American vs Canadian

Kids, as you know, Aunt Robin grew up in Canada. That meant sometimes she dressed a little differently.

Okay, let’s do this!

Sometimes she talked a little differently.

Ted, this hydro bill is bigger than Louis Cyr’s biceps. What, you leave the garburator on all night, eh?

She hung out at different bars and enjoyed leisure time a little differently.

You want to go? You want to go? Come on!

Make fun of the Great White North all you want, it’s the best country in the world.

Social experiment.

U-S-A, U-S-A, U-S-A, U-S-A, U-S-A.

Okay, okay. You know, what does that even prove, okay?

You chant anything, people will join in.

Canada, Canada. Cana..

Okay, they won’t chant anything.

Shrimp fried rice, shrimp fried rice, shrimp fried rice.

Shrimp fried rice, shrimp fried rice.

Shrimp fried rice, totally.

Kids, as you know, Aunt Robin grew up in Canada.

That meant sometimes she dressed a little differently.

Okay, let’s do this!

Canada is known for many things internationally, such as its people being extremely polite, or perhaps the incorrect stereotype that everyone there speaks French.

Now keep in mind, most of the stereotypes that we see in How I Met Your Mother are either exaggerations or made up by the show.

However, we can still learn some Canadian peculiarities from it.

Cold weather is also one of the things people associate Canada with.

There are memes about this, with humor about Canadians reacting to cold weather.

So, in this clip, we see all the American characters dressed for cold weather.

While Robin is just casually dressed as if they were going to the beach.

In relation to this fact about Canada, later in the scene we see how she calls the country by its nickname: The Great White North.

This is an appropriate name for a country that’s so big and full of snow.

Also, in relation to Robin’s casual attitude towards cold weather, she says let’s do this!

Okay, let’s do this!

It’s probably clear what that means for you, but looking at some examples you could observe the way people say it changes depending on the context.

It often communicates excitement or that you’re ready to make an effort or commit to something.

Let’s get this started, Nick.

You doing this?

Yes.

Are you doing this?

Yes, I will do it.

Alright, okay.

We’re gonna do it.

Then let’s do this.

Nick, I will do this.

Say that you’re wrong, and it’s over.

I’m not wrong.

Jess, you can’t do this. But I can.

Okay. Let’s do this, Nick.

No! Okay, fine, I admit it I’m wrong!

Whoa. Cutw-guy alert.

Okay, Jess, game time. Let’s do this. You want to forget about Spencer, you’re gonna have to do some very, very bad things.

Sometimes she talked a little differently.

Ted, this hydro bill is bigger than Louis Cyr’s biceps. What, you leave the garburator on all night, eh?

The terms that we hear here would be difficult for anyone from the USA to understand.

Hydro is a Canadian cultural term for electricity and gas.

They call it this because electricity was provided by a hydro-electric company located in Ontario.

Louis Cyr is the other reference the other guys don’t get.

He used to be a strongman athlete.

A garburator is this kitchen appliance used to manage food waste.

In the USA we call this a garbage disposal.

She hung out at different bars and enjoyed leisure time a little differently.

Leisure time is another way to say free time.

Example : In my leisure time I like to ride my bike or go swimming.

Robin hangs out, or spends her time, in a distinctly Canadian bar.

The humor here is that Robin’s leisure activity is like what you’d see at an ice hockey game,

which is outright fighting.

You’ll see that officials and referees often tolerate fighting as it’s very much considered a part of hockey.

Ice hockey is so popular in Canada that it is considered a major component of Canadian culture and national identity.

In Canada, it was often debated whether Ice Hockey or Lacrosse was the country’s official national sport.

They resolved to recognize hockey as Canada’s official winter game and Lacrosse as its summer game.

A final note on the sport of Ice Hockey is that in the United States, it is considered the fourth most popular sport, behind American Football, Baseball, and Basketball.

Robin here says “you wanna go?”

This is a phrase a person says when they want to challenge someone to a fight.

Like that time when Chandler and Ross were about to get into a fight with these guys.

come on, man. Let’s do it!

Before I forget, are we hitting faces?

Of course we’re hitting. Why wouldn’t you hit faces?

Well, because I have to work on Monday. I have a big presentation.

Actually, I gotta show this apartment tomorrow and you know. this no-face thing might not be a bad idea.

Social experiment.

U-S-A, U-S-A, U-S-A, U-S-A, U-S.

Okay, okay. You know, what does that even prove, okay? You chant anything, people will join in.

A chant is word or phrase people shout or sing.

Machu! Machu! Machu!

And the crowd is chanting.

Machu! Machu! Machu!

The U-S-A chant is common in sporting events where the USA goes against another country.

So Robin seems to believe people are just chanting because they are drunk, and that they would chant anything.

However, she fails at getting people to chant “Canada.”

Canada, Canada, Canada. Okay, they won’t chant anything.

While Barney succeeds at getting them to chant “Shrimp Fried Rice” (a Chinese dish).

The humor here, and Barney’s point is that Robin is right, people in this bar will chant anything-Anything, that is, except “Canada”.

You guys will not believe this. I’ve been talking to my lawyer all morning.

You know that guy I had a slight disagreement with at the House Hut? He’s filing assault charges.

Come on!

I broke his nose with a chair. And now, apparently, I might end up getting deported.

Well, there’s only one possible way to avoid getting deported. My lawyer said i can become an American citizen.

Perfect. Problem solved. Welcome aboard.

Well, it’s not that simple. I’m a Canadian. I was born there. My family’s there. It’s who I am.

I know, and it’s provided us with a lot of laughs. But, Robin, if you want to live here, work here, and throw chairs at people here, you have to do this.

Well, there’s a citizenship test tomorrow.

That’s it!

I’ll think about it.

No, no, you have to do it. I’ll help you study.

We’re gonna stay up all night long. I’m gonna drill you, and then we’re gonna study.

“How many stars are on the flag?”

Fifty. One for each state.

“what are the first 10 amendments to the Constitution called?”

The Bill of Rights. Look, Barney, I know all this. I’m ready.

Ready for the test maybe, but ready to be an American? Not on your sweet life.

For you to be an American, we got to get the Canadian out of you. That’s why I’ve created these questions.

Question one. Who is this?

Queen Elizabeth second.

No, the answer is Elton John.

Question two. What the hell is this?

Oh, Curling. It’s a sport played.

Wrong. The answer we were looking for was, “I don’t care, it’s dumb. let’s go buy something that’s bad for us and then sue the people who made it.” That’s American, Robin.

You know that guy I had a slight disagreement with at the House Hut? He’s filing assault charges.

Come on!

I broke his nose with a chair.

Did you notice the name of Robin’s favorite bar?

It’s called the Hoser Hut.

A hut is a type of small construction, like the one seen here.

Now hoser is a Canadian slang term. It is used to insult someone who you consider an idiot or a loser.

So basically this bar is a place where Canadians can drink beer and act silly.

Now going back to the ice Hockey fighting tradition, it is humorous here that she calls it a “slight disagreement.”

The joke is that what an American would certainly consider a fight, a Canadian considers a slight disagreement.

Despite what Robin thinks, she says the other person is filing assault charges.

An assault is the crime of physically attacking another person.

A charge is an official statement by the police that someone may be guilty of a crime.

Ma’am, your daughter was charged with resisting arrest and assaulting a police officer.

What?

Look, this has gotta be some kind of mistake. Our daughter’s tiny. There’s no way she assaulted anyone. Insulted, maybe.

Maybe you should watch this.

Stop! Put your hands where I can see ‘em!

Oh! Okay. No-That’s very blurry footage. How can we be sure that that’s Haley?

Don’t you move.

Don’t hurt me! I’m just a student! I’m Haley Dunphy!

So hot. Hot in here.

The phrase commonly used is to file or press charges against someone.

That’s it, we’re going to the police.

We are pressing charges. Susie, this is physical assault.

Yeah, but I started the fight.

And now, apparently, I might end up getting deported.

To deport is to make someone leave a country and return to the country they came from, especially because they do not have a legal right to stay.

In this case, Robin might get deported from the United States back to Canada for misconduct.

Well, there’s only one possible way to avoid getting deported.

To get the pronunciation of this utterance right, we’re going to go through the following steps.

First, this is pronounced as if it were one word: there-zonly.

Then, in the way she speaks, there’s a few cases where ‘t’ sounds like a flap T.

That’s to say, for example, instead of saying getting she says gedding .

So, we say this as:

way to avoid getting deported.

Make sure “to” is probably reduced to duh here.

Once again:

way to avoid getting deported.

Another word that’s significantly reduced is the discourse marker “well.”

Let’s listen to this again and then try to repeat exactly as she said it.

Well, there’s only one possible way to avoid getting deported.

Well, there’s only one possible way to avoid getting deported.

My lawyer said I can become an American citizen.

Perfect. Problem solved. Welcome aboard.

Aboard means on or onto a ship, plane, train, etc.

Welcome aboard. I am your captain, Captain Jack.

We often use this metaphorically, as in for example welcome aboard when someone is joining a team or group.

It would be an incredible honor to work for a man of your brilliance.

Flattery will not get you this job, Ms. Jenson.

It’s not flattery if it’s the truth.

Oh! Well, thank you. Welcome aboard.

No, no, you have to do it. I’ll help you study. We’re gonna stay up all night long. I’m gonna drill you, and then we’re gonna study.

Literally, this is a drill.

In a different sense, a drill is also a method of teaching students, sports players etc. Something by making them repeat the same lesson, exercise, etc. Many times.

As a language learner, at some point you might have completed different kinds of exercises that had the purpose of drilling your grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation, etc.

As a verb, we say to drill somebody on something.

She was drilling the class on the sound of vowels in English.

In this scene, Barney is saying that he’ll drill Robin on things relating to the United States that will be tested. However, the way he says it is funny because it carries a Sexual connotation.

“What are the first 10 amendments to the Constitution called?”

The Bill of Rights. Look, Barney, I know all this. I’m ready.

An amendment is a change made to the words of a text.

The United States Bill of Rights is a list of the first 10 amendments made to the Constitution of this country, which addresses the most important right to its citizens.

For example, amendment 1 is about freedom of religion, speech, and the press.

Amendment 2 is the controversial right to bear arms.

Ready for the test maybe, but ready to be an American? Not on your sweet life.

Sweet is sometimes collocated with life.

Certainly, if you live like Tony Stark you could say this.

No more tedious work, leaving more time for leisure activities and enjoying the sweet life.

The Stark Expo. Welcome.

Here Barney says “not on your sweet life”.

He’s adding sweet to the expression not on your life, which is an emphatic way of saying no.

You still going to tell him about you-know-who?

Yep.

Still gonna introduce him?

Not on your life.

For you to be an American, we got to get the Canadian out of you.

We’ll focus on these three parts of this sentence.

He says these as:

For you to be, we got to get, out of you.

Now all together: For you to be an American, we got to get the Canadian out of you.

For you to be an American, we got to get the Canadian out of you.

What the hell is this?

Oh, Curling. It’s a sport played.

Wrong.

The answer we looking for was, “ I don’t care, it’s dumb. let’s go buy something that’s bad for us and then sue the people who made it. “ That’s American, Robin.

As we’ve seen with Ice Hockey and Lacrosse, curling is another popular Canadian sport.

To Barney’s point here, Americans usually make fun of this sport.

To sue means to make a legal claim against someone, especially for money, because they have harmed you in some way.

Americans are famous for suing other people or companies for virtually any reason.

And by the end of the night, Barney had turned Robin into a real American.

I want to say. Jefferson?

Correct.

Archie Bunker’s neighbor was George Jefferson.

Oh, Booyah! I am nailing this. God, I’m buzzing on America right now!

All right, hold your horses. Now to prove that you are as American as apple pie, and the childhood obesity it leads to.

Who is this?

That, Barney, is the American actor, beloved by millions, the “Hey, Vern” guy from the popular series of Ernest films. And his name, Jeff Foxworthy.

Jeff Foxworthy. No, it’s Jim Varney. You’re kidding me. You don’t know that?

That’s Jeff Foxworthy, dumbass. End of story. Now, shut your stupid face.

Not only are you wrong, but you are belligerently sticking to your guns, and insulting me in the process.

Robin Scherbatsky, you are an American.

Jefferson?

Correct.

Archie Bunker’s neighbor was George Jefferson.

Oh, Booyah! I am nailing this.

By the way, the answer here is funny because we didn’t see the question.

We would imagine that the answer Jefferson refers to the third president of the United States, Thomas Jefferson, which would be a reasonable question to expect on a citizenship test.

However, the humor is that Robin’s answer is about a character from the 70’s sitcom All in the Family, which was very popular in the United States at the time.

Oh, Booyah! I am nailing this. God, I’m buzzing on America right now!

Booyah! is an expression of joy. We might say this in a celebratory way after we’ve done something well.

Superman works up a sweat, comes back to Earth, his uniform now stained With indestructible kryptonian perspiration.

Booyah!

Then, a nail is this object that we use to hang something on the wall.

Now a slang expression, if you nail something, you are doing it in a great way.

Example : Check it out, I nailed my test. I got 100%!

Oh! Look at this one. Wow! You nailed it.

We did it!

Hey, that was incredible!

That was amazing! I mean, we totally nailed it! It was beautiful!

So Robin means she is doing really well answering the questions correctly.

God, I’m buzzing on America right now!

If you are buzzing, you are euphoric.

Often you would use this informally to say that you are buzzing, for example, because of the influence of drugs or alcohol.

However, Robin is buzzing on America. That just means that she is excited and enthusiastic about being American.

God, I’m buzzing on America right now!

Alright, hold your horses.

This expression is used emphatically to tell someone to wait.

Example : Hold your horses! You kids can’t have dessert until you eat your vegetables.

Hold your horses, young man. Here in Texas, we pray before we eat.

Oh, Mom!

This is not California, land of the heathen.

Barney doesn’t want Robin to get too excited until they are sure that she will pass the test.

.is the American actor, beloved by millions.

If someone is beloved, it simply means that they are loved by someone.

That’s Jeff Foxworthy, dumbass. End of story. Now, shut your stupid face.

Not only are you wrong, but you are belligerently sticking to your guns, and insulting me in the process. Robin Scherbatsky, you are an American.

Robin’s aggressive attitude convinces Barney that she’s now American.

Of course, this is just a humorous way to show contrasts of the general attitude of Americans with that of Canadians, which again, stereotypically are seen as passive, polite and well-mannered.

These are two pieces of advanced vocabulary here.

The adjective belligerent (or as an adverb belligerently) and the expression to stick to your guns.

If you stick to your guns, you continue to have your own opinion about something even though other people are trying to tell you that you are wrong.

Example : The president stuck to his guns, even though it wasn’t what the public wanted.

If you do something belligerently, you do it in an aggressive way .

Example : Don’t let him drink. He always gets belligerent after a couple beers.

So despite Barney trying to convince Robin that she is wrong, she aggressively sticks to her opinion, just as an American would do.

Kids, as you know, Aunt Robin grew up in Canada. That meant sometimes she dressed a little differently.

Okay, let’s do this!

Sometimes she talked a little differently.

Ted, this hydro bill is bigger than Louis Cyr’s biceps. What, you leave the garburator on all night, eh?

She hung out at different bars and enjoyed leisure time a little differently.

Make fun of the Great White North all you want, it’s the best country in the world.

Social experiment.

U-S-A, U-S-A, U-S-A, U-S-A.

Okay, okay. You know, what does that even prove, okay?

You chant anything, people will join in.

Canada, Canada, Cana.

Okay, they won’t chant anything.

Shrimp fried rice, shrimp fried rice, shrimp fried rice.

Shrimp fried rice, shrimp fried rice.

Shrimp fried rice, totally.

You guys will not believe this. I’ve been talking to my lawyer all morning.

You know that guy I had a slight disagreement with at the House Hut? He’s filing assault charges.

Come on!

I broke his nose with a chair. And now, apparently, I might end up getting deported.

Well, there’s only one possible way to avoid getting deported. My lawyer said i can become an American citizen.

Perfect. Problem solved. Welcome aboard.

Well, it’s not that simple. I’m a Canadian. I was born there. My family’s there. It’s who I am.

I know, and it’s provided us with a lot of laughs. But, Robin, if you want to live here, work here, and throw chairs at people here, you have to do this.

Well, there’s a citizenship test tomorrow.

That’s it!

I’ll think about it.

No, no, you have to do it. I’ll help you study.

We’re gonna stay up all night long. I’m gonna drill you, and then we’re gonna study.

“How many stars are on the flag?”

Fifty. One for each state.

“what are the first 10 amendments to the Constitution called?”

The Bill of Rights. Look, Barney, I know all this. I’m ready.

Ready for the test maybe, but ready to be an American? Not on your sweet life.

For you to be an American, we got to get the Canadian out of you. That’s why I’ve created these questions.

Question one. Who is this?

Queen Elizabeth second.

No, the answer is Elton John.

Question two. What the hell is this?

Oh, Curling. It’s a sport played.

Wrong. The answer we were looking for was, “I don’t care, it’s dumb. let’s go buy something that’s bad for us and then sue the people who made it.” That’s American, Robin.

And by the end of the night, Barney had turned Robin into a real American.

I want to say. Jefferson?

Correct.

Archie Bunker’s neighbor was George Jefferson.

Oh, Booyah! I am nailing this.

God, I’m buzzing on America right now!

All right, hold your horses. Now to prove that you are as American as apple pie, and the childhood obesity it leads to.

Who is this?

That, Barney, is the American actor, beloved by millions, the “Hey, Vern” guy from the popular series of Ernest films. And his name, Jeff Foxworthy.

Jeff Foxworthy. No, it’s Jim Varney. You’re kidding me. You don’t know that?

That’s Jeff Foxworthy, dumbass. End of story. Now, shut your stupid face.

Not only are you wrong, but you are belligerently sticking to your guns, and insulting me in the process.

Robin Scherbatsky, you are an American.

Oh, yeah, I’m gonna be an American, y’all. Maybe I’ll rob a liquor store. Maybe I won’t. My choice. Learn English! The Hoser Hut.

I could duck in for a drink. No, no, that life’s behind me. Forget it. Well, I could in for just one beer. What’s the harm in that? It’s a free country. *O Canada