101 Reasons to be happy, Reason number sixty-six
Canadianisms
To table – bring forward for discussion or consideration at a meeting (parliament)
ROC
– Rest of Canada (parts of Canada outside of Québec)
Have-not
province – province whose per capita tax revenue falls below a
certain average level, and is entitled to receive equalization payments from
the federal government
Drop
the gloves – to remove one’s gloves (in hockey) to demonstrate
willingness to fight
Nunavummiut –
the people inhabiting the territory of Nunavut
To
stickhandle – 1. skilfully control the puck with the
stick, 2. manoeuvre skilfully around
MNA
– Member of the National Assembly
To
download – 2. To shift or relegate responsibilities or costs
for (a program) from one level of government to a lower one
Javex
– chlorine bleach
Acclamation
–
the act or instance of election by virtue of being the sole candidate
(politics)
Hat-trick
– the scoring of three goals, points, etc by one person during a game
Riding
– a district whose voters elect a representative member to a legislative body;
a constituency or electoral district
We were asked by our professor to come up with a text that used 6 of the above words. Here is mine:
Canadianisms and Regionalisms - The GreenWorld IT Story
John was elected representative of the GreenWorld IT department by acclamation. No one else wanted the job, they were all introverts and proud geeks who preferred to be behind their computers. The first thing John would have to do was meet with the big boss’s secretary Gilda Blomstrom and finagle a way to get in to see the big boss’s assistant. He figured he could find a way to the big boss after that.
Gilda Blomstrom was a no-nonsense woman of an indecipherable age whose canary yellow hair looked like it had been bleached with Javex. She immediately barraged John with a hundred questions. He skilfully stickhandled his way around those questions he did not want to answer and somehow managed to turn things around to imply that she was inviting him in to see Mr. Knockbottom, the assistant. He quickly made his way past her before she realized what he’d done.
Mr. Knockbottom had a tiny pencil moustache, slicked back hair, and was dressed in a tight, grey, pinstriped business suit. He rose immediately to his feet and demanded to know what John was doing there. John wanted to drop the gloves right there, and wipe the pompous sneer off of Mr. Knockbottom’s face. Instead, he gave him his most fake, friendly smile and proceeded to very politely let him know how things stood in the IT department. Seeing the urgency of the situation, Mr. Knockbottom grudgingly let him through to see the big boss.
The big boss was a tiny man, barely 5 foot 3, and hardly visible behind his big desk. John proceeded to disclose the complaints of the IT department, punctuated by comments from Mr. Knockbottom. He then presented the big boss with a list of proposals, which, to his relief, the big boss readily agreed to.
John returned to the dark basement offices which were the IT department, and his co-workers gathered around him. “Did you manage to talk to Gilda Blomstrom?” They asked.
“Hat trick!” John proudly announced. “I managed to talk to all three and got what we want!” The office immediately erupted into much back thumping and cheering.
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