It's Canada Day and, because you're a Canuck just like any other hoser in a tuque with a toonie, you can nab a double-double and chill out, or kick back with a brewski and Buffalo wings for some R & R, eh?

That is, if you know what it means. Because it's one thing to become Canadian; it's another thing to speak Canadian.

That's what many new immigrants to Canada discover.

So to help new Canadians adjust to local idioms, Canadian Immigrant magazine launched a unique column called CanSpeak.

"It came out of hearing stories from immigrants," Canadian Immigrant publisher Nick Noorani said.

"There was a Korean family who heard someone talk about their skeletons in the closet and they were a little bit concerned," said Noorani.

"Think about it -- if you didn't know and someone told you the equivalent of that in Chinese or Russian, what would you think? "So I thought, let's take these phrases and help people understand." For new Canadians, Noorani says, mastering colloquial language is a huge part of the settlement process.

To help out, the column unpacks office acronyms such as FYI, ASAP and ROI, financial jargon like "in the hole," "sock it away" and "maxed out," movie phrases such as "make my day" and "show me the money," and slang including "bling," "boob tube" and "harsh my mellow." Other articles explain old adages such as "raining cats and dogs" (a term all immigrants to Vancouver need) and "when the cat's away, the mice will play"(a phenomenon small-business owners learn well).

Crucially, during playoff time, the the column has covered hockey rules and terms such as faceoff, Zamboni and hat-trick.

The column isn't only educational; it's often amusing.

"Canadians," the magazine explains, "are known worldwide for tacking on the word 'eh' to sentences, turning them into a bit of a question -- for example, 'That was a good hockey game last night, eh?'" Check your own grasp of Canadian idioms at www.canadianimmigrant.ca/justforfun/canspeak.

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