The Super Common Canadian Slang Invented By Tim Hortons
O, Canada! In addition to its gorgeous landscapes, majestic wildlife, ice hockey, Labrador retrievers, and extremely polite citizens, the Great White North is globally known for its cuisine of comfort foods and beverages, including maple syrup, poutine, butter tarts, and of course, Tim Hortons coffee and donuts.
Coffee connoisseurs often have their go-to brand. And whether they brew their own cuppa at home or stop by a local joint each morning, they typically have their preferred routine. Tim Hortons loyalists know what they like, and very rarely do they veer from their favorite cafe.
If you're in Canada and overhear someone ordering a "double-double," you can confidently assume that they don't prefer to drink their coffee black. What in the H-E-double-hockey-sticks is a double-double?!
The term "double-double" has become such an integral element of Canadian vernacular, it made its debut in the Canadian Oxford Dictionary in 2004, reports The Guardian. It is defined as "a cup of coffee with a double serving of both sugar and cream." So, there you have it. A double-double is simply coffee with two creams and two sugars.
How did the term 'double-double' come to be?
The first Tim Hortons was founded in Hamilton in 1964, says the company's website. National Hockey League legend and spirited entrepreneur Tim Horton opened his own tiny coffee and donut shop while he was still a professional athlete (via Britannica). He sadly passed away just a decade later in 1974 in a car accident at age 44, but his namesake brand has surely come a long way since then. The franchise restaurant chain is now headquartered in Oakville and has more than 4,000 locations in Canada, the U.S., and other countries around the globe (via Forbes).
While the first actual use of the phrase at Tim Hortons is unknown, "double-double" is now an utterance so commonplace that even most non-Tim Hortons Canadian coffee shops know exactly what a customer needs to get their caffeine fix, according to Mental Floss. Oh... And just like many Americans cheekily abbreviate McDonald's as "Mickey D's," Tim Hortons is fittingly nicknamed "Timmies."
P.S. Foodology reports that Canadians can now enjoy the famous drink in the form of a chocolate bar.