Canuck

"Canuck" is a term for "Canadian" in American English and Canadian English, sometimes meaning "French Canadian" in particular, especially when used in the Northeast of the United States and in Canada.

The term was coined in the 19th century, although its etymology is unclear. Possibilities include:

• kanata¹ "village" (See Canada)
• Canada + -uc (Algonquian noun suffix)
• Canada + -inuk (Inuit for "man")
• Connaught, an obscure term for Irish-French-Canadians.
• kanaka "man" (in the Hawaiian pidgin of fur trade in the Pacific Northwest)

The use of "Canuck" by Canadians themselves can be, and usually is, nationalistic or patriotic. Prominent examples of such use:

• The Vancouver Canucks hockey team
• The Crazy Canucks, a group of Canadian alpine ski racers that dominated the World Cup circuit in the '70s.
• Johnny Canuck, a personification of Canada who appeared in early political cartoons of the 1860s resisting Uncle Sam's bullying. Johnny Canuck was revived in 1942 by Leo Bachle to defend against the Nazis.
• In 1975 in comics by Richard Comely , Captain Canuck is a super-agent for Canadians' security, with Redcoat and Kebec being his sidekicks (Kebec is claimed to be unrelated to Capitaine Kébec of a French-Canadian comic published two years earlier). Captain Canuck had enhanced strength and endurance thanks to being bathed in alien rays during a camping trip. The captain was reintroduced in the mid-1990s, and again in 2004.
• Operation Canuck was the designated name of a British SAS raid led by a Canadian captain, Buck McDonald in January 1945.

In 1995, Canada Post released 45-cent postage stamps depicting Johnny Canuck and Captain Canuck.

"Canuck" is a nickname for the Curtiss JN4 and Avro CF-100 aircraft.

The use of "Canuck" parallels that of some other potentially offensive nicknames, that is, when used by the people it names — Canadians in this case — it is usually acceptable. But when used by an outsider — in this case particularly American strangers — it can be easily misinterpreted and deemed as insulting one's heritage. Although it is not as severe as most ethnic slurs, some consider it one.

One of the first uses of "Canuck" — in the form of "Kanuk" — specifically referred to Dutch Canadians as well the French.

"Canuck" also has the rare derived meanings of a Canadian pony and a French-Canadian patois² (very rare).

A Canuck Avenue exists in Toronto.

External links

• Images and Uses, etc: by an American
  • Most links are dead on that page.
• Johnny Canuck: with a stamp illustration
• Captain Canuck: with a stamp illustration
• Official descriptions from Canada Post
• The Word Detective

References

1. The Oxford Companion To The English Language
2. Oxford English Dictionary
3. Unkind Words : Ethnic Labeling from Redskin to WASP - Irving Lewis Allen ISBN 0897892178

See also: Yankee, a nickname for "an American".