Canuck

"Canuck" /kəˈnʌk/ is a slang term for a Canadian. The origins of the word are uncertain.[1] The term "Kanuck" is first recorded in 1835 as an Americanism, originally referring to Dutch Canadians (which included German Canadians) or French Canadians.[1][2] By the 1850s, the spelling with a "C" became predominant.[1] Today, many Canadians and others use "Canuck" as a mostly affectionate term for any Canadian.[1][3]

This article is about the slang term for people from Canada. For the NHL ice hockey team, see Vancouver Canucks. For the jet fighter, see Avro Canada CF-100 Canuck. For other uses, see Canuck (disambiguation).

Origin

Although its etymology is unclear,[1] possible origins include:

Usage and examples

Canadians use "Canuck" as an affectionate or merely descriptive term for their nationality.[6]

If familiar with the term, most citizens of other nations, including the United States, also use it affectionately, though there are individuals who may use it as derogatory term.

Usage of the term includes the following.

History
  • "Canuck" also has the derived meanings of a Canadian pony (rare) and a French-Canadian patois[7] (very rare).
  • 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 Canada against the Nazis. The Vancouver Canucks have adopted a personification of Johnny Canuck on their alternate hockey sweater.
  • As the historical nickname for three Canadian-built aircraft from the 20th century: the Curtiss JN-4C training biplane, with some 1,260 airframes built; the Avro CF-100 jet fighter; and the Fleet 80 Canuck. The CF-100 was the only Canadian-designed and built jet fighter to enter operational service. From 1950–1958, 692 CF-100 Canucks were built. They remained in service until 1981. The Fleet 80 Canuck was built in Fort Erie, Ontario by Fleet Aircraft beginning in 1946. It was a two place side-by-side trainer. They were very popular in flying schools and were economical and robust. Many still survive from the 225 which were produced and are well loved for their excellent handling.
  • One of the first uses of "Canuck" – in the form of "Kanuk" – specifically referred to Dutch Canadians as well as the French.
  • Operation Canuck was the designated name of a British SAS raid led by a Canadian captain, Buck McDonald in January 1945.
  • The Canuck letter became a focal point during the US 1972 Democratic primaries, when a letter published in the Manchester Union Leader implied Democratic contender Senator Edmund Muskie was prejudiced against French-Canadians. Soon, as a result, he ended his campaign. The letter was later discovered to have been written by the Nixon campaign in an attempt to sabotage Muskie.
  • A brand of firearms engineered and distributed by O'Dell Engineering Ltd since 2014. Canuck 1911, Canuck Over Under, Canuck Shotgun.

Media
  • In the opening of Thornton Wilder's 1938 play Our Town, Polish and "Canuck families" are mentioned as living on the outskirts of the prototypical 1901 New Hampshire town.
  • 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.
  • The Marvel Comics character Wolverine is often referred to affectionately as "the Ol' Canuklehead" due to his Canadian heritage.
  • Soviet Canuckistan was an insult used by Pat Buchanan in response to Canada's reaction to racial profiling by US Customs agents.

Sport

References
  1. Orkin, Mark M. (2015). Speaking Canadian English: An Informal Account of the English Language in Canada. Taylor & Francis. p. 175. ISBN 978-1-317-43632-4.
  2. Leiden University
  3. The Mavens' Word of the Day, archived from the original on 17 April 2001
  4. Random House Dictionary
  5. Allen, Irving Lewis, 1990. Unkind Words: Ethnic Labeling from Redskin to WASP, pp 59, 61–62. New York: Bergin & Garvey. ISBN 0-89789-217-8.
  6. Cheng, Pang Guek; Barlas, Robert (2009). CultureShock! Canada: A Survival Guide to Customs and Etiquette. Marshall Cavendish International Asia Pte Ltd. pp. 262–. ISBN 978-981-4435-31-4.
  7. The Oxford Companion To The English Language
  8. "Johnny Canuck". Archived from the original on 2010-02-14. Retrieved 2009-03-15.
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