Your Winnipeg is Showing: Winnipeg slang words and Phrases
Garbage mitts and honey dill sauce are just a few of the things you’ll only hear about in Winnipeg.
Winnipeg is a major city with a small town vibe, so we sometimes forget that the rest of the world doesn’t eat the same food or use the same phrases that we do. Today, Rumor’s Comedy Club is exploring Winnipeg’s local lingo from foods, to phrases, to fashion.
Popular Winnipeg terms
Like any culture centre, Winnipeg has developed it's own way of doing things. But, you have to watch your words when venturing outside the 204. Whether you're visiting London, Ontario or London, England, using any of these terms outside of Winnipeg will make you stick out like a site thumb.
Gitch. Winnipeggers put their underwear on one leg at a time just like everybody else. But, unlike everybody else, we call underwear “gitch”. Gross, right?
The term is actually derived from the Ukranian word goci, which makes sense given Winnipeg’s large Ukranian population. Similar terms for underwear exist throughout Western Canada, such as ginch and gotch, but we wear gitch here in Winnipeg.
Garbage Mitts. It’s tough to keep your hands warm in Winnipeg’s frigid winters, but most Winnipeggers know that garbage mitts are the least fashionable, but most effective hand warming option.
What are garbage mitts? They’re a simple cow hide mitten with a soft inner lining of polyester/acrylic or even fur.
Why are they called garbage mitts? These are the style of mitten worn by early Winnipeg garbage collectors. The thought was that if these mitts were warm and durable enough for garbagemen, they’d be warm and durable enough for just about anybody.
Fat Boy. Winnipeggers know that a fat boy is a Greek burger topped with chili sauce. What many Winnipeggers don’t know is that other cities don’t have Fat Boys. We know what you’re thinking: why do people live there?
The Fat Boy traces its origins back to the 1950s. It is thought that Winnipeg’s Greek burger restaurant, Junior’s started the trend by slathering the burger’s patty in meat sauce. Other burger joints like VJ’s Drive-In and George’s Burgers and Subs got in on the action, but Dairi-Wip on Marion Street claims to have coined the term “Fat Boy”.
Jam buster. You can get jam busters just about anywhere in North America, but they’re only called jam busters here in Winnipeg. Everywhere else, they’re known as jelly donuts.
The Leg. Yes, every provincial and state capital has a large building where elected officials conduct business, but only Winnipeg calls it the Leg (pronounced like “ledge”). Leg is short for Legislative Building, the official name for the grand structure built in 1913 at the corner of Broadway and Osborne Street with the Golden Boy perched on top.
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Purple City. If you find yourself at the Legislative Building grounds at night, you might take part in a strange Winnipeg rite of passage called Purple City. Basically, what you do is stare into the floodlights that light up the Legislative grounds at night for a bout 30 seconds, then when you look around, everything will be purple. That’s it. It’s weird and kind of dumb, but the most bizzarre thing is that this isn’t just a Winnipeg thing. There is one other town that does Purple City exactly the same way as Winnipeg: our sister city, Edmonton.
The LC. If you need to pick up a bottle of Crown Royal on your way to a party in Winnipeg, you’ll need to make a stop at the LC, aka a provincially run liquor store. Winnipeggers call liquor stores the LC because they were once run by the Manitoba Liquor Control Commission. Locals were tired of running out of breath saying the full name, so they shortened it to LC.
In 2014 the MLCC merged with Manitoba Lotteries to form a new crown corporation called Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries, but most Winnipeggers still refer to the liquor stores as the LC.
Sev. Once you’ve got your Crown Royal, you’ll need to pick up some mix at Sev. Every Winnipegger knows that Sev means 7-Eleven, but out-of-towners will usually stare back at you blankly until you add “ven eleven”. Is it really that cryptic?
Wedding socials. Here in Manitoba, wedding socials are so frequent and so ubiquitous that it’s easy to think that they happen everywhere people get married. Not so. Wedding socials are actually a unique Manitoba tradition.
Generally, wedding socials happen at community centres and feature cheap alcoholic beverages and silent auction prizes. However, more and more people are choosing to host their wedding socials at licensed establishments like Rumor’s to avoid the hassle of securing liquor licenses and food.
More: Wedding socials: a step-by-step guide
Bumper shining. The frozen tundra of Winnipeg provides the perfect conditions for bumpershining - the winter activity in which a person grabs onto the rear bumper of a car and slides on their feet behind the vehicle on the icy winter streets.
There’s probably a reason that no other city is known for bumper shining - it’s ridiculously dangerous and not a very efficient mode of transportation, either.
Halloween Apples. If you hand out candy on Halloween, you’re used to hearing kids shout out that classic refrain/threat of “trick or treat!”. But, in Winnipeg, you’ll occasionally hear a different doorstep chant-* “Halloween apples!”. This candy-driven incantation is delivered in a sing-songy manner and has spread across the Canadian prairies. However, the tradition is on the decline as the dominant “trick or treat” has solidified its hold on the nation’s Halloween observers.
Booter. It's a little alarming that Winnipeggers have a specific word for getting a shoe full of water, snow, or mud. Nevertheless, it must happen a lot, which is why we have our own word for it: "booter".
Honey dill sauce. While the rest of the planet dips their chicken fingers in ketchup, Winnipeggers almost always order their chicken tenders with a side of honey dill sauce. The sauce was invented in Winnipeg by mistake when the owner of Mitzi's Restaurant attempted to replicate another popular sauce.
The sauce became very popular in Manitoba but attempts to market the condiment nationally have fallen flat.
Uniquely Winnipeg Comedy Experience
While most cities have a comedy club, Winnipeg is spoiled with a club that has a reputation as Canada's best comedy club. Comedy in Winnipeg is growing and Rumor's is at the centre of it all, bringing in the best acts from across North America, such as Dave Nihil and Sugar Sammy, as well as the best Winnipeg comedians.
Check out our events calendar for upcoming comedians.
Cover photo by Brydon McCluskey on Unsplash