, 4 to 6 inches wide and 8 to 10 feet long, so called because the best such sashes were made in L'Assomption, Quebec, and widely distributed as trade goods by the fur companies, especially in the design known as the arrow sash.

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Canadian boat

the bateau of the St. Lawrence. See bateau def. 2 picture.

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Canadian boat-song

one of the French-Canadian folksongs sung by the voyageurs; work song.

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Canadian boatman

a French-Canadian crewman in a river craft, especially a voyageur

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Canadian breed

1 n. a breed of sturdy, black draught horse developed in Quebec from stock brought to Canada by early French settlers.

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Canadian Brick

a straw-colored cheese.

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Canadian cart

a crude cart having two large wheels and a platform with sides of upright poles and cross-pieces, drawn by a horse or ox.

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Canadian cattle

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

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Canadian cloth

a gray, homespun woolen cloth originally associated with the habitants of French Canada.

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Canadian coat

a serviceable hooded greatcoat of blanket cloth, moosehide, or other material, long the standard wear among traders and trappers in the North, who took this warm garment over from the habitants and voyageurs of New France.

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Canadian coffee

See quote.

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Canadian Constitution

1 before 1867, the Constitutional Act of 1791 and the Union Act of 1841.

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Canadian cow

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

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Canadian cuckoo

the whip-poor-will, Antrostomus vociferus.

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Canadian dogwood

the dwarf cornel, Cornus canadensis.

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Canadian English

the kind of English spoken in Canada by English-speaking Canadians.

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Canadian ensign

See Canadian Red Ensign quotes.

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Canadian football

a game derived from "rugger" (or rugby, a name still frequently used for the game in Canada), played by two teams of twelve men each on a field 110 by 65 yards; also, the organized activity of games, players, officials, etc.

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Canadian French

1 The French-speaking people of Canada, especially those of Quebec.

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Canadian goose

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

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Canadian gray (cloth)

a gray, homespun woollen cloth originally associated with the habitants of French Canada.

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Canadian half-breed

a person of mixed Indian and European, especially French, parentage; half-breed.

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Canadian honker

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

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Canadian horse

a breed of sturdy, black draught horse developed in Quebec from stock brought to Canada by early French settlers.

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Canadian jay

a gray, crestless jay, Perisoreus canadensis.

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Canadian Jersey

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

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Canadian Labrador

the eastern part of Labrador, that which borders on the Atlantic Ocean, part of Newfoundland since 1927.

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Canadian league

an old linear measure of French Canada, approximately 3 miles and 110 yards.

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Canadian Loyalist

a supporter of the Canadian party (def. 2).

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Canadian lynx

a North American wildcat, Lynx canadensis, having prominently tufted ears, large cushioned paws, and a black tail-tip.

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Canadian Northwest

in the 19th century, and still in historical reference, the vast area laying west and north of Upper Canada (Ontario), including the present prairie provinces and the territories to the north, exclusive of the colony of British Columbia; in present use, the northern territories and the adjacent areas of the western provinces and northern British Columbia.

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Canadian oyster

See quote.

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Canadian parrot

the crossbill, Loxia sp.

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Canadian partridge

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

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Canadian party

1 a political group devoted to the interests of the French Canadians, as opposed to the British ruling party.

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Canadian pony

A breed of sturdy, black draught horse developed in Quebec from stock brought to Canada by early French settlers.

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Canadian Ranger

See quote.

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Canadian Rebellion

the abortive rebellion in Upper Canada in 1837-38, led by William Lyon Mackenzie.

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Canadian Red Ensign

See quotes.

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Canadian refugee

following the Rebellion of 1837, expatriated rebels who found asylum in the United States.

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Canadian Republic

a "Republic" established by rebels in 1838.

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Canadian rice

See wild rice 1963 quote.

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Canadian rye

A Canadian whisky made from rye.

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Canadian Shield

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

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Canadian shoe

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

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Canadian sled

a large freight-carrying sled designed in Canada and used in tractor trains.

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Canadian stag

the North American elk or stag, Cervus canadensis.

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Canadian stove

See 1899 quote.

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Canadian thistle

a thistle, Cirsium arvense, introduced into Canada from France.

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Canadian trader

a trader from Quebec other than a Hudson's Bay man, especially a Northwester (def. la).

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Canadian train

See 1905 quote.

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Canadian voltigeur

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Canadian voyager

one of the canoemen or boatmen, usually a French Canadian, Orkneyman, Indian, or Métis, who crewed the vessels of the inland fur trade.

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Canadian voyageur

one of the canoemen or boatmen, usually a French Canadian, Orkneyman, Indian, or Métis, who crewed the vessels of the inland fur trade.

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Canadian West

from the late 19th century, the general area of the Prairie Provinces.

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Canadian whisk(e)y

whisky distilled in Canada; specifically, blended whisky derived mainly from rye, and called "rye" by Canadians.

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Canadian wood jay

a gray, crestless jay, Perisoreus canadensis.

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Canadian-English

adj. a Canadian who speaks English and who is identified with English Canada.

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Canadian-French

adj. native to French Canada; French-Canadian.

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Canadiana

1 n. things Canadian in a collective sense, especially any collection of literature, records, journals, or letters related to Canadian history and traditions.

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Canadianese

n. Canadian speech.

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Canadianism

1a n. support for or devotion to the concept of Canada as a separate and distinct nation.

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Canadianization

1 n. the process of bringing persons to adopt Canadian customs, language, and traditions so that they may identify themselves as Canadians.

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Canadianize

1a v. cause to become Canadian in customs, language, and traditions.

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Canadien

n. a French-speaking Canadian.

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Canadien(ne)

adj. French-Canadian.

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Canadienne

n. a French-Canadian woman.

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Canadite

n. a Canadian.

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canal

n. See quotes.

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Canal Reserve

a strip of public land set aside for the construction of the Rideau canal between Kingston and Ottawa.

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canaller

1 n. a laborer employed in the building of canals.

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candle ((n.))

n. disintegrating ice consisting of prisms formed perpendicular to the original ice surface; also, one of these prisms.

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candle ((v.))

v. of ice, form candles.

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candlefish

n. a small fish, Thaleicthys pacificus, of the smelt family, native to the Pacific coast. See 1877 quote.

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Cannibal Society

n. a secret society among some of the Indians of the Pacific northwest; Hamatsa Society.

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cannon bunk

a kind of bunk placed in banks at right angles to the wall so that the user must crawl in head first and out feet first (as in charging a muzzle-loading gun).

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canoe ((n.)) 

1 n. any of the various light watercraft propelled by paddles, including the birchbark canoe and more modern craft of similar design. See picture at sturgeon-nosed canoe.

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canoe ((v.)) 

1a v. travel in a canoe.

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canoe bark

birchbark suitable for making a canoe.

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canoe barn

a building for sheltering, making, repairing, and storing canoes, one of the essentials of many fur-trade posts.

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canoe birch

a species of birch, Betula papyrifera, found in many parts of Canada.

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canoe brigade

a convoy of canoes engaged in transporting trade goods to and furs from the inland trading posts.

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canoe cedar

1 See 1936 quote.

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Canoe Country

an area of land in central British Columbia.

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canoe country

country suitable for canoe travel.

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canoe house

a building for sheltering, making, repairing, and storing canoes, one of the essentials of many fur-trade posts.

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canoe knife

a wood-working knife usually having a crooked handle and, often, a hook at one end of the blade, used widely in the north, especially by the Indians, for making snowshoes, fur stretchers, canoes, and all woodwork. See picture at crooked knife.

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canoe line

a light, strong line used in handling canoes; codline.

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canoe moccasin

a moccasin with a thin sole, suited for use in a canoe.

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canoe pole

a long pole, often tipped with iron or steel, used for pushing or guiding a canoe or other boat in narrow or shallow streams.

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canoe rest

a pair of brackets, consisting of two poles thrust horizontally into a river bank, each supported by a vertical stake, placed sufficiently far apart to support a canoe.

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canoe road

a water route regularly used by canoes, especially by those of the canoe brigades.

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canoe route

a water route regularly used by canoes, especially by those of the canoe brigades.

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canoe shed

a building for sheltering, making, repairing, and storing canoes, one of the essentials of many fur-trade posts.

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canoe song

a song or chanson, especially as sung by French-Canadian canoemen as they plied their paddles; boat song.

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canoe track

a water route regularly used by canoes, especially by those of the canoe brigades.

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canoe-raft

n. See quote.

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canoeman

1 n. one of the canoemen or boatmen, usually a French Canadian, Orkneyman, Indian, or Métis, who crewed the vessels of the inland fur trade.

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canoemanship

n. skill and experience in the art of handling a canoe.

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canot allège

a fast light canoe (def. 1) used by the fur-traders for speedy delivery of officials, communications, correspondence, and special goods.

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canot bâtard

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

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canot de charge

See quote.

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canot du gouverneur

a fast light canoe (def. 1) used by the fur-traders for speedy delivery of officials, communications, correspondence, and special goods.

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canot du maître

a large freight canoe, measuring about 40 feet and capable of carrying 4 to 5 tons, used for the voyage from Montreal to the Grand Portage. See picture at Montreal canoe.

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canot du nord

a birchbark canoe 25 to 35 feet long, 5 to 6 feet wide, and 2 to 21 feet deep, capable of carrying some 11 to 2 tons of goods, a crew of 8 or 9, and 2 or 3 passengers, used primarily on the waterways north and west of Lake Superior.

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canot lâche

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canot Rabasca

a fast light canoe (def. 1) used by the fur-traders for speedy delivery of officials, communications, correspondence, and special goods.

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canotée

n. a canoe load.

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cant-hook

n. a pole having at the lower end a steel device consisting of an arm equipped with a sharp, hooked point which, when the arm is slipped over a log, permits the user to roll, lever, or to otherwise direct the log.

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Canuck ((adj.))

adj. Canadian.

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Canuck ((n.))

1 n. a native or citizen of Canada.

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Caouettiste

n. a follower of Raoul Caouette, leader of the Ralliement des Créditistes in the House of Commons during the 1960's.

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Cape Ann (hat)

a type of rain hat having a broad back flap, usually worn with an oilskin raincoat.

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Cape drake

See quotes.

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Cape Island boat

a type of boat used by inshore fishermen of Nova Scotia.

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cape islander

a type of boat used by inshore fishermen of Nova Scotia.

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cape-race(r)

n. See quote.

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capette

a casket.

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capital murder

n. in Canada, murder punishable by hanging, such as premeditated murder or the killing of a policeman, as opposed to non-capital murder.

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caplin

a small, edible marine fish, Mallotus villosus, much used as bait by cod fishermen.

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caplin scull

the spring swarming of caplin, when large numbers of these fish come inshore to spawn; also, the time when this swarming takes place.

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caplin weather

See quote.

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capote

1 n. a serviceable hooded greatcoat of blanket cloth, moosehide, or other material, long the standard wear among traders and trappers in the North, who took this warm garment over from the habitants and voyageurs of New France.

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capote coat

a serviceable hooded greatcoat of blanket cloth, moosehide, or other material, long the standard wear among traders and trappers in the North, who took this warm garment over from the habitants and voyageurs of New France.

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capoted

adj. wearing a capote.

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capotries

n. pl. a trader's stock of capotes or materials for making them.

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captain

1 n. an Indian chief or band leader.

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captain's coat

a gaudy garment or outfit of clothing presented to an Indian leader or "captain" (def. 2) as an inducement to trade furs.

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capuchin

n. the hood of a capote; sometimes the entire garment. See picture at capote.

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caragana

n. any one of a number of shrubs of the genus Caragana, the Siberian pea, used widely in hedges on the prairies as a windbreak.

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caraquette

n. See 1870 quote.

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carcajou

1a n. the wolverine (def. la), a cunning robber of traps and caches, found in most parts of the Canadian forest.

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card money

a kind of paper currency issued in New France by the Intendant Bigot to meet the pay of the garrison while awaiting funds from France and made from playing cards which were cut in quarters, each quarter being marked as having a certain value and each being signed by the Governor and the Intendant.

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Carey

n. a petrel. See Mother Carey's chicken 1829 quote.

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cargodor 

n. the foreman of a pack-train.

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Cariboo

1 n. an extensive region in south-central British Columbia, originally that region between the junction of the Quesnel and Fraser Rivers and the Cariboo Mountains, but later, especially in popular usage, a much larger region, extending from Lillooet almost to Prince George.

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Cariboo country

an extensive region in south-central British Columbia, originally that region between the junction of the Quesnel and Fraser Rivers and the Cariboo Mountains, but later, especially in popular usage, a much larger region, extending from Lillooet almost to Prince George.

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Cariboo fever

the urge to seek gold in the Cariboo.

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Cariboo Road

a historic road from Yale to Barkerville, B.C., built in 1862-65 to facilitate travel to and from the gold fields.

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Cariboo slum

thick slippery mud, or gumbo, found in the creek valleys of the B.C. interior.

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Cariboo Trail

a historic road from Yale to Barkerville, B.C., built in 1862-65 to facilitate travel to and from the gold fields.

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Caribooite

1 n. a person who went into the Cariboo Country during the gold rush, especially a placer miner.

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caribou

1 n. any of several species of North American reindeer, genus Rangifer, native to Canada, Alaska, and formerly to Maine and Mass.

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Caribou

1 n. See Cariboo

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caribou barrens

n. a tract of low-lying peat bog at one time frequented by caribou; savanna.

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caribou bird

a gray, crestless jay, Perisoreus canadensis.

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caribou bog

n. a tract of low-lying peat bog at one time frequented by caribou; savanna.

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caribou crossing (-place)

a shallow stretch in a river or lake where caribou habitually cross, often usable by man as a ford.

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caribou deer

any of several species of North American reindeer, genus Rangifer, native to Canada, Alaska, and formerly to Maine and Mass.

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Caribou Eater

1a a member of a sub-tribe of the Chipewyan Indians.

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Caribou eater

a person whose principal food is caribou, specifically an Indian or Eskimo.

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Caribou Eskimo

n. one of a group of Eskimos living inland in the District of Keewatin, west of Hudson Bay.

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caribou fence

two converging lines of fencing, as poles, piles of turf or brush, etc., used in early times in deer drives.

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caribou fly

a blood-sucking horsefly of the genus Chrysops.

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caribou lice

the larvae of the warble, Oedemagena tarandi.

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caribou moss

a whitish-gray lichen, Cladonia rangiferina, a staple food of the caribou.

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caribou plain

a tract of low-lying peat bog at one time frequented by caribou; savanna.

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caribou tongue

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

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caribou uplands

the summer range of the mountain caribou in the mountainous regions of central and northern British Columbia.

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caribou wolf

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

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caribouer

n. one of a group of Eskimos living inland in the District of Keewatin, west of Hudson Bay.

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cariole ((n.))

1a n. originally, a light open sleigh used in French Canada, drawn by one or two horses (sometimes by dogs), and having a seat for the driver.

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cariole ((v.))

v. drive or ride in a cariole.

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carioling

n. driving or riding in a cariole, especially a horse-drawn cariole; sleighing (def. 1).

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carpenter cloth

thin iron-wire mesh; screening.

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carpet bowling

a type of bowling played indoors on a carpet.

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carpet parlo(u)r

the best room in a house.

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carreboeuf

any of several species of North American reindeer, genus Rangifer, native to Canada, Alaska, and formerly to Maine and Mass.

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carriage

1 n. the act or process of carrying canoes, boats, supplies, etc. at such a place.

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carrier

n. a person who took trading goods inland and carried furs back to a post.

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carriole ((n.))

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carriole ((v.))

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Carron stove

n. a collapsible, portable cast-iron stove originally made at the Carron Iron Works in Scotland.

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carrot

1 n. a bundle of carrot tobacco.

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carrot tobacco

tobacco packaged in carrot-shaped bundles wrapped in cloth and twine, weighing about three pounds and about eighteen inches long, prominent among trade goods of the fur companies.

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carry ((n.))

1 n. the act or process of carrying canoes, boats, supplies, etc. at such a place.

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carry ((v.))

1 v. make a portage (def. 2a or 3)

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carry-place

n. on a waterway, a place where both canoe (or other vessel) and cargo are carried from one lake or river to another or around rapids, falls, or other obstructions.

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carryall

1 n. a light passenger sleigh usually accommodating two passengers and a driver, ordinarily drawn by two horses and widely used for pleasure in many parts of Canada from the 18th to the early 20th century.

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carrying

n. the process of transporting canoes and equipment over a portage.

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carrying place

on a waterway, a place where both canoe (or other vessel) and cargo are carried from one lake or river to another or around rapids, falls, or other obstructions.

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carrying-path

n. the trail along a portage.

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carrying-road

n. the trail along a portage.

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carrying-strap

n. a kind of harness for carrying heavy loads, drawing on a tracking line, etc., consisting of a leather strap that is broad at the middle and tapers at both ends, the broad band being placed around the forehead (or chest) and the two ends attached to the pack or other load. See picture at trumpline.

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cart brigade

n. a brigade of Red River carts, carrying furs, supplies, trading goods, personal effects, etc.

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cart trail

in the old Northwest, a track travelled by or intended for the use of a cart brigade.

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cart train

a brigade of Red River carts, carrying furs, supplies, trading goods, personal effects, etc.

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carter

1 n. the driver of a charrette.

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cartouche knife

1 a kind of knife traded to the Indians by the Hudson's Bay Company.

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case

v. skin (an animal) without slitting the hide; prepare (a pelt) by case-skinning.

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case(d) cat

the skin of the Canada lynx, so called because the pelt was removed by case-skinning.

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case(d) wolf

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.

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case-skin ((n.))

n. a pelt that has been removed by case-skinning.

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case-skin ((v.))

v. See quote.

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case-skinning

n. the process of removing an animal's pelt by peeling it off without slitting the body (much as a sock is removed from a foot); box-skinning.

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cased

adj. skinned by the process of case-skinning.

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cash district

a settled area where money is the usual medium of exchange, as opposed to a backwoods area, where barter is usual.

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casse-tête

n. See quotes.

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casse-tête à calumet

a trade tomahawk with a metal, hatchet-shaped head, the poll of which forms a tobacco pipe, smoke being drawn through the hollow stem, used for ceremony and show.

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casseau

n. a birch-bark box used for collecting the sap of the sugar maple, and also for storing maple syrup and maple sugar.

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cassette

n. a strong, light, waterproof box used among the fur traders for carrying personal effects.

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cast up

arrive at a place, especially a trading post.

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castor

1a n. a beaver pelt.

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Castor

n. a faction of Quebec Conservatives of the period 1882-1900.

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castor gras

beaver pelts from a beaver coat (def. 1).

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castor sec

See parchment beaver 1957 quote.

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castoreum 

1a n. See 1908 quote.

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cat ((1))

1 n. the lynx.

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cat ((2))

n. rolls or blocks of wet clay used as bricks in the building of one kind of chimney in colonial times.

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cat ((3)) 

1 n. a caterpillar tractor; a bulldozer.

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cat (-train) trail

a road used by cat-trains.

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cat driver

a person who drives a caterpillar tractor or a bulldozer; catskinner (def. 1).

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cat of mountain

a wild cat, especially the lynx (def. 1).

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cat spruce

the white spruce.

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cat tractor

a caterpillar tractor.

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cat walker

a man who works on or with booms of logs.

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cat-house

n. among trappers, a protective housing placed over a trap or a bait; trap-house.

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cat-killer

n. a kind of deadfall trap.

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cat-path

n. a trapline.

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cat-skin

n. the pelt of a lynx or bobcat.

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cat-swing

n. a tractor-drawn train of sleds and cabooses (def. 5), the principal means of transporting freight, supplies, etc. in the Canadian North in winter.

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cat-track

n. a caterpillar tractor.

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cat-train

n. a tractor-drawn train of sleds and cabooses (def. 5), the principal means of transporting freight, supplies, etc. in the Canadian North in winter.

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cat-trap

n. a trap for lynx.

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catamaran ((n.))

1 n. a small raft. See 1849 quote.

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catamaran ((v.))

1 v. join two boats or kayaks together to gain stability in rough water.

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catamaran sledge

n. See catamaran 1933 quote.

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catamount

1 n. any of various wild cats, especially the lynx or the cougar.

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catch

1 v. freeze in; to become frozen in by the ice.

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catch over

v. of a body of water, freeze over, especially to a degree to permit travel over the surface

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catch-pen

n. See 1963 quote.

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caterpillar ((1)) 

n. a caterpillar tractor; a bulldozer.

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caterpillar ((2))

n. a bed made from a collection of evergreen boughs or brush.

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caterpillar-tractor train

n. a tractor-drawn train of sleds and cabooses (def. 5), the principal means of transporting freight, supplies, etc. in the Canadian North

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catfish

n. any of a number of North American fish, family letaluridae, having barbels suggesting a cat's whiskers.

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catskinner

1 n. See 1947 quote.

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cattalo

n. an experimental cross between buffalo and domestic cattle.

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cattle boss

a ranch foreman.

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cattle keeper

a fur-company employee charged with looking after the livestock.

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cattle reeve

a municipal official responsible for the proper control of cattle in the community.

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cattle wrangler

a cowboy; ranch hand.

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cattle-lifter

n. a rustler; a cattle thief.

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catwalk

n. a narrow platform running the length of a boxcar to facilitate walking on the roof.

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cauldron

n. the churning, seething mass of white water at the foot of a cataract.

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cauldron pool

the churning, seething mass of white water at the foot of a cataract.

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caulk

1 n. one of a number of sharp spikes set into an iron plate that fits over a shoe or boot, or set in the sole of the boot itself; also, the fitted patten.

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caulk boot

1 a strong boot the sole of which is studded with steel spikes, or caulks, used by loggers to keep from slipping on wet or sloping logs.

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caulked boot

1 a strong boot the sole of which is studded with steel spikes, or caulks, used by loggers to keep from slipping on wet or sloping logs.

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caulked shoe

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cayuse ((n.))

n. Originally, a wild pony, a mustang; later generalized in the West as a name for any horse, often with a derogatory or contemptuous connotation.

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cayuse ((v.))

v. ride a cayuse.

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CCF

the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation.

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CCFer

a member or supporter of the CCF.

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CCP

the Canadian Communist Party.

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cedar

n. a light, seaworthy canoe made of cedar and capable of carrying a sail.

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cedar bird 

the cedar waxwing, Bombycilla cedrorum.

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cedar canoe

a light, seaworthy canoe made of cedar and capable of carrying a sail.

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cedar scoop

a roof timber of half a cedar log, the inner part of which is scooped out to form a trough.

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cedar shake

a thick shingle split from cedar used to roof cabins and other buildings.

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cedar swamp 

See 1832 quote.

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ceinture

n. a belt or waistband, often of worsted and of bright design, as the L'Assomption sash, characteristic of French Canada and long identified with the voyageurs and Métis.

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ceinture fléchée

a kind of sash, having an arrowlike design woven into it. See picture at L'Assomption sash.

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ceinture à flammes

a kind of sash having a flamelike design woven into it.

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cellar

n. an underwater cavern or deep hole at the foot of a rapid.

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cens

n. in New France and in Lower Canada, a ground rent of feudal nature.

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cens et rentes

in New France and in Lower Canada, a ground rent of feudal nature.

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censitaire

n. a tenant paying cens et rentes.

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censive

n. the right of collecting cens et rentes and other feudal dues; the income from such payments; the seigneury or fief from which such income accrues.

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cent

n. a bronze coin valued at one hundredth part of a Canadian dollar, adopted officially as Canadian currency in 1858; also, the value of this coin.

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Cent Belt

See quote.

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Central Provinces

Upper and Lower Canada, now Ontario and Quebec.

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centralized school

in Alberta, a centrally located rural school accommodating the pupils from several older, smaller country schools in the district.

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centre ((n.))

in hockey or lacrosse, the team position between the two wings in the forward line; the person playing this position.

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centre ((v.))

in hockey or lacrosse, act as centre for two wingers; to play as the centre man in the forward line.

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Centre Block

the middle building of the three that make up the Parliament Buildings in Ottawa; the building in which the Commons and the Senate chambers are located.

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centre boulevard

the centre strip of grass, concrete, etc. separating the lines of traffic on a highway or street; median.

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centre ice

the general area midway between the ends of the rink, specifically the central point of the ice surface, where the puck is faced off at the start of a period and after each goal.

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centre-ice man

a centre

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centreman

n. in hockey or lacrosse, the team position between the two wings in the forward line; the person playing this position.

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cha

interj. See chaw

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chain of lakes

a series of lakes connected by rivers.

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chain stake

in trapping, the stake to which the chain of a trap is secured.

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chain-lightning

n. inferior whisky.

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chalking

n. the process of marking logs about to be cut into square timber.

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Champ de Mars

a parade square; specifically, in late use, a place in Montreal which was formerly a parade square.

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chant the cock

among voyageurs, the traditional way to invite a fight.

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chantecler

n. a breed of white poultry developed by the Trappist monks at Oka, Quebec.

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chanter

n. in lumber and other camps, a ballad singer; a singer of chanteys.

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chantie

1 n. a camp at which logging (def. 2) is carried on.

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chantie-man

n. a man who lived and worked in a shanty (def. 2a).

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chantier

1 n. a crude hut used as a dwelling by lumbermen in the bush.

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charbon

n. See quotes.

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charge

n. the normal load carried by a voyageur on a portage, usually two pieces of ninety pounds each.

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charging

n. an illegal check involving a direct, forward-moving attack of more than two steps or strides against an opponent's person in an attempt to take him out of the play.

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charity bandage

unroll one's charity bandage, display sympathy; find excuses (for someone else's shortcomings).

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charivari

n. See 1791 quote.

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Charlottetown Conference

the initial convention relating to the proposed union of the British North American Provinces, held at Charlottetown in 1864.

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Charlottetown Convention

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charrette

n. a two-wheeled cart related to, and probably the model for, the Red River cart.

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chartier

n. the driver of a charrette.

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chaser

n. See 1966 quote.

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chat-cervier

n. a North American wildcat, Lynx canadensis, having prominently tufted ears, large cushioned paws, and a black tail-tip.

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chaudière

n. the churning, seething mass of white water at the foot of a cataract.

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chaw

interj. a call directing a team of dogs to swing to the left.

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cheap penalty

a penalty imposed for an illegal action carried out in retaliation; a pointless penalty.

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cheater

n. See quote.

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Chebacco boat 

a type of fishing boat formerly used in the Maritimes.

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Chebucto boat

a type of fishing boat formerly used in the Maritimes.

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checheckquoi

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checker

n. See checkerboard 1958 quote.

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checkerboard

n. See 1958 quote.

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chee

interj. a dog-driver's command calling for a turn to the right.

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cheechako ((adj.))

adj. from or associated with the "outside".

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cheechako ((n.))

n. a newcomer; greenhorn; tenderfoot.

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cheese block

a wedge-shaped steel or wooden block placed on the bunks of cars to prevent the loaded logs from rocking.

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cheese factory

a small cheese-making plant making use of milk produced on local farms.

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chemanis

n. a light canoe.

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chemin du large

a prairie trail; a route across the plains.

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chenail

n. (especially in place names) a channel. See etymology at snye.

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chenal

n. See snye (def. 2).

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cherry bird 

the cedar waxwing, Bombycilla cedrorum.

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cherry-picker

1 n. See quote.

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cherry-tree tea

an infusion of twigs of the wild cherry, prepared by certain Indian tribes.

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chesterfield 

n. a long upholstered seat or couch having back and arms and often forming part of a suite; sofa.

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chesterfield chair

a capacious upholstered chair forming part of a chesterfield suite.

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chesterfield suite

a set of upholstered furniture comprising a chesterfield and one or two large chairs.

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chesterfield table

a long, low table for placing in front of a chesterfield; a coffee table.

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Chestnut

n. a light, seaworthy canoe made of cedar and capable of carrying a sail.

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chev(e)reau

n. See chevreuil 1950 quote.

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chevreuil

n. See 1950 quote.

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chewee

n. the eastern towhee, Pipilo erythrophthalmus.

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Chicago heavy mess

salt pork.

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Chicago rattlesnake

salt pork.

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chicamin

n. money; coins.

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chickaree

n. a species of squirrel, Tamiasciurus hudsonicus.

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chicken

n. a grouse, Tympanuchus cupido americanus, common on the southern prairies.

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chico(t)

n. a tree stub, especially a rampike or deadhead.

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Chicot

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

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chief

n. an industrious leader of a band of Indian hunters, rewarded with coat, tall hat, trousers, and flag, as symbols of headship.

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chief clerk

an officer junior to a trader.

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Chief commissioner

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chief electoral officer

a government official who is responsible for the organization and operation of federal elections in Canada.

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chief factor

a senior commissioned officer who was in charge of a main post and usually a department or district, especially of the Hudson's Bay Company.

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chief factorship

the position and duties of a chief factor.

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chief trader

a commissioned officer a grade lower than a chief factor, and usually in charge of a trading post.

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chief tradership

the position and duties of a chief trader.

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chieftainess

n. a female Indian chief.

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Chilkat blanket

a D-shaped blanket woven of mountain goat wool with a warp of yellow cedar bark, into which are worked symbolic designs, originally made by the Chilcat Indians and later adopted by other tribes of the west coast.

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Chilkat robe

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chimo

interj. an Eskimo greeting.

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chin grist

talk, especially talk of little consequence.

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China plague

See quote.

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Chinaman's hat

a cap for the exterior end of a stovepipe, designed to shed rain and snow.

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Chinatown 

n. that part of a town or city where the Chinese dwell.

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Chinese café

a restaurant operated by a Chinese, especially one of the small cafés that are found, particularly in the West, in most Canadian small towns.

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Chinese Freemason

a member of the Chinese Masonic Order.

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Chinese gin

a cheap potent liquor made and sold by Chinese.

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Chinese laundry

a small neighborhood laundry run by Chinese.

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Chinese Masonic Order

an independent rite of Masons established about 1869 in Barkerville, B.C. and having roots deep in Chinese tradition.

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Chinese restaurant

a restaurant operated by a Chinese, especially one of the small cafés that are found, particularly in the West, in most Canadian small towns.

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Chinese wash shop

a small neighborhood laundry run by Chinese.

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Chink stuff

in placer-mining areas, ore deposits of low concentration, so called because Chinese often worked such deposits.

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Chinook

1 n. (one of) a relatively small group of Indians who lived north of the Columbia River on the Pacific Coast.

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chinook

v. blow a Chinook wind.

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Chinook arch

a cloud formation that often attends or presages the Chinook winds, observed as an archlike strip of blue sky above the western horizon, often between the peaks of the Rockies and the surrounding overcast.

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Chinook belt

that part of southern Alberta and Saskatchewan most influenced by Chinook winds.

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Chinook canoe

a large dugout canoe used by the Indians of S.W. British Columbia and N.W. Washington.

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Chinook clouds

the cloud was (lenticularis) forming the leading or western edge of the Chinook arch, the constant movement of which is caused by the rising and falling air currents of the Chinook winds pouring over the crest of the Rockies.

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Chinook country

the region in which Chinook winds prevail.

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Chinook fever

a kind of malaise resembling spring fever, said to be felt by newcomers in Calgary during the balmy winter days brought on by the Chinook winds.

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Chinook Jargon

a relatively simple trade language used by the Indians of the Pacific Coast in their dealings with whites and Indians of other tribes, based on the language of the Chinook Indians; words from Nootka, Salish, French, English, and other languages were adapted to the jargon.

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Chinook salmon 

a large salmon, Onchorhynchus tshawytscha, of the Pacific Coast, much valued as a game fish.

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Chinook shorthand

a set of signs used for writing and printing Chinook Jargon, adapted about 1891 from a French (Duployé) system of shorthand and used as late as 1910.

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Chinook sky

a sky characterized by the striking cloud formations framing the Chinook arch.

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Chinook wind

a warm, usually dry, west or southwest wind, commonest during winter and spring, that moderates the weather in the region east of the Rockies, including much of the western prairies on occasion, but regularly in the foothills from the Peace River to Colorado.

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chip

n. a cake of dried buffalo or, later, cow dung, formerly much used on the prairies for fuel.

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Chip

n. a Chipewyan Indian.

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chiploquorgan

n. See quotes.

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Chipmunk

n. the first commercial airplane designed and built in Canada.

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chipmunk

n. any one of several small striped rodents, resembling squirrels, of the family Sciuridae.

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chippiness

n. readiness to fight.

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chippy ((adj.))

1 adj. spoiling for an argument; argumentative.

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chippy ((n.))

n. See quote.

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chippy penalty

a penalty imposed for an illegal action carried out in retaliation; a pointless penalty.

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Chirper

n. an Englishman, especially a Cockney.

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chisel

v. See 1941 quote.

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chitmunk

n. any one of several small striped rodents, resembling squirrels, of the family Sciuridae.

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chix

n. pl. "chicken" halibut; small halibut, Hippoglossus stenolepis, up to ten pounds in weight.

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choc

interj. a call to a team of sled dogs.

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chock-and-log fence

See quotes.

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chocolate root

the purple or water avens, Geum rivale.

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choke

n. the freezing up of a waterway, choking off traffic.

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choke-rope

n. a length of rope used in choking (def. 1).

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chokeberry

1 n. a species of wild pear, Pyrus arbutifolia.

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chokecherry 

1 n. an astringent wild cherry of the genus Prunus, especially P. virginianus.

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choker

n. See 1942 quote. See pictures at high-lead system and skyline.

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choker setter

n. the logger who sets the chokers.

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chokerman

n. the logger who sets the chokers.

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choking

1 n. the practice of temporarily choking off with a rope the breath of a horse floundering in water so that it will not take water into the lungs and drown.

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choo

interj. a call to sled dogs.

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chop

v. clear a farm in the bush by removing the trees.

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chopper

1 n. a man employed to fell trees and clear bush land for cultivation.

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chopping

1 n. the operation of cutting down trees in clearing a farm in the bush.

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chopping bee 

1 a communal land-clearing accompanied or followed by eating, drinking, and dancing.

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chopping frolic 

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chopstuff

n. ground or chopped feed for livestock.

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choreboy

n. a handyman, especially around a lumber camp, ranch, etc.

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chou creux

the cow parsnip, Heracleum lanatum.

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Chouayen

n. a derogatory name given to the French-Canadian supporters of the British governing group in Lower Canada.

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Christian pack

a white man's pack, as opposed to an Indian's.

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Christie stiff

a derby or bowler hat.

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Christmas Boy

See quote.

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Christmas tree

a party held at Christmastime and sponsored by a church, school, etc.

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Christmas tree plantation

a farm devoted to the growing of evergreen trees to supply the demand for Christmas trees.

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Christy

n. a derby or bowler hat.

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chuck ((1))

1 n. water.

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chuck ((2))

n. food; grub; a meal.

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chuck driver

a driver in a chuckwagon race.

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chuck-wagon outfit

the wagon, horses, driver, outriders, and equipment constituting an entry in a chuckwagon race.

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chuckwagon 

1 a wagon used by ranch hands for carrying cooking gear and provisions needed while camping on the trail or on the open range.

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chuckwagon dinner

a western-style dinner of beef and vegetable stew.

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chuckwagon race

a type of race popular at the stampedes and rodeos of Western Canada. See 1950 quote.

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chum ((1))

n. A large salmon of the Pacific coast, Oncorhynchus keta.

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chum ((2))

n. one of two men who join forces on the trail or in the bush, as two trappers who always work together.

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chum salmon

A large salmon of the Pacific coast, Oncorhynchus keta.

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chummie

n. one of two men who join forces on the trail or in the bush, as two trappers who always work together.

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chunking

n. See quote.

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church parlo(u)rs

in some churches, the room or rooms used for social gatherings, as a waiting room, etc.

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Church Reserves

See Clergy Reserves.

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Churchill buffalo

See musk-ox.

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chute

1 n. a falls or rapids.

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château 

n. in French Canada, the residence of a governor or a seigneur.

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Château Clique

the name given to the governing class in Lower Canada after 1791, comprising the English officials and the French seigneurs and leaders who supported their policies.

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Château St. Louis

the Château St. Louis (or Lewis) in Quebec City, the former residence of the Governors of Quebec.

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cigarette dude

a city slicker.

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cinereous crow

a gray, crestless jay, Perisoreus canadensis.

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cinnamon bear

a subspecies of the black bear. See 1964 quote.

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circle

1 n. in colonial Canada, an electoral district; riding; constituency.

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cisco 

n. any of several varieties of whitefish, Leucichthys sp., especially L. artedi, found in central and northern Canada.

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citizen court

See quote.

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citizen picket

a person who, though not a union member, pickets in sympathy with union members forbidden to picket by injunction.

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civic block

the building in which a City Hall and other municipal offices are located.

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civic holiday

a holiday established by a city ordinance.

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civil

adj. of weather, fair or good.

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civil list

in colonial Canada, a list of monies to be appropriated for the civil administration of a province, including the salaries of the governor, executive councillors, judges, civil servants, under the control of the British Parliament.

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clah-how-yah

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clamon

n. See quotes.

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clamper

n. one of the large chunks of ice that pile up on the shore, especially during spring break-up.

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classical college

an educational establish­ment at the secondary-school and college levels that offers a seven- or eight-year course, mainly in the classics and liberal arts, leading to the B.A. degree, which is conferred by the university to which the college is affiliated. The Séminaire de Québec, founded in 1663, was the first classical college.

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classical education

an education received in a classical college.

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clatawa ((n.))

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clatawa ((v.))

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clay belt

a large tract of land in Northern Ontario and Quebec lying south of James Bay and north of the Laurentian Plateau.

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clay cat

rolls or blocks of wet clay used as bricks in the building of one kind of chimney in colonial times.

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clean

adj. See quotes.

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clean house

knock all the opponents' rocks out of the scoring ring, or house.

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clean the ring

knock all the opponents' rocks out of the scoring ring, or house.

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Clear Grit

a supporter of the movement which took form as the Clear Grit Party; an adherent of the Clear Grit Party.

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Clear Grit Party

a liberal reform party in Upper Canada, beginning as a faction of the Reform party in the late 1840's and fielding candidates in the elections of the 1850's and ultimately merging with the Liberal Party, which is still known informally as the Grits.

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Clear Gritism

the principles and policies of the Clear Grits; the platform of the Clear Grit Party.

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clearance

n. a tract of bushland cleared for cultivation or settlement; also, a settlement on such land.

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clearing

1a n. a farm on cleared land in the bush.

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clearing pass

a forward pass of the puck intended to get it out of the defending team's end of the rink.

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Clergy Lands

those lands, comprising one-seventh of each township in Upper Canada and parts of Lower Canada, reserved by the Crown in the Canada Act of 1791 for the support and maintenance of the clergy of the Church of England.

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clergy lot

a lot or subdivision of land belonging to the Clergy Reserves.

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clergy reservations

those lands, comprising one-seventh of each township in Upper Canada and parts of Lower Canada, reserved by the Crown in the Canada Act of 1791 for the support and maintenance of the clergy of the Church of England.

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Clergy Reserve

1 a lot or subdivision of land belonging to the Clergy Reserves.

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Clergy Reserves

those lands, comprising one-seventh of each township in Upper Canada and parts of Lower Canada, reserved by the Crown in the Canada Act of 1791 for the support and maintenance of the clergy of the Church of England.

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clergy-block

n. a lot or subdivision of land belonging to the Clergy Reserves.

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clergy-reserve block

a lot or subdivision of land belonging to the Clergy Reserves.

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clerk

1 n. a junior officer of a company, often appointed to the charge of a small trading post; occasionally in charge of a substantial district.

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climbing skins

See quote.

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clod-buster

n. a farmer.

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clod-busting

adj. farming.

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close season

See quote.

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Clote Scarpe

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clothe

v. invest an Indian hunter as a captain (def. 2).

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clothing

n. a gaudy outfit (tall hat, coat laced with tinsel, and so on) presented to the leading hunter of a band as an inducement to bring in more fur.

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cloudhopper

n. an airplane pilot, especially a bush pilot.

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clout

n. a loin covering of cloth or soft leather.

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clucker

n. the two shells of a scallop still joined at the hinge after the scallop has died naturally.

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clumpet

n. one of the large chunks of ice formed during break-up.

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clutch goal

in hockey and lacrosse, a goal scored at a crucial time in the play, that is, when needed to decide or tie the game.

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Co-operative Commonwealth Federation

a farmer-labor-socialist party founded 30 July, 1932, in Calgary, Alberta, its original principles being embodied in the Regina Manifesto. The party was best known as the C.C.F. and was superseded in the early 1960's by the New Democratic Party.

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coal limit

a tract of land on which a company or an individual had the legal right to mine coal.

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coal oil 

a distillant of petroleum, used for heating, illumination, and various other purposes.

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coalie

n. the coalfish or pollock, Pollachius virens.

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coarse grain

any grain other than wheat, such as oats and barley.

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coast ((adj.))

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Coast ((adj.))

adj. associated with or native to the Coast Country.

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Coast ((n.))

1 n. See 1958 quote.

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coast ((v.))

v. slide down a snow-covered hill, as on a sleigh or toboggan.

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Coast Country

See quote.

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Coast Indian

an Indian living on the Pacific Coast of North America, especially north of the Columbia River.

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coast sledge

an open Eskimo dog-sled.

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coast telegraph

the spreading of news by word of mouth, originally by Indian runner.

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coaster ((1))

n. a sleigh used by children for coasting down hills.

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coaster ((2))

n. an Indian or Eskimo of the coast of Hudson Bay or the Arctic shore.

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coasting 

n. the practice or pastime of sliding down a snow-covered hill, as on a sleigh or toboggan.

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coat beaver

beaver pelts from a beaver coat.

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coating

n. 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.

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cobalt bomb

a device for the use of Cobalt-60 in the treatment of disease. See quotes.

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cock and hen

the soft clam, Mya arenaria. Also called long clam.

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cock of the woods 

the pileated woodpecker, Dryocopus pileatus.

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cockawee

n. a common duck, Clangula hyemalis, of the northern hemisphere.

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cod hooker

a sailing vessel used in cod fishing.

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cod jigger

a hand-line with many baited hooks used for inshore cod fishing.

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cod-flake

n. see 1883 quote for flake.

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cod-jigging

n. fishing for cod with a jigger.

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cod-stage

n. a waterside shed for gutting, heading, and salting fish to be dried on flakes.

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cod-trap

n. a large netted trap about 100 feet square, with a bottom, a door, and a leader to direct fish into the trap.

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codline

n. a strong 18-thread line, used in cod fishing and also as an all-purpose cord.

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coffee-head

n. the cowbird (def. 1), so called because of the color of its head.

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coho

n. a silvery salmon, Oncorhynchus kisutch, of the northern Pacific.

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cold deck

See 1952 quote.

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cold dip

a short period of unusually cold weather.

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cold draw

a rock that is curled into an open house or into the house without rubbing or knocking out another rock.

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Cold Maker

n. in Indian mythology, the spirit responsible for cold weather; in later use, the north wind.

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cold skidding

See hot skidding 1942 quote.

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cold snap 

a short period of unusually cold weather.

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cold-deck

v. build a cold deck; pile (logs) to make a cold deck.

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cold-decking

n. piling logs to make a cold deck.

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collar

1 n. a snare.

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collar ice

See collar (def. 2) quote.

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collar iron

the iron or twisted wire spike on the collar of a dog harness to which a string of ribbons, pompoms, or other decoration may be attached.

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collar wire

a light wire, usually brass, for making snares, or collars.

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collared lemming

a rodent, Dicrostonyx groenlandicus, of the Arctic, brown in summer and of a light color in winter.

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college farmer

a farmer who has attended an agricultural college but has little practical experience.

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collegiate

1 n. in Ontario, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan, a secondary school that meets certain provincial requirements with regard to curriculum, facilities, and specialist staff over and above those required in a high school.

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collegiate and vocational institute

in Ontario, a secondary school where pupils may undertake a program in either academic studies or vocational training in commercial courses and shop work.

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collegiate and vocational school

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collegiate department

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collegiate institute

in Ontario, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan, a secondary school that meets certain provincial requirements with regard to curriculum, facilities, and specialist staff over and above those required in a high school.

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collegiate school

1 in Manitoba, a high school having special academic facilities and superior staff.

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collet

n. a snare.

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collier

n. a kind of harness for carrying heavy loads, drawing on a tracking line, etc., consisting of a leather strap that is broad at the middle and tapers at both ends, the broad band being placed around the forehead (or chest) and the two ends attached to the pack or other load. See picture at tumpline.

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collège classique

an educational establish­ment at the secondary-school and college levels that offers a seven- or eight-year course, mainly in the classics and liberal arts, leading to the B.A. degree, which is conferred by the university to which the college is affiliated. The Séminaire de Québec, founded in 1663, was the first classical college.

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colo(u)r

1 n. evidence of gold; traces of gold.

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colo(u)red fox

the red fox, Vulpes fulva. See 1921 quote.

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colo(u)red fur

the fur of the colored fox.

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Colonial Assembly

the assembly of representatives from the various ridings or constituencies in Upper and Lower Canada, 1791-1841.

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colonial produce

local produce as opposed to imported foods and other goods.

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colonist

1 n. a railway coach having wooden seats and rough berths for sleeping, sometimes also having cooking facilities

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colonist (-type) sleeper

a railway coach having wooden seats and rough berths for sleeping, sometimes also having cooking facilities.

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colonist car

a railway coach having wooden seats and rough berths for sleeping, sometimes also having cooking facilities.

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colonist ticket

a ticket entitling the holder to ride on a colonist car.

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colonization company

a company acting as an agent in bringing colonists to their destination in Canada.

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colonization highway

a road built into an unsettled area to make it accessible for settlement.

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colonization lands

lands held by a colonization company for sale to settlers.

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colonization line

a railway line built to facilitate the colonizing of unsettled areas; also, the company building or operating such a line.

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colonization railway

a railway line built to facilitate the colonizing of unsettled areas; also, the company building or operating such a line.

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colonization reserves

land set aside for settlement, usually owned by a colonization company.

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colonization road

a road built into an unsettled area to make it accessible for settlement.

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colonization society

a society which bought land for settlement by its members.

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colonize

v. accustom (someone) to the hardships and privations of a colonist.

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colony

n. a settlement formed under the auspices of a land company or by a group of persons of the same nationality or religion, or having similar principles.

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colony work

See quote.

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Columbia

1 n. the administrative district of the Hudson's Bay Company occupying approximately what are now Oregon, Washington, and southern British Columbia.

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Columbia Department

the administrative district of the Hudson's Bay Company occupying approximately what are now Oregon, Washington, and southern British Columbia.

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Columbia District

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Columbia leprosy

a euphemism for some disease, probably syphilis.

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Columbia(n) blacktailed deer

See 1958 quote.

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Columbian ((adj.))

adj. associated with or characteristic of Columbia (def. 2), later British Columbia.

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Columbian ((n.))

1 n. an employee of the Hudson's Bay Company in the Columbia Department.

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Columbian candle

See quote.

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combine

n. a farm machine which cuts and threshes grain in one operation.

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Combines Act

(in full, the Combines Investigation Act) legislation passed in 1911, re-enacted in 1923, and since revised periodically, permitting the government to control practices in restraint of trade arising from combines.

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come out

leave the North, the bush, to return "outside," i.e., to civilization.

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come York over

play the superior, as if from York (Toronto); behave as if a superior.

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comers and goers

voyageurs plying between Quebec and the fur country, especially the porkeaters (def. 1a).

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commander

n. See quote.

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commercial-vocational school

a school for training pupils in non-academic subjects.

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commis

n. a clerk (def. 1).

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commissary

n. the man in charge of the stores.

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commissioned gentleman

n. in the Hudson's Bay Company, any officer of the rank of assistant clerk or above.

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commissioned officer

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commissioner

1 n. in the fur companies, the senior of all the commissioned officers.

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common school 

an elementary school open to the children of all the inhabitants of a town or district.

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commoner

n. an animal permitted to graze on community pasture land.

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Commoner 

n. a member of the House of Commons or, in earlier times, of a legislative assembly.

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Commons 

1 n. the lower house (of elected representatives) in the colonial Parliament.

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Commons House of Assembly

the lower house (of elected representatives) in the colonial Parliament.

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commoosie

n. See quotes.

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community centre

a building or complex of buildings, usually operated by a community or municipality and often equipped with an arena, swimming pool, and other recreational facilities, serving as a centre for public entertainments, fairs, sporting events, political rallies, etc.

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Community Doukhobor

an extremist sect of the Doukhobors, called Community Doukhobors and dedicated to protesting against the government by disrobing, arson, bombings, and other forms of violence.

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community hall

a hall supported by the community for holding dances, meetings, and so on.

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community league

an organization of persons in a particular district interested in providing social and recreational activities for themselves and their families.

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comp school

in certain provinces, a centralized high school which offers academic, commercial, and vocational courses.

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Compact

1 n. the name applied to the governing class in Upper Canada prior to 1837, and in particular to the executive and legislative councils of that province.

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Company 

1 n. one of the fur trading companies, especially the Hudson's Bay Company or the North West Company.

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Company Indian

an Indian trading exclusively with the Hudson's Bay Company.

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Company man

an employee of the Hudson's Bay Company.

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Company of (Gentlemen) Adventurers 

an abbreviation of the charter name of the Hudson's Bay Company, often misquoted.

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Company of New France

See quote.

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company town

a settlement or town built by and maintained by a company for its employees, sometimes in a remote part of the bush.

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Company's gentleman

in the Hudson's Bay Company, any officer of the rank of assistant clerk or above.

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Company's mark

See quote.

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Company's medal

any one of various medals awarded by the Hudson's Bay Company to long-time Servants on their retirement and to deserving Indians.

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composite high school

in certain provinces, a centralized high school which offers academic, commercial, and vocational courses.

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composite school

in certain provinces, a centralized high school which offers academic, commercial, and vocational courses.

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compound

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

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concession

1 n. in earliest use in French Canada, one of the ranged lots into which a seigneury was divided, these being held by tenants under feudal custom.

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concession line

1 a survey line, indicated by blazed trees or other markers, establishing the boundaries of a concession (def. 2), the number of the several lots appearing on fixed posts.

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concession road

a road built on the road allowance between concessions, following the concession line and connected to other concession roads by side roads, the distance separating each being, as a rule, 1¼ miles.

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concessional line

a survey line, indicated by blazed trees or other markers, establishing the boundaries of a concession (def. 2), the number of the several lots appearing on fixed posts.

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concessioner

n. a person living on or owning land on a concession.

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concessions

n. pl. the rural or bush districts as opposed to the urban centres; back concessions.

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conch-shell road

See quote.

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Concordia

n. Montreal, Quebec.

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conductor

1 n. the pilot or guide in charge of a brigade of canoes or other vessels, or of one vessel only.

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coney ((2))

n. a small mammal of the genus Ochotona, found in the western mountain region.

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Confederacy

n. the joining in federal union, under the British North America Act, of the several provinces consituting the Dominion of Canada, inaugurated in 1867.

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Confederate

n. a supporter of Confederation.

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Confederated Provinces

the provinces entering Confederation.

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Confederation

n. the joining in federal union, under the British North America Act, of the several provinces consituting the Dominion of Canada, inaugurated in 1867.

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Confederation Conference

the initial convention relating to the proposed union of the British North American Provinces, held at Charlottetown in 1864.

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Confederation Day

a statutory holiday celebrated annually on July 1 in commemoration of the creation of the Dominion of Canada, July 1, 1867.

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Confederation Father

any of the delegates to the conferences at Charlottetown, Quebec, and London, which resulted in Confederation in 1867.

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Confederation Square

the site of the National War Memorial in Ottawa, near the Parliament Buildings.

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Confederationist

n. a supporter of Confederation.

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congé

n. a permit to enter Indian country, issued by the Governor of New France.

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conibear (trap)

n. a kind of trap that kills its victims instantly.

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conjurer

1 n. an Indian magician or shaman who practises healing by means of charms and the exorcism of evil spirits or by practical remedies such as administering herbs and sweat baths.

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conjurer's lodge

among Indians, a small, hut-like structure used by a medicine man (def. 1a) to demonstrate his magical powers by freeing himself from bonds and conversing with spirits.

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conjuring dance

among Indians and Eskimos, a ritual dance led by a shaman with the purpose of propitiating the spirits.

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conjuring duck

1 the bufllehead, Glaucionetta albeola.

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conjuring feast

See quote.

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conjuring-box

n. among Indians, a small, hut-like structure used by a medicine man (def. 1 a) to demonstrate his magical powers by freeing himself from bonds and conversing with spirits.

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conjuring-house

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conjuring-lodge

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Connectionist

n. a supporter of the British connection (def. 2).

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connie

n. a fresh-water food fish, Stenodus mackenzii, native to the rivers and lakes of the Yukon and the Northwest Territories, having pinkish flesh when prime and averaging about twelve pounds, though occasionally running as high as forty.

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conscriptionist

n. a person who favored a policy of compulsory military service during the First World War.

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conservation officer

an official of a government department concerned with the conservation of game.

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conservation road

a road giving access to a forest conservation area.

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Conservatism

n. the body of principles held by Conservatives; the platform of the Conservative Party or, more recently, the Progressive-Conservative Party.

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Conservative

1 n. in colonial times, a supporter of the British connection (def. 2) and of colonial constitutions; a member of the political party endorsing these views; Tory.

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Conservative Party

formerly, the official name for one of the political groups in Canada, later used informally for the Liberal-Conservative Party and nowadays for the Progressive Conservative Party.

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Conservative Unionist party

n. the Conservative group sharing in the Union Government of 1917 under Sir Robert Borden.

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consolidated high school

especially in rural districts, a centrally located school taking the place of several smaller schools.

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Consolidated Revenue Fund

See quote.

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consolidated school

especially in rural districts, a centrally located school taking the place of several smaller schools.

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Constitutional ((adj.))

adj. of or associated with the Constitutional party.

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Constitutional ((n.))

n. a supporter of the Constitutional party; a Tory or Conservative.

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Constitutional Act

the act passed in 1791 which created Upper and Lower Canada on the basis of a British Constitution and with all the machinery of a British colonial province.

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Constitutional party

the political group supporting the Constitutional Act of 1791 with its implicit safeguards for the British connection; the Tory Party, precursors of the Conservative Party in Canada.

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Constitutional Reform Society

in the 1830's in Upper Canada, an organization dedicated to the movement for reform, in opposition to the Family Compact (def. 1).

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Constitutional Reformer

in Upper Canada, a supporter of reform by constitutional means; a moderate Reformer.

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Constitutional Society

a society of Tories organized in 1836-37 with the purpose of maintaining the British position in Lower Canada, then in ferment because of the Patriotes.

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Constitutionalist

n. a supporter of the Constitutional party; a Tory or Conservative.

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constitutionist

n. a supporter of the Constitutional party; a Tory or Conservative.

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consumption vine

a plant of the wintergreen family, Pyrola americana, used as a medicine in colonial times.

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continental bed

a bed having a box spring and mattress but no head or foot boards.

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continental divide

the great watershed in the Rockies which divides the rivers flowing west to the Pacific from those flowing east and north; the Great Divide.

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continental watershed

the great watershed in the Rockies which divides the rivers flowing west to the Pacific from those flowing east and north; the Great Divide.

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continuation school

in rural Ontario, a small secondary school coming under the jurisdiction of a municipal public-school board.

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contraband beaver

beaver skins trapped contrary to the provisions of the game act.

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contract worker

See quote.

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controller

n. See 1960 quote.

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cook boat

in the scow brigades of the Northwest, a scow equipped for the preparing and serving of meals.

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cook camp 

a cookhouse in a logging, construction, or other camp.

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cook car

a mobile cookhouse used by threshing crews, cat-swing crews, and other workers.

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cook scow

in the scow brigades of the Northwest, a scow equipped for the preparing and serving of meals.

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cook's mate

a cook's helper.

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cook's shovel

a long-handled shovel used to bury bake kettles in hot sand in a camboose (def. 2).

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cook-room

n. See 1898 quote.

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cook-shack 

n. in a work camp, a building where cooking is done and meals are served.

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cook-shed

n. in a work camp, a building where cooking is done and meals are served.

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cookee

n. a cook's helper.

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cookery

1 n. in work camps, a place where meals are cooked and eaten; cookhouse; kitchen.

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cookery crib

a strongly built raft for accommodating the cook's caboose (def. lb), gear, and supplies, used for preparing meals during a timber drive.

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cookhouse

n. in a work camp, a building where cooking is done and meals are served.

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cookie 

n. a camp cook.

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cooney ((1))

1 n. a woman, especially a wife.

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cooney ((2)) 

a sheet of cowhide or, nowadays, canvas, lashed under the bed of a chuckwagon, and used to carry fuel.

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coot-sac

n. See quote.

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cop owl

a small, brown, eastern sub-species, Cryptoglaux acadica acadica, of the saw-whet.

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Copenhagen snoose

a kind of snuff, prepared damp and in grated form, usually chewed; chewing stuff

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copper

1a n. in colonial times, a copper coin valued at one half-penny in York currency. See 1844 quote.

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Copper Eskimo

See quotes.

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copper store

a co-operative store; a co-op.

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coppermine region

the region of the Coppermine River, Mackenzie District, where native copper is to be found.

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copy

v. engage in copying.

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copying

n. See 1933 quote.

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cordeau

n. a strong line or rope used in tracking (def. 1).

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cordelle ((n.))

n. a strong line or rope used in tracking (def. 1).

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cordelle ((v.))

v. draw or lead a canoe, boat, scow, etc, through rapids, shallows, or other difficult stretches of water by means of a line or lines running from the craft to a man, or men, on the bank or shore. See fist note at at track (def. 1).

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corduroy ((n.))

1 n. a road over swampy or muddy terrain built of logs laid side by side at right angles to the way.

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corduroy ((v.))

v. surface or bridge a swampy place with logs laid side by side at right angles to the way.

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corduroy bridge

1 a short stretch of corduroy road, bridging a swamp, muskeg, etc.

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corduroy log

one of the logs making up a corduroy road.

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corduroy road

a road over swampy or muddy terrain built of logs laid side by side at right angles to the way.

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corduroyed

1 adj. of a road or bridge surfaced with corduroy (def. 2).

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cork

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

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cork(ed) boot

a strong boot the sole of which is studded with steel spikes, or caulks, used by loggers to keep from slipping on wet or sloping logs.

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cork(ed) shoe

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Corktown

n. a district Ottawa (c1830-50) where Irish canal laborers and loggers lived in a shacktown.

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corn bake

outdoor party where cobs of corn are cooked and eaten.

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corn boil

outdoor party where cobs of corn are cooked and eaten.

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corn roast

n. outdoor party where cobs of corn are cooked and eaten.

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corn-husking 

n. an affair where neighbors gathered to husk corn and to enjoy social activities.

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corn-husking bee 

an affair where neighbors gathered to husk corn and to enjoy social activities.

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corn-shelling bee

an affair where neighbors gathered to husk corn and to enjoy social activities.

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corner mound

a mound of earth used on the prairies to mark the corner of a section or other subdivision of land.

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corner-blaze

n. a blaze (def. 1) cut in a tree to mark the corner of a lot or limit.

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corner-man

n. an axeman who shaped the corners of log buildings.

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cornerer

n. an axeman who shaped the corners of log buildings.

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Cornish pump

a pumping device consisting of a large wheel overshot from a flume, used for draining placer claims.

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Cornish water wheel

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corpse plant 

a pale parasitic plant, Monotropa uniflora, found in compost in damp places.

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corral ((n.)) 

1 n. a temporary enclosure of wagons, Red River carts, etc. set up overnight or under conditions of danger on the trail.

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corral ((v.))

1 v. enclose horses or cattle in a temporary ring of wagons or carts.

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correction line

See 1952 quote.

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Corruptionist

n. a derogatory name for the Tory Party in the Canadas.

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corvée 

1 n. in French Canada, the obligation of a tenant to perform a certain amount of manual labor for the seigneur as one of the conditions of holding land, usually involving the repair of roads and bridges or the supplying of building stone and wood.

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cosh

n. See quote.

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coteau

1 n. a small hill; also, the slope of a low hill.

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cottage 

n. an unpretentious residence built, as a rule, on or near a lake or river; a summer cottage.

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cottage roll

a prepared ham, boned, rolled, and sometimes cooked.

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cotton plant

cotton grass, Eriophorum sp.

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cotton sedge

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cottontail (rabbit) 

n. the common N. American rabbit, Sylvilagus floridanus.

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cottonwood (tree) 

1 n. any of several trees of the genus Populus especially the black poplar, P. trichocarpa.

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cottonwood canoe

a dug-out canoe fashioned from the trunk of the black cottonwood, Populus trichocarpa, used by the Indians of the interior of British Columbia.

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couers actuel

legal tender; acceptable money.

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cougar 

n. a large, wild cat, Felis concolor, once common but now confined to southwestern Canada.

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cougar dog

a dog trained to hunt cougars.

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cougar hound

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couillon

n. a double-ball game somewhat resembling lacrosse and played by Indian women in eastern Canada on the ice or in a natural clearing.

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coulee

1 n. See 1962 quote.

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council

n. an elective administrative body at the municipal level, as for a village, town, city, township, county, or district.

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council bluff

a natural elevation, such as a hill or bluff (def. 2), on the prairie, affording a vantage point for an encampment of Indians holding pow-wows, looking for herds of buffalo, etc.

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council house

among Indians, a building in which leaders meet to discuss matters of importance to the band.

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council lodge

a temporary council house erected for a particular occasion, such as an intertribal pow-wow.

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Council of Assiniboia

the governing council of the Red River Colony (Assiniboia) from 1835-1870, made up of a president, namely the Governor of the Hudson's Bay Company, and councillors appointed by the Company.

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councillor

1 n. in pre-Confederation days, an appointed member of the Executive Council or Legislative Council, the second chamber of the legislature; now in Quebec only.

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councilman

n. an Indian, below the rank of chief, elected to the band council.

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country alliance

among fur traders and pioneers, a common-law marriage between a white man and an Indian girl.

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country elevator

a specially designed building equipped to unload grain from trucks, carry it to a storage area, and, when required, transfer it to railway cars.

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country food

game and other food available from the forests and streams of the country.

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country marriage

among fur traders and pioneers, a common-law marriage between a white man and an Indian girl.

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country produce

1a all local produce of a region except furs.

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country provisions

game and other food available from the forests and streams of the country.

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country rates 

a tax on property.

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country ship

a large iceberg, often mistaken for a ship.

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country sled

a low sledlike contrivance, sometimes having shaped log-runners, used for removing stones from fields and for other heavy hauling

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country store

a general store catering to local farmers and country people, often on a credit basis.

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country tea

1 either of two closely related evergreen shrubs, Ledum groenlandicum and L. decumbens var. palustre.

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country wife

an Indian or Métis woman who was a trader's common-law wife.

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country wool

homespun.

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country-made

adj. made in Canada; not imported (with special reference to things manufactured for trade with the Indians).

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country-style

adv. after the manner of a country alliance.

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county

n. in certain provinces, the largest political subdivision having its own municipal government.

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county council

in certain provinces, the elected administrative body of a county.

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county councillor

in Nova Scotia, an elected member of a county council; elsewhere an elected town or township reeve sitting on such a council.

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county court

the court having jurisdiction over matters relating to a county and dealing with civil actions.

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county road

a secondary road, the maintaining of which is the responsibility of the county, as opposed to a highway maintained by the provincial or federal government.

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county seat

n. See county town 1945 quote.

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county town 

n. See 1945 quote.

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county warden

in Ontario, the chairman of the county council, himself a township reeve, selected for the chair by his fellow reeves on the council.

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coup 

1 n. among the Plains Indians: the act of striking or touching an enemy in warfare with the bow, the gun, or a ceremonial coupstick (def. 2).

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coupstick

1 n. See 1914 quote.

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coureur de bois

1 n. an unlicensed trader who ranged the forest in search of furs.

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course

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

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couteau croche

a wood-working knife usually having a crooked handle and, often, a hook at one end of the blade, used widely in the north, especially by the Indians, for making snowshoes, fur stretchers, canoes, and all woodwork. See crooked knife and picture.

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Coutume de Paris 

originally the common law of northern France, a code of laws instituted in New France in 1663 and contributing much to the civil code in force in modern Quebec.

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cove

1 n. one of a number of coves on the St. Lawrence River, near Quebec, where square timbers, staves, spars, etc. for export were stored in booms for trans-shipping after being rafted down from the lumber camps.

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coveman

n. a man who worked in a timber cove.

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cover

n. in hockey, a forward assigned to follow and check constantly the opposing player on the line facing him.

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cover-point

1 n. in ice hockey and lacrosse, one of two defensive players (the other called the point) who take up positions just in front of the goalkeeper; also, the position of this player.

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covered bridge 

a roofed wooden bridge, long a characteristic of the eastern provinces.

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covered carriole

an expensive and superior type of horse-drawn sleigh.

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cow bell

the wood anemone, Anemone quinquefolia.

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cow camp

a seasonal camp some distance from the main buildings of a ranch, used at roundup time for branding, vaccinating, etc.

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cow chip

dried cattle dung used as a fuel.

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cow corn

a variety of maize, Zea mays tunicata, having an envelope of husk around each kernel as well as around the entire cob.

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cow country

1 western range land used in raising beef cattle.

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cow hand 

a man who works as a rider on a cattle or horse ranch.

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cow horse 

a horse trained to work with cattle; a cowboy's horse.

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cow outfit 

a cattle ranch and its staff; a company owning a cattle ranch.

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cow parsnip

a wild plant, Heracleum lanatum.

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cow pony 

a horse trained to work with cattle; a cowboy's horse.

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cow's breakfast

a hat, especially a straw hat.

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cow's tongue

an oval, water-worn cobblestone, resembling a cow's tongue in shape, often found in numbers and forming a kind of pavement in a stream bed, believed by placer miners to indicate the probable presence of gold.

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cow-call

n. a device for making such a call, especially a bark horn.

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cow-kick

v. of horses, kick outward and upward as a cow does.

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cow-puncher 

n. a man who works as a rider on a cattle or horse ranch.

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cowbird 

1 n. 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.

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cowboy ((n.))

1 n. a man who works as a rider on a cattle or horse ranch.

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cowboy ((v.))

1 v. work as a cowboy (def. 1).

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cowboy hat 

a felt hat having a high crown and a broad brim.

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cowboy round-up

a rodeo or stampede.

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cowgirl 

n. a woman who works on a ranch, takes part in rodeos, etc., dressing in western-style clothes.

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cowhole

n. one of a series of depressions and ridges caused by impacted snow on a winter road, a source of much jolting and bouncing to passengers in sleighs, carioles, etc.

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Cowichan (Indian) sweater

a heavy sweater of gray, unbleached wool, knitted by the Cowichan Indians of southern Vancouver Island, distinguished by symbolic designs, originally black and white, now sometimes multi-colored.

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cowman 

n. a man whose business is raising cattle; a cattle rancher.

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cowpoke 

n. a man who works as a rider on a cattle or horse ranch.

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cowpunch 

v. work as a cowboy (def. 1).

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Cowtown

n. Calgary, Alberta.

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cowtown 

n. a town largely dependent on the cattle business; a shipping point for cattle.

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coyote 

1 n. 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.

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Coyote

n. a mixture of Canadian French, Cree and, sometimes English spoken by the Métis of the older generation.

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coyote French

1 a person of mixed Indian and European, especially French, parentage; half-breed.

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coyote hound

See 1916 quote.

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crack an egg

See quote.

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cracker

1 n. anything extraordinary; a crackerjack.

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cracker hopper

a grasshopper.

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crackie

1 n. any small, yapping dog, so-called by reason of its bark.

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crackler

n. a grasshopper.

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cradle

n. among Indians, a cradle-board or cradle-basket.

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Cradle of (Canadian) Confederation

See 1952 quote.

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cradle-basket

n. a cradle woven of vegetable fibres, used by the Indians of central British Columbia.

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cradle-board

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

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cradle-heap

n. a small hill or mound of earth. See cradle hill 1820 quote.

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cradle-hill

n. a small hill or mound of earth. See 1820 quote.

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cradle-hole

n. a cradle-shaped hole left in the ground when a large tree is overthrown by a gale, carrying the soil from the hole in its roots.

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cradle-name

n. among Indians, a name given a child at birth, often changed later.

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cradle-rocker

n. a contrivance used to separate gold from gravel.

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crafts officer

a federal government official who advises and assists Indians and Eskimos in producing and marketing handicrafts.

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cramiere

n. a device consisting of an upright axle and a horizontal arm to swing kettles and pots on and off an open fire.

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cranberry tree

a shrub, Viburnum opulus; also the reddish, tart berry of this shrub.

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Crawler

n. a Methodist.

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crazy oats

See wild rice 1963 quote.

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crazy-water

n. in Indian parlance, alcoholic liquor; firewater (def. 1).

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cream

1 v. body-check heavily so as to knock sprawling and shake up seriously.

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crease

n. in hockey and lacrosse, the marked area in front of the goal reserved for the goal tender and prohibited to attacking players except when the puck or ball is inside it; goal crease.

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credit

n. goods advanced to Indians and Eskimos to be paid for from their catch.

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Creditiste

n. a supporter of the Quebec wing of the Social Credit party; specifically, a Member of Parliament representing this group.

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Cree medicine

a love charm.

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Cree shoe

a type of snowshoe used by the Cree Indians. See quote. See picture at snowshoe.

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Cree syllabics

a syllabary devised by the Reverend James Evans, a Wesleyan missionary, for the Crees (about 1840) and adapted to Eskimo toward the end of the nineteenth century.

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Cree symbols

a syllabary devised by the Reverend James Evans, a Wesleyan missionary, for the Crees (about 1840) and adapted to Eskimo toward the end of the nineteenth century.

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creek

1 n. any freshwater stream smaller than a river.

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creek claim 

See 1907 quote.

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creek diggings 

a mine on or near a creek bed, as opposed to bench diggings.

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Creek-women

n. in West Coast Indian beliefs, the spiritual beings who control the creeks.

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creep

v. stalk moose or other big game; engage in creeping.

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creeper

n. one of a pair of metal bands or plates equipped with caulks (def. 1) or spikes and attached to boots or overshoes for walking on icy surfaces.

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creeper spike

one of a number of sharp spikes set into an iron plate that fits over a shoe or boot, or set in the sole of the boot itself; also, the fitted patten.

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creeping

n. a method of hunting moose by stalking.

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creeping irons

climbing irons.

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crematory

n. an incinerator for the disposal of garbage.

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crest

1 n. among West Coast Indians: the symbol of a social group such as a clan or phratry.

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crested seal

a large seal of the North Atlantic, Cystophora cristata.

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crew

n. a family of beavers.

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crib

1a n. in the Ottawa Valley especially, one of the small units or assemblages of logs that, in groups of 25 or 30, formed a raft of timber, used in driving from the camps to the mills or shipping points.

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crib navigation

an artificial sluiceway down which logs or cribs may be directed to avoid rapids, falls, or other obstructions in a river.

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crib-sucker

n. a horse that has the habit of biting his manger or other object and noisily sucking in his breath; crib-biter.

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crick 

n. any freshwater stream smaller than a river.

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crimson snow

snow reddened by an alga, Protococcus nivalis, found in Arctic and Alpine regions.

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criée sale

a sale ordered by a court; auction sale.

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crocus

n. the pasque flower, Anemone patens.

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crooked knife

n. a wood-working knife usually having a crooked handle and, often, a hook at one end of the blade, used widely in the north, especially by the Indians, for making snowshoes, fur stretchers, canoes, and all woodwork.

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crop

n. equipment and supplies to outfit a ship for a sealing, whaling, or fishing voyage.

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cross ((1))

1 n. the game of lacrosse (def. 1).

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cross ((2))

1 n. a color-phase of the red fox, Vulpes fulva, marked with a cross over the shoulders.

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cross of the north

See quote.

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cross road

a road running at right angles to and joining two concession roads, or other main roads; side road.

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cross-check

v. engage in cross-checking.

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cross-checking

n. an illegal manner of checking an opponent. See 1963 quote.

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cross-fence

n. a type of rail fence in which the horizontal rail is set in the crotch of two crossed uprights, the ends of which are driven into the ground.

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cross-fox

n. a color-phase of the red fox, Vulpes fulva, marked with a cross over the shoulders.

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cross-fox skin

the pelt of the cross-fox.

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cross-slate

n. a number of candidates chosen from opposing political parties or groupings; a non-partisan group of candidates.

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cross-tree pack-saddle

a pack-saddle resembling a saw-horse, much used in pack trains.

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crossed fox

a color-phase of the red fox, Vulpes fulva, marked with a cross over the shoulders.

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crossing

n. an open stretch of water, as a widening in a river or a course across a lake, where canoes or boats are required to leave the shelter of the shoreline.

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crossing-stringer

n. a log or timber set across a stream to serve as a foot-bridge.

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crotch

n. See 1898 and 1912 quotes.

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crow duck

the double-crested cormorant, Phalacrocorax auritus, so called because its color suggests a crow and its habits a duck.

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crow-beater

n. the eastern kingbird, Tyrannus tyrannus, from its habit of driving other birds from its nesting site.

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crow-hopping

n. a horse's way of arching the back and making a series of stiff-legged little jumps as if about to buck.

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crowbar palace

a jail.

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crowboot

n. a lined mukluk or boot usually having a short upper of muskrat fur and thick soles of moosehide.

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crowhop

v. make a series of stiff-legged little jumps.

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crown

n. especially of willows, that part of a tree where the root system merges with the trunk.

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crown (up) 

v. of forest fires, burn in the tops of trees rather than along the ground.

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Crown company 

a company owned and operated by the government, federal or provincial.

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Crown corporation 

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crown fire

a forest fire that spreads by jumping from the top, or crown, of one tree to that of another.

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Crown land(s) 

unsettled land held by the state in the name of the Crown; in earlier use, often a synonym for Crown reserve.

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Crown reserve(s)

1 a tract of land set apart to assure the Crown a source of revenue free from the control of the colonial legislature.

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cruise ((n.))

1 n. an exploratory tour through a region.

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cruise ((v.))

1 v. travel through the country to appraise its potential in natural resources.

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cruise-line

n. one of the lines marked out by a cruiser (def. 1) while assessing a stand of timber.

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cruiser

1 n. See 1942 quote.

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cruiser cloth

a thick woollen cloth suitable for Mackinaw coats and similar heavy garments.

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cruiser gang

the party accompanying a cruiser (def. 1).

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cruising

n. the work of a cruiser (def. 1).

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cruising horse

a horse trained to work its way through scrubland, brush, etc.

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crummy

n. See 1942 and 1964 quotes.

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crunnick

n. See quotes.

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crust

n. a layer of frozen snow overlying softer snow, formed by the melting and refreezing of the surface, aided by wind compaction.

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crust coffee

a beverage made by boiling burnt or scorched crusts.

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crusting 

n. See quotes.

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cubby

n. See 1943 quote.

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cud

n. the cosy, built-in forward part of a fishing boat.

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cull

n. a log below the marketable standard ; a reject.

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culler

1 n. an inspector of fish.

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cultus

adj. worthless, insignificant, useless, bad.

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cultus coulee

a stroll or ride for pleasure. See 1963 quote.

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cultus potlatch

a gift for which nothing is expected in return, especially one of little value.

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cunner 

n. a small fish of the wrasse family, Tautogolabrus adspersus.

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curled 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.

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curlew-berry

n. the crowberry, Empetrum nigrum.

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curling 

n. 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 stones closest to the "tee" in the centre of the target area.

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curling iron

a curling stone, so called because earlier "stones" were often made of iron.

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curly 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.

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current sail

See quote.

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curricle

n. a light sleigh drawn by two horses, usually abreast.

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curtain-wall school

See quote.

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curé

n. in French Canada, a parish priest.

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cushion

n. a hockey rink (def. 1) especially an outdoor rink of natural ice.

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Custom of Paris

originally the common law of northern France, a code of laws instituted in New France in 1663 and contributing much to the civil code in force in modern Quebec.

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cut

1 n. a way cut through rock or gravel in building a road, canal, or railway.

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cut country

take a short cut across country.

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cut money

coins cut into halves, quarters, or eighths to make change.

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cut out 

separate one or two or more animals from a herd.

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cut over 

remove the trees from.

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cut throat

1 n. in preparing fish for salting, the person who guts the fish and all but severs its head, making it ready to be snapped off by the header.

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cut-off 

1 n. a road or trail that cuts off a loop or bend in an older road, thus reducing the distance to be travelled.

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cut-over 

adj. cleared of timber; logged.

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cut-rock

n. the steep side of a river channel through rocky terrain.

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cutbank 

1 n. a precipitous river bank, eroded by the current.

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cuthill

n. a hill having a steep front resulting from erosion.

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cutline

n. a survey or other line cut through bush.

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cutter

1 n. a low, light one-horse sleigh having an upholstered seat.

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cutthroat trout 

a large trout of western Canada, Salmo clarkii, so called from a red streak under each side of the lower jaw.

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cutting

n. a stand of timber; the site of a logging operation.

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cutting horse 

a horse specially trained to separate cattle, one by one, from a herd.

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cypress

1 n. one of several species of pine tree, especially the Banksian and the lodge-pole.

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cyprès

n. one of several species of pine tree, especially the Banksian and the lodge-pole.

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côte ((1))

n. a canton or settlement along a river on the outskirts of a town or city.

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côte ((2))

n. a canton or district, often on the slope of a hill. See 1934 quote.

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côte de boeuf

n. a bag made from the flank skins of buffalo and used for carrying pemmican.

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