DCHP-2
casse-croûte casse-croute < European French casse croûte 'snack', literally 'break crust (of bread)' DCHP-2 (November 2016)
Non-Canadianism
1 n.
a snack bar.
This term is a borrowing from European French into British English in the 1960s, as evidence from the London Times shows. In French, the term is widespread. First found in British English, it also entered, not surprisingly, Canadian English (see the 1971 and 1980 quotations).
See also COD-2, s.v. "casse-croûte", which is marked "Cdn (Que.)".- 1971 There's a new take-out service in our town you are going to hear a lot about. Only open about a month, I discovered Le Casse-Croute a few days ago while walking along Wellington East near the market.
- 1980 Because in Quebec the tax-free meal maximum is $1.50, experienced casse-croute users make two or three tips [sic] to the counter to keep each tab under the limit. Although a hamburger alone exceeds it, you can order soup and a hot dog, for example, then go back for pastry and coffee.
- 1985 After the safari tour, if it's time for lunch, you could try the Igloo (pizzas, ice cream), the BBQ (burgers, barbecued chicken) Relais (hot dogs etc) or the Casse-Croute (dogs, burgers, onion rings etc.)
- 1993 There was still time to buy a drink and a croc monsieur (submarine sandwich) at a casse croute (snack bar) and lunch in the sun on the green grass of a little park behind Perce's cobble beach.
- 2007 Pulled lamb and mushroom poutine ($11) is more café than casse-croûte with the addition of tart chèvre and deeply intense peppercorn jus.
2 n. — Food
a snack; the food available from such a bar (see meaning 1).
See meaning 1.- 1979 With a bottle of Bordeaux and coffee, the bill for two came to roughly $32. A luncheon snack (casse-croute) in the same room runs about $4 for a cold plate, the same for a club sandwich.
- 1992 Imagine a parallel situation: generations of Francophones growing up in Alberta, not bothering to learn English, still getting the best jobs, and then boasting that they're just waiting for the chance to go to London and learn Cockney. Richler even throws in the bit about those ARRET signs in Quebec, the ones which say STOP in France. Imagine those cheeky Quebecois, saying "casse-croute" instead of "snack."
- 2007 Glass of vino in hand, as classmates arrive (tonight, there are nine men and two women) chef instructor Ian Dowsett gives each of us a casse-croute of deep-fried wontons with mango salsa. Dee-lish.
References:
- 1971 There's a new take-out service in our town you are going to hear a lot about. Only open about a month, I discovered Le Casse-Croute a few days ago while walking along Wellington East near the market.