The recent kerfuffle over tariffs has driven U.S.-Canadian relations to their lowest point since American troops burned York (now Toronto) during the War of 1812.

If each nation turfs out the products of the other, both economies will be dinged, and consumers on each side of the border will go snaky. Keeners in Calgary will queue up for mickeys of blackmarket Jack Daniels, while hosers in Houston will hunt for two-fours of smuggled Molson.

But the cause of this tension isn't just tariffs; it's talk. While Canadians have begrudgingly imported Americanisms for two centuries, Americans are more familiar with Canada geese than Canadianese. So in the spirit of reconciliation, I hereby unveil LAFTA — the Linguistic Awareness Free Trade Agreement.

Actually, you probably know more Canadianisms than you think, including some of the maple leaf lingo in the first two paragraphs of this column: kerfuffle (flurry of commotion); turf out (exclude); dinged (suffered financial loss); go snaky (flip out); keener (person eager to please); queue up (line up); mickey (13-oz. bottle of liquor); hoser (loser); two-four (case of beer with 24 bottles or cans).

Likewise, many Canadian words have already crossed the blue line into American English, including the hockey terms "face-off," "puck" and "hat trick" (a cricket term first applied to hockey by the "Trawna" Maple Leafs), as well as many terms from Canadian indigenous peoples (known in Canada as "First Nations"), e.g., "parka," "mukluk," "kayak" and "caribou."

And thanks to an influx of talented Canadian comics, such as Rick Moranis, Martin Short and Mike Myers — "Party on, Garth!" — you know all "aboot" Canadian pronunciation quirks and verbal tics, eh? (Canadians use "eh" to check that the listener is paying attention or to emphasize a point.)

Yet most Canadians would say that Americans' understanding of their lingo is in a sorry (pronounced "sore-ee") state. So here's your chance to boost your C.I.Q. Can you you match each Canadian term with its correct definition?

Canadianisms:

1. toque 2. parkade 3. runners 4. serviette 5. eavestrough 6. toonie 7. hooped 8. skookum 9. double-double 10. hydro

Definitions:

A. totally broken or fouled up B. gutter C. close-fitting knitted cap D. awesome E. two-dollar coin F. napkin G. coffee with two creams and two sugars H. tennis shoes I. electricity J. multi-tiered parking garage

Answers: 1-C 2-J 3-H 4-F 5-B 6-E 7-A 8-D 9-G 10-I

Rob Kyff, a teacher and writer in West Hartford, Conn., invites your language sightings. Send your reports of misuse and abuse, as well as examples of good writing, via e-mail to [email protected] or by regular mail to Rob Kyff, Creators Syndicate, 737 3rd Street, Hermosa Beach, CA 90254.

Photo credit: at Pixabay