Cold as a Bay Street Banker's Heart: The Ultimate Prairie Phrase Book

Kathleen James-Cavan is the Undergraduate Chair of the English
Department at the University of Saskatchewan. She is the editor of Sense
and Sensibility.

This whimsical collection of English-Canadian prairie expressions aims
to entertain the reader while preserving some of the language of the
past. This second edition (the first was published in 1987) arranges
entries alphabetically, each letter illustrated with place names from
Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. Billed, perhaps ironically, as the
“ultimate prairie phrase book,” it is the product of Chris Thain’s
private and amateur interest in English usage. Although it does not
claim scholarly authority for its etymologies, it will appeal to readers
generally interested in linguistic variation across Canada.

Most of the terms, such as “getting caught using purple” or
“crowhop,” derive from rural life, but some, such as “Transcona
Depot” or “nip,” reflect the urban setting. Many of the phrases
are not as peculiar to the prairies as the author suggests—the
language of the Dominion Lands Survey is common across Canada, for
instance—but his definitions explain their prominence in the West.

The book is attractively produced, with cartoons scattered throughout.