face

v. begin play in hockey, lacrosse, etc. by a face-off (def. 1).

face off

begin play in hockey, lacrosse, etc. by a face-off (def. 1).

face-off

1 n. in hockey, lacrosse, etc. the putting of the puck or ball into play by dropping it between the sticks of two opposing players facing each other.

factor† 

n. a Hudson's Bay Company employee in charge of a trading post, ranking higher than a chief trader, but below a chief factor.

factory† 

n. a fur-trading post, especially one of the larger trans-shipment posts operated by the Hudson's Bay Company, for example, York Factory.

faculty jacket

in certain Canadian universities, a windbreaker or jacket worn by students of the several faculties, as Arts, Science, Medicine, identified by color and lettering, which usually indicates the year the wearer expects to graduate.

faggot ((n.))

n. a stack of codfish so built as to shed rain.

faggot ((v.))

v. pile codfish into faggots.

faggot road

a road surfaced with bundles of saplings.

fairy shoe

a pink orchid, Calypso bulbosa.

fall ((n.))† 

n. autumn.

fall ((v.))

v. work as a faller.

fall debt

credit extended to hunters and trappers in the form of supplies to be paid for out of the coming year's catch.

fall fair

a fair held each fall in many Canadian communities for the exhibiting and judging of livestock, home-baking, etc., often accompanied by horse races, dancing, and other forms of entertainment.

fall fish

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

fall goose

a wild goose, especially the snow goose.

fall hunt

1 the period of hunting and trapping before winter sets in.

fall salmon† 

fall wheat† 

wheat sown in the fall, ripening during the following spring or summer.

fall-trap

n. a kind of animal trap. See picture at deadfall n.

fallen timber

trees that have been blown down or felled by other natural causes.

faller

n. a person whose work is to fell trees.

falling† 

n. the felling of trees.

falling pole

n. in a deadfall n. (def.1), the log which falls on the animal taking the bait. See deadfall 1853 quote.

fallow† 

1a n. a tract of land on which the trees and brush have been chopped down for burning (def. 1).

false heath

a shrub, Phyllodoce empetriformis, found in northern regions and in the Rocky Mountains; pink mountain heather.

false heather

false hemlock

Pseudotsuga taxifolia, the largest tree native to Canada.

false ice

a surface layer of thin ice formed over the thick under-surface and separated from it by a layer of water, slush, or air of varying depth.

false sugar maple

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

fameuse

1 n. a juicy fall apple having crisp, white flesh and red skin when ripe.

Family Allowance

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

Family Allowance Act

a federal act, passed in 1944, which provides for the payment of a monthly allowance to the parents or trustees of each child under sixteen years of age, later amended to continue such payments to eighteen, provided that the child remains in school, this payment being known as the youth allowance.

Family Compact

1 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.

Family Compactism

the doctrine and principles of the Family Compact (def. 1).

Family Compactite

a person belonging to the Family-Company-Compact.

Family-Company-Compact

n. a group, dominated by officers of the Hudson's Bay Company, that controlled the Crown Colonies of Vancouver Island and British Columbia in the 1850's under the governship of Sir James Douglas.

fan

1 n. a train of sled dogs harnessed in the fan hitch.

fan hitch

a method of harnessing sled dogs. See 1956 quote.

Fannin('s) sheep

a vari-colored intermediate between the Stone and the Dall sheep of the Yukon Mountains.

far (out)

adv. of caribou and, formerly, of buffalo, a long distance away from their customary feeding grounds.

Far North

the Arctic and sub-Arctic regions of Canada.

Far West

1 until about 1840, that part of Upper Canada now known as Western Ontario. See 1845 quote at def. 2.

farm

v. of trappers, conserve the fur-bearing animals on a trapline by working only certain parts of it at one time, allowing the game to flourish in other areas.

farm depot

a farm, operated by a lumber company or privately owned, supplying fresh meat and vegetables, oats, etc., to lumber camps and often serving as a repository for supplies.

farm dugout

a large shallow excavation intended to hold the spring run-off and rain, serving as a reservoir.

farm instructor

an officer of the Indian Affairs Branch who serves as a resident agricultural adviser on an Indian reserve.

farm lot† 

a tract of land, usually 200 acres, set off for farming and sold or granted for use as a farm.

farm woodlot

a tract of land left uncleared on a farm and used as a source of wood, and as a grazing area for cattle.

farm-partner

n. an immigrant buying a partnership in a farm before arriving in Canada to settle.

farm-pupil

n. an immigrant induced to pay money before coming to Canada on the under-standing that he be taught how to farm after his arrival.

farmer

n. in New France, a fur trader holding a lease on a certain trading post and having the sole right to trade in the defined vicinity.

Farmer-Labo(u)r Party

v. a political party founded in Saskatchewan, one of the original groups forming the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation.

farming

n. a system for conserving beaver and other fur-bearing animals.

farmout

n. a sub-lease granted by an oil company, permitting a person or group to drill in a prescribed area.

fascine

n. a kind of fish trap used on the Lower St. Lawrence.

fast† 

adj. frozen solid.

fast ice

See 1958 quote.

fast snye

a snye open at both ends.

fast time† 

daylight-saving time.

fast water

swift-moving water flowing over rapids.

fast-water man

a person skilled in handling a canoe or boat in fast water.

fastball

n. a variety of softball played with a relatively small ball, the players wearing gloves.

fat

1a n. seal blubber.

fat pine† 

pine wood having a high content of resin, used for light, torches, or kindling.

fat summer beaver

unprime or inferior skins from a beaver coat.

fat winter beaver

1 a prime skin from a beaver coat.

father

n. in Indian parlance, a government official, especially the governor of a colony or province as representative of the king; also, the king himself.

Father of Confederation

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

fathom† 

n. a linear measure of six feet, widely used in colonial and fur-trade days for measuring rope, wampum, cloth, tobacco, dried oolichan, nets, canoe bark, canoes, as well as for water depth, for which the official fathom is 6.08 feet.

fathom-fish

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

faubourg

n. in Quebec, a community outside the original city limits; suburb.

feather

n. (used attributively) of articles of clothing made by the Eskimos from bird skins.

feathers

n. pl. small branches, especially of evergreen trees.

federal

adj. of, associated with, or under the jurisdiction of the government of Canada.

Federal Building

in many Canadian cities and towns, a building in which regional offices of federal government departments are located, often including a post office.

federal government

the government of Canada.

Federal Parliament

the members of the Canadian House of Commons and of the Senate collectively; the Parliament of the Dominion of Canada.

feed line

the line along which a moose, deer, etc. browses.

feed(ing)-bed

n. the place near a beaver dam where the beavers anchor the sticks intended to feed the colony during the winter.

feed-alley

n. in a stable, a passageway behind the stalls, used when carrying feed to the mangers.

feeding platform

n. a breathing-hole made in the ice by muskrats and kept open by means of tufts of grass and other vegetation stuffed in the opening.

feeding-house

n. See quote.

feller

n. a person whose work is to fell trees.

fence viewer† 

a municipal official whose duty it is to see that fences meet legal specifications as to construction and location.

fencible† 

n. a militiaman having obligations to serve in his home region only.

Fenian† 

n. a member of a militant secret brotherhood of Irish-Americans and their sympathizers in Canada, advocates of Irish independence, who sought to advance their cause by attacking Canada, carrying out abortive raids in 1866, 1870, and 1871.

Fenianism† 

n. the policies of the Fenians; the movement itself.

fermier

n. in New France, a fur trader holding a lease on a certain trading post and having the sole right to trade in the defined vicinity.

fertile belt

1 the wide belt of fertile land stretching from the Red River to the foothills of the Rockies and from the North Saskatchewan River to the American border.

festin

n. a feast, especially one of large proportions.

fiddlehead† 

n. the edible, tightly furled young frond of certain ferns, so called because of its shape.

fiddler

n. an Atlantic salmon weighing less than eight pounds.

fiddler's elbow

a sharp crook in a road.

fief† 

1 n. in French Canada, a tract of land granted under conditions of feudal tenure by the French Crown, the seigneurial rights obtaining until 1854.

field day

1 a day on which the people of a community enjoy themselves by entering into various games, races, dancing, etc.; a sports day.

field ice† 

See 1954 quote.

field lacrosse

a form of lacrosse played on a large field with ten players on each team, largely displaced in Canada by box lacrosse.

field nurse

a public health and registered nurse assigned for general duty in a remote part of Canada.

field officer

1 the redwinged blackbird, Agelaius phoeniceus.

field pitcher

on a threshing crew, the person forking sheaves from the stook to the wagon for delivery to the threshing machine.

Fife wheat

a variety of rust-resistant spring wheat.

fifty-cent piece

a large silver coin worth half a Canadian dollar.

fifty-eighter

n. one of those taking part in the gold rush to the Fraser River Valley, B.C., in 1858.

fig

n. a plug of tobacco, especially chewing tobacco, probably so called because it resembled a slab of dried figs.

figure-(of-)four trap

a kind of deadfall (def. 1) or other trap having the triggers set in a figure 4, first used by the Indians. See picture at deadfall.

file

1 v. register (a claim) for a staked piece of land.

fill

v. furnish (snowshoes) with webbing; string.

Fils de la Liberté

an organization of republican-minded Lower-Canadian Reformers established at Montreal in August 1837 and outlawed in November of that year.

fin boom

See quote.

fine gold† 

tiny particles of gold.

fine pemmican

n. See 1890 quote.

finger wharf

See quote.

fire† 

v. discharge an employee in a summary fashion; dismiss.

fire bomber

a cargo plane especially equipped for carrying large quantities of water to be used in extinguishing forest fires.

fire camp

a camp for men engaged in or prepared for fighting forest fires.

fire district

a region specifically organized with officials and equipment as protection against fire.

fire guardian

an official responsible for fire protection and control.

fire hall

the headquarters of a fire brigade.

fire patrol

a patrol carried out to detect and locate fires, especially forest fires.

fire rig

a fire engine; fire truck.

fire sale† 

a sale of merchandise allegedly damaged by fire.

fire tower† 

a high tower from which a member of the forestry service watches for forest fires.

fire trail

a bush trail constructed for use by fire-fighting crews.

fire warden

1 an official responsible for fire protection and control.

fire-bag

n. a soft leather pouch, usually decorated, used by the Indians of the old Northwest to carry flint-and-steel, tinder, tobacco, etc.

fire-barren

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

fire-bird

n. the Baltimore oriole, Icterus galbula, so called because the flash of its orange breast through the tree leaves suggested the glow of a fire.

fire-board

n. a flat piece of wood used in making fire by friction.

fire-boss ((1))† 

n. a mine foreman responsible for the observation of all safety regulations.

fire-boss ((2))

n. See quote.

fire-burn

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

fire-face

n. the point of farthest advance of a forest fire, where the firefighters work.

fire-front

n. the point of farthest advance of a forest fire, where the firefighters work.

fire-hunting

n. a method of hunting deer and moose.

fire-keeper

n. a member of an Indian Council, such as that of the Six Nations, charged with the care of the ceremonial Council Fire.

fire-line† 

1 n. the point of farthest advance of a forest fire, where the firefighters work.

fire-ranger

n. a government official engaged in the prevention and control of forest fires.

fire-ranging

n. the office or occupation of a fire-ranger.

fire-reels

n. pl. a fire engine; fire truck.

fire-spotter

n. a person employed to watch for and locate forest fires.

fire-wagon

n. in Indian parlance, a steam locomotive.

fire-wagon hockey

a way of playing hockey that is characterized by hard, fast, offensive teamwork accompanied by heavy body checking and sharp passing.

fire-works

n. pl. flint and steel or other equipment for making a fire.

firebreak

1 n. any device for preventing the spread of fire.

fireguard ((n.))

1 n. a strip of land, usually ploughed but sometimes burned free of grass, intended to stop the advance of a grass fire or a prairie fire.

fireguard ((v.))

v. make a fireguard (def. 1).

firewater

1 n. See quotes. Also, earlier, fire waters.

fireway

n. a bush trail constructed for use by fire-fighting crews.

fireweed

n. a plant of the genus Epilobium, especially E. angustifolium, the floral emblem of the Yukon.

firewood tree

a tree, usually a conifer, that has been killed by girdling and left standing as a reserve source of firewood.

first goose

See quotes.

first ice

the winter's first formation of ice permitting travel on lakes and streams.

First Meridian

See quote.

First of July

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

first timber

the line north of which trees do not grow; the line where the Barrens begin.

first wood

fish† 

1 n. especially in Newfoundland, cod.

fish barrier

See barrier 1897 quote.

fish camp

1 a camp used as headquarters for a fishing party.

fish collector

a vessel equipped for picking up fish catches for transporting to a cannery.

fish derby

fish gurry

the waste from cleaning fish; fish offal.

fish house

1 a shore building where offshore fishermen store gear and sometimes cure their fish.

fish ladder† 

a device constructed at a waterfall to facilitate the upstream migration of fish to their spawning grounds.

fish lot

a beach lot from which fishermen may operate.

fish oil

a clear, edible oil rendered from the oolachan and long a highly valuable food and trade item among the Coast and Inland Indians of British Columbia.

fish out

depopulate (a stream, lake, etc.) of fish through fishing operations.

fish pass

an artificial lock built to assist fish in passing a waterfall or other obstruction on their way upstream to spawn.

fish pemmican

a preparation of dried, pounded fish and fish fat made after the fashion of pemmican (def. 1).

fish pile

a stack of codfish so built as to shed rain.

fish post

a northern post where the principal food was fish and where fish were caught for supplying to other posts.

fish shed

a shore building where offshore fishermen store gear and sometimes cure their fish.

fish stage

1 a platform of poles on which fish are hung to dry.

fish warden

an official appointed locally, especially on Indian reserves, to supervise fishing for domestic use and distribution of fish to the aged and infirm.

fish wheel

a mechanical device for catching fish, consisting of several scoop nets on a circular frame which is driven by the force of the current.

fish-club

n. a decorated club used by Pacific Coast Indians to kill fish.

fish-eagle

1 n. See bald eagle 1958 quote.

fish-eater

1 n. an Eskimo.

fish-flake† 

n. See flake 1883 quote.

fish-hawk† 

n. the osprey, Pandion haliaetus.

fish-making

n. the process of preparing and drying codfish.

fish-packer

n. a comparatively large boat that collects the fish caught by smaller fishing boats and packs them in ice for taking to cannery or market.

fish-stick

n. an oblong bar of frozen fish, often breaded, pre-cooked, and marketed in packages.

fished out

fisher† 

1 n. a weasel-like fur-bearer, Martes pennanti.

fishery

1 n. the fishing business or industry.

fishery inspector

a government official whose duty is to inspect commercial fishing operations.

fishery officer

fishing admiral

a title given to the captain of the first fishing vessel to reach a harbor on the Newfoundland coast each year, a title that carried with it authority as magistrate for the fishery in the area of his jurisdiction, a form of justice that endured from the early seventeenth century until the late eighteenth.

fishing banks

an extensive offshore shelf where fish abound, specifically the Grand Banks, off Newfoundland and Labrador.

fishing camp

1 a camp used as headquarters for a fishing party.

fishing derby

fishing eagle

1 the osprey, Pandion haliaetus.

fishing hole

a hole cut in the ice of a lake or river for catching fish in winter.

fishing light

n. a light used at night to attract fish.

fishing lodge

an establishment providing accommodation and, usually, boats for sport fishermen.

fishing lot

a beach lot from which fishermen may operate.

fishing post

1 the buildings, flakes, and stages belonging to a fishery (def. 2).

fishing room

a beach lot, from which a fisherman may operate and where he may set up flakes and stages (def. 1).

fishing shack

a shack for storing dried fish.

fishing shanty

fishing stage

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

fishing station

1 a commercial fishing establishment operating seasonally in a remote area, often equipped with dressing and packing facilities.

fishing-berth

n. an area for fishing, often including buildings, sometimes held on lease.

fishocracy

1 n. See quote.

fishway† 

n. an artificial lock built to assist fish in passing a waterfall or other obstruction on their way upstream to spawn.

fit-out

1 n. clothing, provisions, and equipment; outfit.

fitter

n. the member of a gang who selected the trees to be felled for fashioning into square timber.

Five Nations† 

the original Iroquois Confederation of Senecas, Cayugas, Onendagas, Oneidas, and Mohawks, later (c1722) joined by the Tuscaroras to form the Six Nations.

five-cent piece

a Canadian coin worth five cents; nickel.

fivepin bowling

a game of bowls, first played in 1909, in which the players attempt to knock over five pins, each of different scoring value, by rolling three large balls, one at a time, down an alley.

fivepinner

n. a person who engages in fivepin bowling.

fivepins

n. pl. a game of bowls, first played in 1909, in which the players attempt to knock over five pins, each of different scoring value, by rolling three large balls, one at a time, down an alley.

fiveplex

n. a small apartment block having five self-contained apartments.

fix (someone's) flint

get even with; dispose of; take care of; spoil (someone's) chances.

flacket

n. a stack of codfish so built as to shed rain.

flag day

one of certain specified days on which a river boat made stops for freight and passengers at points not on the regular schedule.

flag football

a game based on rugby-football but in which tackling is outlawed, the ball-carrier being stopped in his advance when a handkerchief is snatched from his back pocket.

flagpole

n. a ceremonial pole used by the Indians of the eastern woodlands on which to suspend the skulls of bears and other animals they have killed to prevent their being desecrated by dogs or by careless handling.

flake

n. See 1883 quote.

flambeau

n. a torch made of birchbark or resinous wood used as a jacklight (def. 1) in spearing fish at night.

flank company

one of a number of militia companies raised in Upper Canada in 1811, who saw much service in the War of 1812.

flanker ((1))

1 n. a soldier in a flank company.

flanker ((2))

n. a bright spark from a chimney or fire.

flasher

n. a bright piece of metal used to attract fish to a lure or bait.

flat† 

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

flat boom

a simple boom (def. 3b) or raft in which one layer of floating logs is held by chained boomsticks (def. 2) and spaced cross-logs.

flat raft

a simple boom (def. 3b) or raft in which one layer of floating logs is held by chained boomsticks (def. 2) and spaced cross-logs.

flat rapid

a fast-moving stretch of water over a relatively smooth bed. See 1954 quote at riffle (def. 1c).

flat sled

1 a runnerless, tobogganlike sled usually drawn by dogs.

flat-boat

n. a boat having a flat bottom and pointed bow and stern, used for inland freight traffic.

flat-sleigh

n. a similar, somewhat larger sled, drawn by one or two horses.

flatroofer

n. See quotes.

flaw lead

See quote.

flesh fly

any one of several species of horsefly, especially Chrysops.

flipper dinner

a traditional meal of seal flippers.

flipper supper

flivver† 

1 n. a cheap light car, especially a Ford of early make.

float

1 n. a length of buoyant wood forming part of the framework of a crib (def. 2) used in rafting oak and other timber. See picture at raft (def. 2).

floater

1 n. a sealskin bag used as a buoy or float.

floaterman

n. a fisherman who establishes no shore base but remains at sea following the fish from place to place.

floathouse

n. a dwelling built on floats at the shore, and usually so built that it can be towed from one mooring to another.

floating bog

or muskeg a layer of muskeg floating on the surface of the water near the shores of a river or lake.

floating mess hall

n. a large raft or barge fitted out as a place for loggers to eat in.

floating muskeg

n. see floating bog

floating surrogate

a judge who made an annual visit to hold court at the fisheries, often the captain of a man-of-war.

floating swamp

a detached mass of swamp vegetation floating on the surface of the water.

floatwood

n. driftwood.

flood ((n.))

n. the annual spring break-up, especially the ice shove, on the rivers.

flood ((v.))

v. build up a rink surface by applying water and allowing it to freeze.

floor hockey

n. an indoor team-sport derived from hockey, in which the players, on foot, use a long stick to carry and pass a rope or felt ring resembling a quoit with a view to directing it into a goal.

floor-price

n. a minimum price set on a commodity by the government to protect the producer from losses due to a drastic decline in market prices.

flossy

adj. showy; overembellished.

flour gold† 

tiny particles of gold.

fluff out

leave; depart.

flunkey

1 n. a cook's helper. Also spelled flunky.

flunkey (around)

v. do odd jobs.

flunkeying

n. the work done by a cook's helper or choreboy in a lumber camp.

fly

n. a sheet of canvas or hide erected for protection against the weather.

fly camp

a temporary camp away from the main camp, so called because flies were carried as the only shelter.

fly-beer

n. a kind of beer brewed from potatoes and hop yeast mixed with molasses or sugar and water.

fly-dope† 

n. any insect repellant.

fly-in

adj. of or associated with sportsmen who fly or are flown in to remote hunting and fishing areas.

fly-line

n. a point or line above which flies do not commonly fly.

flying boxcar

a freight plane, especially the C119 used by the R.C.A.F.

flying level

See 1829 quote.

flying post

a temporary post for trading with hunters at the hunting grounds, the location moving with the scene of hunting operations.

flying weevil

a small flying insect, Phytophaga destructor, whose larvae does much damage to wheat crops.

flying wing

a player whose position is variable behind the line of scrimmage.

fog mull

a long, continuous fog during mild weather.

fog scoffer

a phenomenon resembling a rainbow, occurring in a fog about to dissipate.

fog-eater

n. a phenomenon resembling a rainbow, occurring in a fog about to dissipate.

folder

n. an item of trading goods, seemingly a small envelope used for carrying tobacco, vermilion, etc.

folle avoine

See wild rice.

following pole

a long, strong pole used for raising the heavy bents, or crossbeams, in building a house or barn.

fool hen

the spruce partridge and certain related species of grouse.

foot burner

a walking plough.

foot warmer

a walking plough.

football

n. a distinctive Canadian variety of football developed in the late nineteenth century from English rugby or rugger. See also football. - Rugby football, often rugby at the popular level, has, except among some older Canadians, gradually been displaced since the 1930's by the characteristically American term football, the Canadianism being confined largely to official league titles.

foothill country

the area of rolling grassland on the east side of the Rockies, especially that in southwest Alberta.

foothills

n. pl. the rounded, rolling hills, largely grassland, lying between the prairies and the Rocky Mountains proper.

Force, the

fore-lock

n. a long tuft of hair worn by some Indian warriors with otherwise cropped or shaven heads as a challenge to their enemies.

forecheck

v. check an opponent in his own defensive zone, to prevent the opposing team from organizing an attack.

forechecking

n. the practice or skill of one who forechecks.

foregoer

1 n. in a dog team, the dog, sometimes a female, who leads the team, setting the pace and carrying out the driver's commands. See pictures at fan hitch and tandem hitch.

forehead strap

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.

foreman

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

forerunner

n. a man on snowshoes who runs ahead of a dog team making a passable track in new or deep snow.

Forest City

See 1952 quote.

forest depot

a lumber camp.

forest district

one of a number of large areas in the northern forest set apart for such purposes as fire control and game conservation.

forest division

forest fire

a raging fire that sweeps through a forest.

forest ranger

See 1955 quote.

forest reserve

a tract of forested land set aside by the government.

forest township reserve

See quote.

forester

1 n. a person knowledgeable in forestry who works as a timber cruiser.

forestry reserve

a tract of forested land set aside by the government.

forked tongue, speak with† 

originally in Indian parlance, speak falsely; lie.

fort

n. a trading post, so called because many early posts were fortified.

fort captain

a person in charge of a trading post.

fort hunter

a hunter, usually an Indian, employed by a fur company to provide meat for a fort.

fort lot

a parcel of land set aside for the building of a fortification.

fort trapper

a trapper, usually an Indian, who sets out trap lines near a trading post at which he deals.

forty-rod† 

n. cheap, strong spirits, especially whisky. See 1958 quote.

forwarder

n. See quotes.

foule

found-in

n. a person arrested for being present in a brothel or an illegal drinking or gambling establishment.

four bits† 

fifty cents; a fifty-cent piece.

four per-cent

a mild beer sold in the West in early days.

four-foot wood

short logs for use as pulpwood, so called because they are usually sawn into four-foot lengths.

four-point blanket

a famous woollen blanket first used as trading goods at the Hudson's Bay Company posts.

four-point Hudson-Bay

a famous woollen blanket first used as trading goods at the Hudson's Bay Company posts.

four-pointer

n. a famous woollen blanket first used as trading goods at the Hudson's Bay Company posts.

four-poster

n. an open steeple belfry the roof of which is supported by four columns, found in the architecture of certain older churches, especially in the Maritimes.

fourplex

n. a small apartment block having four self-contained apartments.

foutereau

n. the North American mink, Mustela vison.

foutrau

foxberry

n. the cowberry, Vaccinium vitis-idaea, or mountain cranberry, V. vitis-idaea var. minus.

foxy

adj. of rotten ice, discolored.

fraction

n. a parcel of land that remains unclaimed after roughly staked claims are properly surveyed.

fractional township† 

a township of less than statutory size (36 sections), the irregularity being due to natural obstacles.

frame ((n.))† 

n. (used attributively) constructed of plank siding, or clapboard, as distinct from logs, bricks, etc.

frame ((v.))

v. put (the hide of a deer, caribou, etc.) on a board or frame for stretching.

framer

n. a person skilled in erecting the structure of a frame building.

franchise

v. of Indians, be enfranchised.

Franco-Canadian ((adj.))

descended from the settlers of New France; of or associated with French Canada, especially Quebec, or with French Canadians.

Franco-Canadian ((n.))

n. a French-speaking descendant of the settlers of New France or Acadia; a Canadian of French ancestry.

Franco-Indian

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

Franglais

n. a mixture or blend of French and English.

Franglish

n. a mixture or blend of French and English.

Franklin ((1))

n. a district in the Northwest Territories, embracing all islands in Hudson Bay and Strait, and the Arctic Ocean, north to the Pole. Also called Franklin District.

Franklin ((2))† 

n. any of several kinds of iron heating stoves resembling a fireplace and patterned on a stove invented by Benjamin Franklin.

Franklin fireplace

a kind of Franklin stove.

Franklin ground squirrel

a gray ground squirrel, Spermophilus franklini, found on the prairies.

Franklin heater

Franklin stove† 

any of several kinds of iron heating stoves resembling a fireplace and patterned on a stove invented by Benjamin Franklin.

Franklin's grouse

a species of grouse, Canachites franklinii, found throughout the West and Northwest.

frazil

n. ice crystals in the form of flakes occurring in rapidly moving, turbulent water, often caused by the rising of anchor or bottom ice.

frazil ice

ice formed from frazil and often accumulating in great banks on the shoreline.

frazzle ice

ice formed from frazil and often accumulating in great banks on the shoreline.

free

adj. See 1941 quote.

free fur-trader

a fur trader operating independently of and in opposition to the fur companies.

free gold

of ore, not requiring costly treatment for recovery of the gold.

free grant

a grant of land given gratis to a settler on condition that he settle and improve the land in a set time.

free grass

unsettled public grasslands on which livestock could be pastured without charge.

free hunter

a trapper or hunter not in the employ of the fur companies, often a former company servant.

Free Man's Tariff

See quote.

free miner

a person holding a Free Miner's Certificate.

Free Miner's Certificate

a licence bought by an individual or a group permitting prospecting on unstaked lands and the right to register and develop claims while remaining free of any poll tax.

free prospector

a person holding a Free Miner's Certificate.

free range

unsettled public grasslands on which livestock could be pastured without charge.

free run

See quote.

free school† 

a school supported by the municipality through payment of school taxes; a public school.

free township

in Quebec, a township in which the farmers were not subject to seigneurial obligations as was the case until 1854 on the older seigneuries.

free trade

trading independent of the fur companies.

free trader

1 Hist. a former servant of the Hudson's Bay Company who travelled amongst the Indians, especially in the hunting grounds, trading necessary articles for furs and usually getting his outfit from the Company.

free trading

trading independent of the fur companies.

free trapper

a trapper or hunter not in the employ of the fur companies, often a former company servant.

free-milling† 

adj. of ore, not requiring costly treatment for recovery of the gold.

Freedomite

n. of Freedom 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.

freeman

1a n. a former employee of a fur company who elected to remain in the interior as a free hunter or, sometimes, as a free trader.

freeze-up

n. the freezing up of bodies of water and the topsoil of land in the late fall or early winter; also, the period during which this freezing takes place.

freight

n. (used attributively) of or having to do with the transporting of goods, especially in the North and West.

freight canoe

a large canoe (from 20 to 30 feet long), used for transporting goods, especially in the North.

freight shed† 

a building for storing goods to be transported.

freight train† 

a railway train transporting goods.

freighter† 

1 n. a person engaged in the transporting of goods, especially in the North and, formerly, in the West.

freighter canoe

a large canoe (from 20 to 30 feet long), used for transporting goods, especially in the North.

freighting† 

n. the transporting of goods and supplies, especially in the North, and, formerly, in the West.

freighting canoe

a large canoe (from 20 to 30 feet long), used for transporting goods, especially in the North.

French ((adj.))

1 adj. of or associated with French Canada, especially Quebec, or with French Canadians.

French ((n.))

n. pl. French-speaking descendant of the settlers of New France or Acadia; a Canadian of French ancestry.

French Canada

1 that part of Canada which was formerly known as New France; the province of Quebec.

French Canadian

1 a French-speaking descendant of the settlers of New France or Acadia; a Canadian of French ancestry.

French Canadianism

attachment to and support of French Canada, its people, language, and culture.

French coast

that part of the Newfoundland coast, since 1783 from Cape St. John northward on the east and the entire west coast down to Cape Ray, where by the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713 the French were granted fishery and shore-drying rights, an arrangement that lasted until 1904.

French Company

1 a fur-trading syndicate with its headquarters at Montreal, organized between 1775 and 1783 and absorbed by the Hudson's Bay Company in 1821. See also Lords of the North, Montreal Company, North West Fur Company, and N.W. Company.

French currency

the system of currency deriving from New France and in use for many years in Lower Canada.

French Fours

a kind of square dance, popular among the voyageurs and the Metis of the Northwest.

French halfbreed

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

French horse

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

French Indian

an Indian from territory controlled by New France, or one who hunted for and dealt with French-Canadian traders, as opposed to the Hudson's Bay Company.

French Loyalist

a United Empire Loyalist of French-Canadian origin.

French money

the system of currency deriving from New France and in use for many years in Lower Canada.

French Métis

n. See Métis.

French Métisse

n. see Métisse.

French Neutral

n. one of the Acadian French who, after the signing of the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713 had brought Acadia under British rule, refused to take the oath of allegiance, preferring to remain neutral in the strife between British and French.

French party

1 n. in Lower Canada, a faction serving the political interests of French Canadians.

French pedlar

n. a coureur de bois, especially one who competed for trade in Rupert's Land, thus being considered an interloper.

French pony

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

French régime

n. the pre-British period in Canada; the period in New France before 1759.

French shoe

n. a kind of sturdy moccasin having uppers reaching well up the lower leg; shoe pack.

French shore

1 n. that part of the Newfoundland coast, since 1783 from Cape St. John northward on the east and the entire west coast down to Cape Ray, where by the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713 the French were granted fishery and shore-drying rights, an arrangement that lasted until 1904.

French willow

n. a plant of the genus Epilobium, especially E. angustifolium, the floral emblem of the Yukon.

French-Acadian ((adj.))

adj. of or associated with French Acadians.

French-Acadian ((n.))

n. a French-speaking settler in Acadia or one of his descendants, especially one who still speaks French.

French-Canadian

1a adj. descended from the settlers of New France.

French-Canadian party

n. in Lower Canada, a faction serving the political interests of French Canadians

Frenchie

1 n. a French-speaking descendant of the settlers of New France of Acadia; a Canadian of French ancestry.

Frenchified

adj. French-Canadian in customs, traits, or sympathies.

Frenchify

v. make French-Canadian in customs, traits, or sympathies.

Frenchman

n. a French-speaking descendant of the settlers of New France or Acadia; a Canadian of French ancestry.

Frenchy

n. see Frenchie.

fresh fisherman

n. a fishing vessel that brings a catch of fish back fresh, rather than salted, from the Grand Banks.

fresh-water seal

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

frog

v. push a canoe through shallow water while wading behind or beside it.

Frog

n. a French-speaking descendant of the settlers of New France or Acadia; a Canadian of French ancestry.

frog run

in sugaring-off operations, the second run of sap in t he maple trees, inferior to the first or "robin run" for making sap or sugar.

frog-eating

adj. a French-speaking descendant of the settlers of New France or Acadia; a Canadian of French ancestry.

frogeater† 

n. a French-speaking descendant of the settlers of New France or Acadia; a Canadian of French ancestry.

Froggie

n. a French-speaking descendant of the settlers of New France or Acadia; a Canadian of French ancestry.

frolic† 

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

frolicker

n. a person taking part in a frolic or bee.

front concession

n. the block or range of lots laid out along the river, lake, or base line marking the beginning of a township; also, he line of this boundary.

front lot

n. a lot in a front concession.

Front Road

n. the road (now Highway 2) running along the north shore of Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River.

front road

n. the road fronting the first concession of a township; the first concession road of a township.

front stoop

n. a veranda, usually roofed and often equipped with chairs, a couch, etc.

front township

n. one of the townships along the front.

front train

n. in railway building, the first train to pass over newly laid track, carrying materials for further construction.

Front, the

see front, the

front, the

1a n. the settled land along the shores of Lake Ontario and, sometimes, Lake Erie.

frontage

n. the block or range of lots laid out along the river, lake, or base line marking the beginning of a township; also, the line of this boundary.

frontier† 

1 n. the Canada-United States border.

Frontier College

n. an educational institution, founded in 1899, which, through correspondence courses and field teachers, provides educational opportunities for workers in frontier lumber and mining camps.

frontier pants

n. dress pants of high quality material modelled after tightly fitting levis or jeans.

frontiersman† 

n. a person who lives on the frontier, especially one who is knowledgeable in its ways.

frost barrel

n. a barrel kept outside in winter and used for storing meat and other perishable food.

frost boil

a place in a paved road where the pavement has heaved as a result of the expansion of trapped moisture frozen during the cold weather.

frost dry

cure (animal skins) by exposing them to frost.

frost fish

n. a small food fish, Microgadus tomcod, of the St. Lawrence River and adjacent waters.

frost leak

condensation and freezing of moisture on the inside of a wall, caused by the penetration of intensely cold air.

frost one's lungs

frozen lung tissue resulting from breathing air at very low temperatures.

frost smoke† 

See 1958 quote.

frost the lungs

see frost one's lungs.

frosted lung

frozen lung tissue resulting from breathing air at very low temperatures.

Frozen North

n. the Arctic regions.

Frozen Ocean

n. the Arctic Ocean.

fruit pemmican

n. see berry pemmican.

fruit ranch† 

n. a fruit farm; a commercial orchard.

fruit rancher

n. the owner or operator of a fruit ranch.

frying-pan bread

see bannock.

fuel sloop

n. a unit of a cat-train, for carrying reserve fuel such as diesel oil or gasoline.

fuke

n. a light flintlock musket important as trading goods in the early fur trade.

full-blooded† 

adj. of Indians, of unmixed blood.

fullblood† 

n. an Indian of unmixed blood.

fungy

n. a kind of deep blueberry pie.

funny Canadian

n. in Canadian football, an American player classed as a Canadian for football purposes after playing in Canada for five years.

funny-money

adj. having to do with the Social Credit principles of free credit and monetary reform, especially with the issue of scrip in Alberta.

fur ((n.))† 

1a n. (used attributively) denoting regions where fur-bearing animals are hunted commercially.

fur ((v.))

v. hunt fur-bearing animals; run a trapline.

fur board

n. a thin board inserted in a cased skin to hold its shape till dry.

fur book

a ledger for keeping a record of furs acquired by trade.

fur brigade

a brigade of canoes, York boats, Red River carts, etc. transporting furs from the interior posts.

fur canoe

a large canoe used for transporting furs.

fur debt

credit extended to hunters and trappers in the form of supplies to be paid for out of the coming year's catch.

fur farm

1 an establishment where certain fur-bearing animals, such as mink and fox, are bred and raised for their pelts, usually in pens or protected runs.

fur farmer

a person engaged in operating a fur farm (def. 1).

fur fort

a trading post, so called because many early posts were fortified.

fur freighter

a large canoe used for transporting furs.

fur highway

the route by which furs from the inland posts were transported to ports for shipment to markets abroad.

fur house

that part of a trading post where furs are stored, folded, and baled for shipment.

fur hunter

a person who hunts or traps fur-bearing animals.

fur mould

a device used for shaping folded furs into 90-pound packs during pressing.

fur nail

a special type of nail used for fixing pelts to a fur stretcher.

fur pack

n. a pack of goods or furs weighing about 90 pounds.

fur path

1 the route or trail followed by a trapper maintaining his series of traps.

fur pedlar

a person engaged in the fur trade.

fur post

a trading establishment of a fur company.

fur preserve

1 a region reserved for the hunting and trapping of fur-bearing animals.

fur press

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

fur ranch

an establishment where certain fur-bearing animals, such as mink and fox, are bred and raised for their pelts, usually in pens or protected runs.

fur ranching

the operating of a fur farm (def. 1).

fur shed

that part of a trading post where furs are stored, folded, and baled for shipment.

fur ship

a vessel carrying furs, usually from Canada to Europe.

fur station

a fur post, especially a small one in a remote district.

fur stretcher

a device, such as a willow wand fashioned into a hoop, or a thin board of appropriate shape, used by trappers to stretch their pelts to dry. See picture at stretcher.

fur trade

the business of trading in furs, especially with the Indians and Eskimos.

fur trade commissioner

fur trader

a person engaged in the fur trade.

fur trail

1 the route or trail followed by a trapper maintaining his series of traps.

fur train

a dog-sled transporting packs of furs.

fur vote

a fund established by the government to aid British Columbia trappers.

fur-farming

1 n. the operating of a fur farm (def. 1).

fur-hunting

n. the trapping of fur-bearing animals for sale of their pelts.

fur-loft

n. that part of a trading post where furs are stored, folded, and baled for shipment.

fur-runner

n. a company employee, often an Indian, who made fur-buying trips to the Indian hunting camps in the forest.

fur-running

n. the occupation of a fur-runner.

fur-trade marriage

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

fur-trading

n. trading in furs; the fur trade.

furposter

n. a person engaged in the fur trade.

furrier

1 n. a person who hunts or traps fur-bearing animals.

furriery

n. the trapping of fur-bearing animals for sale of their pelts.

furring

n. the trapping of fur-bearing animals for sale of their pelts.

furring grounds

a region in which fur-bearing animals are numerous and where commercial trapping is carried on.

fusil† 

Fyfe