@canadiandictionary.bsky.social
Canada's first new general English dictionary in two decades. Developed by a not-for-profit consortium including Editors Canada, the UBC Canadian English Lab, and the Strathy Language Unit at Queen’s University. https://linktr.ee/canadianenglishdictionary
I’m armour for rodents, a risk in the wild,
Yet poets and scribes, their writing I've styled.
A prickly protector, a pen by design,
What am I, where nature and ink do align?
Can you get this week’s #CEDWordOfTheWeek? Comment your guess below and check Wednesday’s post for the answer.
It's a concept, a measure of cheer,
Not counted in time, or money, or beer.
When your weekends have zing,
And your workdays don't sting,
Then you’re winning at life, here here!
Can you get this week’s #CEDPhraseOfTheWeek? Comment your guess below and check Wednesday’s post for the answer.
Pop quiz! What familiar phrase meaning “very fast” links Irene Cara’s song about an ambitious dancer, Queen’s anthem for a lightning-speed hero, Parliament’s funk command to "turn it on", and a Rolling Stones album named for a split-second in time?
Can you get this week’s #CEDPhraseOfTheWeek? Comment your guess below and check Wednesday’s post for the answer.
Other quilts were raffled off locally to support the war effort. An estimated 300 quilts still exist overseas and are now valued as cultural artifacts that document Canadian women’s underrecognized wartime labour, skills, and collective artistic expression.
Did you know? Canadian women produced an estimated 400,000 quilts during WWII (the number is likely higher, but Canadian Red Cross records are incomplete) to send overseas to comfort soldiers and British families displaced by bombing.
Can you figure out the puzzle and get this week’s #CEDWordOfTheWeek? Use all of the letters to get the word of the week, but comment what other words you can make as well!
Comment below and check Wednesday’s post for the answer.
it rhymes with note!
A banker, a writer, a clerk,
All use this word in their work.
Whether citing a line,
Putting prices on signs,
Or tracking a stock market quirk.
Can you get this week’s #CEDWordOfTheWeek? Comment your guess below and check Wednesday’s post for the answer.
Over time, many brand names have evolved into what we call genericized trademarks, where the brand name is used to reference the product itself, rather than the original manufacturer’s version.
From the specific language of Wolfe Island to how climate change affects language, Anastasia shares her passion for and expertise in language and linguistics.
www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/story/5...
The director of Queen's University's Strathy Language Unit, Dr. Anastasia Riehl, joined the hosts of NCPR's North Words to discuss the reason for and process of creating a Canadian English dictionary, and more.
www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/story/5...
Can you get this week’s #CEDWordOfTheWeek? Comment your guess below and check Wednesday’s post for the answer.
Red Green, handyman from the north,
Made repairs with mainly one source.
With a roll silver-grey,
He’d just stick it and say,
“Problem solved!” (It's a stop-gap, of course.)
Can you get this week’s #CEDPhraseOfTheWeek? Comment your guess below and check Wednesday’s post for the answer.
Smooth current hurries
Slick glass ripples skim the stones
Speed without tumult
(Dictionary of Canadianisms on Historical Principles)
Can you figure out the riddle and get this week’s #CEDWordOfTheWeek? Comment your guess below and check Wednesday’s post for the answer.
Let’s play a game! Swap the words in these band names for synonyms and get our word of the week. Follow these examples:
Arctic Monkeys > Polar Primates
The Rolling Stones > The Tumbling Rocks
Guns n Roses > Weapons n Flowers
No Doubt > …?
Can you figure out the riddle and get this week’s #CEDPhraseOfTheWeek? Comment your guess below and check Wednesday’s post for the answer.
Does being back at work after the holidays make you feel queasy? Don't worry, you aren't the only one.
This an important lesson to take into 2026. Creating an updated Canadian dictionary isn't about maplewashing (in the 2016 sense) our identity: it is about honestly reflecting how English has been and continues to be used in Canada—critically and with pride.
"Canadians can be, at once, critical and proud of our language," says Emma Ferrett in a recent CBC interview in which she discusses the 2025 Canadian Word of the year (CWOTY), maplewash.
Listen to Emma's interview here: www.cbc.ca/listen/live-...
All is calm and all is bright. From the Canadian English Dictionary to all of you, we hope you enjoy the holidays and get to spend some quiet time with those you care about.
Programming note: we will be taking a short break over the holidays, but will be back on your feed in January 2026!
"Canadian English evolved here and represents a unique aspect of our culture," the letter said. "It is one of the practices woven through our everyday lives that make us Canadian."
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/16/w...
Is Canada 'maple washing' British spelling? @canadiandictionary.bsky.social's John Chew joins @eliasmakos.bsky.social to explain:
Please continue to spread the word and help promote Canadian English.
You may not give a second glance to the use of "utilise" or "catalyse" in documents coming from our federal government. But Canadian spelling and Canadianisms make up our unique identity. Now is not the time to retreat from what makes Canada distinct. www.ctvnews.ca/canada/artic...