Weird Canadian Question

[awanderingbard]

What do Americans call a 'tuque'? I'm pretty sure it's a uniquely Canadian word and as I was fic writing today, I suddenly realized I didn't know what an American would call it. Knit cap? Winter hat?

This would be an excellent time for me to use a due South icon. However, I don't have one. I shall have to rectify this...

Comments

[donutsweeper.livejournal.com]

I can't think of a specific word for it. Knit cap works, but so does winter hat. Sorry for not being much help.

I'd never heard of the term tugue before.

[joyfulfeather.livejournal.com]

That's a ski cap. :) Knit cap would probably work, too, but ski cap is the first thing that comes to mind, and googling that yields very similar pictures.

"Beanie" is also acceptable!

[awanderingbard.livejournal.com]

Ski cap! That's a good descriptor. Thanks! It's so weird what you realize you don't know. :-)

[awanderingbard.livejournal.com]

No worries. Tuque is a French-Canadian word and, as far as I know, isn't used outside of Canada. We have lots of words like that. Eavestrough, duo-tang, poutine, allophone. C'est le fun!

[donutsweeper.livejournal.com]

ooh, seeing what featherjean said, I'd go with ski cap- it hadn't occurred to me but that's a good term for it

[aeron-lanart.livejournal.com]

In the UK it would be a beanie. The ones with pom poms might get called a bobble hats and the ones with ears would be ski hats.

[quicksilvermad.livejournal.com]

Here in Virginia, we call that a beanie.

[angiepen.livejournal.com]

Knit cap, knit hat. I wouldn't think of "ski cap" but then I've never skied, nor lived anyplace where it snowed in the winter. Context also matters -- I made a couple of those when I was a kid learning to knit, and if you tell someone, "I knitted a hat!" you don't have to add any adjectives. :)

Angie

[angiepen.livejournal.com]

See, to me, a "beanie" is that little skull-cap thing, solid fabric rather than knitted, which some little kids wore in comic books 50+ years ago. See also "propeller beanie," if there was a propeller on top.

Angie in California, who couldn't resist a "Beanie" icon ;)

[zee.livejournal.com]

I grew up (in North Carolina) calling that sort of hat a toboggan. Don't ask me how that came about, but the dictionary says we didn't make it up.

[awanderingbard.livejournal.com]

That's what I would consider a beanie too, almost like a skullcup. But it is never the wrong time for a Bean icon. :-)

[awanderingbard.livejournal.com]

Bobble hats, that's cute. It's odd. Here, tuque pretty much covers any hat you put on your head for warmth and elsewhere there are all sorts of different words.