United States of Canada
- proper noun
- Informal
:
Estados Unidos de Canadá
- Some people jokingly refer to Canada as the United States of Canada.
Examples
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People sometimes joke about moving to the United States of Canada after contentious political events in the U.S.
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Online forums often use the term United States of Canada to discuss cultural similarities between the two countries.
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Many journalists referred to the northern regions as the United States of Canada during the election coverage.
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Isn't it funny how we call it the United States of Canada sometimes?
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Many jokes during the comedy show referenced Canada as the United States of Canada to highlight its close ties with the U.S.
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In discussions about cultural differences, people often use the term United States of Canada humorously to refer to the similarities between Canada and the U.S.
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After studying both countries, he playfully called Canada the United States of Canada to draw attention to their shared culture.
Synonyms
934
1.0
A very large country in northern North America that stretches from the Atlantic to the Pacific
A joking name for Canada because it sits north of the United States
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase is compositionally understandable: 'United' + 'States' + 'of' + 'Canada' yields the idea of a (fictional) union of states associated with Canada or a label likening Canada to the United States. However, the humorous/comparative pragmatic intent (that it mockingly highlights similarity to the U.S.) requires cultural knowledge and is not fully derivable from the words alone, so it is only partly predictable to a B1 learner.
Etymology
United States of Canada is a joking name that may come from imagining Canada as if it were extra U.S. states right next door. People use this name to point out how close or similar the two countries are, so it means 'Canada is very like the United States'.