Grand Old Man, with reference to Sir John A. Macdonald in his later political career.
Go to full entry >the Conservative Party, especially under the leadership of Sir John A. Macdonald.
Go to full entry >a scale of currency reckoned in French livres and used by the North West Company in their inland fur trade up to 1820, originally used by the French-Canadian traders.
Go to full entry >a bill passed in Upper Canada in 1819, prohibiting the holding of political conventions.
Go to full entry >n. a flat, unleavened cake made by baking in a frying pan or by covering with hot ashes in a fireplace.
Go to full entry >1 n. one of the many Slavic immigrants, particularly Ukrainians, coming to Canada from central Europe in the late 1800's and later.
Expand + | Go to full entry >a small stick used by many Indian tribes to keep score when gambling. Those of the Pacific coast were beautifully made and decorated.
Go to full entry >a small stone, often hang a carved design, used by Indians in gambling games such as bowl and beans.
Go to full entry >a government official whose duties include the enforcing of hunting and fishing regulations.
Go to full entry >a government official whose duties include the enforcing of hunting and fishing regulations.
Go to full entry >a penalty which, when imposed, banishes a player from the ice for such time as remains after the infraction. Such a penalty is automatic after three major penalties in one game and carries with it a fifty-dollar fine.
Go to full entry >a large tract of land and forest set aside by the government for the protection of wildlife.
Go to full entry >a large tract of land and forest set aside by the government for the protection of wildlife.
Go to full entry >a government official whose duties include the enforcing of hunting and fishing regulations.
Go to full entry >n. an entrance between two islands (or an island and the mainland) to a harbor or inner bay.
Go to full entry >a raised platform for garbage cans, protected on three sides by a fence and intended to prevent dogs and other animals from upsetting the cans.
Go to full entry >a sturdily built, schooner-rigged vessel made in the shipyards at Garden Island, off Kingston, Ontario, and used in the timber trade during the latter part of the nineteenth century, especially on the Great Lakes.
Go to full entry >a species of oak, Quercus garryana, native to southwestern British Columbia and the Pacific coast to the south; Pacific oak.
Go to full entry >a supply of gasoline stored in drums, used especially for refuelling aircraft.
Go to full entry >a supply of gasoline stored in drums, used especially for refuelling aircraft.
Go to full entry >n. a bony species of herring, Alosa pseudoharengus, of the eastern seaboard and Great Lakes.
Go to full entry >n. a native or inhabitant of the Gaspé, a peninsula in southeast Quebec, lying between Chaleur Bay and the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
Go to full entry >n. a strong hardwood pole, six to seven feet long, attached to the side of a dog-sled and extending ahead at an angle, used by the driver as a guiding device and as a support while the sled is in motion.
Go to full entry >n. a small tractor-trailer specially designed for cross-country hauling, as over muskeg, much of its weight being supported by an air cushion produced by a gas-turbine fan.
Go to full entry >the list of Indians who receive treaty money but are not attached to a band recognized by the federal government.
Go to full entry >n. people (used in various combinations by the traders and voyageurs to identify Indians of certain regions and fur-company men associated with certain departments). See quotes.
Go to full entry >n. in the Hudson's Bay Company, any officer of the rank of assistant clerk or above.
Go to full entry >a common misnomer of the Hudson's Bay Company, "The Company of Adventurers of England Trading into Hudson's Bay."
Go to full entry >one of a pair of long over-stockings having drawstrings at the top, used for protection against cold.
Go to full entry >go through river or lake ice into the water, especially when in a horse-drawn vehicle.
Go to full entry >an unmarked automobile used by policemen in plain clothes to apprehend persons who are speeding or breaking the law in other ways.
Go to full entry >a pale parasitic plant, Monotropa uniflora, found in compost in damp places.
Go to full entry >a plant of the genus Epilobium, especially E. angustifolium, the floral emblem of the Yukon.
Go to full entry >n. the process of cutting a ring through the bark of a tree, thus cutting off the flow of sap and eventually killing it.
Go to full entry >the supreme deity of the Crees, Ojibwas, and related tribes, identified by some whites and Christian Indians with God.
Go to full entry >a modified festival and ceremony taking the form of a present-giving party after the passing of the Potlatch Law.
Go to full entry >a literal translation of the Gitchi Manitou, considered by Christian Indians and whites as the Indian manifestation or concept of God.
Go to full entry >any of several alpine plants of the genus Erythronium having white or yellow flowers.
Go to full entry >n. the shiny, slippery surface that forms on a layer of snow the top of which has melted and re-frozen.
Go to full entry >v. put a glaze of ice on dog-sled runners to reduce friction when the sled is in motion.
Go to full entry >1 n. a freezing rain that covers all exposed surfaces with glistening ice.
Expand + | Go to full entry >n. a legendary demi-god of the Micmacs, Malecites, and kindred Indian tribes, revered as a mighty warrior and magician.
Go to full entry >July 12, celebrated annually by Orangemen in commemoration of King William's victory at the Battle of the Boyne.
Go to full entry >n. a large fur-bearing animal, Gulo luscus, of the northern forests and tundra, noted for its guile and craftiness.
Go to full entry >enter the Far North, especially by the rivers flowing into the Arctic Ocean.
Go to full entry >move on to the logs floating downstream in a drive (def. 1a), especially during a jam (def. 2).
Go to full entry >1 of ice, break up in the spring and move with the current until melted.
Expand + | Go to full entry >in hockey, etc., the goal necessary to give one's team the victory; the winning goal.
Go to full entry >n. a crude sled formerly used in drawing logs out of the bush and in transporting goods over rough terrain.
Go to full entry >1a n. the pronghorn, Antilocapra americana, of the southern prairies.
Expand + | Go to full entry >n. a flat-bottomed, motor-driven vessel built mainly on the Ile aux Coudres and used for carrying freight on the St. Lawrence River and occasionally on the Lower Lakes.
Go to full entry >voyageurs plying between Quebec and the fur country, especially the porkeaters (def. 1a).
Go to full entry >a region in which gold is present, or believed to be present, in paying quantities.
Go to full entry >n. a ridge of sand or gravel above the surface or along the shore of a stream in which gold has been found.
Go to full entry >a small edible fish, Hiodon alosoides, native to the Lake Winnipeg region, but now found over a wider range in the Northwest.
Go to full entry >a compulsory retirement plan, instituted in 1965, whereby surplus servicemen in the Canadian forces were discharged with a substantial bonus and pension; also, such a discharge.
Go to full entry >a golden spike used in the ceremony of driving the last spike of a railway line.
Go to full entry >n. a small edible fish, Hiodon alosoides, native to the Lake Winnipeg region, but now found over a wider range in the Northwest.
Go to full entry >n. a broadcasting booth rigged near the roof of an arena for the use of play-by-play announcers of hockey games, etc.
Go to full entry >in Indian parlance, any auspicious action, event, or thing; good luck.
Go to full entry >in pioneer days, a price set on an article of merchandise to be bought by trade or barter rather than for cash.
Go to full entry >at the Hudson Bay trading posts, an organized shoot during the spring and fall migration to lay in a supply of geese to be salted or frozen for food.
Go to full entry >the month in which the spring migration of geese occurs, roughly from mid-March to mid-April.
Go to full entry >a shelter of wood or of willow branches used as a blind in a goose hunt.
Go to full entry >n. any of several herbs supposedly eaten by geese, especially silverweed, Polygonum aviculare, and horsetail, Equisetum sp.
Go to full entry >a small maple, Acer pensylvanicum, found in central and eastern Canada.
Go to full entry >the ferruginous rough-leg hawk, Archibuteo ferrugineus, whose principal food is gophers.
Go to full entry >a ranch or farm having more gophers than cattle; a place that produces more gophers than anything else.
Go to full entry >1 n. a parcel of land remaining after a region had been surveyed into townships, concessions, and lots of uniform size, such parcels being usually unassigned and frequently a bone of contention.
Expand + | Go to full entry >n. the principles and policy of Robert Gourlay, 1778-1863, an outspoken Scot who publicly opposed the oligarchy in Upper Canada in 1818, being imprisoned and deported for his pains. Hence Gourlayite.
Go to full entry >the official residence of the monarch's representative, in modern use that of the Governor General (Rideau Hall in Ottawa) or of the Lieutenant-Governor of a province.
Go to full entry >an outlet for the sale of liquor, beer, and wines, operated by the liquor control board of a province or the liquor commission of a territory.
Go to full entry >1 n. the person in charge of a fort or factory of the Hudson's Bay Company.
Expand + | Go to full entry >the representative of the monarch in executive control in one of the provinces of British North America; in modern use, the representative appointed on the advice of the Canadian government to act on behalf of the Queen (or King) of Canada.
Go to full entry >warrant a legal device by which a government after dissolution and prior to an election may raise money to meet its current bills in the interim preceding the convening of a new parliament.
Go to full entry >n. the governor general acting with the advice and consent of the Privy Council of Canada as a formal instrument for legalizing cabinet decisions.
Go to full entry >1 n. the representative of the monarch in executive control in one of the provinces of British North America; in modern use, the representative appointed on the advice of the Canadian government to act on behalf of the Queen (or King) of Canada.
Expand + | Go to full entry >n. in Canada, a colonial governor acting with the advice but not necessarily the consent of the executive council (def. 1).
Go to full entry >n. a person qualified for and about to receive a graduation diploma or a degree.
Go to full entry >1 a specially designed building equipped to unload grain from trucks, carry it to a storage area, and, when required, transfer it to railway cars.
Expand + | Go to full entry >a large, high box built on a wagon or truck bed and used for hauling grain.
Go to full entry >the extensive shoals, or bank (def. 1), lying southeast of Newfoundland, famous as cod-fishing grounds.
Go to full entry >a large area of burnt-over forest land (latterly only in French-Canadian place names).
Go to full entry >a rendezvous point for fur traders at the Lake Superior end of the long portage to the Rainy River waterway, used by the North West Company as the main entrepôt between Montreal and the inland posts of the Northwest.
Go to full entry >among certain Indian tribes, a solemn initiation ceremony admitting novices to higher knowledge of medicine (def. 1)
Go to full entry >the Conservative Party, especially under the leadership of Sir John A. Macdonald.
Go to full entry >a rendezvous point for fur traders at the Lake Superior end of the long portage to the Rainy River waterway, used by the North West Company as the main entrepôt between Montreal and the inland posts of the Northwest.
Go to full entry >a scale of currency reckoned in French livres and used by the North West Company in their inland fur trade up to 1820, originally used by the French-Canadian traders.
Go to full entry >an early name of the Ottawa River, taken over from the French-Canadian explorers.
Go to full entry >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.
Go to full entry >a municipal official responsible for the surveying, building, and maintenance of the roads and road allowances in a district; a road commissioner.
Go to full entry >1 the top stratum of gravel immediately below the grass roots.
Expand + | Go to full entry >1a a large and, often, ferocious bear, Ursus horribilis, nowadays largely confined to the northern Rockies.
Expand + | Go to full entry >a small species of birch, Betula populifolia, native to the Maritimes, southern Quebec and eastern Ontario.
Go to full entry >1 a kind of large gray goose, Branta canadensis, with a black head and neck and white cheek patches.
Expand + | Go to full entry >1 a large ruminant mammal, Alces alces, of the northern forests.
Expand + | Go to full entry >a sub-species of the mountain sheep, Ovis canadensis stonei, found in northern British Columbia and adjacent parts of the Yukon.
Go to full entry >a North American char, Cristivomer namaycush, having important commercial value.
Go to full entry >a grayish-brown goose, Anser albifrons, having a white face and a black-blotched breast and breeding in the Canadian Arctic.
Go to full entry >n. a silver-gray freshwater fish, Thymallus arcticus, of the trout family, found in northern waters
Go to full entry >a tract of land set aside for the grazing of livestock and leased to ranchers by the government.
Go to full entry >n. the rendered fat of large mammals, especially the bison, used as food, in pemmican, and in the making of soap and candles.
Go to full entry >any of a number of ancient trails leading from the Pacific Coast into the interior of British Columbia, used by Indians for the trade in oolichan oil and other items.
Go to full entry >the extensive shoals, or bank (def. 1), lying southeast of Newfoundland, famous as cod-fishing grounds.
Go to full entry >an extensive curve in a river's course, used often as a point of reference.
Go to full entry >the first overland road to Lower Canada from New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.
Go to full entry >a large, wild cat, Felis concolor, once common but now confined to southwestern Canada.
Go to full entry >the original Iroquois Confederation of Senecas, Cayugas, Onendagas, Oneidas, and Mohawks, later (c1722) joined by the Tuscaroras to form the Six Nations.
Go to full entry >the great watershed in the Rockies which divides the rivers flowing west to the Pacific from those flowing east and north; the Great Divide.
Go to full entry >1 the residence and office of the officer in charge of a fur-trading post.
Expand + | Go to full entry >a huge grizzly bear, Ursus horribilis horribilis, once found on the prairies and now probably extinct.
Go to full entry >a literal translation of Gitchi Manitou, considered by Christian Indians and whites as the Indian manifestation or concept of God.
Go to full entry >the vast region north and west of Lake Superior, as known by the fur traders and explorers.
Go to full entry >that part of the present province of Ontario formally added in 1912; Northern Ontario.
Go to full entry >a white goose, such as the snow goose, or the lesser snow goose.
Go to full entry >the Canadian House of Commons, so called because of the color scheme of the chamber.
Go to full entry >A Christmas Day devoid of snow and characterized by mild weather.
Go to full entry >an infusion of boiled tender spruce shoots, used for the prevention of scurvy.
Go to full entry >n. an endless-belt system carrying cut-and-marked lumber from the sawyer to the sorters, so called because the lumber is unseasoned, or green.
Go to full entry >n. pl. forest that has not been affected by fires, as opposed to burnt woods.
Go to full entry >1 the cup, first presented in 1909, awarded annually to the champion professional football team in Canada; also, the game played to decide the winner of this cup.
Expand + | Go to full entry >a member of a congregation of nuns founded in 1747 in Montreal, devoted to social service.
Go to full entry >a member of a congregation of nuns founded in 1747 in Montreal, devoted to social service.
Go to full entry >a method of laying out new roads such that the distance between them will be two miles north to south and one mile east and west.
Go to full entry >a name applied by their opponents to the early Reformers (def. 1) of Upper Canada, from the list of thirty-one grievances presented by William Lyon Mackenzie in 1829.
Go to full entry >the complaint that the Maritime provinces lost out economically as a result of Confederation, their home markets being opened up to the producers of central Canada and their U.S. markets being sealed off by tariff barriers.
Go to full entry >n. a short length of wood attached to each end of the thong used to rotate a firedrill (a stick used for making fire). See picture at fire-board.
Go to full entry >a large and, often, ferocious bear, Ursus horribilis, nowadays largely confined to the northern Rockies.
Go to full entry >a large and, often, ferocious bear, Ursus horribilis, nowadays largely confined to the northern Rockies.
Go to full entry >a large and, often, ferocious bear, Ursus horribilis, nowadays largely confined to the northern Rockies.
Go to full entry >n. a supporter of the movement which took form as the Clear Grit Party; an adherent of the Clear Grit Party.
Go to full entry >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.
Go to full entry >n. the principles and policies of the Clear Grits; the platform of the Clear Grit Party.
Go to full entry >a large and, often, ferocious bear, Ursus horribilis, nowadays largely confined to the northern Rockies.
Go to full entry >a large and, often, ferocious bear, Ursus horribilis, nowadays largely confined to the northern Rockies.
Go to full entry >1 n. a large and, often, ferocious bear, Ursus horribilis, nowadays largely confined to the northern Rockies.
Expand + | Go to full entry >a large and, often, ferocious bear, Ursus horribilis, nowadays largely confined to the northern Rockies.
Go to full entry >n. a kind of large gray goose, Branta canadensis, with a black head and neck and white cheek patches.
Go to full entry >n. a legendary demi-god of the Micmacs, Malecites, and kindred Indian tribes, revered as a mighty warrior and magician.
Go to full entry >the spinous process on the vertebrae in the hump above the shoulders of a buffalo, much prized as a delicacy.
Go to full entry >one of several species of club moss, especially Lycopodium complanatum or L. tristachyum.
Go to full entry >a large burrowing rodent, Marmota monax, common in eastern and central Canada.
Go to full entry >the mountain or rock cranberry, Vaccinium vitis-idaea var. minus.
Go to full entry >a method of yarding logs by dragging them along the ground by means of a cable and a donkey engine.
Go to full entry >a low sledlike contrivance, sometimes having shaped log-runners, used for removing stones from fields and for other heavy hauling. See picture at stoneboat.
Go to full entry >any of several squirrel-like animals living largely on the ground, usually applied to the genus Spermophilus.
Go to full entry >1 n. a large burrowing rodent, Marmota monax, common in eastern and central Canada.
Expand + | Go to full entry >February 2, the day on which the groundhog (def. 1) is supposed to come out of his burrow to determine the length of time remaining till spring; the legend being that he will anticipate an additional six weeks of hard winter if he should see his shadow and a relatively mild period if he should not.
Go to full entry >one of a number of mail boxes tiered on one frame or stand, used on rural routes for the convenience of persons in small suburban communities.
Go to full entry >n. a special box for carrying cooking utensils and food on any sort of expedition.
Go to full entry >n. in a work camp, a building where cooking is done and meals are served.
Go to full entry >1 n. an arrangement by which a person or company provides money to outfit a prospector with food and equipment in return for a share (often one half) in any strike the prospector may make; also, the money or supplies involved in such an arrangement.
Expand + | Go to full entry >a mining claim providing a modest income; a claim that produces a relatively small amount of gold.
Go to full entry >a program by which money is provided in varying amounts as an incentive to prospectors to search for minerals in specified areas and over a minimum period of time.
Go to full entry >n. a steamed pudding or dumpling made with small fruits, such as blueberries or huckleberries.
Go to full entry >1 n. an enclosed pasture near a fur post or fort where spare horses were kept under surveillance.
Expand + | Go to full entry >the coarse, glossy hair protecting the soft under-hair on a fur-bearing animal.
Go to full entry >in the bush, a strip of land cleared of trees and brush and intended to stop the advance of a forest fire.
Go to full entry >1 n. the pilot or guide in charge of a brigade of canoes or other vessels, or of one vessel only.
Expand + | Go to full entry >1 n. a ravine or large gully in a hillside, especially one flooded by freshets. Older, gulsh.
Expand + | Go to full entry >a native or resident of one of the many islands lying between Vancouver Island and the mainland in the Gulf of Georgia.
Go to full entry >1 n. a resinous substance exuded from certain evergreen trees, especially the spruce, as used for waterproofing the seams of birchbark canoes.
Expand + | Go to full entry >v. render (a birchbark canoe) water-tight by applying gum (def. 1) to the seams.
Go to full entry >n. a stick of pine saturated with pitch or gum (def. 1), carried on the trail for kindling campfires.
Go to full entry >n. a tiny cove having deep water right to the rock face which constitutes the shore.
Go to full entry >n. among miners and loggers, second-rate; unattractive; stingy; badly equipped; poorly organized.
Go to full entry >n. a hand- or machine-operated winch that winds fishing line on a drum as fish are hauled in.
Go to full entry >n. a bony species of herring, Alosa pseudoharengus, of the eastern seaboard and Great Lakes.
Go to full entry >a logger who works on a small scale, often on piecework or on land leased from a big lumber company.
Go to full entry >