1

Table manners

Image: Mika Baumeister

If you're dining out in Canada, don't be surprised if you hear someone ask for a "serviette." It might sound really fancy, but it's just the Canadian way of saying what Americans call a "napkin!"

2

Leftovers confusion

Image: Henry Kobutra

When it's time to clear the table and clean the dishes, things can get confusing between Americans and Canadians. In the US, you'll hear "throw the leftovers in the garbage disposal," but up north in Canada, it's called the "Garburator."

Though it might sound like they’re talking about two different things, it’s the same device—just different names!

3

Let's run

Image: Bruno Nascimento

Both Canadians and Americans use the term "running shoes" to mean athletic shoes designed for jogging or exercise. But there's one word that sets them apart: "runners."

In Canada, "runners" are what you wear on your feet. In the US, they are the people wearing them!

4

A matter of power

Image: Mike Winkler

What do you call that thing you use to plug in several devices at once? Your answer might reveal where you're from. If you say "power strip," chances are you're American. But if you call it a "power bar," you're probably Canadian!

5

Rubber bands

Image: Andres Siimon

They're small but super handy, so it's worth knowing what to call them no matter where you are! In Canada, people ask for "elastics" when they need to bundle papers or bills. But ask for "elastics" in the US, and you might get a confused look. Americans almost always just call them "rubber bands" instead.

6

Colorful vocabulary

Image: Sara Torda

Coloring was undoubtedly one of the most delightful parts of childhood, and some people still enjoy it as adults! If you're one of them, you probably have a good collection of colored pencils. But if you're in Canada and need to buy some, keep in mind they call them "pencil crayons" up there.

7

It's all about gas

Image: Ali Mkumbwa

In both the United States and Canada, a "gas station" is the place where you stop to fill up your car with fuel. But while that term is widely understood and used in both countries, in some regions of Canada, you might also hear it referred to as a "gas bar."

8

Park…

Image: John Matychuk

If you’re Canadian, don’t ask an American where the "parkade" is— they’ll probably look confused . While "parkade" is perfectly normal in Canada, Americans usually say "parking garage," "parking deck," or just "parking lot."

9

Sweet words

Image: NordWood Themes

Those delicious brownies wouldn't be the same without a nice layer of powdered sugar on top, right? And while we can agree on how tasty it is, we don't all agree on what to call it. Here, it is "confectioners' sugar" or simply "powdered sugar," but in Canada, they prefer another name for the same product: "icing sugar."

10

Folder/ Duotang

Image: Savannah Wakefield

Remember that school folder with metal prongs to hold your papers, the ones you could easily add or remove pages from? In the US, we just call it a "pronged folder." But in Canada, they have a totally different name for it: they call it a "duotang!" Have you ever heard of that one?

1

​Miranda v. Arizona (1966)

Every legal TV drama has a "You have the right to remain silent" moment. But that phrase actually became part of American culture thanks to a Supreme Court ruling. In 1963, American laborer Ernesto Miranda was arrested in Phoenix, Arizona, and questioned by police for several hours about a kidnapping and assault case. During the interrogation, officers did not tell him he had the right to remain silent or the right to speak with a lawyer. Miranda eventually signed a confession that was later used to convict him at trial.

His lawyers appealed, arguing that he had not been properly informed of his constitutional rights. In a narrow five-to-four ruling, the Supreme Court agreed. Chief Justice Earl Warren explained that police interrogations place heavy pressure on suspects, making safeguards necessary. The Court ruled that suspects must be informed of their rights before questioning begins. Today, the Mirada Rights warning is one of the best-known legal protections in the U.S.

2

​Brown v. Board of Education (1954)

For many decades, racial segregation in public schools was considered legal under the doctrine "separate but equal." In reality, schools for Black children were often underfunded and unequal in nearly every other way. The issue came to a head in Topeka, Kansas, when Oliver Brown tried to enroll his Black daughter Linda in a nearby white elementary school. She was denied admission because of segregation laws.

Brown joined other families in challenging school segregation with support from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, NAACP, whose legal team was led by Thurgood Marshall. The Supreme Court heard arguments from several related cases and faced enormous pressure because of the issue’s national importance. In 1954, Chief Justice Earl Warren delivered a unanimous decision declaring that separate educational facilities are inherently unequal. The ruling overturned earlier legal precedent and became one of the most important decisions in American history, helping launch the modern Civil Rights Movement.

3

​Tinker v. Des Moines (1969)

During the Vietnam War, protests and political debates spread across the country, including in public schools. In 1965, a group of students in Des Moines, Iowa, decided to wear black armbands to school to protest the war and support a Christmas truce. School officials quickly announced that students wearing the armbands would be suspended. Mary Beth Tinker and her brother John wore the armbands anyway and were suspended from school. Their family challenged the decision, arguing that the students’ First Amendment rights had been violated.

The case eventually reached the Supreme Court, which ruled seven to two in favor of the students. In 1969, Justice Abe Fortas wrote that students do not lose their constitutional rights when they enter a school building. The Court concluded that schools may only limit student expression if it seriously disrupts learning. The ruling became a major precedent protecting peaceful expression in public schools.

4

​Roe v. Wade (1973)

Before Roe v. Wade, abortion laws differed greatly from state to state, and many states severely restricted access to the procedures. The case began when, in 1969, a Texas woman, Norma McCorvey, challenged state laws under the pseudonym "Jane Roe." Texas only allowed abortions in cases where the mother’s life was in danger. Roe argued that the law violated constitutional protections for personal privacy.

The Supreme Court heard the case during a period of growing national debate over reproductive rights and government authority. In 1973, the Court ruled seven to two that the Constitution protects a woman’s right to privacy under the Fourteenth Amendment, including certain decisions about abortion. The justices created a legal framework balancing individual rights with state interests. Roe v Wade continued to be one of the most debated decisions in history. It was overturned by the Supreme Court in 2022 via the Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization case, which eliminated the federal constitutional right to an abortion and allowed individual states to set their own abortion laws.

5

​Regents of the University of California v. Bakke (1978)

Inequality based on race took all kinds of forms, and school desegregation was just the beginning of a long pursuit of justice and equality. As universities sought to address racial inequality in higher education during the 1970s, affirmative action policies became the subject of national debate. Alla Bakke, a white 30-year-old engineer from California, applied to the medical school at the University of California, Davis, and challenged its admissions program after being denied entry.

Bakke argued that the school’s racial quota system violated the Equal Protection Clause. In 1978, the Supreme Court ruled that strict racial quotas were unconstitutional, but also said race could still be considered as one factor among many in admissions decisions. The ruling shaped college admissions policies for decades. In 2023, however, the Court overturned much of that framework, via Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. Harvard College, ruling that race-conscious admissions programs at Harvard and the University of North Carolina violated the Constitution, bringing a major chapter of the affirmative action debate to a turning point.

6

​Gideon v. Wainwright (1963)

Before 1963, many Americans accused of serious crimes had no guaranteed right to a lawyer if they couldn’t afford one. Clarence Earl Gideon, an impoverished Missourian drifter, learned this firsthand after being charged with burglary in Florida. Too poor to hire an attorney, Gideon asked the court to appoint one for him, but the request was denied because state law only required lawyers in death penalty cases.

While incarcerated, he sent a handwritten petition to the Supreme Court arguing that his constitutional rights had been violated. The Court agreed to hear the case and ruled unanimously in his favor. The Justices declared that the Sixth Amendment guaranteed the right to legal counsel in serious criminal cases and that states must provide attorneys for defendants who cannot afford them. The ruling greatly expanded protections for ordinary citizens in the criminal justice system.

7

​Schenck v. United States (1919)

During WWI, the U.S. government became increasingly concerned about opposition to the military draft. Charles Schenck, a leader in the Socialist Party, distributed pamphlets encouraging drafted men to resist military service peacefully. He was arrested under the Espionage Act of 1917 and argued that his actions were protected by the First Amendment. But the Supreme Court didn’t see it that way.

Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. explained that free speech rights are not unlimited, especially during wartime. In one of the most famous lines in Supreme Court history, Holmes stated that the law would not protect someone falsely shouting "fire" in a crowded theater and causing panic. The Court created the "clear and present danger" test, allowing the government to limit speech that creates an immediate threat to public safety or national security. The ruling became an important balance between civil liberties and public protection.

8

​McCulloch v. Maryland (1819)

In the early years of the U.S., many Americans still viewed their states almost like separate countries. After the War of 1812, in 1816, the federal government created the Second Bank of the United States to help stabilize the economy. Several states opposed the national bank, including Maryland, which placed a heavy tax on it. James McCulloch, who worked at the Baltimore branch of the federal bank, refused to pay the tax , and the dispute reached the Supreme Court.

In 1819, Chief Justice John Marshall ruled that Congress had the authority to create the bank, even though the Constitution did not specifically mention national banks. He explained that the Constitution gives the federal government certain implied powers needed to carry out its duties. The Court also ruled that states could not tax federal institutions. The decision strengthened federal authority and helped create a more stable national economy at a time when the young country was still finding its footing.

9

​Gibbons v. Ogden (1824)

In the 1820s, steamboats were transforming transportation and trade across the U.S. New York granted a monopoly, giving certain operators exclusive rights to run steamboats on its waters. Aaron Ogden operated a ferry service between New York and New Jersey under that monopoly. Thomas Gibbons began running a competing ferry service using a federal license, leading to a major legal battle. The case raised an important question: Could individual states control interstate trade, or did that authority belong to the federal government?

In 1824, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Gibbons. Chief Justice John Marshall declared that Congress alone has the power to regulate interstate commerce. The Court also defined commerce broadly to include navigation and transportation. The ruling prevented states from blocking trade across borders and helped create the open national economy Americans know today, making travel and business between states far easier and more consistent.

10

​Marbury v. Madison (1803)

Every time Americans expect the Constitution to protect their rights, they are relying on a principle established in Marbury v. Madison. Before 1803, nobody was entirely sure who had the final authority to decide whether a law violated the Constitution. That question arose during a tense transfer of power between Presidents John Adams and Thomas Jefferson. In his final hours in office, Adams appointed several judges, including Maryland businessman William Marbury. Some appointment papers were never delivered before Jefferson took office, and he ordered his brand-new Secretary of State, James Madison, not to hand them over to the appointees.

Marbury sued, asking the Supreme Court to force Madison to deliver the documents. Chief Justice John Marshall ruled that Marbury deserved the position, but the law allowing the Court to hear the case directly was unconstitutional. In doing so, Marshall established judicial review, giving the Supreme Court the power to strike down laws that conflict with the Constitution.

1

Circle the wagons

Image: Dana Davis

Pioneer wagon trains literally circled their wagons at night for protection.

Creating a closed ring helped shield families, livestock, and supplies from raids, wild animals, and harsh weather—and the formation later evolved into a metaphor for any type of unified, defensive action.

2

Hold your horses

Image: Cemrecan Yurtman

Frontier riders needed to keep horses steady at all times, but particularly in chaotic and potentially dangerous settings like stage stops and river crossings.

By the mid-1800s, the phrase became a common command, later evolving into a figurative call for patience.

3

On the warpath

Image: Andrew James

This term originated as an English rendering of a Native American expression for wartime mobilization—specifically the route or course taken toward an impending conflict.

Euro-American settlers later adopted the phrase, and by the late 19th, century newspapers were using it metaphorically to describe anyone behaving aggressively or angrily.

4

Branding iron

Image: Jonny Gios

Ever wonder where the term "brand name" comes from? Frontier ranchers used heated irons to mark ownership on their cattle.

The idea of a distinctive identifying mark later moved into the commercial world, where "brand name" came to signify a recognizable product or company identity.

5

Come hell or high water

Image: Furkan Elveren

Ranchers driving cattle across rough terrain used this phrase to signal determination despite floods, storms, conflict, and whatever else the wild frontier could throw at them.

The earliest known printed use appears in an 1882 issue of The Burlington Weekly Hawk Eye, an Iowa newspaper. Railroads later adopted it in contracts requiring delivery despite natural obstacles.

6

Riding shotgun

Image: Paul Einerhand

In Wyatt Earp’s era, the seat beside a stagecoach driver was reserved for an armed guard carrying a shotgun to deter bandits.

By the early 20th century, the job had vanished, but the expression endured as a casual claim for the front passenger seat.

7

Belly up to the bar

Image: Vidar Nordli-Mathisen

Saloon bars on the frontier often lacked stools, so patrons had to stand and lean their bellies directly against the counter.

The phrase soon came to mean approaching something boldly, whether at a bar or any other challenge.

8

Kick the bucket

Image: Lucas van Oort

Rural butchers often suspended animals from a beam called a "bucket," and they sometimes kicked during slaughter.

The phrase was popular on farms and frontier towns, eventually becoming a euphemism for dying.

9

Dead ringer

Image: Annie Spratt

Frontier horse racers engaged in plenty of shady practices—and one of the most common was substituting a horse with a look-alike, a "ringer," to scam bets.

When the substitute was an exceptionally close match, it was called a "dead ringer," emphasizing its perfect likeness.

10

High noon

Image: CHUTTERSNAP

Before standardized clocks or reliable rail schedules, "high noon" was an easy way to tell time by noting the sun at its highest point.

It also became associated with showdowns and other events because midday offered the clearest visibility.