Browse Entries: S

there are 1523 entries under the letter S

S.D.

(in modern use) an area designated as a unit for the local administration of public schools.

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S.S.

a subdision of a school district.

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S.S.B.

a federal government board having charge of settling veterans on land grants following World War I.

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Sabine('s) gull

a small Arctic gull, Xema sabinii, having a forked tail, gray head, and black collar.

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Sable Island pony

a wiry, wild pony of a distinctive type found on Sable Island in the Atlantic off the coast of Nova Scotia.

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sablefish

n. a large dark gray or black food fish, Anoplopoma fimbria, of the Pacific Coast.

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sac à commis

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saccacommi(s)

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sachem 

n. the chief of an Indian tribe.

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sack ship

a large vessel employed in carrying supplies from Europe to the East Coast fisheries, returning with cargoes of fish.

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sackay commis

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saddle and notch

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saddle notch

a saddle-notched joint.

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Saddlebag

n. in Upper Canada, a Reformer (def. 1), specifically a Ryersonian.

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saddlebag doctor

n. in the early days of settlement in the West, a doctor who did his rounds on horseback, carrying his instruments, medicines, etc. in his saddlebags.

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saddlebag itinerant

in colonial times, an itinerant Methodist preacher who carried his requirements in his saddlebags; a circuit rider.

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Saddlebag party

the Reform party in Upper Canada in the 1830s.

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saddlebag preacher

in colonial times, an itinerant Methodist preacher who carried his requirements in his saddlebags; a circuit rider.

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saddlebag surgeon

in the early days of settlement in the West, a doctor who did his rounds on horseback, carrying his instruments, medicines, etc. in his saddlebags.

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Saddlebags Parliament

the Parliament dominated by the Saddlebag party.

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saddling

n. the use of saddle-notched joints.

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safety touch

1 a play in which a player of the team in possession of the ball intentionally touches it to the ground behind his own goal line, thus conceding two points to the opposing team.

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sagakomi

1 n. the leaf of the bearberry (def. 1), used alone or mixed with tobacco for smoking.

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Sagalie Tyee

the Christian God. Also spelled Saggali Tyee, Segali Tyee.

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sagamité

1 n. a broth or soup of boiled meat, fish, etc.

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sagamore 

1 n. the chief of an Indian tribe. Also figurative.

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saganash

n. in Indian parlance, a white man, especially an Englishman, or Britisher. Also spelled saganaw, saganosh, sag(g)inosh, sagonosh.

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sage 

n. a bluish-gray shrubby plant of the genus Artemisia, as A. tridentata, of the arid regions of the West.

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sage bush

a bluish-gray shrubby plant of the genus Artemisia, as A. tridentata, of the arid regions of the West.

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sage cock

a species of grouse, Centrocerus urophasianus, found in arid regions where sage is plentiful.

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sage fowl

a species of grouse, Centrocerus urophasianus, found in arid regions where sage is plentiful.

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sage grouse 

a species of grouse, Centrocerus urophasianus, found in arid regions where sage is plentiful.

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sage hen 

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sagebrush 

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Saggali Tyee

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Saghalie Tyee

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Saguenay

n. See 1958 quote.

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Saint Jean

See 1889 quote at St. John's Island.

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salal

1 n. a small evergreen shrub, Gaultheria shallon.

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salal-berry

n. the edible, purplish berry of the salal (def. 1). Also spelled sallal berry.

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saleshop

n. a retail store of the Hudson's Bay Company.

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salmon fence

a fence enclosing a pound for trapping salmon, built by Indians.

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salmon of the lakes

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

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salmon post

the base of a salmon-fishing crew.

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salmon stand

a pool or quiet water in a river, where salmon rest during upstream migrations; a salmon pool.

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salmon trout

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

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salmon 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.

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salmonberry 

n. the red-flowered raspberry, Rubus spectabilis, of western North America; also, the berries of this shrub.

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salmonier

n. a salmon fisherman.

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saloon 

n. See 1871 quote.

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salt fishing

fishing over long periods from a vessel having enough salt to preserve the catch for an entire trip.

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salt goose

goose meat pickled in salt.

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salt grass

See 1952 quote.

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salt hay

hay from salt-water tidal marshes, as Juncus gerardi.

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salt lick 

1 a small spring or stream containing salt from local deposits and used by animals as a source of salt.

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salt pile

1 n. a quantity of fish salted and piled in layers.

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salt plains

arid, unproductive saline earth; specifically, a tract of such soil lying some 40 miles northeast of Fort Smith, N.W.T.

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salt slob

a mass of densely packed pieces of heavy, sludgy ice, especially sea ice.

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salt slough

a pond or small lake that is alkaline.

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salt spring

a small spring or stream containing salt from local deposits and used by animals as a source of salt.

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salt struck

of cod, sufficiently impregnated with salt as to be adequately pickled.

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Salt Water Siwash

n. an Indian who lived on the Pacific Coast, as opposed to an inland Indian.

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salt-banker

n. a banker (def. 1) carrying enough salt to preserve the caught fish at once, thus making possible protracted stays on the fishing grounds.

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salt-bulk

n. a quantity of fish salted and piled in layers.

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salt-burnt

adj. See quote.

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salt-chuck

n. the ocean, including all salt-water inlets, canals, and bays affected by tidewater.

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salt-chucker

n. a salt-water angler.

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salt-house

n. the building in which fish are processed for salt-curing.

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salt-rising

n. sourdough (def. 1a) kept as a leavening agent for future batches of baking.

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salt-water creek

a small spring or stream containing salt from local deposits and used by animals as a source of salt.

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salt-water grass

hay from salt-water tidal marshes, as Juncus gerardi.

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salt-water itch

a form of dermatitis caused by a fresh-water hydra encountered in certain sloughs on the prairie (def. 2a).

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salter

n. a member of a cod-pickling crew who washes the fish and salts it.

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saltie

1 n. an ocean-going vessel, as opposed to a lake boat.

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saluting

n. a noisy celebration to serenade a newly married couple.

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samp 

n. cornmeal mush; hasty pudding.

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sample room

a hotel or other room rented to commercial travellers and other salesmen who wish to display samples of their goods for viewing by prospective customers.

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Samson (fox)

n. a red fox lacking guard hairs, giving its fur a burnt appearance.

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sand cherry 

either of two low-growing shrubs, Prunus pumila or P. p. besseyi; also, the fruit of either of these shrubs.

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Sand Hills

a region in southeastern Alberta, long sacred to the Plains Indians, often a euphemism for death. See 1957 quote.

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sandberry

n. either of two low-growing shrubs, Prunus pumila or P. p. besseyi; also, the fruit of either of these shrubs.

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sandflower

n. the pasque flower, Anemone patens.

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sandfly

n. any of several small winged insects with a sharp bite, especially Phlebotamus sp.

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sandwich

n. a defensive play in which an attacking player is simultaneously bodychecked by two opponents, especially defencemen.

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sap run

n. the flow of sap from the trees in a sugar bush during the late winter or early spring.

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sap tank

n. a large cauldron used to contain the maple sap that is boiled in sugaring-off.

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sap weather

spring weather, characterized by cold nights and warm days, that starts the sap running in maple trees and ushers in the sugaring season.

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sap-boiler

n. a large cauldron used to contain the maple sap that is boiled in sugaring-off.

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sap-boiling

n. the process of boiling maple sap to make syrup and sugar through evaporation and crystallization.

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sap-bucket

1 n. a container, usually of wood, used for catching the maple sap running from the spile in a tree.

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sap-bush

n. a grove of sugar maples.

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sap-carrier

n. a wooden receptacle equipped with a handle and used for carrying sap from the tree to the sugar house.

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sap-house

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

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sap-shed

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

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sap-trough

n. a container, usually of wood, used for catching the maple sap running from the spile in a tree.

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sapi

n. a char, Salvelinus malma spectabilis, characterized by reddish-orange spots on an olive-green skin, found in western lakes and rivers and on the Pacific coast.

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sapin

n. a slender evergreen, Abies balsamea, found in Canada from northeastern Alberta eastward, the source of Canada balsam (def. 1); also the wood of this tree.

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SARAH beacon

a three-pound battery-operated homing device designed and produced in Canada for use as safety equipment in aircraft.

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sarviceberry

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sash

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

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sash-belt

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

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sashed

adj. wearing a sash.

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Saskatchewan

1 n. (often with the) the extensive prairie country in the vicinity of the Saskatchewan River.

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Saskatchewan berry

the edible, purplish berry of the saskatoon bush.

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Saskatchewan Rebellion

a second uprising of Métis, Crees, and white settlers, caused by the continued expansion of Canadian influence and settlement into the Saskatchewan region, nominally led by Louis Riel.

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saskatoon

1 n. the edible, purplish berry of the saskatoon bush.

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saskatoon berry

1 the edible, purplish berry of the saskatoon bush.

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saskatoon bush

a species of serviceberry (def. 1), Amelanchier alnifolia, common in the West and prized for its succulent berries.

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saskatoon tree

a species of serviceberry (def. 1), Amelanchier alnifolia, common in the West and prized for its succulent berries.

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saskatoon willow

a species of serviceberry (def. 1), Amelanchier alnifolia, common in the West and prized for its succulent berries.

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Sasquatch

n. See 1958 quote.

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sastrugi

n. pl. ridges of hard-packed snow, formed by the wind and at times attaining a height of four feet.

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sauce 

1 n. stewed or preserved fruit, pumpkin, etc.

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sauce garden

n. a vegetable garden.

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sauger

n. a species of pike-perch, Cynoperca (syn. Stizostedion) canadense, similar to the walleye.

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sault ((n.))

n. a waterfall or rapids.

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sault ((v.))

v. shoot (def. 1) a rapids, riffle, etc.

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Saulteur liquor

See quote.

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saupon

n. cornmeal mush; hasty pudding.

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savanna(h) 

n. a tract of peat bog; a boggy barren.

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savanna(h) grouse

probably the spruce partridge.

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savoyan

n. an evergreen herb of the crowfoot family, Coptis trifolia; goldthread.

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saw-off

1a n. in politics: an arrangement by which one party agreed, after an election, to drop charges of corruption against another if the second party would make a similar agreement.

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saw-whet 

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

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sawdust nobility

a large-scale operator in lumbering (def. 2), especially in logging (def. 2).

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sawlog

n. a log suitable for processing in a sawmill.

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sawlog nobility

members of the legislature, so called because of their abilities at sleeping through sittings, that is, at "sawing logs," or snoring.

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sawmill burner

a conical furnace for burning excess sawdust at a sawmill.

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sawyer

1 n. See 1784-1812 quote.

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sawyer's fence

a type of fence made of slabs, log ends, and other waste lumber from a mill placed at an angle to the ground, each piece being supported by a pair of crossed stakes. [See picture at sawyer's fence.]

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scab

n. a saddle.

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scabbard

n. a guard for a skate blade, usually of rubber or plastic, often used when skates are being worn while walking to or from the skating area.

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scabby-nosed wavey

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

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scale 

v. n. See 1963 quote.

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scaler 

n. a person employed to scale timber.

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scallop dragger

a fishing vessel equipped to drag for scallops.

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scalp ((n.)) 

1a n. the hair and skin from the crown of the head, taken as a trophy.

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scalp ((v.))

1 v. of Indians, cut off a victim's scalp (def. 1a).

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scalp cry

a piercing cry given by an Indian after scalping an enemy.

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scalp dance

See 1929 quotes.

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scalp-knife

n. a sharp knife used by Indian warriors to scalp their defeated enemies, an important item of trading goods in the fur country.

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scalp-lock

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

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scalp-shirt

n. a ceremonial shirt embellished with scalps taken in battle.

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scalp-traffic

n. See quote.

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scalper

1 n. a sharp knife used by Indian warriors to scalp their defeated enemies, an important item of trading goods in the fur country.

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scalping 

n. the practice of removing an enemy's scalp (def. 1a).

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scalping-knife 

n. a sharp knife used by Indian warriors to scalp their defeated enemies, important item of trading goods in the fur country.

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scare-wolf

n. a device similar to a scarecrow, used to frighten wolves from carcasses of large game left by hunters for retrieving later.

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scarf-belt

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

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scarlet coat

n. a member of the Royal Canadian (formerly, North West) Mounted Police.

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Schenectady boat

a kind of bateau in use on the St. Lawrence River in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, so called because similar to a class of boats identified with Schenectady, N.Y.

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school area

(in modern use) an area designated as a unit for the local administration of public schools.

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school board

a group of persons (usually elected) who are responsible for the administration of the public elementary and secondary schools in a given area.

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school commissioner 

a member of a school board.

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school committee 

a group of persons (usually elected) who are responsible for the administration of the public elementary and secondary schools in a given area.

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school crossing-guard

a person employed to shepherd children across busy streets on their way to and from school.

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school district 

(in modern use) an area designated as a unit for the local administration of public schools. Abbrev. S.D.

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school division

1 (in modern use) an area designated as a unit for the local administration of public schools.

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school lands 

land put aside by the Crown, the income from which was to be used to support schools.

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school question

a public controversy that raged in Canada between 1890 and 1919 and arose out of the enactment of provincial laws denying French-speaking Catholics the right to receive instruction in their own language in church-run schools, an issue which became national in scope because these laws were in defiance of the Manitoba Act (1870).

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school reserve

land put aside by the Crown, the income from which was to be used to support schools.

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school section

1 a subdision of a school district. Abbrev. S.S.

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school township

a township set aside as school lands.

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school trustee 

a member of a school board.

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school unit

(in modern use) an area designated as a unit for the local administration of public schools.

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school van

a small bus for taking children to school.

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schoolmarm (tree)

n. See 1942 quote.

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scoop ((n.))

n. See 1853 quote.

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scoop ((v.))

1 v. hollow out scoops with an adze or axe.

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scoop roof

a roof made of scoops. [See picture at scoop roof.]

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scoop-bearer

n. See quotes.

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scoop-out

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

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scoop-up

n. See quote.

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scooped

1 adj. hollowed out into a scoop.

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scoot

n. a boat equipped with runners, driven by an airscrew, and designed to operate on ice or water. [See picture at scoot.]

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score 

v. mark and, sometimes, roughly trim (a log) for hewing into square timber.

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scorer 

n. See 1947 quote.

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Scotch half-breed

a half-breed having a Scots father and an Indian mother.

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Scotch Line

n. a coession road, near Perth, Ont., where many Scots settled in the early nineteenth century.

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Scotch Métis

a half-breed having a Scots father and an Indian mother.

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Scotch Settlement

a region in eastern Ontario, part of the present counties of Lanark and Renfrew, settled in the 1820's by Scotsmen.

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Scotch Townships

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Scotch Yankee

See quotes.

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Scott Act

See 1958 quote.

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scout

n. a person employed to search out promising mineral properties and to check on the activities of competitors.

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scoutaywaubo

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scow 

n. a crude, oblong, flat-bottomed boat of shallow draft, much used in colonial days on the St. Lawrence and the Lower Lakes and in later times on the lakes and rivers of the Northwest. [See picture at scow.]

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scow brigade

a fleet of scows transporting Hudson's Bay Company outfits (def. 1) to the trading posts of the North country.

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scow ferry

a scow serving as a ferry across a river, a use to which scows were frequently put.

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scow-house

n. a kind of floathouse.

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scowman

a man employed on a scow.

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scraper 

n. See 1935 quote.

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scrapping-hitch

n. a brawl.

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screech

1a n. a potent dark rum.

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scrip

1a n. a government certificate which entitled the holder to locate on a stated amount of public land.

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scrip certificate

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

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scrip land

land available to persons holding land-scrip (def. 2).

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scrip millionaire

a person who speculated in land-scrip (def. 2), buying at a very low price from the halfbreeds and selling at a handsome profit to settlers.

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scrip tent

a marquee in which scrip (def. 1 b or 2) was issued to those entitled to it.

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scrub pine

a popular name for any one of seral species of Pinus, especially the jackpine.

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sculp ((n.))

2 n. See 1842 quote.

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sculp ((v.))

v. remove the sculp (def. 2) (from).

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sculping

1 n. the process of removing the skin and adhering fat from a seal. See also sculp, n. and v.

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sculping knife

See 1842 quote.

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scun(n)

v. See quotes.

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scunner

n. See 1956 quote.

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scurvy grass

a herb of the mustard family, Cochlearia officinalis, common in northern regions and formerly used in treating scurvy.

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scuttaywabo

n. spiritous liquor; firewater. Various spellings.

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sea boil

a painful kind of boil caused by an organism found in sea water.

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sea of mountains

the western mountains.

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sea pie

a kind of meat pie, formerly served in the logging camps of the Ottawa Valley.

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sea smoke

See quote.

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sea trout

1 in the Atlantic Provinces, a variety of trout that spawns in fresh-water rivers.

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sea unicorn

the narwhal, Monodon monoceros.

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sea-flea

n. a tiny, one-man speedboat driven by a powerful motor and much used for racing, so called because it skims the surface of the water.

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sea-ice

1 n. masses of ice in the sea; ice formed from frozen salt water.

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seal beef

the flesh of the seal.

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seal fishery

the annual hunt for seals at the ice (def. 1).

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seal gun

n. a harpoon gun used in hunting seals.

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seal hole

a breathing-hole in ice, made by seals.

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seal hook

a hook set on a line for catching seals.

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seal hunt

the annual hunt for seals at the ice (def. 1).

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seal hunter

1 a person taking part in the seal fishery.

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seal igloo

a breathing-hole in ice, made by seals.

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seal lamp

a shallow, crescent-shaped dish of soapstone in which seal-oil or caribou fat is burned to provide light and heat for cooking in an Eskimo home. [See picture at kudlik]

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seal line

n. a tough cord made of sealskin.

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seal oil 

oil from rendered seal fat.

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seal patch

a herd of seals.

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seal patrol

a patrol of the sealing grounds by government officers whose job it is to enforce hunting regulations.

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seal, to talk

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seal-hunting sermon

See quote.

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seal-meadow

n. See quote.

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seal-oil lamp

n. a shallow, crescent-shaped dish of soapstone in which seal-oil or caribou fat is burned to provide light and heat for cooking in an Eskimo home. [See picture at kudlik.]

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sealapack

n. a white outer garment, often worn as camouflage by Eskimo hunters.

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sealer ((1))

1 n. a person taking part in the seal fishery.

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sealer ((2))

n. a glass jar, usually holding a pint or a quart, in which jam, fruit, vegetables, etc. are preserved.

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sealery

n. the annual hunt for seals at the ice (def. 1).

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sealing

n. the hunting of seals.

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sealing club

See gaff 1883 quote.

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sealing dog

a veteran seal hunter (def. 1).

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sealing fleet

the fleet of vessels engaging in the seal fishery in a given year.

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sealing gaff

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sealing ground(s)

n. a place where seal hunting is carried on.

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sealing gun

n. a harpoon gun used in hunting seals.

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sealing-post

n. a station where sealing was carried on.

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search-and-rescue unit

a unit of the Royal Canadian Air Force equipped and trained to search for and aid persons in downed aircraft or on marine craft in distress.

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searchmaster

n. the officer in charge of an organized search conducted by a search-and­-rescue unit.

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seat of one's pants

in fly by the seat of one's pants, in the manner of a seat-of-the-pants flyer.

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seat-of-the-pants flier

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seat-of-the-pants flyer

a pilot, especially a bush pilot, who flies by experience and knowledge of weather and terrain rather than by maps and instruments.

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seat-of-the-pants flying

flying after the fashion of a seat-of-the-pants flyer.

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sec

n. See parchment beaver 1957 quote.

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second

1 n. the clerk next senior to the factor of a post.

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second chief

the second-in-command of an Indian band.

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second growth

a growth, especially of trees, after the original cover has been removed by logging.

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section

1 n. a subdision of a school district.

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section line

1 the survey line setting off a section (def. 2).

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secure

v. deposit in a cache (def. 2) for later use.

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Sedna

n. See 1956 quote.

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seigneur

1 n. in French Canada: the legal holder of a seigneury (def. 1a).

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seigneuress

n. the wife of a seigneur (def. 1).

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seigneurial

adj. of or relating to a seigneur or seigneury.

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seigneury

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

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seigneury house

in French Canada: the manor or house of a seigneur (def. 1).

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Seigniorial (Tenure) Bill

the legislation passed by the government of United Canada in 1854 to abolish seigneurial tenure.

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self-dumper

n. a huge barge that dumps its load of logs into the water when it arrives at its destination.

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Selkirk

1 n. an early name for the Red River Settlement, founded by Lord Selkirk, 1771-1820.

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Selkirk Settlement

an early name for the Red River Settlement, founded by Lord Selkirk, 1771-1820.

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Selkirk settler

a settler at Selkirk (def. 1).

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Selkirker

1 n. a settler at Selkirk (def. 1).

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Senate

1 n. the upper house of the Canadian Parliament.

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Senate Chamber

the chamber in the Parliament Buildings where the Senate convenes.

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senator

1 n. in colonial times, a member of a legislative council (def. 1) or assembly.

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senior citizen

an elderly person, especially one beyond the normal retirement age.

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senior government

a provincial government or the federal government (or both), as opposed to a municipal government.

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senior matric

n. in certain provinces, the successful completion of a secondary-school course (usually including an extra year of study) satisfying the requirements for university entrance.

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senior matriculation

n. icertain provinces, the successful completion of a secondary-school course (usually including an extra year of study) satisfying the requirements for university entrance.

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separate church school

a school for children belonging to a religious minority in a particular district, operated by a school board elected by the minority ratepayers and financed by taxes imposed on them by the board as well as by grants from the provincial Department of Education. Such schools are under the jurisdiction of the Department and follow the same basic curriculum as that laid down for public schools.

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separate high-school

See quote.

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separate parish school

a school for children belonging to a religious minority in a particular district, operated by a school board elected by the minority ratepayers and financed by taxes imposed on them by the board as well as by grants from the provincial Department of Education. Such schools are under the jurisdiction of the Department and follow the same basic curriculum as that laid down for public schools.

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separate school

1 Que., Obs. a school for girls.

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separate secondary school

See separate high-school quote.

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separate teachers college

a teachers college for training teachers for separate schools (def. 3a).

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separate-school board

a board, usually elective, of trustees responsible for the separate schools (def. 3a) in a given area.

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separate-school district

the area within which a separate-school board has responsibility.

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separate-school question

n. the political problem of deciding whether denominational schools should be allowed to exist beside the public schools, both getting support from public funds.

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separate-school system

1 a school system permitting denominational schools to exist alongside public schools, each with its own board and each supported by public funds.

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separatism

n. the political concept of a province withdrawing from Confederation and existing as a separate and independent state; also, advocacy of or support for this concept.

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separatist ((adj.))

adj. consisting of or pertaining to separatists or separatism.

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separatist ((n.))

n. a supporter of separatism.

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Separatist party

n. in British Columbia, a political group opposed to Confederation.

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servant

n. an employee of the Hudson's Bay Company, specifically one other than an officer holding a commission from the company.

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service centre

a town or city which acts as a distribution point for food, clothing, etc. in a sparsely populated region such as a national park, a summer-cottage area, etc.

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service college

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service road

a road giving access to areas not served by highways.

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service vote

in an election, that portion of the total vote which is cast by persons in the armed services who are absent from their home ridings, these voters casting their ballots on a designated day prior to election day, the results of the balloting being made public some time after the general election results.

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service voter

a member of the armed services who casts a ballot in the service vote.

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service voting

voting in the service vote.

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serviceberry 

1 n. any of several bushes or shrubby trees of the genus Amelanchier.

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serviced land

land lying within an urban area and serviced with public utilities, especially sewers, water, and gas mains.

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services college

one of three institutions of higher learning, The Royal Military College of Canada, Le Collège Militaire Royal de St-Jean, and Royal Roads, where cadets (and some officers at the graduate level) take university instruction in courses leading to degrees in Arts, Science, and Engineering.

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serviette 

n. a table napkin.

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sessional indemnity

the money received by a member of parliament or of a legislative assembly in return for his services and in compensation for loss of personal income.

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set

1 n. a snare or trap.

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setting

n. See quote.

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setting-pole 

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

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settle up

1 occupy (as a settler) or be occupied (by settlers).

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Settlement

n. the colony established by Lord Selkirk in the valley of the Red River in Manitoba in 1812.

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settlement

1a n. a community, especially in its early stages of development.

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settlement duty

one of several obligations assumed by settlers occupying land on location tickets, or under a Homestead Law.

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settlement officer

a government official who advises newly arrived immigrants and directs them to their place of settlement.

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settlement road

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

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settlement-duty certificate

a certificate testifying that settlement duties have been fulfilled.

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settlement-duty road

a road built by pioneers as part of their settlement duties.

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settler

1 n. a person who settles in a new country or in another part of the same country, usually on the frontier.

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settler's duty

one of several obligations assumed by settlers occupying land on location tickets, or under a Homestead Law.

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settlers' effects

See 1913 and 1967 quotes.

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settling duty

one of several obligations assumed by settlers occupying land on location tickets, or under a Homestead Law.

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Seventy-Two Resolutions

See 1958 quote.

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sewage lagoon

See 1958 cite.

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sewel 

n. See 1792 quote.

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sewellel 

n. a mammal of the western mountain regions, Aplodontia rufa.

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sewer trout

trash fish.

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Seymo

n. See quotes at Suckemo.

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shack ((n.))

n. a rude dwelling, especially one of wood, usually in a rundown condition.

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shack ((v.))

v. live in a shack.

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shack-tent

n. See logtent (def. 2) quote.

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shacker

n. See quote.

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shackie

n. a cheap and hastily constructed house, store, etc.

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shackman

n. a person who lives in a shack.

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shacktown

n. a community, or section of a town, etc., that is comprised of shacks.

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shad 

n. a north American food fish, Alosa sapidissima, of the Atlantic Coast.

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shad berry

the fruit of any of several bushes or shrubby trees of the genus Amelanchier.

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shad-fly

n. one of several flies, especially the May fly.

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shadbush

n. any of several bushes or shrubby trees of the genus Amelanchier. See also 1932 quote.

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shade

n. a simple shelter consisting of several upright poles, a lattice roof, and brush or rush-mat roofing.

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shag pony

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

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Shagalasha

n. in Indian parlance, a Mounted Policeman.

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shaganappi ((adj.))

adj. of little worth; inferior; hasty; badly organized.

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shaganappi ((n.))

1 n. a thong of rawhide.

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shaganappi cayuse

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

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shaganappi harness

gear made of shaganappi (def. 2), as for hitching oxen or ponies to carts.

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shaganappi hitchings

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shaganappi line

1 a thong of rawhide.

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shaganappi pony

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

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shaganappi rope

a rope made of braided shaganappi (def. 1).

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shake 

n. a large unplaned shingle, usually hand-split, used for roofing and siding.

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shaked

adj. constructed of shakes.

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shaking lodge

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shaking tent

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

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shalloway

n. a small sailing vessel used in coastal waters.

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shaman 

n. among the Indians and Eskimos, a medicine-man or angakok.

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shamateur

n. a so-called amateur, especially a hockey player, who in fact receives payment for his services.

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shamateurism

n. See quote.

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shanks

n. pl. leggings made from the hide, peeled off and cured, from the hind legs of a moose, caribou, etc.

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shanty ((n.))

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

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shanty ((v.))

v. work as a logger in a shanty (def. 2a).

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shanty biscuit

a kind of unleavened bread made of coarse flour and resembling hardtack, used in earlier days in the bush cabins and camps.

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shanty bully

See quote.

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shanty cake

a kind of unleavened bread made of coarse flour and resembling hardtack, used in earlier days in the bush cabins and camps.

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shanty camp

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

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shanty farming

farming carried on to supply provisions and draft animals for the shanties (def. 2a).

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shanty fashion

in the manner of loggers.

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shanty fire

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

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shanty foreman

the boss of a gang of loggers.

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shanty knot

a hitch or knot such as used by the men in the shanties (def. 2a).

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shanty lad

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

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shanty life

life in the shanties (def. 2a).

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shanty loaf

a kind of unleavened bread made of coarse flour and resembling hardtack, used in earlier days in the bush cabins and camps.

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shanty queen

See quote.

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shanty road

a bush road made for hauling logs from the cutting area.

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shanty song

a folksong about the men who worked in the shanties (def. 2a); also, a song favored by shantymen (def. 1).

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shanty tea

the potent, black, tea brewed by the shantymen, characterized by its souplike consistency.

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shanty-boy

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

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shanty-mug

n. See quote.

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shantying

n. living and working in a shanty (def. 2a).

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shantyman

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

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Shantyman missionary

a lay missionary belonging to the Shantymen's Christian Association, which carries out evangelical work among loggers and miners in bush camps across Canada.

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shantyman's smallpox

See quote.

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shantytown 

n. a community, or section of a town, etc., that is comprised of shacks.

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share ((n.))

n. that portion of the value of a catch of fish or seals due to each shareman.

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share ((v.))

v. receive as the right of a shareman.

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shareman

n. a man shipping as a fisherman or sealer for a share of the catch, providing his own provisions and receiving no wages.

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sharp-tail

n. a species of grouse, Pedicetes phasianellus, found in the West and North.

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sharp-tailed grouse

a species of grouse, Pedicetes phasianellus, found in the West and North.

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shave

1 v. shear off close to the skin.

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shaver 

n. a person who discounted notes, usually at excessive interest.

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shaving mill

See 1950 quote.

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shaving parlo(u)r

a barber shop.

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shay

n. See 1942 quote.

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shebang

1 n. a low drinking establishment frequented by the loggers and rivermen of Lower and Upper Canada.

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shed grizzly

See quote at grizzly head. [See picture at grizzly (def. 3).]

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shed tent

See 1966 quote at lean-to (def. 1a). Also shed.

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Shediac (oyster)

n. an oyster from Shediac, New Brunswick.

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shee(fish)

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

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sheep

n. a sheep, Ovis canadensis, found in the western mountains.

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sheep shower

sheep sorrel, Rumex acetosella.

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sheep valuer

a municipal officer who assesses the harm done by dogs to sheep, a dog tax being levied to provide his services.

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sheep-hook

n. a shepherd's crook.

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sheepherder 

n. a person who looks after flocks of sheep in the range country.

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sheepman 

n. the owner of a sheep ranch.

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sheer-boom 

n. Lumbering a small boom having one end anchored to the shore and the other swinging out into the stream to direct logs into a holding boom.

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sheet

n. the strip of ice on which a game of curling is played.

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sheet-iron stove

n. a light, portable stove made of sheet iron.

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shelf

n. a shelf of ice anchored to the bank of a river otherwise open.

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shell ice

a formation of ice which once covered water but which stands alone as a shell, the water having receded.

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shell wampum

a bead or beads of shell,Venus mercenaria, later also of porcelain, important as a kind of currency among eastern Indians.

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shell-bird

n. the merganser, Mergus sp.

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shelter kitchen

a roofed shelter equipped with a fireplace and tables, intended for the convenience of tourists at roadside campgrounds.

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shelterbelt 

n. a stand of trees or shrubs which functions as protection against wind and rain and which reduces the risk of serious soil erosion.

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sheriff

n. an appointed official who enforces certain court orders, such as evicting persons for failure to pay rent and escorting convicted persons to prison.

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sheriff's sale

a sale of property or goods conducted by a sheriff following a court order for seizure and sale to satisfy a judgment.

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Shield

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

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shin-tangle

n. See quote.

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Shiner

n. one of the many Irish laborers in Bytown [Ottawa] during the 1830's and 1840's, employed first in the building of the Rideau Canal and later as shantymen, (def. 1).

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Shiners' War

a protracted donnybrook involving the Shiners and other loggers, such as Canadiens, and resulting from the bellicose attitude of the former.

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shinigbee

n. a type of sleeping-bag.

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Shining Mountains

the Rocky Mountains.

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shinnia

n. See quote.

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shinny

1a n. a loosely organized game of ice hockey, played on ice without referees.

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shinplaster 

1 n. one of several denominations, from one dollar downward, of paper bills issued in the United States in 1837 and circulated for a time in Canada.

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shinty

n. a loosely organized game of ice hockey, played on ice without referees.

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ship fishery

See green fishery quote.

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ship-room

n. See room 1954 quote.

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Shippigan turkey

See quote.

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shipping paper

See quote.

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shiptime

n. the time that the supply ship arrives in the summer after break-up (def. 1).

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shiretown

n. See county town1945 quote.

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shishiquoi

n. a rattle used by the Indians in medicine rituals and to accompany singing and dancing. Numerous spellings. [See picture at shishiquoi.]

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shivaree ((n.))

1 n. a noisy celebration to serenade a newly married couple. See also charivari and saluting.

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shivaree ((v.))

v. hold a shivaree for; serenade with a shivaree (def. 1).

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shnye

n. an older and now local form of snye.

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shodding

n. muskeg, bog mud, etc. applied to the runners of a dog-sled so that it freezes into a smooth-sliding surface.

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shoe ((n.))

1 n. one of a pair of webbed frames for walking on top of deep snow. [See picture at snowshoe.]

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shoe ((v.))

v. travel on snowshoes.

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shoeing

n. muskeg, bog mud, etc. applied to the runners of a dog-sled so that it freezes into a smooth-sliding surface.

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shoepack 

1 n. a variety of moccasin having uppers of thick, oiled leather that extend above the ankle and, often, a stiff sole. [See picture at larrigan.]

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shoot ((n.))

1 n. a falls or rapids.

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shoot ((v.))

1 v. navigate a rapids, riffle, etc. in a canoe, boat, or raft.

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shopping mall

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shopping plaza

a concentration of stores, usually in or near a suburban residential district, where there is adequate room for parking, spacious walks, etc.; shopping centre.

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shore brook

See shore lead quote.

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shore dance

a dance held on the shore.

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shore fishery

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Shore Indian

n. a Cree Indian from the vicinity of the fur posts on Hudson Bay.

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shore lead

See quote.

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shore-floe

n. sea ice that is anchored to the shore and extends seaward in a great shelf.

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shore-ice

1 n. sea ice that is anchored to the shore and extends seaward in a great shelf.

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shoreman

n. a fisherman in the dry fishery or shore fishery.

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shoreyer

n. the eider duck, Somateria mollissima.

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short order 

1 a meal or dish that can be prepared quickly and is cooked to order.

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short sauce 

See quote.

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short-log camp

a logging camp where the timber, usually pine, is cut into logs of not more than 20 feet.

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short-logger

n. a logger in a short-log camp.

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short-sauce garden 

n. a vegetable garden.

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shorthand Chinook

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

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shot claw

See quote.

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shot rock ((1))

pieces of rock that result from blasting.

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shot rock ((2))

the rock that is lying in scoring position at a given time.

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shotgun bunk

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

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shotsmith

n. a skilled curler.

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shove ((n.))

1 n. See quote.

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shove ((v.))

v. of ice, thrust forward uer pressure causing pressure ridges in the ice or causing it to break up in spring.

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shovel

1 n. of a moose, the broad, flat part of the antler.

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shoving of the ice

the annual thrusting forward and expansion of river ice during break-up, with special reference to the St. Lawrence River, where the phenomenon was accompanied with much flooding and considerable danger.

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show

n. an indication of the presence of minerals in sufficient quantity to suggest a possible site for a mine.

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show the white feather

See quote.

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show up

prove to have a showing.

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showing

n. an indication of the presence of minerals in sufficient quantity to suggest a possible site for a mine.

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shut-out

v. in hockey, prevent the opposing team from scoring throughout an entire game.

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shutout

n. a game in which a team's goalie prevents the opposing team from scoring; also, the credit given a goalie for such an achievement.

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Siberia of the fur trade

the name given by Simon Fraser (in 1808) to what is now the central and northern parts of the interior of British Columbia, which comprised a department of both the Northwest Company and the Hudson's Bay Company and was one of the great areas of the fur trade.

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Siberian

1 n. a breed of medium-sized working dog originally from Siberia, characterized by a brush tail and a thick coat of black, tan, or gray and white markings.

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Siberian husky

n. a breed of medium-sized working dog originally from Siberia, characterized by a brush tail and a thick coat of black, tan, or gray and white markings.

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Siberian wolf

n. a misnomer for the Arctic wolf.

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sick convener

the member of a club, lodge, ladies auxiliary, etc. who is responsible for visiting sick fellow members, sending them flowers, etc.

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sick-train

n. a dog-sled party whose job it is to run sick or wounded persons out of the bush.

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side

n. See 1942 quote.

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side bark

sheets of thin birch bark for forming the sides of canoes, as opposed to bottom bark.

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side dam

a dam built at the side of a rapids to build up a reservoir of water for floating logs down a slide (def. la).

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side sleigh

See quote.

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side-channel

n. a narrow, meandering, sluggish side-channel of a river, usually shallow and often coming to a dead end.

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side-chute

n. a narrow, meandering, sluggish side-channel of a river, usually shallow and often coming to a dead end.

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side-gulch

n. a blind gulch or gully leading into a larger one.

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side-push

n. See second quote.

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side-road

1 n. a secondary road, often unpaved, leading to a main highway.

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side-saddle flower

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sideboards

n. pl. the board fence enclosing a hockey rink or box-lacrosse field.

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sideline

1a n. the line marking the side boundary of a concession (def. 2) and running at right angles to the concession line (def. 1).

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sidewalk 

n. a walkway, usually paved, beside a street or road.

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sidewinder

n. a type of shay.

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siffleur

1a n. a large marmot, Marmota caligata, of the western mountains.

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Sifton's Sheepskins

the so-called Galicians, who entered Canada in the 1890's under the immigration policy of Sir Clifford Sifton, 1861-1929, then Liberal Minister of the Interior.

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Siftonism

n. the views and policies of Sir Clifford Sifton while Attorney General of Manitoba, especially with regard to his opposition to separate schools in the 1880's.

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sight

v. evaluate (timber) for commercial purposes.

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sighting-in range

a free range equipped with rests and targets supplied by a forestry department and used by hunters to test their rifles before going into the bush.

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signal fire

a column of smoke from a dampened fire, intended as a signal or taken as a sign of the presence of other men.

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signal smoke

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sik-sik

n. a ground squirrel, Spermophilus undulatus parryi, native to the northern parts of Canada.

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Sikusi

n. See quote.

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Sila

n. See quote.

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Silent Force

since 1920, a police force under the jurisdiction of the federal government of Canada, formerly the North West Mounted Police.

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Silent Land

the Canadian North.

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Silent Places

the Canadian North.

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Silk Train

See quote.

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silver

1 n. a color phase of the red fox, Vulpes ful, characterized by black fur having silvery-white guard hairs dispersed over the back, found rarely in nature but nowadays bred on fox farms.

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silver birch

See 1956 quote.

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silver dollar

1 in colonial days (until 1858 officially), the Spanish dollar, a silver coin valued at so many shillings Halifax currency or York currency.

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silver fir

1 a slender evergreen, Abies balsamea, found in Canada from northeastern Alberta eastward, the source of Canada balsam (def. 1).

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silver fox

1 a color phase of the red fox, Vulpes ful, characterized by black fur having silvery-white guard hairs dispersed over the back, found rarely in nature but nowadays bred on fox farms.

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silver frost

the coating of ice resulting from such freezing rain.

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silver pine

a slender evergreen, Abies balsamea, found in Canada from northeastern Alberta eastward, the source of Canada balsam (def. 1).

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silver salmon

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

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silver thaw

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

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silver trout

1 a large game fish, Salmo gairdneri kamloops, native to the upper Columbia and Fraser Rivers; a landlocked steelhead.

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silver(y) oleaster

a silvery-gray shrub, Elaeagnus argentea, common in the west.

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silver-fox pelt

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silver-fox skin

the fur of the silver fox.

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silver-gray (fox)

n. a variation of the silver fox characterized by the presence of many silver hairs, which give it a grayish appearance.

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silver-hair

n. a color phase of the red fox, Vulpes ful, characterized by black fur having silvery-white guard hairs dispersed over the back, found rarely in nature but nowadays bred on fox farms.

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silverberry (plant)

n. a silvery-gray shrub, Elaeagnus argentea, common in the west.

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silverjar (seal)

1 n. an adolescent ring seal.

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silvertip (grizzly)

n. a variety of grizzly bear found in the western mountain region, characterized by hairs having silver tips.

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silvery oleaster

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sin bin

in hockey or box lacrosse, a special bench outside the playing area, where penalized players are required to sit out the time of their banishment from the game.

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singing house

among Eskimos, a special building where communal singing and dancing take place.

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single (point)

n. a play in which the team receiving a punt behind its own goal line is unable or unwilling to carry the ball back into the field of play, thus conceding a point to the opposition.

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single buggy

a small buggy drawn by one horse.

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single canoe

See quote.

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single car(r)iole

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single relief

the welfare allowance granted a man appearing on the relief-office records as being single.

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single-jack

n. a relatively small hammer used in single jacking.

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single-jacking

n. See quote.

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single-line hitching

a method of harnessing sled-dogs in single file, used in country where there are obstructions, as in the bush.

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sink-hole

1 n. an organic bog which is a brown to black mixture of water and living and dead vegetation often covered with a carpet of sphagnum or other mosses and often of considerable depth.

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sish (ice)

n. See 1918 quote.

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Sisiutl

n. See 1888 quote.

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siskawet

n. a variety of lake trout.

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sister colony

one of the British North American colonies, regarded as having equal status with other such colonies.

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sister province

1 one of the British North American colonies, regarded as having equal status with other such colonies.

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sit hard

of ducks, remain on a nest of eggs until the last possible moment as danger approaches.

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Sitka deer

a smaller subspecies, Odocoileus hemionus sitkensis, of the blacktail deer.

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Sitka grouse

a race of sooty grouse, Dendragapus fuliginosus sitkensis, found on the Pacific slope.

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Sitka spruce

1 a tall spruce, Picea sitchensis, found on the Pacific slope in British Columbia.

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Siwash ((adj.))

1 adj. of or having to do with the Siwash (def. 1).

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Siwash ((n.))

1 n. a native Indian.

siwash ((v.))

1a v. travel light, establishing siwash camps or sleeping in the open without prepared shelter.

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Siwash berry

the fruit of any of these plants.

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Siwash blanket

a low ceiling of clouds covering the sky.

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siwash camp

See quote.

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Siwash dog

See 1924 quote.

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Siwash duck

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

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Siwash fashion

1 after the manner of Indians.

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Siwash goose

the Western grebe, Aechmophorus occidentalis.

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Siwash house

the building or room in which Indians were received when bringing furs or other goods to trade.

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Siwash Indian

n. a native Indian.

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Siwash list

a list of persons who have been placed under legal restraint in the buying, selling, or consuming of liquor.

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Siwash logger

a crew member or owner of a small tugboat that collects logs broken loose from booms, getting a commission on each log returned to its owners.

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Siwash pudding

See quote.

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Siwash rhubarb

a dish made with Indian rhubarb.

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Siwash slipper

a flat-soled shoe of soft leather, originally worn by the Indians.

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Siwash sock

a warm ankle-length sock, or liner, of duffle worn inside moccasins, mukluks, etc. and usually folded down at the top.

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Siwash style

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Siwash sweater

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

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Siwash tongue

any native Indian language, especially the Chinook Jargon.

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Siwash trot

a slow, leisurely trot.

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Siwash waptoo

Pacific Coast See wapatoo.

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Siwash wind

a fresh blow; brisk wind.

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Siwashdom

n. the "uncivilized" native state.

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siwashing

n. the practice of travelling light, living Indian fashion on the trail.

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six bits 

seventy-five cents.

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Six Nations

the original Five Nations together with the Tuscarora nation, which joined the confederacy in the early eighteenth century (1722), many of whom remained loyal to the British Crown, moving north to reservations in Canada, especially that on the Grand River near Brantford, Ontario.

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six-fathom canoe

a birchbark canoe 25 to 35 feet long, 5 to 6 feet wide, and 2 to 2 1/2 feet deep, capable of carrying some 1 1/2 to 2 tons of goods, a crew of 8 or 9, and 2 or 3 passengers, used primarily on the waterways north and west of Lake Superior.

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Skeena turkey

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

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skeleton car

See 1942 quote.

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skeleton sleigh

a light, fast sleigh, popular with the sporty set.

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skeleton tent

See quote.

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ski

n. one of a pair o runners attached to aircraft for landing on snow and ice, especially common on bush planes in the North.

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Ski-doo

n. a motor toboggan invented by the Bombardier Company of Valcourt, Quebec. See note at skidoo.

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ski-scooter

n. a small over-snow vehicle equipped with skis at the front and powered by a motor driving a treaded endless track. [See picture at motor toboggan]

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ski-sled

n. a small over-snow vehicle equipped with skis at the front and powered by a motor driving a treaded endless track. [See picture at motor toboggan]

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ski-wheel

n. See quote.

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skid ((n.))

1a n. one of two or more long poles or logs, often notched or spiked, used as a ramp for raising logs onto a skidway (def. 2a), a sleigh, etc.

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skid ((v.)) 

1 v. slide or drag logs down a prepared slide.

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skid grease

lubrication used on the skids of a skidroad (def. la).

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skid row 

1 a city district characterized by cheap lodging houses, second-hand stores, low-class beer parlors and cafes, mission soup-kitchens, etc. and frequented largely by derelicts, transients, petty criminals and unskilled workers.

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skid trail

a trail cut through the bush for dragging or hauling logs from the cutting area.

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skidded landing

the skids (def. 1c) and the logs piled on it.

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skidder

1 n. a logger employed in building and piling a skidway (def. 2a).

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skidding 

1 n. the process of hauling logs from a cutting area.

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skidding line

See quote. [See picture at skyline.]

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skidding road

a trail cut through the bush for dragging or hauling logs from the cutting area.

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skidding trail

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skidoo

n. a small over-snow vehicle equipped with skis at the front and powered by a motor driving a treaded endless track. [See picture at motor toboggan]

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skidoo race

a winter sport in which motorized toboggans compete against each other over a cross-country course.

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skidooing

n. driving, or riding in, a motor toboggan especially a skidoo.

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skidroad ((n.))

1 n. a prepared road having greased skids (def. 1d) over which logs were dragged by teams of mules, oxen, or horses.

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skidroad ((v.))

v. slide or drag logs down a prepared slide.

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skidway

1a n. a prepared road having greased skids (def. 1d) over which logs were dragged by teams of mules, oxen, or horses.

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skiffer

n. a person who fishes from a skiff, close inshore.

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skilfish

n. a large dark gray or black food fish, Anoplopoma fimbria, of the Pacific Coast.

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skim diggings

See 1913 quote.

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skimmings

n. pl. See quote.

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skimobile

n. a vehicle used for travelling over snow and ice, equipped with caterpillar tracks at the rear and set of skis at the front. [See picture at bombardier.]

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skin

1 n. a unit of value originally equivalent to one made beaver, or, in some areas, to one martin (def. 2b), and varying in real worth from district to district.

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skin boat

1 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.]

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skin boot

a type of knee-length waterproof boot made of sealskin.

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skin canoe

1 a coracle-like boat of saplings and hide used by prairie Indians.

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skin carosse

n. the upper framework and leather or canvas sides of the sled; the structure mounted on the toboggan.

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skin ice

n. thin ice, newly frozen.

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skin lodge 

a conical tent in which poles spread at the ground and joined at the top are covered with buffalo hide (originally), canvas, etc., used primarily by the Plains Indians.

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skin 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.]

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skin tent

a tent made of the skins of deer, moose, buffalo, etc., as certain wigwams, teepees, or tupeks.

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skin way

by basing transactions on the skin (def. 1) as a unit of barter.

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skinner

1 n. a teamster, so called because he figuratively skins his horses, mules, etc. with his whip.

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skinning knife

a knife used for skinning animals.

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skip rock

one of a team's last two rocks of an end, usually curled by the skip.

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skipertogan

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

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skiplane

n. an airplane equipped with skis.

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skippertogan

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skirtings

n. pl. See quote.

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skitter

n. a powerful vehicle used for drawing or hauling logs from a cutting area.

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skookum

adj. powerful; strong; big; brave.

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skookum box

a brig.

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skookum tumtum

1 See quotes.

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skookum-house

n. jail; prison.

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skookumchuck

1 n. white water; swift current; rapids.

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skunk ((n.)) 

1 n. See 1958 quote.

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skunk ((v.))

v. fail or cause to fail (in an attempt to get or achieve something).

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skunk cabbage 

1 a variety of arum, Symplocarpus foetidus, of eastern North America, characterized by its giving off a strong odor when bruised.

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skunk lily

a plant of the Rocky Mountain region, Lysichiton camtschatensis, so called because of its resemblance to the skunk cabbage of the East.

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skunk oil

See quote.

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skunk-bear 

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

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sky

n. an officer of the Hudson's Bay Company, so called from the color of the uniform.

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sky agent

a clergyman; missionary; chaplain.

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Sky Blue

an officer of the Hudson's Bay Company, so called from the color of the uniform.

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sky-blue

adj. representative of or identified with the Hudson's Bay Co.

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sky-climber

n. a religious person.

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sky-pilot

n. a clergyman; missionary; chaplain.

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skyline

n. See 1942 quote. [See picture at skyline.]

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slack

n. thread.

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Slackers

n. Halifax, Nova Scotia, so called because of the relatively slack discipline ashore following duty at sea.

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slahal

n. [See 1863 quote] an Indian gambling game taking various forms, the winner being the player to whom falls a marked object (as a disc) mixed with several similar but unmarked objects.

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slapshooting

n. the practice or skill of making slapshots.

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slapshot

n. a fast, not always accurate, shot made by hitting the puck after bringing the stick through a short, powerful arc.

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slash ((n.))

1a n. a tract of land prepared for clearing in this way.

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slash ((v.))

v. clear land of trees and brush.

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slash fence

a fence made from slash (def. 1 b).

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slash fire

a fire in slash (def. 3b).

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slash saw

See slasher ((2)) 1963 quote.

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Slasher ((1))

n. See 1961 quote.

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slasher ((2))

n. See 1963 quote.

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slashing

1a n. See quotes.

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slashing camp

a work camp for a crew engaged in slashing (def. 4).

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slaughter (down)

v. of trees, cut down, especially wastefully.

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slaughter sale

See quote.

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slave beaver

See quote.

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slave killer

See quote.

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Slave Kit

a heated mobile sled in which are stored the tools, equipment, battery bank, etc. that may be needed on a cross-country journey by a train of vehicles.

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Slave Market

an office of the National Employment Service.

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sled

1 n. a sled drawn by a team of dogs. [See picture at dog-sled.]

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sled anchor

an anchor used to moor a dog-sled.

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sled dog

1 a dog, as an Eskimo dog, used to pull a sled (def. 1), especially in the North. See 1577 quote at sled (def. 1). [See picture at sled dog.]

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sled line

a line used in the trappings of a dog-sled, especially to lash down the load.

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sled rail

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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sled road

1 a secondary road used only when the ground is frozen, usually because the terrain is impassable at other times, formerly used by sleighs.

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sled train

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

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sled wrapper

a sheet of canvas or tarpaulin used to cover up the load on a dog-sled.

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sled-sheet

n. a sheet of canvas or tarpaulin used to cover up the load on a dog-sled.

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sled-team

n. a dog-team, often including the driver and fore runner, as well as the dogs.

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sled-tender

n. See quote.

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sledge 

n. a sled drawn by a team of dogs. [See picture at dog-sled.]

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sledge cover

a sheet of canvas or tarpaulin used to cover up the load on a dog-sled.

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sledge-dog

n. a dog, as an Eskimo dog, used to pull a sled (def. 1), especially in the North. See 1577 quote at sled (def. 1). [See picture at sled dog.]

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sleep 

n. in Indian and Eskimo parlance, a day, that is the time between one time of sleeping and the next; the distance travelled in this lapse of time.

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sleep in 

lie in; stay in bed longer than is customary.

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sleeper

1 n. See bedding timbers 1853 quote.

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sleeper pass

a play in which a player moves to the sidelines as if moving off the field during a group substitution, then moves ahead on a quick play to receive a pass unchallenged by a defending player.

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sleeper play

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sleeping camp

a boarding-house or bunkhouse erected at a work camp for the accommodation of miners, loggers, etc.

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sleeping robe

a fur robe used as a blanket.

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sleeping toque

n. a nightcap resembling a long stockinglike tuque (def. 1).

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sleeping-bag

n. a warmly lined bag made of skins, blanketing, canvas, nylon, etc., used mainly when camping.

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sleeping-bench

n. the bench or platform inside an igloo, used for sleeping and usually at the original snow level, the remaining space being an excavation where cooking and eating and other activities are carried on. [See picture at igloo.]

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sleeping-caboose

n. a bunk-house, such as used by threshing crews, mounted on wheels in summer and on runners or bobs in winter.

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sleeping-platform

n. the bench or platform inside an igloo, used for sleeping and usually at the original snow level, the remaining space being an excavation where cooking and eating and other activities are carried on. [See picture at igloo.]

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sleeping-poke

n. a warmly lined bag made of skins, blanketing, canvas, nylon, etc., used mainly when camping.

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sleeping-stage

n. the bench or platform inside an igloo, used for sleeping and usually at the original snow level, the remaining space being an excavation where cooking and eating and other activities are carried on. [See picture at igloo.]

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sleigh ((n.)) 

1 n. a winter vehicle on runners, drawn by horses or oxen and used for work or pleasure.

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sleigh ((v.))

1 v. ride in a sleigh; travel by sleigh.

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sleigh carriage

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

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sleigh club

a club made up of persons interested in sleighing (def. 1).

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sleigh dog 

a dog, as an Eskimo dog, used to pull a sled (def. 1), especially in the North. See 1577 quote at sled (def. 1).

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sleigh meet

a gathering of persons in sleighs for social intercourse, races, etc.

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sleigh party 

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sleigh rack

a hayrack mounted on runners.

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sleigh road

a winter road built or laid out for the use of sleighs.

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sleigh robe

a warm robe, often of buffalo or other skins, used by sleigh passengers to keep warm.

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sleigh runner 

one of two longitudinal pieces on which a sled or sleigh glides over the snow or ice.

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sleigh shoe 

one of two longitudinal pieces on which a sled or sleigh glides over the snow or ice.

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sleigh slide

a hill of snow for children to coast down on sleighs and toboggans.

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sleigh track

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sleigh wrangler

a person who drives a dog team.

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sleigh-bed

n. (a modern term) for a style of bed current in the first half of the 19th century, characterized by an outward curl at the top of the headboard and footboard.

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sleigh-bell 

n. one of a number of small ball-like metal bells attached to a sled or to the harness of the animal pulling it.

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sleigh-cutter

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

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sleigh-ride

1 n. a ride in a sleigh.

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sleigh-ride party

a group of persons riding together in a sleigh or in several sleighs as a form of recreation.

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sleigh-riding

1 n. the pastime of riding in a sleigh.

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sleighing 

1 n. riding or driving in a sleigh (def. 1) for pleasure.

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sleighing party 

n. a group of persons riding together in a sleigh or in several sleighs as a form of recreation.

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sleighing season

the time of year for sleighing (def. 1).

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sleighing time

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sleighwaggon

n. a heavy sleigh (def. 1) used for winter work.

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slick

n. a smooth, unruffled patch on the surface of fast moving water.

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slicker 

n. an oilskin raincoat.

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slicker-pants

n. pl. oilskin pants.

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slidage

1 n. facilities for by-passing rapids and falls by means of slides (def. 1a).

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slide

1a n. an artificial sluiceway down which logs or cribs may be directed to avoid rapids, falls, or other obstructions in a river.

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slide course

the part of a mountain side over which an avalanche or landslide has passed, recognizable as an area bearing a growth of grass and shrubs rather than trees.

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slide dues

a charge made for running timber down a slide (def. la).

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slidemaster

n. the person in charge of a slide (def. la).

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sliding

1 n. See 1948 quote at slide (def. 5).

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sling-ding

n. a weight, as a rock, a piece of iron or lead, or a sock or mitten full of stones, attached to the first end of a trawl to be set, its function being to moor the end of the line.

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slink

n. an immature or undernourished cod.

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slip

1 n. a noose or snare for catching deer and other large game.

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slip-scraper

n. See 1935 quote at scraper.

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slip-string

n. the thong which fastens a snowshoe to the foot.

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slitheroo

n. an early type of insect repellent.

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slob (ice)

n. a mass of densely packed pieces of heavy, sludgy ice, especially sea ice.

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slob water

slushy water, a mixture of broken ice and snow.

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sloop

1 n. a single sleigh (def. 1) used for hauling logs.

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slooper

1 n. a Hudson's Bay Company employee engaged as a skipper for a sailing craft operated by Eskimo crews for local tripping around Hudson Bay.

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slough 

1 n. See 1902 quote at pothole (def. 3a).

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slough grass 

any of several coarse grasses, Muhlenbergia spp., growing in the sloughs of the Prairies or of the interior of B.C.

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slough hay

1 any of several coarse grasses, Muhlenbergia spp., growing in the sloughs of the Prairies or of the interior of B.C.

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slough meadow

a low-lying meadow subject to flooding during spring runoffs and productive in hay.

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slough water

water, often brackish and alkaline, taken from a pothole (def. 3a).

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slough-creek

n. a widening in a creek to create a mud-bottomed, swampy stretch.

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sloven

n. See 1895 and 1964 quotes.

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slow ice

ice that is covered with ice particles skinned off the surface by the players' skates, the effect being to impede movement thus slowing down the game.

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slow time

standard time, as opposed to daylight-saving time when the clocks are advanced an hour.

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sluice ((n.)) 

n. a long box or trough containing riffles (def. 2) by means of which gold is separated from gravel.

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sluice ((v.)) 

1 v. wash gold in a sluice-box.

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sluice-box 

n. a long box or trough containing riffles (def. 2) by means of which gold is separated from gravel. [See picture above.]

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sluice-fork ((n.))

n. a device used to break up lumps of gravel in a sluice-box.

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sluice-fork ((v.))

v. use a sluice-fork.

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sluicing

n. the action or practice of separating gold from gravel in a sluice-box.

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sluicing-box

n. a long box or trough containing riffles (def. 2) by means of which gold is separated from gravel. [See picture at sluice-box.]

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slum

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

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slumgullion

n. a kind of stew made of whatever is available.

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slur ice

a thin mixture of mushy ice and water, found especially near shore.

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slush hole

a patch of rotten ice on the surface of a lake or river.

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slush ice

1 See 1897 quote.

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slush-scraper

n. See 1935 quote at scraper.

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slusherman

n. See quotes.

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small canoe

See quotes.

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small furs

the pelts of small animals, such as mink, fox, squirrel, and wolverine.

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smart-assed

adj. overly clever; smart alecky.

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smash

n. a drink of liquor.

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smell for water

use a divining rod to locate a spring.

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smelt storm

a late snowstorm, coming at about the time the robins, heralds of spring, are due to return.

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smoke

1 n. a fire which gives off dense, acrid smoke from having damp moss, green grass or leaves, etc. heaped on its flames.

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smoke drift

a drift of smoke seen at a distance as evidence of a forest fire.

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smoke smudge

a fire which gives off dense, acrid smoke from having damp moss, green grass or leaves, etc. heaped on its flames.

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smoke talk

in Indian parlance, smoke signals.

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smoke-alley

n. a glass marble having a translucent, smoky appearance.

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smoke-up

n. a rest period between spells of travelling.

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smoked

adj. of Indian blood; Indian.

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Smoked Scotchman

n. a half-breed, especially a Scotch half-breed.

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smokehole

n. the hole in the top of a teepee through which the smoke escapes.

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smoking bag

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

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smoky

n. an Indian.

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smudge 

1 n. a fire which gives off dense, acrid smoke from having damp moss, green grass or leaves, etc. heaped on its flames.

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smudge bonfire

a fire which gives off dense, acrid smoke from having damp moss, green grass or leaves, etc. heaped on its flames.

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smudge can

a can, pail, etc., often with a perforated bottom, used to build a smudge (def. 1).

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smudge fire

a fire which gives off dense, acrid smoke from having damp moss, green grass or leaves, etc. heaped on its flames.

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smudge pen

See quote.

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smudge pot

n. a can, pail, etc., often with a perforated bottom, used to build a smudge (def. 1).

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smudging

n. the process of warding off mosquitoes and other winged insects by means of a smudge (def. 1).

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snag

1 n. a large branch or tree trunk, usually submerged, having one end embedded in the bottom of a river or lake.

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snag rubbers

n. rubber boots with the tops trimmed or cut down.

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snake

n. an Indian game played with a straight wooden rod having a weighted head resembling that of a snake, this rod being slid over a smooth field of snow or down specially constructed runways. [See picture at snowsnake.]

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snake fence 

a kind of rail fence in which the rails, often of split cedar, in panels of six or eight, interlock with each other in a zigzag pattern, being sometimes supported by crossed-rail uprights.

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snake rail-fence

a kind of rail fence in which the rails, often of split cedar, in panels of six or eight, interlock with each other in a zigzag pattern, being sometimes supported by crossed-rail uprights.

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snake room

1 n. See 1912 quote.

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snake-stick

n. the rod used in this game. [See picture at snowsnake.]

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snake-whip

n. a whip having a long, tapering lash or plaited rawhide, often loaded with shot at the tip.

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snakeberry

n. See 1952 quote.

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snap

n. a pass which puts the ball into play from scrimmage, the ball being passed through the centre lineman's legs to another player, usually the quarterback.

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Snap-apple night

See quote.

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snapout

n. a pass which puts the ball into play from scrimmage, the ball being passed through the centre lineman's legs to another player, usually the quarterback.

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snapper (broom)

n. See first quote.

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snapping

n. the action of putting the ball into play with a snap.

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snapshot

n. a shot made by a quick action of the wrist, directing the puck suddenly and accurately at the goal.

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sneak

n. make one's sneak, make one's getaway; duck out.

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snipe

v. comb through old diggings for overlooked gold.

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sniper

1 n. a person who snipes.

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sniping

n. See 1965 quote.

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snooge

n. a way of hitching sled dogs, called Nome hitch in the western Arctic. [See picture at Nome hitch.]

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snoose

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

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snort

n. a drink of liquor.

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snow

1 n. in Indian parlance, a winter (representing a year).

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snow apple

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

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snow beater

a short curved piece of wood or antler used by the Eskimos to knock loose snow from their fur clothing.

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snow blockade

on a road or railway, a blocking of traffic caused by a heavy snowfall.

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snow bunny

a young woman who makes herself conspicuous at ski resorts by the color and attractiveness of her winter garb.

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snow bunting

an Arctic sparrow, Plectrophenax nivalis.

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snow cat

See quote.

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Snow Cruiser

a small over-snow vehicle equipped with skis at the front and powered by a motor driving a treaded endless track. [See picture at motor toboggan.]

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snow devil

a whirling column of snow sucked up in a vortex by the wind.

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snow fence

a fence erected on the windward side of a road or railway to prevent obstruction through drifting.

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snow fencing

material used for snow fences, especially an easily handled combination of slats and wire which can be rolled up when not in use.

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snow glasses

slotted goggles of wood, bone, ivory, etc., worn as protection against snowblindness, especially by Eskimos. [See picture at snow goggles.]

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snow goggles

slotted goggles of wood, bone, ivory, etc., worn as protection against snowblindness, especially by Eskimos.

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snow goose

a white goose, especially Chen hyperborea.

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snow hut

a domed structure built of blocks of hard snow; an Eskimo snowhouse. [See picture at igloo.]

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snow igloo

a domed structure built of blocks of hard snow; an Eskimo snowhouse. [See picture at igloo.]

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snow moss

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

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snow pants

pants of sealskin, caribou skin, etc., worn by Eskimos and others in the North.

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snow partridge

a widely distributed ptarmigan, Lagopus lagopus albus.

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snow platform

the bench or platform inside an igloo, used for sleeping and usually at the original snow level, the remaining space being an excavation where cooking and eating and other activities are carried on. [See picture at igloo.]

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snow probe

See quotes.

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snow scooter

a small over-snow vehicle equipped with skis at the front and powered by a motor driving a treaded endless track. [See picture at motor toboggan.]

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snow sounder

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snow tractor

a kind of snowmobile (def. 1).

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snow trail

a trail through the snow.

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snow trap

1 n. a fox trap built of blocks of snow and baited, the fox jumping in after the bait but being unable to jump out again.

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snow-blind

adj. affected by snow-blindness.

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snow-blindness

n. a painful inflammation of the eyes caused by over-exposure to the glare of the sun on expanses of snow and ice and resulting in temporary blindness accompanied by gritty sensations under the eyelids, excessive watering, and, in early stages, double vision.

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snow-broth

n. See quote.

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snow-bucking engine

a railway engine equipped with a snowplough for clearing snow from the track.

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snow-bug

n. a small over-snow vehicle equipped with skis at the front and powered by a motor driving a treaded endless track. [See picture at motor toboggan.]

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snow-buggy

n. a small over-snow vehicle equipped with skis at the front and powered by a motor driving a treaded endless track. [See picture at motor toboggan]

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snow-cock

n. a widely distributed ptarmigan, Lagopus lagopus albus.

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snow-creek

n. a small stream formed by melting snow during the spring runoff.

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snow-cruising

n. driving, or riding in, a motor toboggan.

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snow-crust

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

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snow-dag

n. a knife about 15 inches long having a broad, straight blade and used primarily for cutting snow blocks for igloos (def. 1a).

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snow-eater 

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

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snow-eyes

n. pl slotted goggles of wood, bone, ivory, etc., worn as protection against snowblindness, especially by Eskimos.

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snow-knife

n. a knife about 15 inches long having a broad, straight blade and used primarily for cutting snow blocks for igloos (def. 1a).

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snow-lily

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

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snow-melter

n. See quote.

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snow-mushroom

n. a mushroom-shaped cap of snow that forms on trees, stumps, etc. in regions where snowfall is heavy and constant.

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snow-plough club

a group of persons in rural areas banded together to share the work and expense of keeping local roads open in winter.

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snow-scoot

n. a boat equipped with runners, driven by an airscrew, and designed to operate on ice or water. [See picture at scoot.]

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snow-shed

n. a sloping shed or roof, now usually of reinforced concrete, constructed over a railway track or a highway so that avalanches may pass harmlessly overhead without blocking the way or endangering lives.

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snow-smoke

n. See poudrerie quotes.

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snow-village

n. a community of Eskimos living in snowhouses.

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snow-water

1 n. water from melted snow, used for drinking and other purposes.

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snow-wing

n. a large, curved blade used for thrusting snow from the path of the vehicle carrying it.

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snow-yard

n. a browsing area where a group of moose or deer in winter tread down the snow, remaining there for protection and warmth until the fodder within easy reach is exhausted.

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snowball party

See quote.

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snowbird

1 n. the snow bunting, or, less often, the slate-colored junco, Junco hiemalis.

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snowblind

n. a bank or heap of snow behind which an Eskimo hides while hunting.

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snowblockaded

adj. snowed-in; isolated by much snow.

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snowblower

n. a machine that clears snow from roads, sidewalks, etc. by drawing it in and then blowing it some distance away. See 1966 quote.

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snowboot

n. a warm, waterproof boot, usually well lined, for winter wear.

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snowbridge

n. a stretch of packed snow forming a bridge over a river, crevasse, etc.

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snowcut

n. a gully made by a snow-plough in clearing a way through a large snowdrift.

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snowed in

filled in, covered, or blocked by snow.

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snowed out

postponed because of heavy snow making activity impracticable.

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snowfly

n. the first fall of snow.

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snowhouse

1 n. a domed structure built of blocks of hard snow; an Eskimo snowhouse. [See picture at igloo.]

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snowmobile

1 n. a large tracked vehicle designed to carry persons and goods across country over snow and ice.

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snowmobile club

a club made up of owners of motor toboggans.

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snowmobile race

a cross-country race in snowmobiles (def. 1) or motor toboggans.

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snowmobiling

n. the sport of travelling or racing in motor toboggans.

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snowplane

n. an early type of bombardier which, driven by a propeller, or airscrew, travelled over snow and ice on skis.

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snowplough 

n. any of various devices for clearing snow off roads, railway tracks, etc.; in modern use, usually, a vehicle equipped with a blade for this purpose.

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snowplow 

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snowshirt

n. a white outer garment, often worn as camouflage by Eskimo hunters.

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Snowshoe

n. the varying hare, so called because of the heavy winter feathering on its feet; also, in some areas, the Arctic hare.

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snowshoe ((n.))

1 n. one of a pair of webbed frames for walking on top of deep snow. [See picture at snowshoe].

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snowshoe ((v.))

v. travel on snowshoes (def. 1).

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snowshoe babiche

the thongs of rawhide, or babiche, which are used to web snowshoes (def. 1).

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snowshoe club

n. a club made up of persons interested in snowshoeing as recreation.

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snowshoe evil

a painful state of inflamed joints and muscles affecting snowshoers, caused by undue strain on the tendons of the leg.

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snowshoe fever

a painful state of inflamed joints and muscles affecting snowshoers, caused by undue strain on the tendons of the leg.

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snowshoe frame

the wooden frame of a snowshoe (def. 1).

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snowshoe hare

the varying hare, so called because of the heavy winter feathering on its feet; also, in some areas, the Arctic hare.

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snowshoe lameness

a painful state of inflamed joints and muscles affecting snowshoers, caused by undue strain on the tendons of the leg.

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snowshoe lashing

the harness by which a snowshoe is attached to the foot.

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snowshoe line

1 the thongs of rawhide, or babiche, which are used to web snowshoes (def. 1).

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snowshoe lines

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snowshoe marathon

a long-distance race on snowshoes (def. 1).

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snowshoe needle

See 1941 quote. [See picture.]

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snowshoe netting

n. the thongs of rawhide, or babiche, which are used to web snowshoes (def. 1).

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snowshoe rabbit

the varying hare, so called because of the heavy winter feathering on its feet; also, in some areas, the Arctic hare.

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snowshoe race

a competition in cross-country snowshoeing.

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snowshoe runner

a person skilled at making fast time while travelling on snowshoes (def. 1).

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snowshoe sickness

a painful state of inflamed joints and muscles affecting snowshoers, caused by undue strain on the tendons of the leg.

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snowshoe trail

a trail followed by persons snowshoeing.

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snowshoed

adj. shod with snowshoes (def. 1); wearing snowshoes.

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snowshoeing

n. the practice or pastime of travelling or racing on snowshoes (def. 1).

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snowshoer

n. a person who travels on snowshoes (def. 1).

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snowslide

n. a hill used for tobogganing or sleighing.

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snowsnake 

1a n. an Indian game played with a straight wooden rod having a weighted head resembling that of a snake, this rod being slid over a smooth field of snow or down specially constructed runways. Also snowsnakes.

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snowsnake racing

an Indian game played with a straight wooden rod having a weighted head resembling that of a snake, this rod being slid over a smooth field of snow or down specially constructed runways.

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snowspoon

n. a wooden shovel about four feet long, used by Indians for excavating holes in the snow when camping on the trail.

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snowy owl

a large white owl, Nyctea nyctea, native to the Arctic regions, ranging in winter south into the United States.

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snye

1a n. a side-channel, especially one that bypasses a falls or rapids, rejoining the main river downstream and thus creating an island.

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snye-dam

n. a dam for holding water to be redirected through a snye (def. 1b).

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soap hole

See quote.

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soapberry

1 n. a shrub, Shepherdia canadensis, the berries of which have a high saponaceous quality.

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soapolallie

1 n. a dessert or drink made from crushed soapberries (def. 2). See 1952 quote.

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soapolallie berry

the edible red berries of the shrub Shepherdia canadensis.

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soapolallie bush

a shrub, Shepherdia canadensis, the berries of which have a high saponaceous quality.

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soapolallie ice-cream

a pinkish, frothy substance having a somewhat bitter taste, made from beating soapberries (def. 2).

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soapolallie stick

a special paddle-like stick for whipping soapberries into a froth in making soapolallie (def. 1).

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soapstone carving

1 n. an objet d'art created out of soapstone (steatite) by Eskimo craftsmen.

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soapsuds

n. pl. a dessert or drink made from crushed soapberries (def. 2).

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social

n. a social gathering, often for the purpose of raising funds for a church or other organization.

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social convener

the member of a club committee who is responsible for social activities and for seeing that refreshments are provided at meetings.

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social convenor

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Social Credit

a Canadian political party formed in the 1930's, its policies being based on the economic theories of Major C. H. Douglas, 1878-1952, a British engineer.

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Social Credit League

the organization in which the Social Credit Party has become institutionalized outside the political arena.

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Social Credit Party

a Canadian political party formed in the 1930's, its policies being based on the economic theories of Major C. H. Douglas, 1878-1952, a British engineer.

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Social Credit Rally

the official name of the Social Credit group from Quebec in the House of Commons in the 1960's.

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Social Crediter

a member or supporter of the Social Credit Party.

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sockeye (salmon)

n. a species of Pacific salmon, Oncorhynchus nerka, that ranges from Alaska to Japan.

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Socred

1 n. a member or supporter of the Social Credit Party.

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sod

n. a furrow.

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sod corn 

n. corn planted in one furrow and covered with the turf from the next, and so on.

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sod house

1 a rude dwelling having walls of sods and a roof either of sods supported by wooden rafters or, sometimes, canvas.

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sod hut

a rude dwelling having walls of sods and a roof either of sods supported by wooden rafters or, sometimes, canvas.

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sod shack

a rude dwelling having walls of sods and a roof either of sods supported by wooden rafters or, sometimes, canvas.

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sod-cloth

n. See quote.

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sod-flap

n. See quote at sod-cloth.

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sodbust

v. operate a farm; farm.

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sodbuster

n. a farmer, especially a farmer who raises field crops rather than livestock.

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soddy 

1 n. a rude dwelling consisting of an excavation, often in the bank of a coulee, etc., roofed with sods.

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soft birch

n. the water birch, or mountain birch, Betula occidentalis, of the western mountain region.

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soft sawder

flattery (an expression popularized by Judge Haliburton's stories of Sam Slick the Clockmaker).

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softball

n. a form of baseball in which a smaller playing field and a larger, softer ball is used.

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soil miner

See 1920 quote at land-miner.

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soiler

n. a ship engaged in hunting seals.

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sol

n. a French unit of currency formerly in circulation in Quebec.

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sol marqué

See 1952 quote.

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soldier

n. See 1784-1812 quote.

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soldier (black)bird

the redwinged blackbird, Agelaius phoeniceus.

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soldier grant

a land grant made to a veteran under the legislation for rehabilitating soldiers after World War I.

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Soldier Settlement

a federal government board having charge of settling veterans on land grants following World War I.

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Soldier Settlement Board

a federal government board having charge of settling veterans on land grants following World War I. Abbrev. S.S.B.

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soldier-settler

n. a veteran of World War I who settled on land granted under the terms of the Soldier Settlement Board.

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soldiers' lodge

a war chief and his warriors, who held authority in a tribe during war.

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soldiers' tent

a teepee or lodge erected as the headquarters of the war chief during a state of war.

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solid Grit

a dyed-in-the-wool Liberal.

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Solomon Grundy

pieces of salted herring marinated in vinegar, pickling spices, and onions.

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Solomon Gundy

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sonobuoy

n. See quote.

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Sons 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.

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Sons of Liberty

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

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Soo, the

n. an abbreviation of Sault Ste. Marie, Ont.

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sooty fox

a rare colour phase of the Arctic fox.

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soul-catcher

n. See quote.

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sourdough

1a n. fermenting dough, often a piece held over from a previous baking, used as a starter in baking bread, biscuits, etc.

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sourdough banquet

a meal eaten on the trail, consisting primarily of sourdough bread.

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sourdough beard

a full beard grown on the occasion of some festivity, such as the 60th anniversary of the Yukon gold-rush, the Klondike Days in Edmonton, etc.

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sourdough boy

any old hand in the Yukon or the Northwest Territories; an old-timer, as opposed to a greenhorn, or cheechako.

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sourdough bread

bread made with dough started with sourdough (def. la).

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sourdough kettle

a container in which sourdough (def. la) is kept.

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sourdough party

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sourdough starter

fermenting dough, often a piece held over from a previous baking, used as a starter in baking bread, biscuits, etc.

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sourdough stiff

See quote.

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sourdough supper

a special supper held to celebrate an anniversary of the Yukon gold-rush, presumably featuring bread, hotcakes, muffins, etc. baked with sourdough.

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South Shore

1 in Quebec, the south shore of the St. Lawrence River and Gulf of St. Lawrence.

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southern

adj. of or relating to the southern parts of Canada; associated with the settled parts of the country.

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Southern Department

n. the extensive administrative division of the Hudson's Bay Company extending from James Bay southward to the Canadas and including the East Main.

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Southern Indian

1a among Hudson's Bay Company men: a Cree, as opposed to the Chippewyans, or Northern Indians (def. la), who lived to the north and west of the Churchill River.

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sow

n. a female bear, especially one with cubs.

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Sowegian

n. a Scandinavian.

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Spadina Strip

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Spam medal

the Canadian Volunteer Service Medal, issued to all persons who volunteered for service in World War II, so called after a kind of processed pork that figured prominently in the diet of soldiers in the field.

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Spanish dollar 

a silver dollar long circulated in Canada and other parts of America during colonial times, being gradually displaced by American and, later, Canadian money.

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spar tree

a clean, sound tree (from 90 to 200 feet high), topped, firmly guyed, and rigged with a high-lead or skyline used in hauling logs from the cutting area to the yarding area. [See pictures at high-lead system and skyline.]

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Sparrow

n. an Englishman, especially a Cockney.

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speak with a forked tongue

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speaking wire

See quote.

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spear

v. check an opposing player by thrusting the blade of the stick into some part of his body, especially his stomach.

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spear grass

any of several species of tough, irritating grass, such as Poa pratensis or Stipa columbiana.

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spearing

n. an illegal check made with the blade of the stick. See 1965 quote.

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special (constable)

n. a man sworn in for temporary duty as a constable, especially with the R.C.M.P.

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Speech 

n. a statement read at the opening of a session of Parliament by the Governor General, or at the opening of a provincial legislature (or, formerly, a colonial legislative council) by the Lieutenant-Governor, as representative of the Crown, reviewing the state of affairs and summarizing the legislation proposed for the session by the Cabinet.

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Speech from the Chair

the message of the sovereign to a colonial council and assembly through the governor.

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Speech from the Throne 

a statement read at the opening of a session of Parliament by the Governor General, or at the opening of a provincial legislature (or, formerly, a colonial legislative council) by the Lieutenant-Governor, as representative of the Crown, reviewing the state of affairs and summarizing the legislation proposed for the session by the Cabinet.

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speed-up (system)

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speeder

1a n. a small motorized vehicle used by railway employees for line maintenance.

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speeding-up (system)

n. any condition or situation tending to increase production through increased labor output; also, a point or bonus system, as the Bedaux system, designed to achieve this end.

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spell ((n.))

1 n. See 1873 quote.

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spell ((v.))

1a v. stop for a spell (def. 2).

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spelling-place

n. a place where one takes a spell (def. 2).

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Spencer's twist

a kind of tobacco that was prominent among the trading goods carried by the fur traders.

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spiceberry 

n. the creeping wintergreen, Gaultheria procumbens, of eastern Canada.

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spider 

n. a frying pan having long metal legs to hold it above coals or an open fire.

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spike-pitcher

n. the member of a threshing crew who forks the sheaves from the load into the separator of the machine.

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spiked

adj. made to look richer in mineral content than is the case; salted.

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spiked boot

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

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spiker

n. the member of a threshing crew who forks the sheaves from the load into the separator of the machine.

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spile

n. a small tube or spout of wood or metal inserted in a maple tree to carry the running sap into a pail or other receptacle.

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spill

v. fit with a spile.

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spinning frolic

See quote.

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spirit duck

the buffllehead, Bucephala albeola.

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spirit stone

any of a large number of stones, usually glacial erratics, on which sacred designs had been carved, formerly held in reverence by certain Plains Indians.

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spirit-wrestler 

n. a member of a Christian sect founded in Russia in the 18th century, several thousand of whom settled in Western Canada at the end of the 19th century.

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splake

n. a hybrid game fish of the trout family, developed by Canadian biologists.

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splashing pole

a pole used for scaring fish into a net.

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split

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

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split-rail fence 

a fence made of split rails, such as a snake fence.

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split-skin

v. See quote.

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split-skinning

n. the practice of skinning an animal by cutting down the belly from throat to tail and up the inside of each leg to the belly cut, then peeling the skin off upward toward the back.

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splitter

n. See 1784 quote.

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splitting cuff

See quote.

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spool bed 

a design of bed having spool-like turnings as part of the design of the headboard and footboard, popular in the nineteenth century.

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spoon canoe

See quote.

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spot fire

1 See 1942 quote.

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spotted alder

the speckled alder, Alnus rugosa, common in wet areas from Saskatchewan to Nova Scotia.

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spring bird

the song sparrow, Melospiza melodia.

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spring break-up

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spring cart

n. a light wagon, the box of which rides on springs.

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spring fallow

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spring fly

the May fly, Ephemera sp.

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spring herring 

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

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spring hunt

1 See 1921 quote.

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spring salmon

n. a mature Chinook salmon.

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spring wagon

a light wagon, the box of which rides on springs.

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spring-burn

n. in clearing land, the occasion in spring for burning trees felled during winter.

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spring-pole

n. a kind of set (def. 1) that consists of a resilient sapling having a snare or trap attached to the top and being bent over so that when the trap is sprung, the caught animal is hoisted in the air.

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spruce barrens

a tract of peat moss or muskeg.

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spruce beer

a drink made from boiling tender spruce shoots, straining off the liquid, adding sugar or molasses, fermenting with yeast, and allowing to cool, widely used among pioneers and still made in some places.

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spruce feathers

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spruce game

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

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spruce grouse 

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

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spruce gum 

a resinous secretion of the spruce, used for caulking canoes, chewing, in medicine, etc.; also, a globule of this substance as found on the tree.

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spruce harvester

See quote.

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spruce hen

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

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spruce partridge

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

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spruce tea

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

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spruce tonic

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

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spruce-bark tea

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

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spruce-fir

n. any of a number of firs, as the balsam.

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spruce-gum tea

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

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spruce-tuck

n. See tuckamore quotes.

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sprucebark canoe

a kind of canoe made by the Indians of the western mountains.

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spruceway

n. a road made of spruce planks.

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spud (in) 

v. begin to drill an oil well.

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Spud Island

Prince Edward Island, so called because it is famous for its potatoes.

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Spud Islander

a native or resident of Prince Edward Island.

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spudgel 

n. a small bucket affixed to the end of a staff, for bailing boats.

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spwagan

n. a tobacco pipe.

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spymobile

n. See quote.

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squadron

n. See quote.

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square

n. See square meal.

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square awl

a square, double-ended awl of steel, used in canoe-making, Lather-working, etc.

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square fipper

a species of seal, Erignathus barbatus, characterized by its large size and prominent beardlike bristles about the mouth.

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square fripper 

a species of seal, Erignathus barbatus, characterized by its large size and prominent beardlike bristles about the mouth.

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square needle

See quote.

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square phipper

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square phripper

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square timber

in the early days of Canadian logging, the staple export of timbers squared in the shanties and rafted to the Quebec timber coves for shipment.

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square timbering

See quote.

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square-flipper (seal)

n. a species of seal, Erignathus barbatus, characterized by its large size and prominent beardlike bristles about the mouth.

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squared timber

in the early days of Canadian logging, the staple export of timbers squared in the shanties and rafted to the Quebec timber coves for shipment.

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squaretail

1 n. the brook trout, Salvelinus fontinalis.

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squash 

n. a plant of the genus Cucurbita; also, the fruit of this plant.

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squat 

v. occupy land without title to it; settle on public land without applying for legal title.

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squat-shack

n. the shack of a squatter.

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squatter 

n. a person who squats.

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squatters' rights 

the rights of a squatter to remain on the public land he has occupied.

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squaw 

1 n. an Indian woman, especially a wife.

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squaw axe 

a small hatchet used by Indian women in their work.

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squaw boot

a type of moccasin having tops of soft buckskin, usually intricately beaded or embroidered.

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squaw dance

n. in mining towns, a dance attended by white men and, mainly, by Indian women.

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squaw hitch

a type of hitch used for lashing a pack to a pack animal.

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squaw horse

a quiet or spiritless cayuse.

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squaw notch

See quote.

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squaw pole

1 a pole cut in the bush for use in a temporary shelter and left behind on breaking camp.

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squaw tale

See quote.

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squaw tea

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

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squaw winter 

1 See quote.

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squaw wood 

easily gathered fuel for fires, such as small, dry sticks, pine cones, and cow chips.

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squawberry

1 n. a kind of blueberry, Vaccinium stamineum.

squawfish

n. a fairly large fish of the interior of British Columbia, Ptychocheilus oregonense.

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squawman 

1a n. a white man married to an Indian woman, especially a man who thereafter follows Indian ways.

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squid

n. a cephalopod of the genus Loligo; cuttlefish.

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squid-jigging

n. the practice of catching squid for bait, using a jig.

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squid-jigging ground(s)

the place where fishermen jig (def. 1) for squid.

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squirrel whisky

a potent alcoholic liquor, often homebrew.

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St. James Street

a Montreal street on which are located many banks and financial houses exerting great influence on Canadian business; hence, the moneyed interests of Quebec and Eastern Canada collectively.

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St. John's Island

n. See 1889 quote.

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St. Lawrence (apple)

n. an eating apple having white flesh with pinkish streaks when ripe and greenish, red-streaked skin.

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St. Lawrence provinces

Ontario and Quebec.

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stag boot

a cut-down high boot.

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stag jacket

a short, warm jacket of Mackinaw cloth, tight at the waist and roomy at the shoulders, a style favored by loggers, trappers, etc.

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stag shirt

a shirt of hea woollen cloth, similar in design to a stag jacket.

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stage ((adj.))

of furs, inferior by virtue of dark blue patches on the skin.

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stage ((n.))

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

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stage ((v.))

1 v. place on a stage (def. 3).

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stage sled 

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stage sleigh 

a sleigh for transporting people or goods along a stage route.

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stagehead

n. See 1819 quote.

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stagey

adj. of furs, inferior by virtue of dark blue patches on the skin.

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stagged (off) 

adj. of pants, cut down from original size.

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staging

1 n. a platform of poles, usually high enough to be out of reach of dogs or predatory animals, on which fish or meat are placed to dry.

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stake 

n. the money or the means to obtain food and other necessaries for a certain period of time.

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stake (off)

1a v. mark or indicate the boundaries of (a claim) with stakes.

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staker

n. a person who stakes (def. la) a mining claim.

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stakey

adj. adequately provided with money. Also staky.

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staking

1 n. the provision of a grubstake (def. 2).

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staking bee

a movement of persons intending to stake claims for mining purposes.

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staking rush

a movement of persons intending to stake claims for mining purposes.

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Stampede

n. the Calgary Stampede.

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stampede ((n.))

1a n. a wild, unrestrained rush of animals, usually set in motion by fright.

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stampede ((v.)) 

1a v. of animals, rush headlong in wild flight.

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stampeder

1 n. a person who participates in a stampede (def. lc).

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stampeding

adj. rushing wildly in a headlong fashion.

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stampeding pack

a packsack carried by a stampeder (def. 1).

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standing iron

n. the iroor twisted wire spike on the collar of a dog harness to which a string of ribbons, pompoms, or other decoration may be attached. [See picture at sled dog.]

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standing-bed berth

one of a range of bunks lining the sides of a shanty (def. 2a).

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Stanfields

n. pl. long underwear manufactured by Stanfield's Ltd., a knitting mill in Truro, Nova Scotia.

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Stanley Cup

the trophy emblematic of the professional hockey championship of the world, named for Lord Stanley, Governor General of Canada, 1888-93, who presented it in 1893.

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star(ch)igan

n. a kind of Indian dwelling.

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States 

n. pl. the United States of America.

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states-general

n. a proposed body of representatives from all sectors of French Canada, to discuss constitutional and other matters of vital interest to French Canadians.

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station 

n. temporary quarters established on shore during the fishing season.

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stationer

n. See 1952 quote.

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stationman

n. See 1887 quote.

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statute labo(u)r 

road work and other duties required of settlers by law as part of settlement duties.

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stave grub(b)

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steady

n. See 1792 quote.

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steam alligator

an alligator (def. 2) driven by steam engines.

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steam canter

See quote.

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steam jigger

See quote.

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steam scow

a scow driven by a steam engine.

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steamjetting

n. See quote.

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steel

1a n. railway track.

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steel gang

the workmen responsible for laying the tracks in railway building.

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steel man

a worker on a steel gang.

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steel-end

adj. of or relating to the end of steel (def. la).

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steel-layer

n. a worker on a steel gang.

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steel-worker

n. a worker on a steel gang.

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steelhead

n. a fish, Salmo gairdnerii, of the Pacific coast, which spawns in fresh water after two or three years in the sea. Also steelhead trout.

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steelhead rod

an especially long, resilient rod used in fishing for steelhead.

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steelhead trout

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steelheader

n. one who fishes for steelheads.

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steelheading

n. fishing for steelhead.

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steelie

n. a fish, Salmo gairdnerii, of the Pacific coast, which spawns in fresh water after two or three years in the sea.

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steer-dog

n. in a dog-team, the dog hitched nearest to the sled or toboggan, his task being to guide the vehicle, keeping it clear of any-thing that might obstruct it.

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steerer

1 n. in the canoes and boats of the fur brigades, the foreman of a crew, usually the most skilled boatman and the highest paid.

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steering dog

in a dog-team, the dog hitched nearest to the sled or toboggan, his task being to guide the vehicle, keeping it clear of any-thing that might obstruct it.

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steersman

n. in the canoes and boats of the fur brigades, the foreman of a crew, usually the most skilled boatman and the highest paid.

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Stellar coal

a kind of soft coal found in 1798 near present-day Stellarton, Nova Scotia. Also called oil coal.

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stem

n. an Indian ceremonial pipe.

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stemmo

n. tobacco. Also spelled stemow, stimu.

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Stevens' Party

a reformist political party organized by the Hon. H. H. Stevens, a disaffected Conservative, in 1935.

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Stick

n. an Indian from the bush country of the interior, originally so called by the Indians of the Pacific Coast.

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stick ((1))

1a n. a piece of square timber.

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stick ((2))

1 n. woods; bush.

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stick ((3))

1 v. a log caught on a snag or obstruction when being transported.

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stick chimney

a chimney having walls made of logs set in mortar, the whole being covered with plaster, used where stones were not ready to hand.

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Stick country

the wooded country of the Stick Indians.

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stick country

the wooded country of the interior.

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stick game

1 See 1793 quote.

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stick Indian

a native from the backwoods; an Indian ignorant of city ways.

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Stick Indian

n. an Indian from the bush country of the interior, originally so called by the Indians of the Pacific Coast.

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stick-boy

1 n. the person charged with looking after the hockey sticks used by a team.

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stick-fire

n. See quote.

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stick-tie

v. tie up (a dog) with a toggle and noose, after the fashion of the Stick Indians.

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stickhandle

v. carry a puck forward and around opponents by deft and deceptive movements of the stick; control the puck while moving forward on an irregular course.

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stickhandler

n. a player who handles his stick skilfully.

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stickhandling

n. skilful use of a hockey stick.

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sticks

1 n. pl. the bush; wooded interior country.

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still hunt

See still-hunting 1939 quote.

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still-hunt

v. engage in still-hunting.

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still-hunter

n. one who engages in still-hunting.

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still-hunting

n. See 1939 quote.

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stink hole

See quote.

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stint

n. a beaver dam.

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stog

v. See 1937 quote.

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stomach-robber

n. See quote.

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stone fence 

a mixed drink, such as cider and brandy.

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stone lamp

a shallow, crescent-shaped dish of soapstone in which seal-oil or caribou fat is burned to provide light and heat for cooking in an Eskimo home. [See picture at kudlik.]

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Stone sheep

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

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stone-and-rail fence

a rail fence having the lower rails replaced by piled stones.

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stone-hooker

n. a vessel employed in hooking and transporting stones for ballast.

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stoneboat 

n. 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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stook ((n.)) 

1a n. a structure of grain sheaves, sometimes set up end to end in five or six pairs (a long stook), sometimes in a circle with a crossed pair on top as a shed (a round stook).

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stook ((v.)) 

v. set up in stooks (def. la).

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stook loader

n. a mechanical contrivance which loads sheaves or bales into a wagon a stook at a time.

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stook pitcher

a member of a harsting crew who throws sheaves onto the stook wagon.

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stook wagon

a kind of rack for transporting stooks (def. 1).

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stooker

1 n. one who puts up stooks (def. 1).

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stooking 

n. the practice or skill of setting sheaves of grain up in stooks (def. la).

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stoop 

1 n. a porch or veranda, nowadays especially one at the back door, often unroofed.

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stopper

n. a type of net-trap placed permanently across narrow channels, for catching seals.

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stopping-house

n. a place providing accommodation for travellers; an inn, usually of a primitive sort.

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stopping-place

1 n. a place providing accommodation for travellers; an inn, usually of a primitive sort.

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stops and starts

a skating exercise intended to strengthen the muscles of the legs and feet and to improve a player's ability to change direction rapidly, involving alternate stopping and starting at the command of the coach, who usually controls the movement with whistle blasts.

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store

1a n. a retail shop.

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store meat

the kind of meat obtainable in a butcher's store, as opposed to meat obtained by hunting.

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store pay

See quotes.

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store-teeth

n. false teeth; dentures.

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storekeeper

1 n. the owner of a store or shop.

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stouter

n. See 1819 quote.

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stove cake

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

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stove horse

in a pack train, the horse laden with . the packers' camp outfit, gear, etc.

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strad

n. See quote.

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straight rail fence

See 1932 quote. [See picture at rail fence.]

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straight-combine

v. harvest with a combine while the grain is still standing in the field. Hence straight-combining, n.

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stranger

n. a species of duck.

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straw oil

a medium grade of seal oil.

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straw-and-pole barn

a barn constructed of poplar poles and roofed with straw.

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straw-line

n. See quotes.

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straw-push

n. the assistant to the foreman of a logging crew, construction gang, etc.

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strawberry festival 

a social gathering, usually under church auspices, at which strawberries are served.

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strawberry frolic 

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strawberry tea

a social gathering at which tea and strawberries are served, the purpose of the function being to raise money for charity work.

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stream

n. an oblong field of drift-ice.

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stream-driver

n. a man who takes part in the process of floating or driving logs.

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stream-driving

n. the process or practice of floating logs downstream at high water.

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Streamers

n. pl. See quote.

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street hockey

a form of hockey played on a road or street by children using hockey sticks and, usually, a ball.

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streetcar 

n. a conveyance used primarily for carrying passengers and equipped to run on rails set in the street.

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stretcher

n. 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 pictures at stretcher.]

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stretcher board

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 pictures at stretcher.]

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strike

n. on the strike, attempting to pick up someone of the opposite sex without proper introduction.

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striking party

See quote.

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string

n. a system for measuring waney pine to determine the average circumference for reckoning purposes.

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string bog

a series or chain of muskegs (def. 1), as opposed to a continuous expanse of bog.

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string measure

a system for measuring waney pine to determine the average circumference for reckoning purposes.

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string-team

n. a pack-train of mules or horses, capable of making better time than oxen.

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stringer

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

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strip

n. the cutting area of a logging operation.

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strip boss

the man in charge of the cutting operation on a strip.

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strip cruise

a timber survey in which the cruiser counts or estimates the number of trees suitable for logging on each side of a pre-set compass line.

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strip farm

a long, narrow holding of land fronting on a river, such as the farms of old Quebec along the St. Lawrence River and those in the Red River Settlement.

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strip road

a bush road made for hauling logs from the cutting area.

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Strip, the

n. a richly cosmopolitan section of Spadina Avenue in Toronto, noted for its markets, flophouses, and polyglot atmosphere; the section of Spadina between Wellington and College Streets.

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striped blanket

a well-known make of blanket produced for the Hudson's Bay Company and having marks, or points (def. 2), woven into the fabric.

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striped maple 

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

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striped marmot

a gopher, Spermophilus tridecemlineatus, having stripes down its back.

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striped spermophile

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striped squirrel

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

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strong cold

in Indian parlance, the depth of winter; any very low temperature.

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strong medicine

something believed to have power over the forces of nature; magic or supernatural powers believed to have the means of healing or harming.

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strong wood buffalo

a variety of bison, Bison bison athabascae, found in lightly wooded regions of northern Alberta and the Mackenzie District.

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strong wood reindeer

a species of caribou (def. 1), Rangifer tarandus, of the forested areas of northern Canada.

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strong wood(s)

forest; heavy woods; big trees.

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strong woods country

See 1921 quote.

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stroud blanket

a blanket of stroud (def. 1).

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stroud leggings

warm, heavy leggings or trousers made of stroud (def. 1).

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stroud trousers

warm, heavy leggings or trousers made of stroud (def. 1).

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stroud(s) 

1 n. a heavy woollen cloth in several colors, much used in the North during three centuries for making blankets, leggings, capotes, etc.

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strouding

n. a heavy woollen cloth in several colors, much used in the North during three centuries for making blankets, leggings, capotes, etc.

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struck

adj. See quote.

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stub ((n.))

n. a tall, dead tree, especially one that is blackened and branchless from being caught in a forest fire.

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stub ((v.))

v. See 1831 quote. Hence stubbing, n.

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stubble-jumper

n. a prairie farmer.

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stump ((n.))

1 n. in the stumps, of towns, in a region recently cleared of trees.

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stump ((v.))

v. remove the stumps from, as in clearing land.

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Stump Act

a law requiring the removal of stumps from cleared land.

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stump farm

an undeloped bush ranch, having the trees logged off and, often, having grass sown between the stumps for grazing cattle.

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stump farmer

the owner of a stump ranch.

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stump fence

See 1932 quote.

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stump land

land from which the timber has been cut.

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stump machine

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stump polisher

the owner of a stump ranch.

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stump ranch

an undeloped bush ranch, having the trees logged off and, often, having grass sown between the stumps for grazing cattle.

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stump rancher

the owner of a stump ranch.

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stump-ranching

n. operating a stump ranch.

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stumpage

1a n. a price paid for the right to cut standing timber.

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stumpage costs

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stumpage dues

a tax or royalty paid to the government on each tree taken out of a timber berth.

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stumper

n. See quotes.

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stumping

1 Obs. See quote.

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stumping machine

1 a device for pulling stumps in clearing land for farms or roads.

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stumping powder

low-percentage dynamite used to uproot stumps.

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sturgeon (-nosed) scow

n. a freight boat about 55 feet long and 11 wide, with a draught of little more than two feet, capable of carrying 10-12 tons and propelled by poles and or oars, or, in later days, an outboard motor.

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sturgeon (boat)

n. a freight boat about 55 feet long and 11 wide, with a draught of little more than two feet, capable of carrying 10-12 tons and propelled by poles and or oars, or, in later days, an outboard motor.

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sturgeon-head (boat)

n. a freight boat about 55 feet long and 11 wide, with a draught of little more than two feet, capable of carrying 10-12 tons and propelled by poles and or oars, or, in later days, an outboard motor.

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sturgeon-head scow

n. a freight boat about 55 feet long and 11 wide, with a draught of little more than two feet, capable of carrying 10-12 tons and propelled by poles and or oars, or, in later days, an outboard motor.

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sturgeon-nosed canoe

a type of bark canoe formerly associated with the Kootenay Indians. [See picture at sturgeon-nosed canoe.]

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sub-farmer

n. a lessee of lands in the King's Domain.

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subscription assembly

n. an evening of dancing and other social activities organized by subscription.

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subtrader

n. See quote.

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Suckemo

n. a member of a large group of North American aborigines inhabiting the Arctic and northern coastal areas from Greenland to Siberia.

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sucker

1 n. one of a number of fresh-water fish of the family Catostomidae, which are bottom feeders having mouths so shaped as to give the appearance of being engaged in sucking.

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sucker run

n. the spring migration of large numbers of suckers ascending fresh-water rivers to spawn.

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suckering

n. fishing for suckers in rivers during the spring run.

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sucking-carp

n. one of a number of fresh-water fish of the family Catostomidae, which are bottom feeders having mouths so shaped as to give the appearance of being engaged in sucking.

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sugar ((n.))

n. sugar obtained by boiling the sap of certain maple trees, especially the sugar maple.

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sugar ((v.))

v. convert maple sap to syrup by evaporation or to sugar by evaporation and crystallization.

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sugar boiler

1 a large cauldron used to contain the maple sap that is boiled in sugaring-off.

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sugar bush

a grove of sugar maples.

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sugar cabin

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

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sugar grove

a grove of sugar maples.

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sugar lodge

a wigwam or other structure in an Indian sugar-camp.

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sugar maple

1 a maple tree, Acer saccharum, found in Canada from Lake Superior eastward and commercially valuable for its hard wood and for its sap, which is used in making maple sugar and syrup; also, its wood.

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sugar off

v. convert maple sap to syrup by evaporation or to sugar by evaporation and crystallization.

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sugar orchard

a grove of sugar maples.

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sugar pemmican

n. pemmican into which maple syrup had been mixed.

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sugar plantation

a grove of sugar maples.

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sugar sand 

See quote.

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sugar shanty

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

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sugar snow

a fall of snow accompanied by a slight fall in temperature which delays the leafing of the maple trees, thus producing a longer run of sap.

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sugar tree 

a maple tree, Acer saccharum, found in Canada from Lake Superior eastward and commercially valuable for its hard wood and for its sap, which is used in making maple sugar and syrup; also, its wood.

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sugar weather

spring weather, characterized by cold nights and warm days, that starts the sap running in maple trees and ushers in the sugaring season.

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sugar woods

a grove of sugar maples.

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sugar-boiling camp

the place in a sugar bush where sugaring-off (def. 1) takes place, including the building and equipment.

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sugar-bush maple

a maple tree, Acer saccharum, found in Canada from Lake Superior eastward and commercially valuable for its hard wood and for its sap, which is used in making maple sugar and syrup; also, its wood.

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sugar-bush party

a party held in the sugar bush at the time of sugaring-off (def. 1).

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sugar-camp

n. the place in a sugar bush where sugaring-off (def. 1) takes place, including the building and equipment.

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sugar-house

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

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sugar-hut

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

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sugar-kettle

n. a large cauldron used to contain the maple sap that is boiled in sugaring-off.

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sugar-maker

n. one who engages in making maple sugar.

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sugar-making

n. the process of boiling maple sap to make syrup and sugar through evaporation and crystallization.

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sugar-making season

See sugaring season quotes.

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sugar-maple grove

a grove of sugar maples.

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sugar-maple rum

an alcoholic liquor made from maple sugar or syrup.

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sugar-party

n. a party held in the sugar bush at the time of sugaring-off (def. 1).

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sugar-time

n. See sugaring season quotes.

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sugarer

n. one who engages in making maple sugar.

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sugaring

n. the process of boiling maple sap to make syrup and sugar through evaporation and crystallization.

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sugaring party

a party held in the sugar bush at the time of sugaring-off (def. 1).

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sugaring season

See quotes.

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sugaring time

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sugaring-hut

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

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sugaring-off

1 n. the process of boiling maple sap to make syrup and sugar through evaporation and crystallization.

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sugaring-off party

a party held in the sugar bush at the time of sugaring-off (def. 1).

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sugary

1 n. a grove of sugar maples.

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suicide squad

the backs who are required to catch and run back punts.

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suitcase farmer

See quote.

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sulky (plough) 

n. See 1959 quote.

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sulky sleigh

n. a horse-drawn sleigh which takes two persons in seats arranged tandem fashion.

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summer beaver

n. unprime fur from beavers caught out of season.

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summer cottage

a summer residence, usually at a resort or some place close to water.

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summer cottager

one who lives in a summer cottage.

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summer express

the summer trip of the express (def. 1).

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summer lodge

a tent of skins, used as a summer dwelling.

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summer man

1 an employee engaged for the summer only.

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summer master

a person in charge of a trading post for the summer only.

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summer parka

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summer road

See 1957 quote.

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summer skin

unprime fur from beavers caught out of season.

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summer work

the opening of pits and cuts and the sluicing of gravel, that is, open-cast mining, beginning in June and ending in mid-September.

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summerberry

n. the edible, purplish berry of the saskatoon bush.

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sun bug

a cicada.

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sun parlo(u)r

the western part of Southern Ontario lying on the north shore of Lake Erie, noted for its advanced growing season, which makes it a prominent producer of tobacco and early vegetables.

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sunker

n. See 1962 quote.

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superintendent

n. an official representing the Indian Affairs Branch of the federal gornment in its dealings with and responsibilities toward the Indians in a certain agency, reserve, or district. Formerly called Indian agent, as still in popular usage.

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supon 

n. cornmeal mush; hasty pudding.

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supply cache

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

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supply house

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supply road

a road built for trucks carrying supplies into a bush camp, mining property, etc. at some distance from public roads.

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supply teaching

acting as a substitute teacher in such schools as may require help.

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surrogate

n. a magistrate appointed from among the captains at the fisheries.

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surrogate court

the court held by a surrogate.

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surrogating

n. the process of moving from station to station holding surrogate court.

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surround 

n. a method of hunting animals such as antelope, caribou, buffalo, etc. by surrounding them and keeping them penned in while as many as possible were slaughtered.

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suskatoomina

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swallow-tail snowshoe

a kind of snowshoe common among the Indians of the northeast of Canada, used for travel through deep, soft snow and underbrush. See picture at snowshoe.

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swamp ((n.))

n. a woodlot; bush (def. 2).

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swamp ((v.))

1 v. cut a road or trail through bush country, especially for hauling lumber.

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swamp alder

1 the speckled alder, Alnus rugosa, common in wet areas from Saskatchewan to Nova Scotia.

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swamp ash

one of several ash trees, especially Fraxinus nigra, the black ash.

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swamp birch

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

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swamp blackbird

the redwinged blackbird, Agelaius phoeniceus.

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swamp buggy

n. a tracked vehicle capable of pulling a heavily loaded trailer over rough and boggy terrain.

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swamp cat

a tracked vehicle for pulling cat-­trains.

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swamp elm

a common species of elm, Ulmus americana, found from central Saskatchewan to the Maritimes; white elm.

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swamp fire

marsh gas, methane, which at times burns in swampy areas; will-o'-the-wisp.

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swamp larch

n. the larch, especially Larix laricina.

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swamp maple

the red maple, Acer rubrum, found on moist sites in the southern part of Canada from Lake Superior eastward.

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swamp meadow

a low-lying meadow subject to flooding during spring runoffs and productive in hay.

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swamp out

1 v. cut a road or trail through bush country, especially for hauling lumber.

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swamp rabbit

See quotes at marsh rabbit.

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swamp tea

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

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swamp-boot

n. a type of moccasin of oil-tanned cowhide having uppers reaching almost to the knee and, usually, flexible soles.

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swamper 

1 n. a logger employed in cutting roads and, often, in trimming branches from felled trees.

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swamping

n. the work done by a swamper (def. 1).

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swamping axe

a wide, double-bitted axe used in swamping and other rough work.

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swamping road

a bush road made for hauling logs from the cutting area.

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sweat factory

a factory where workers are employed at low wages for long hours of toil. See also sweat factory. ow- The term derives from the practice of "sweaters" in the highly competitive middle-man shops in the garment industry driving underpaid needlewomen and tailors, often immigrants.

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sweat lodge 

a hut, wigwam, etc. used for taking sweat-baths (def. 1), originally a practice of Indians.

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sweat-bath

1 n. a bath such as that taken for reasons of health by certain Indians, the bather sitting naked in a hut or lodge and perspiring freely in the steam caused by water being dripped onto hot rocks, the process sometimes being completed by a plunge into an adjacent lake or stream.

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sweat-house

n. a hut, wigwam, etc. used for taking sweat-baths (def. 1), originally a practice of Indians.

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sweating bath

a hut, wigwam, etc. used for taking sweat-baths (def. 1), originally a practice of Indians.

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sweating booth

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sweating house

a hut, wigwam, etc. used for taking sweat-baths (def. 1), originally a practice of Indians.

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sweatshop 

n. a factory where workers are employed at low wages for long hours of toil.

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sweatshop conditions

working conditions similar to those obtaining in sweatshops.

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Swede

n. See 1958 quote.

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Swede bucksaw

a type of saw having a bow-like tubular frame and a sharp blade with many cutting teeth, especially efficient in cutting pulpwood and any soft, green wood.

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Swede-saw

n. a type of saw having a bow-like tubular frame and a sharp blade with many cutting teeth, especially efficient in cutting pulpwood and any soft, green wood.

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Swedish fiddle

a long crosscut saw used by buckers.

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Swedish saw

a type of saw having a bow-like tubular frame and a sharp blade with many cutting teeth, especially efficient in cutting pulpwood and any soft, green wood.

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Swedish violin

a type of saw having a bow-like tubular frame and a sharp blade with many cutting teeth, especially efficient in cutting pulpwood and any soft, green wood.

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sweep gang

See quote.

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sweep-check ((n.))

n. a check made by a player crouching low while sweeping the ice surface in an arc with his stick, thus deflecting the puck from the blade of the opposing player's stick.

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sweep-check ((v.))

v. make a sweep-check.

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sweep-checker

n. a player who is skilled in using the sweep-check.

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sweep-checking

adj. skilled in using the sweep-check.

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sweep-head

n. the deck or platform occupied by the sweepman on a scow equipped with a tail-sweep.

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sweeper

n. a tree that has been undermined by the current of a stream so that it has fallen either partly or entirely into the water although usually still moored to the bank by its roots.

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sweepman

n. the man operating the sweep on a river scow.

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sweet corn

any of several varieties of Indian corn which are sweet to the taste.

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sweet pemmican

n. pemmican into which maple syrup had been mixed.

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swift (fox) 

n. a small fox, Vulpes velox hebes, once common on the prairies.

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swile

n. a seal.

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swiler

n. a person taking part in the seal fishery.

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swiling gun

a harpoon gun used in hunting seals.

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swim-up

n. See quote.

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swing

1 n. a train of sleighs or freight canoes, so called because they move, or swing, over a certain route in periodic trips.

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swing boss

the foreman in charge of a cat-swing.

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swing-out

n. a cowboy who rides well out to the side of a herd to keep the animals from spreading.

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swish ice

See sish ice 1918 quote.

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syllabic

adj. of or pertaining to any one of several syllabic systems of writing devised for the use of Indians and Eskimos. [See picture at Cree syllabics.]

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syllabics

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

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Sympathizer

n. any of certain residents of Upper Canada who, during 1837-8, sought to sever the British connection and join the province to the United States.

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syndic

n. See 1963 quote.

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syrup

n. a syrup made from the sap of certain maple trees, especially the sugar maple.

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