Browse Entries: G

there are 397 entries under the letter G

G.O.M.

Grand Old Man, with reference to Sir John A. Macdonald in his later political career.

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G.O.P. of Canada

the Conservative Party, especially under the leadership of Sir John A. Macdonald.

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G.P.C.

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.

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G.P.Currency

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Gabby Islander

See quote.

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gable-end

n. a summer kitchen, wood-shed, etc. attached to a house.

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gadnipper

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

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gaff

n. See 1883 quote.

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Gagging Bill

a bill passed in Upper Canada in 1819, prohibiting the holding of political conventions.

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galet

n. a rocky place, a gravel bank.

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galette

n. a flat, unleavened cake made by baking in a frying pan or by covering with hot ashes in a fireplace.

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Galician

1 n. one of the many Slavic immigrants, particularly Ukrainians, coming to Canada from central Europe in the late 1800's and later.

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galley

n. See 1860 quote in Ojibwa snowshoe.

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galley-devil

n. a cook's helper on a whaler.

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galoot

n. a smallish white goose, Chen rossii, that breeds in the Far North.

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gambling stick

a small stick used by many Indian tribes to keep score when gambling. Those of the Pacific coast were beautifully made and decorated.

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gambling stone

a small stone, often hang a carved design, used by Indians in gambling games such as bowl and beans.

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game guardian

a government official whose duties include the enforcing of hunting and fishing regulations.

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game inspector

a government official whose duties include the enforcing of hunting and fishing regulations.

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game misconduct (penalty)

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.

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game of the platter

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game preserve

a large tract of land and forest set aside by the government for the protection of wildlife.

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game refuge

a large tract of land and forest set aside by the government for the protection of wildlife.

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game reserve

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game sanctuary

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game trail 

a path beaten by wild animals.

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game warden

a government official whose duties include the enforcing of hunting and fishing regulations.

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gang

n. a work-crew of loggers (def. 1).

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gap ((n.))

n. an entrance between two islands (or an island and the mainland) to a harbor or inner bay.

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gap ((v.))

v. cross by boat.

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garbage dump 

a place where garbage and other refuse are disposed of.

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garbage fish

fish of no commercial value, such as coarse fish or lampreys.

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garbage rack

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.

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Garden Island schooner

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.

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Garry oak

a species of oak, Quercus garryana, native to southwestern British Columbia and the Pacific coast to the south; Pacific oak.

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gas boat

a boat powered by a gasoline engine.

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gas cache

a supply of gasoline stored in drums, used especially for refuelling aircraft.

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gas speeder

See jigger (def. 3) 1934 quote.

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gas-car

n. See jigger (def. 3) 1934 quote.

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gasher

n. See quote.

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gasoline boat

a boat powered by a gasoline engine.

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gasoline cache

a supply of gasoline stored in drums, used especially for refuelling aircraft.

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gasoline canoe

a canoe driven by an outboard motor.

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gasoline car

See jigger (def. 3) 1934 quote.

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gasoline speeder

See jigger (def. 3) 1934 quote.

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gaspereau

n. a bony species of herring, Alosa pseudoharengus, of the eastern seaboard and Great Lakes.

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Gaspesia

n. the Gaspé.

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Gaspesian ((adj.))

adj. of or adjacent to the Gaspé.

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Gaspesian ((n.))

n. a native or inhabitant of the Gaspé, a peninsula in southeast Quebec, lying between Chaleur Bay and the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

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Gastown

n. See 1964 quote.

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gear

n. a commercial fishing vessel and its crew collectively.

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geddie

n. a breed of dog used by certain Athabascan Indians as a draft animal.

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gee

v. "wheel to the right," a command to sled-dogs.

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gee-pole

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.

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geesewark

n. in Indian parlance, a measure of days; calendar.

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Gemini

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.

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General List

the list of Indians who receive treaty money but are not attached to a band recognized by the federal government.

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general store

1 See quote.

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Gens

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.

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gentleman

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

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gentleman's pemmican

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Gentlemen Adventurers

a common misnomer of the Hudson's Bay Company, "The Company of Adventurers of England Trading into Hudson's Bay."

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German sock

one of a pair of long over-stockings having drawstrings at the top, used for protection against cold.

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get into the ice

go through river or lake ice into the water, especially when in a horse-drawn vehicle.

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get out

get a radio signal to the outside.

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ghost car

an unmarked automobile used by policemen in plain clothes to apprehend persons who are speeding or breaking the law in other ways.

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ghost flower

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

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giant willow herb

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

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giddee

n. a breed of dog used by certain Athabascan Indians as a draft animal.

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giddé

n. a breed of dog used by certain Athabascan Indians as a draft animal.

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gillie

n. See 1860 quote in Ojibwa snowshoe.

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Ginger Group

1 See quote.

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girdle 

v. See quotes.

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girdling 

n. the process of cutting a ring through the bark of a tree, thus cutting off the flow of sap and eventually killing it.

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Gitchi Manitou

the supreme deity of the Crees, Ojibwas, and related tribes, identified by some whites and Christian Indians with God.

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give-away dance

a modified festival and ceremony taking the form of a present-giving party after the passing of the Potlatch Law.

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give-away festival

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Giver of Life

a literal translation of the Gitchi Manitou, considered by Christian Indians and whites as the Indian manifestation or concept of God.

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glacier

n. a cold-storage pit for preserving food, especially meat and fish.

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glacier lily

any of several alpine plants of the genus Erythronium having white or yellow flowers.

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glade 

n. an open stretch or patch in the frozen surface of a waterway.

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gladed ice

an ice surface broken by glades.

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glare ((adj.))

adj. of ice, smooth, translucent and slippery.

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glare ((n.))

n. See glare ice.

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glare ice

1 smooth, translucent, slippery ice on lakes and rivers.

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glare-crust

n. the shiny, slippery surface that forms on a layer of snow the top of which has melted and re-frozen.

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glareness

n. the quality of being glare.

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glaze

v. put a glaze of ice on dog-sled runners to reduce friction when the sled is in motion.

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glib ice

smooth, translucent, slippery ice on lakes and rivers.

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glitter

1 n. a freezing rain that covers all exposed surfaces with glistening ice.

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glitter over

become coated with ice as a result of a silver thaw.

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Glooscap

n. a legendary demi-god of the Micmacs, Malecites, and kindred Indian tribes, revered as a mighty warrior and magician.

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Glorious Twelfth 

July 12, celebrated annually by Orangemen in commemoration of King William's victory at the Battle of the Boyne.

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glory-fit

n. a state of emotional frenzy inspired by religious fervor.

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glutton 

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

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go astray

See quote.

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go for the big skate

See quote.

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go free

become a freeman (def. 1).

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go in

enter the Far North, especially by the rivers flowing into the Arctic Ocean.

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go Indian

of white men, adopt the ways of the Indian.

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go on timber

move on to the logs floating downstream in a drive (def. 1a), especially during a jam (def. 2).

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go out

1 of ice, break up in the spring and move with the current until melted.

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go outside

leave the North to visit or return to more settled areas.

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go-ahead goal

in hockey, etc., the goal necessary to give one's team the victory; the winning goal.

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go-devil

n. a crude sled formerly used in drawing logs out of the bush and in transporting goods over rough terrain.

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goat

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

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goat-antelope

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

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God's steamboat

a small steamer plying the coast of British Columbia.

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goelette

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.

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goers and comers

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

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Gold Colony

British Columbia.

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gold commissioner

See 1930 quote.

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gold country

a region in which gold is present, or believed to be present, in paying quantities.

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gold king

a miner striking it rich in the goldfields.

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gold pan 

a shallow iron pan used for washing gold from gravel.

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gold rush 

a vast movement of persons to a new goldfield.

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gold stampede

a vast movement of persons to a new goldfield.

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gold strike

the discovery of gold.

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gold town

a town whose economy is based on neighboring gold mines.

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gold trail

the route leading to a goldfield or to a hoped-for gold strike.

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gold-bar

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

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gold-eyed carp

a small edible fish, Hiodon alosoides, native to the Lake Winnipeg region, but now found over a wider range in the Northwest.

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gold-eyed herring

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gold-hunter

n. a person who prospects for gold.

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Golden Bowler

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.

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golden eagle

a large North American eagle, Aquila chrysaetos.

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Golden Horseshoe

See quotes.

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golden pass

See quote.

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Golden Spike

a golden spike used in the ceremony of driving the last spike of a railway line.

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Golden West

the Prairie Provinces.

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goldeye

n. a small edible fish, Hiodon alosoides, native to the Lake Winnipeg region, but now found over a wider range in the Northwest.

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gondola

n. a broadcasting booth rigged near the roof of an arena for the use of play-by-play announcers of hockey games, etc.

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good Indian

an Indian friendly to the whites; a peaceful Indian.

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good medicine

in Indian parlance, any auspicious action, event, or thing; good luck.

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good water

in rivers or lakes, water that makes for easy canoeing.

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goods

n. items to be bartered for furs.

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goods price

in pioneer days, a price set on an article of merchandise to be bought by trade or barter rather than for cash.

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goolie

n. a person of Icelandic extraction.

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goose camp

a camp used for the hunting of geese.

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goose ground

a region where geese are plentiful.

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goose hunt

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.

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goose month

the month in which the spring migration of geese occurs, roughly from mid-March to mid-April.

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goose moon

See 1749 quote.

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goose stand

a type of blind used in hunting geese.

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goose tent

a shelter of wood or of willow branches used as a blind in a goose hunt.

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goose winter

a spring storm of wet snow arriving in the goose month.

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goose-grass

n. any of several herbs supposedly eaten by geese, especially silverweed, Polygonum aviculare, and horsetail, Equisetum sp.

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goosefoot maple 

a small maple, Acer pensylvanicum, found in central and eastern Canada.

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gopher

1 n. one of several kinds of small ground squirrels.

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gopher hawk

the ferruginous rough-leg hawk, Archibuteo ferrugineus, whose principal food is gophers.

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gopher ranch

a ranch or farm having more gophers than cattle; a place that produces more gophers than anything else.

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gopher-getter

n. a poison for exterminating gophers.

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gophering

n. the digging of small mines; prospecting and digging.

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gore

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.

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Gourlayism

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.

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Government House

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.

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government liquor store

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.

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government reserve

a tract of unsettled land belonging to the Crown.

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governor

1 n. the person in charge of a fort or factory of the Hudson's Bay Company.

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governor general 

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.

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governor-general's warrant

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.

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governor-general-in-council

n. the governor general acting with the advice and consent of the Privy Council of Canada as a formal instrument for legalizing cabinet decisions.

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governor-in-chief

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.

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governor-in-council 

n. in Canada, a colonial governor acting with the advice but not necessarily the consent of the executive council (def. 1).

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Grade 13

a fifth year of secondary school.

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graduand 

n. a person qualified for and about to receive a graduation diploma or a degree.

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grain elevator 

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.

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grain fair

a fair where wheat, barley, oats, etc. are exhibited and judged.

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grain king

a successful producer of grain, especially wheat, on a large scale.

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grain tank

a large, high box built on a wagon or truck bed and used for hauling grain.

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grammar school 

a tax-supported secondary school; high school.

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Grand Banks

the extensive shoals, or bank (def. 1), lying southeast of Newfoundland, famous as cod-fishing grounds.

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Grand Brulé

a large area of burnt-over forest land (latterly only in French-Canadian place names).

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grand calumet

a calumet, used on ceremonial occasions.

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Grand Carrying Place

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.

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grand marais

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grand medicine

among certain Indian tribes, a solemn initiation ceremony admitting novices to higher knowledge of medicine (def. 1)

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Grand Medicine Society

See midewewin.

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grand muskeg

See quote.

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Grand Old Party

the Conservative Party, especially under the leadership of Sir John A. Macdonald.

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Grand Portage

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.

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Grand Portage currency

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.

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Grand River

an early name of the Ottawa River, taken over from the French-Canadian explorers.

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Grand River canoe

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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grand voyageur

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grand voyer

a municipal official responsible for the surveying, building, and maintenance of the roads and road allowances in a district; a road commissioner.

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gras

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

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grass hockey

field hockey (as opposed to ice hockey).

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grass roots 

1 the top stratum of gravel immediately below the grass roots.

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grass-line

1 n. a light line used to haul back heavier lines.

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gravel puncher

a miner using primitive equipment.

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Graveyard of the (North) Atlantic

See 1958 quote.

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Gray

n. a partner or engagé of the North West Company.

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gray bear

1a a large and, often, ferocious bear, Ursus horribilis, nowadays largely confined to the northern Rockies.

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gray birch

a small species of birch, Betula populifolia, native to the Maritimes, southern Quebec and eastern Ontario.

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gray cod

the Pacific cod, Gadus macrocephalus.

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gray crow

Clarke's nutcracker, Nucifraga columbiana.

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gray goose

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

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gray jay 

a gray, crestless jay, Perisoreus canadensis.

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gray moose

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

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gray pine 

a species of pine, Pinus banksiana.

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gray rabbit

the common N. American rabbit, Sylvilagus floridanus.

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gray seal

a large seal of the North Atlantic, Halichoerus grypus.

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gray sheep

a sub-species of the mountain sheep, Ovis canadensis stonei, found in northern British Columbia and adjacent parts of the Yukon.

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gray trout

a North American char, Cristivomer namaycush, having important commercial value.

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gray wavey

a grayish-brown goose, Anser albifrons, having a white face and a black-blotched breast and breeding in the Canadian Arctic.

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gray wolf 

1 the great wolf of the plains, Canis lupus nubilus.

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gray-out

n. See quote.

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grayback

n. a large ocean wave.

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grayfish 

n. the dogfish, Squalus suckleyi.

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grayling

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

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grazing lease

a tract of land set aside for the grazing of livestock and leased to ranchers by the government.

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grease

n. the rendered fat of large mammals, especially the bison, used as food, in pemmican, and in the making of soap and candles.

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grease bannock

v. a kind of bannock having animal grease as an ingredient.

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grease bird

a gray, crestless jay, Perisoreus canadensis.

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grease cake

a kind of bannock having animal grease as an ingredient

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grease ice

See quote.

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grease trail

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.

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greasewood

n. the antelope bush, Purshia tridentata.

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Great Banks

the extensive shoals, or bank (def. 1), lying southeast of Newfoundland, famous as cod-fishing grounds.

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Great Barren Ground

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Great Barrens Ground

the inhospitable tundra, of northern Canada.

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great bend

an extensive curve in a river's course, used often as a point of reference.

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Great Canada Road

the first overland road to Lower Canada from New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.

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great cat

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

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Great Company

See 1963 quote.

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Great Confederacy

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

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Great 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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Great Father

in Indian parlance, the King of England.

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great furs

the pelts of large animals such as beaver, bear, and moose.

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great horned owl

a common North American owl, Bubo virginianus. See 1748 quote.

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great house

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

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Great House

in Indian parlance, the home of the Great Father.

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Great Lake

1 in Indian parlance: Lake Superior.

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great lake

one of the Great Lakes.

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Great Lakes

Lakes Ontario, Erie, Huron, Michigan, and Superior.

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Great Leader

in Indian parlance, the King of England.

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Great Lone Land

the Canadian Northwest.

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Great Mother

in Indian parlance, Queen Victoria.

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Great Plain(s) 

the region of the prairie (def. 2a)

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Great Plains grizzly

a huge grizzly bear, Ursus horribilis horribilis, once found on the prairies and now probably extinct.

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Great Spirit

a literal translation of Gitchi Manitou, considered by Christian Indians and whites as the Indian manifestation or concept of God.

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great war chief

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Great West

the vast region north and west of Lake Superior, as known by the fur traders and explorers.

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Great White Chief

in Indian parlance, the King of England.

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Great White Father

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Great White Land

the Arctic and sub-Arctic regions of Canada.

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Great White Mother

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Greater Ontario

that part of the present province of Ontario formally added in 1912; Northern Ontario.

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greater snow goose

a white goose, such as the snow goose, or the lesser snow goose.

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green

adj. relating to the green fishery.

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Green Chamber

the Canadian House of Commons, so called because of the color scheme of the chamber.

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green cheese

See quote.

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green Christmas 

A Christmas Day devoid of snow and characterized by mild weather.

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green cod

See green fish 1965 quote.

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green fish

1 See 1965 quote.

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green fishery

See quote.

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green hand

1 See greenhorn (def. 1) 1920 quote.

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green hornet

See quote.

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green ice

salt-water ice in a melting state.

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green man 

See 1964 quote.

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green meat

fresh meat, as opposed to dried meat or pemmican.

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green moccasin

See quote.

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green-fish catcher

1 n. a fisherman.

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green-spruce tea

an infusion of boiled tender spruce shoots, used for the prevention of scurvy.

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greenback 

n. a banknote; a bill of paper money.

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greenchain

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.

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greener

n. a newly arrived immigrant.

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greenhide

1 n. undressed hide; rawhide.

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greenhorn

1 n. See 1920 quote.

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greenshank moccasin

See green moccasin quote.

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greenwoods

n. pl. forest that has not been affected by fires, as opposed to burnt woods.

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Grey

n. a partner or engagé of the North West Company.

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grey

(in compounds) See under gray.

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Grey Cup

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.

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Grey Nun

a member of a congregation of nuns founded in 1747 in Montreal, devoted to social service.

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Grey Sister

a member of a congregation of nuns founded in 1747 in Montreal, devoted to social service.

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grid (road) system

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.

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grid road

a rural road built under the grid system.

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grievance monger

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.

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Grievance, the

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.

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grillade

n. meat, especially salt pork, fried in grease.

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grinder

n. See quote.

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grip-stick

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.

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gris

n. a once-popular eating apple native to Canada.

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grisel bear

a large and, often, ferocious bear, Ursus horribilis, nowadays largely confined to the northern Rockies.

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grisley bear

a large and, often, ferocious bear, Ursus horribilis, nowadays largely confined to the northern Rockies.

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grisly bear

a large and, often, ferocious bear, Ursus horribilis, nowadays largely confined to the northern Rockies.

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Grit

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

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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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Grit(t)ism

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

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Gritty

adj. reflecting Clear Grit political views.

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grizzle bear

a large and, often, ferocious bear, Ursus horribilis, nowadays largely confined to the northern Rockies.

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grizzled bear

a large and, often, ferocious bear, Ursus horribilis, nowadays largely confined to the northern Rockies.

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grizzly

1 n. a large and, often, ferocious bear, Ursus horribilis, nowadays largely confined to the northern Rockies.

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grizzly bear

a large and, often, ferocious bear, Ursus horribilis, nowadays largely confined to the northern Rockies.

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grizzly head

See quote.

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grocery 

n. See grocery store (def. 2) quote.

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grocery store 

1 a shop where groceries may be bought.

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groceteria

n. a self-service grocery store.

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grog-boss

n. the person in charge of serving the whisky or other liquor at a bee.

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groggery 

n. a low-class tavern.

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gronker

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

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Groscap

n. a legendary demi-god of the Micmacs, Malecites, and kindred Indian tribes, revered as a mighty warrior and magician.

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grosse bosse

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

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ground birch

the dwarf birch, Betula glandulosa.

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ground cedar

one of several species of club moss, especially Lycopodium complanatum or L. tristachyum.

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ground chuck

a large burrowing rodent, Marmota monax, common in eastern and central Canada.

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ground cranberry

the mountain or rock cranberry, Vaccinium vitis-idaea var. minus.

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ground cruising

surveying on the ground as opposed to in the air.

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ground hemlock

the Canadian yew, Taxus canadensis.

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ground juniper

the dwarf juniper, Juniperus horizontalis.

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ground lead

a method of yarding logs by dragging them along the ground by means of a cable and a donkey engine.

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ground pine

a type of club moss, Lycopodium obscurum.

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ground sleigh

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

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ground squirrel 

any of several squirrel-like animals living largely on the ground, usually applied to the genus Spermophilus.

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ground-drift

n. snow driven along the surface by wind.

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ground-drifter

n. a cold wind that creates ground-drifts.

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groundhog

1 n. a large burrowing rodent, Marmota monax, common in eastern and central Canada.

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groundhog day 

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.

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grounds

n. pl. a region where hunting, trapping, and fishing is carried on.

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group box

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.

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grove

n. a timber stand.

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growler

n. See 1958 quote.

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grub camp

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

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grub run

a trip made for the purpose of carrying provisions.

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grub(b) ((n.))

n. See quotes.

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grub(b) ((v.))

v. secure the pieces of a raft together with grubs.

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grub-bag

n. a bag or sack in which to keep provisions while on the trail.

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grub-box

n. a special box for carrying cooking utensils and food on any sort of expedition.

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grub-house

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

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grub-pile 

1 n. a store of provisions.

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grub-rider

n. See 1962 quote.

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grub-sack

n. a bag or sack in which to keep provisions while on the trail.

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grub-sled

n. a sled carrying provisions.

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grubstake ((n.))

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.

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grubstake ((v.))

1a v. provide with a grubstake.

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grubstake claim

a mining claim providing a modest income; a claim that produces a relatively small amount of gold.

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grubstake program

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.

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grubstaker 

1 n. the recipient of a grubstake.

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grubstaking system

the practice of providing trappers with a grubstake.

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grunt 

n. a steamed pudding or dumpling made with small fruits, such as blueberries or huckleberries.

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guard

1 n. an enclosed pasture near a fur post or fort where spare horses were kept under surveillance.

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guard hair 

the coarse, glossy hair protecting the soft under-hair on a fur-bearing animal.

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guard line

in the bush, a strip of land cleared of trees and brush and intended to stop the advance of a forest fire.

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guard room

See 1941 quote.

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guide ((n.))

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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guide ((v.))

v. act as a guide (def. 3) (for).

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guiding

n. employment as a guide (def. 3).

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guignoleux

n. pl. groups of young men taking part in a Guignolée.

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Guignolée

n. See 1959 quote.

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gulch 

1 n. a ravine or large gully in a hillside, especially one flooded by freshets. Older, gulsh.

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Gulf Islander

a native or resident of one of the many islands lying between Vancouver Island and the mainland in the Gulf of Georgia.

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Gulf shore

the shore of the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

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gum ((n.))

1 n. a resinous substance exuded from certain evergreen trees, especially the spruce, as used for waterproofing the seams of birchbark canoes.

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gum ((v.))

v. render (a birchbark canoe) water-tight by applying gum (def. 1) to the seams.

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gum bed

See quotes.

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gum-stick

n. a stick of pine saturated with pitch or gum (def. 1), carried on the trail for kindling campfires.

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gum-sugar

n. a kind of maple sugar. See quotes.

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gumbo 

1 n. See 1902 quote.

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gumboot

1 n. a rubber boot, reaching to just below the knee.

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gunk-hole ((n.))

n. a tiny cove having deep water right to the rock face which constitutes the shore.

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gunk-hole ((v.))

v. move from one gunk-hole to another, fishing and idling.

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gunnybag

v. beat out a prairie fire with wet sacks.

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gunnysack

n. among miners and loggers, second-rate; unattractive; stingy; badly equipped; poorly organized.

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gunstock club

See casse-tête quotes. See also picture at casse-tête.

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gurdy

n. a hand- or machine-operated winch that winds fishing line on a drum as fish are hauled in.

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gurry 

the waste from cleaning fish; fish offal.

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gusperot

n. a bony species of herring, Alosa pseudoharengus, of the eastern seaboard and Great Lakes.

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gut sausage

See 1958 quote.

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gutskin

n. a kind of leather made from the large intestines of seals and whales.

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gyp(p)o

n. a small operator or contractor.

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gyp(p)o logger

a logger who works on a small scale, often on piecework or on land leased from a big lumber company.

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gypsy machine

a portable donkey engine.

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