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Summary

Celebs at the Junos were asked to translate East Coast slang and they have a lot to learn

How many of these terms can you get?

A man in a suit answering questions at an event. Right: A man with a white cape and antlers speaking into a microphone that says Narcity on it.

Jagmeet Singh at the 2024 JUNO Awards. Right: Talk at the 2024 JUNO Awards.

Morgan Leet | Narcity, Morgan Leet | Narcity
Senior Writer

How well do you know East Coast slang? We asked celebrities to translate popular phrases in provinces like Nova Scotia and some of them struggled to figure out the meaning behind the words.

From "blowing a gale" to "fill your boots," it seems like some celebs who attended the 2024 JUNO Awards in Halifax were confused by the Canadian slang words.

The musicians and politician were asked to explain what "blowing a gale" meant on the red carpet.

JUNO performer and winner Talk didn't hesitate before answering correctly with "it's windy." When asked how he knew that, the Ottawa singer claimed it was pure luck as he just guessed.

Canadian rapper Kardinal Offishall asked if it was "PG" before admitting he didn't know what a gale is.

NDP leader Jagmeet Singh believed the term is used when "someone is making up a story, telling a big tale."

@narcitytoronto

Jagmeet Singh guesses the meaning of popular East Coast Canadian phrases 🇨🇦 #Junos #JunoAwards2024 #Halifax #JagmeetSingh

Next up was the word "scribbler" and this was a tough one for everyone we asked.

Offishall said he had "no idea" what it could mean on the East Coast and Talk assumed it was a term for a "drunkard."

Singh answered that it was someone "who's got messy handwriting" before he was told it was a type of notebook.

When it came to defining what "fill your boots" was Offishall explained it was putting on a pair of boots.

Talk and Singh both answered correctly with the musician saying it was "take whatever you need," while the NDP leader said it means "have at it."

@narcitytoronto

@iamtiktalk guesses the meaning of popular East Coast Canadian phrases at the 2024 @thejunoawards! #junoawards2024 #junos #halifax

Last up was "holy mackerel" and that one seemed to be the easiest term for everyone to figure out.

Offishall and Talk both answered with the same definition of "holy sh*t" while Singh went with "oh my goodness."

Based on the Canadian slang questions, it seems like all three celebs learned a lot when it comes to phrases popular on the East Coast.

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    • Senior Writer

      Asymina Kantorowicz (she/her) was a Senior Writer for Narcity Media. She has worked at Yahoo Canada, CTV News Vancouver Island, CTV News Channel, and CHCH News. Over the past eight years, she took on various newsroom roles and helped produce award-winning newscasts. Loving the fast-paced environment of any newsroom, she helped cover stories like the 2016 royal visit to Victoria, the 2019 B.C. manhunt, and provincial elections. She had an MA in journalism and a BA in media from Western University. She moved from Toronto to Victoria a few years ago and loved being close to the ocean.

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