I was so busy getting sunburned on Canada Day, I wasn’t able to write my Monday post. All is not lost, however — I just stumbled on these videos promoting tourism in Canada (featuring ex-”Will and Grace” star and proud Canadian Eric McCormack), and I’ve cleverly included the link below so you’ll think this was part of my editorial plan.
In this particular video, called “Funny Money,” Mr. McCormack discusses Canadian money — specifically, what Americans say about it (and he’s not making any of this stuff up.) I’m including a mini glossary to maximize your viewing experience:
Loonie: the Canadian $1 coin, so named because of the loon etched on its face. (The loonie celebrated its 25th anniversary last week, and I heard on the news that the old $1 bills are now worth three times their face value. I’ve got a couple tucked away somewhere, and I was rubbing my hands with glee, envisioning all the cash I could make by selling them. Then I did the math….)
Toonie: the Canadian $2 coin (pictured above). So named because it’s worth two dollars and rhymes with loonie. We’re a poetic people, no?
Cute!
I love Canada! Came for our honeymoon 16 years ago hoping to return on our 20th
You’re in the UK now, right? That’s where we went on our honeymoon!
Yes we are. lol aw how sweet. honeymoons are so special. are you planning a return?
We visited London, Edinburgh, and Glasgow when we lived in France. We also went to Ireland on our honeymoon but sadly never made it back — yet. That’s on the travel to-do list.
sounds lovely
Miss the loonie and toonie. Here we have the buck. So unoriginal
We have the buck as well, but it’s used in reference to money in general: “That’ll cost you thirty bucks.” Loonies and toonies are the actual coins, not the amounts. We don’t say “That’ll cost you thirty loonies (or 15 toonies)” But I suspect you already know that, ex-Canuck that you are.