Canadians call the dollar coin a loonie and the two-dollar a toonie. However, most likely, many people nowadays—especially of the younger generation—no longer know how these words came about. So, for everyone’s dose of trivial yet significant information, here is the origin of the terms.
Loonie. Introduced in 1987, the gold-colored Canadian one-dollar coin has been nicknamed loonie in reference to the image of the common loon that is found on its reverse. The common loon is an aquatic bird, one of Canada’s national animals.
Toonie. This term is simply a wordplay, derived from combining two and loonie, to refer to the Canadian two-dollar coin. The featured animal on the toonie, however, is a polar bear; so, it could have also been called a “polie.” Moreover, if there was a Canadian three-dollar coin, then your guess for what it would have been called is as good as mine.
The Last Leaf
In the passing of time, the origins of many words fade out from the consciousness of many people. In the Internet age, relearning about them should be easy. All one needs are the curiosity and the initiative to google them with just a few clicks on the mouse.
