oak plain

a relatively open tract of light, sandy soil supporting only a few oak trees in contrast to heavily wooded surroundings.

oakchoak

oakjook

oakjuk

oatmeal Chinaman

n. among goldseekers in the Cariboo, a person from the Canadas; a Canadian.

oatmeal savage

a Scotsman.

oats

n. pl. See wild rice 1963 quote.

occupation ticket

See location ticket 1822 quote.

ochima

off-the-act Indian

an Indian who is not classed as a registered Indian, and to whom the Indian Act does not apply.

offside ancestor

a non-white ancestor; an Indian ancestor.

ogama

ogema(h)

1 n. chief; war chief; great man.

oghema

ogima

ogjuk

Ogopogo

n. a famed monster reported as being seen from time to time in Okanagan Lake, B.C.

oguk(e)

oil camp

a location where an oil company is drilling for oil.

oil coal

oil fever

excitement caused by desire to profit from an oil discovery, as in Petrolia, Ontario, about 1860.

oil sands† 

an extensive sand formation along the Athabasca River impregnated with petroleum oil and tar.

oil-borer

n. an oil driller.

oilers

n.pl. waterproof clothing, originally oilskins but now often made of a kind of rubberized fabric.

oilies

n.pl. waterproof clothing, originally oilskins but now often made of a kind of rubberized fabric.

Ojibwa snowshoe

See 1860 quote. See picture at snowshoe.

Oka (cheese)

n. a kind of cheese cured by painting with brine, made by the Trappist monks of Oka, Quebec.

okema

okemow

okimow

okomow

olachen

olallie

1 n. any of several berries, especially the salmonberry.

olalliechuk

a native-made wine made from berries; homebrew.

old bachelor

See quotes.

Old Canada

n. Upper a Lower Canada prior to Confederation.

Old Canadian

1 a French Canadian.

Old Chieftain

Sir JohA. Macdonald (1815-1891), first Prime Minister of Canada, so called because of his practice of putting off difficult decisions that time might be expected to make unnecessary.

Old Colony

Newfoundland.

Old Compact

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.

Old Company

1 the popular and traditional name of the Company of Adventurers of England trading into Hudson's Bay, chartered by Charles II in 1670.

Old Country† 

the country of one's origin (other than Canada), especially the British Isles. See also Old Land and other side.

Old Dominion

the province of Newfoundland.

Old Eph(raim)

Old Family Compact

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.

old home week

a time of festivity when former residents of a community or members of a family return for the celebrations.

Old Lady of Lime Street

the Hudson's Bay Company, so called from the address of its London (England) head office.

Old Land† 

the country of one's origin (other than Canada), especially the British Isles.

old log

a log that has lain underwater for some time, having sunk during an earlier drive, retrieved for drying out and processing as lumber.

Old Ontario

1 See 1952 and 1963 quotes.

Old Original

a memberof the first contingent of the First Canadian Division of World War I.

old party

either the Liberal or the Progressive Conservative Party, as opposed to more recently founded smaller parties on the Canadian political scene.

Old Quebec

that part of Quebec which was formerly known as Lower Canada, especially the communities of the St. Lawrence Valley.

Old Régime

the period of French rule in Canada prior to 1758.

old settlers' scrip

a certificate issued following the Northwest Rebellions to Metis as compensation for lost lands and entitling the bearer to 240 acres.

old squaw (duck)† 

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

old T.O.

Old Tomorrow

Sir JohA. Macdonald (1815-1891), first Prime Minister of Canada, so called because of his practice of putting off difficult decisions that time might be expected to make unnecessary.

old winterer

old-line party

either the Liberal or the Progressive Conservative Party, as opposed to more recently founded smaller parties on the Canadian political scene.

ollala

ollalie

ollaliechuck

ollo

oloo

omiak

omyak

on the blanket

on the outside

One Big Union

a labor organization formed at Calgary in 1919 on an industrial rather than a craft basis; also, a member of this organization. Abbrev. O.B.U.

one-to-four jar

a sealer containing jam made from one part of sugar to four parts of berries.

onion

n. a plant of the genus Allium, as A. acuminatum of the Pacific Coast.

oodjuk

oodloo

oogamou

oogruk

n. the bearded seal, Erignathus barbatus barbatus.

oogyuk

ookchuk

ookemow

ookgook

ookima

ookjuk

Ookpik

n. a doll resembling an owl, first made of sealskin by an Eskimo in 1963, subsequently adopted as a symbol in Canadian handicrafts exhibits abroad, and now being mass-produced under permit for general sale. [See picture at Ookpik.]

ooksook

n. seal blubber.

oola

oolachan

oolalie

oolichan

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

oolichan grease

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.

oolichan 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.

ooloo

n. an Eskimo woman's general purpose knife, having a crescent-shaped blade and a handle of bone, ivory, wood, etc. [See picture at ooloo.]

oomiak

n. a skin boat, 30-40 feet long, 4-5 feet wide, and 3 feet deep, having a flat bottom and narrowing at bow and stern, used for carrying freight and passengers and traditionally rowed by Eskimo women. [See picture at oomiak.]

oomiak-tupek

n. a kind of tupek having the appearance of an inverted oomiak, used by certain Eskimos.

oonar

oonock

n. See 1933 quote.

oonok

open ((adj.))

1 adj. of skins, removed by slitting along the underside and down each leg so as to be cured by stretching flat.

open ((n.))

an open space in wooded country or one where trees are few.

open car(r)iole

a cariole (def. 1) having no cab as protection from the weather.

open spring

a spring season in which the shores are virtually free of sea ice.

open town

n. a town not controlled by the company whose employees make up most of the residents.

open water

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

open woods

bush land where the trees are not very close together.

open-and-shut day

See quote.

opening† 

n. an open space in wooded country or one where trees are few.

opportunity shop

opportunity store

a store where used clothing and certain other items are available at reduced prices, often run for charitable purposes, for community-sponsored organizations, etc.

opting out (formula)

See quotes.

Order of Good Cheer

a convivial fraternity organized by Champlain in 1604 to promote recreation and relaxation in the first French colony in Canada, at St. Croix Island in 1604 and from 1605 at Port Royal, Nova Scotia.

Order of Good Times

Oregon† 

n. the vast region lying between California and Alaska on the Pacific coast of North America, that part south of the 49th parallel being ceded to the United States by Great Britain in 1846.

Oregon country† 

the vast region lying between California and Alaska on the Pacific coast of North America, that part south of the 49th parallel being ceded to the United States by Great Britain in 1846.

Oregon dispute† 

n. the dispute (1818-1846) between Great Britain and the United States over the Oregon country, settled by division at the present British Columbia-Oregon border.

Oregon jay

a jay, Perisoreus obscurus obscurus, resembling the Canada jay for which it is sometimes mistaken.

Oregon pine† 

Oregon question

the dispute (1818-1846) between Great Britain and the United States over the Oregon country, settled by division at the present British Columbia-Oregon border.

Oregon territory† 

Oregon Treaty

the 1846 treaty settling the Oregon question officially called the Washington Treaty.

orignal

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

orignal butter

See quote.

oriniac(k)

Orkneyman† 

n. a native of the Orkney Islands of Scotland serving in the fur trade, especially with the Hudson's Bay Company.

Orthodox Doukhobor

one of a sect of Doukhobors that does not subscribe to acts of terrorism. See 1963 quote.

ortolan

n. an Arctic sparrow, Plectrophenax nivalis.

Osborn's caribou

a large race of caribou (def. 1), Rangifer tarandus osborni, of northern British Columbia and the southern Yukon, now regarded as identical with the woodland caribou.

Oswego bitter

Oswego tea

bee balm, Monarda didyma, or wild bergamot, M. fistulosa, both used by Indians and early settlers for their medicinal properties.

other side, the

the British Isles.

otsima

Ottawa

n. the government of Canada, the capital of which is Ottawa, Ontario.

Ottawa 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]

Otter

n. a famous light monoplane much used in bush flying in the Canadian North, manufactured by DeHavilland Aircraft of Canada Ltd.

otter rub

See rubbing place 1958 quote.

otterboard

n. a board for stretching otter skins.

otterskins

n. pl. See quote.

ou

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

ouananiche

n. a species of small fresh-water salmon, Salmo salar ouananiche, native especially to Lake St. John and certain other lakes in Ontario and Quebec.

ouimiack

ouk

interj. a command to a sled-dog to wheel to the right.

oulachan

Our Lady of the Snows

ourogan

out

adv. to the more settled part of the country.

out of treaty

of an Indian, not in receipt of treaty money.

out West

in or to the Prairie Provinces of Canada.

out-harbo(u)r

n. any port other than St. John's, especially one of the many small, isolated fishing villages on the coasts of Newfoundland and Labrador.

out-mission

n. an outlying mission station.

out-winterer

n. a trader or agent who wintered on the trail with Indian hunting parties.

outarde

n. a wild goose, especially the Canada goose.

outcabin

n. a temporary shelter such as might be used by a trapper out tending his line.

outcamp

1 n. a temporary shelter such as might be used by a trapper out tending his line.

outfit ((n.))

1a n. the annual shipment of trading goods and supplies sent by a fur company to its trading posts collectively; also, any part of this shipment dispatched to or received by any particular post.

outfit ((v.))

1a v. obtain or supply with an outfit (def. 3a).

outfit number

Fur Trade a number marked on all packages shipped as part of an outfit (def. la).

outfitter

1a n. guide and manager of an expedition, as a hunting or exploring party in the wilderness.

outgoer

n. a person on the point of going outside.

outlander

n. a person from another region, tribe, etc.; stranger.

outlands

n. pl. a rural region; farm district.

outlet

n. a store for selling beer or liquor.

outport† 

1 n. any port other than St. John's, especially one of the many small, isolated fishing villages on the coasts of Newfoundland and Labrador.

outporter

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

outpost

1 n. a trading post in the interior; especially a temporary trading station dependent on a larger and more permanent post.

outpost hospital

See quote.

outpost meadow

a large open space in a mountain valley far enough from the home ranch to justify the building of temporary quarters for the crew cutting and stacking the annual crop of hay.

outride

v. function as an outrider.

outrider

n. in a chuckwagon race, one of the four riders who load the wagon, direct the horses during the starting turns, and gallop with the outfit to the finish line.

Outside

outside ((adj.))

adj. of or having to do with the outside (def. la).

outside ((adv.))

adv. away from or beyond the northern parts of Canada; in or to the outside (def. la).

outside ((n.))

1a n. originally among fur traders and now generally in the North, the settled, civilized parts of Canada; civilization.

outside collar

See quote. [See picture at sled dog.]

outsider

n. a person of or from the settled part of Canada; a non-resident of the North.

overflow ((n.))

n. water covering all or part of the frozen surface of a river or lake, having been forced by expansion through cracks and fissures in the ice.

overflow ((v.))

v. of water in rivers and lakes, rise under pressure of expansion through cracks and fissures to cover the ice on the surface.

overflowing

n. water covering all or part of the frozen surface of a river or lake, having been forced by expansion through cracks and fissures in the ice.

overhale

n. an inventory.

Overlander

n. one of a group of people from the Canadas who, in 1862, undertook a long and arduous journey overland from Ontario to the Cariboo goldfields in British Columbia.

Overlander Special

a special train which each year takes a party of Maritimers overland on a tour of Canada.

overparka

n. a hooded outer garment of fur or other material.

overplus

n. See 1965 cite.

overseer

n. See quotes.

oversnow

adj. having to do with or intended for travelling over snow during winter.

overtrade

n. See 1965 quote at overplus.

owner-elector

n. a person or corporation owning real property within a municipality and thus entitled to vote on money by-laws in municipal elections.

owner-voter

ox-pusher

n. one who drove oxen in a bull train.

ox-skin

n. a buffalo hide.

ox-sled

n. a low sled or stoneboat that slid on wooden runners made from shaped logs, pulled by an ox or by oxen.

ox-sleigh

oxhide shoe

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

oyster day

an annual occasion for consuming vast quantities of oysters and liquor during neighborly visits within the community.

oyster mud

dense mudlike deposits of the remains of generations of bivalves and crustaceans, rich in lime and valuable as fertilizer.

oyster saloon† 

a public house where one could drink liquor and eat oysters; oyster bar.