View source for Regimental nicknames of the Canadian Forces

Many [[regiment]]s have over the years earned [[nicknames]]; some laudatory, some derogatory, but all colourful.  Sometimes, the nicknames themselves have overshadowed the actual regimental title, e.g. the "Van Doos" for the [[Royal 22e Régiment|Royal 22<sup>e</sup> Régiment]]. In some cases the nickname actually replaced it: in 1881, the [[42nd Regiment of Foot|42nd (Royal Highland) Regiment of Foot]] became officially known by its nickname, [[Black Watch|The Black Watch]].

What follows is a list of nicknames of Canadian regiments, arranged alphabetically by regimental title. A brief explanation of the origin of the nickname, where known, is included.

==Regimental nicknames==

=== # ===
{| class="wikitable"
!Regiment
!Nickname(s)
|-
|[[1st Hussars]]
|
* 1st Hosers<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Montague |first=Art |title=Canadian Forces: An Historical Salute To Those On The Front Line |publisher=MacIntyre Purcell Publishing Inc |year=2011 |isbn=978-1-926916-09-5 |location=Lunenburg, Nova Scotia |pages=115–116}}</ref>
|-
|[[5th (British Columbia) Field Artillery Regiment, RCA]]
|
* Five Tribe<ref name=":0" />
|-
|[[7th Toronto Regiment, RCA|7th Toronto Regiment]]
|
*7 Guns<ref name=":0" />
* 7 Tor
* The Black Hand
|-
|[[8th Canadian Hussars (Princess Louise's)|8th Canadian Hussars]]
|
*Crazy 8s:<ref name="ReferenceA">[[wiktionary:Appendix:Canadian_English_military_slang|Wiktionary Appendix:Canadian English military slang]]</ref> after the [[Crazy Eights|card game]].<ref name=":0" />
*The Hussies: a general military slang for Hussar Regiments
*Eight C.H.
Channel  8
|-
|[[12e Régiment blindé du Canada|12<sup>e</sup> Régiment blindé du Canada]]
|
* 12th Rubber Boot Company<ref name=":0" />
|-
|[[48th Highlanders of Canada]]
|
*The Glamour Boys
* The Dirty Four Dozen<ref name=":0" />
|}

=== A-G ===
{| class="wikitable"
!Regiment
!Nickname(s)
|-
|[[The Algonquin Regiment (Northern Pioneers)]]
|
*The Algoons (from World War II)
* The Gonks<ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last=Montague |first=Art |title=Canadian Forces: An Historical Salute To Those On The Front Line |publisher=MacIntyre Purcell Publishing Inc |year=2011 |isbn=978-1-926916-09-5 |location=Lunenburg, Nova Scotia |pages=116}}</ref>
|-
|[[The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada (Princess Louise's)]]
|
* Ash Cans<ref name=":1" />
|-
|[[The British Columbia Regiment (Duke of Connaught's Own)]]
|
*Big Chinese Restaurant
*Billion Chinese Regiment: Derogatory. In reference to the large Asian population to inhabit Vancouver.
*BCR's
*The Dukes
|-
|[[The Brockville Rifles]]
|
*The Brocks
* The Broken Rifles<ref name=":1" />
|-
|[[The Calgary Highlanders (10th Canadians)]]
|
* Calgary Highgranders<ref name=":1" />
* The Cal Highs
|-
|[[The Canadian Grenadier Guards]]
|
* The Guards
* Canadian Girl Guides
* Can’t Get Girls<ref name=":1" />
* Can't Goddam Graduate
|-
|[[The Essex and Kent Scottish]]
|
* Eeks and Squeaks<ref name=":1" />
|-
|[[The Fort Garry Horse]]
|
* The Garry’s<ref name=":1" />
|-
|[[Governor General's Foot Guards]]
|
* GooGooFooGoos<ref name=":1" /> / Gugga Fuggas
* Gustav Gone For Good
|-
|[[The Governor General's Horse Guards]]
|
* Gugga Huggas<ref name=":1" />
|-
|[[The Grey and Simcoe Foresters]]
|
* Farmer Johns
* The Gay and Simple Farmers<ref name=":1" />
|}

=== H-Q ===
{| class="wikitable"
!Regiment
!Nickname(s)
|-
|[[The Hastings and Prince Edward Regiment]]
|
*Plough Jockeys: from World War II, bestowed because of the regiment's rural roots<ref>[http://www.theregiment.ca/hpjornal.html Regimental website: The Hastings and Prince Edward Regiment]</ref>
*Hasty P's: a play on their name and the short 'bathroom breaks' during wartime<ref name=":1" />
*Hasty Pasties: another play on their name.
*Hasty Preedies<ref name=":1" />
|-
|[[The King's Own Calgary Regiment (RCAC)|The King’s Own Calgary Regiment]]
|
* Kay Ohs<ref name=":1" />
|-
|[[The Lake Superior Scottish Regiment]]
|
* The Lake Sups / The Lake Soups<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Lake Superior Regiment, A History |url=https://www.thunderbaymuseum.com/exhibits/virtual-exhibits/lake-superior-regiment/ |access-date=2022-08-15 |website=Thunder Bay Museum |language=en-US}}</ref>
|-
|[[The Lincoln and Welland Regiment]]
|
* The Lincs
* The Lincoln Welders
* The Lincs and Winks<ref name=":1" />
|-
|[[Lord Strathcona's Horse (Royal Canadians)]]
|
* Lady Strathcona’s Riding Club<ref name=":2">{{Cite book |last=Montague |first=Art |title=Canadian Forces: An Historical Salute To Those On The Front Line |publisher=MacIntyre Purcell Publishing Inc |year=2011 |isbn=978-1-926916-09-5 |location=Lunenburg, Nova Scotia |pages=117}}</ref>
* Strathcona's
* Strats
* Straths (WWII era)
|-
|[[The Lorne Scots (Peel, Dufferin and Halton Regiment)|The Lorne Scots Regiment]]
|
* The Forlorn Scots<ref name=":2" />
* Horny Lornies: Derogatory. this likely originated from an urban legend regarding their yellow hackles, thought to be a battle disgrace ''(I can't find any record of such a disgrace)''.
|-
|[[The Loyal Edmonton Regiment]]
|
* The Loyal Eds
* The Loyal Eddies<ref name=":2" />
* The Eddies
|-
|[[Ontario Regiment]]
|
*On Tars
|-

|[[Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry]]
|
*Ping Pong Champions of Long Island<ref name=":2" />
*The Patricias<ref name=":2" /><ref>
{{citation |title=Regimental Manual |url=http://www.army.gc.ca/IAOL/143000440000029/143000440000638/HTMLFiles/Chapter%201.pdf |pages=1–3/13 |chapter=Chapter 1 |accessdate=February 23, 2011 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706181606/http://www.army.gc.ca/IAOL/143000440000029/143000440000638/HTMLFiles/Chapter%201.pdf |archivedate=July 6, 2011 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
*The Princess Pats<ref name=":2" />
*The Pats<ref name=":0" />
*Dirty Cowboy:<ref name="ReferenceA"/> likely referring to the region their primary HQ resides in.
*The Picklies. Derogatory, in reference to the unit acronym "PPCLI" being pronounced as one word.<ref name=":2" />
*The Vicious Patricias.
*The PPCNR, a play on words from the initials of the regiment and one of the railroads to their western HQ
|-
|[[The Queen's Own Rifles of Canada]]
|
* The Queen’s Own Rentals<ref name=":2" />
* Quickest out of Ridgeway:<ref name="ReferenceA"/> Derogatory: referring to the [[Battle of Ridgeway]].
|}

=== R-Z ===
{| class="wikitable"
!Regiment
!Nickname(s)
|-
|[[Royal 22nd Regiment]]
|
* The Vandoos, a play on the English of “vingt deux” which is French for 22 
* Les Vingt-Deux<ref name=":2" />
|-
|[[The Royal Canadian Dragoons]]
|
* The RCD’s <ref name=":2" />
* Dragoon
|-
|[[The Royal Canadian Regiment]]
|
*The RCR: the official short title of the regiment
*The Royals<ref name=":2" />
*The Junior Royals
*Rocking Chair Rangers<ref name=":2" />
*Shino Boys: a First World War nickname given to The RCR by soldiers of other units, noting the regiment's high standards of dress and deportment <ref>Cited in ''Fighting the Hun From Saddle and ''
Trench'' by Sgt. William R. Jones''</ref>
*Run Chicken Run: Derogatory, a play on words deriving from the regiment's acronym and the purported illegal activity of a soldier<ref name=":2" />
|-
|[[The Royal Hamilton Light Infantry (Wentworth Regiment)]]
|
* The Riley’s<ref name=":2" />
|-
|[[Royal Newfoundland Regiment]]
|
* The Blue Puttees<ref>{{Cite web |date=2007-10-16 |title=The Royal Newfoundland Regiment |url=http://regiments.org/regiments/na-canada/volmil/nf-inf/949RNF.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071016150008/http://regiments.org/regiments/na-canada/volmil/nf-inf/949RNF.htm |archive-date=2007-10-16  |access-date=2022-08-15 }}</ref>
|-
|[[The Royal Regiment of Canada]]
|
* The Royals
|-
|[[Royal Regina Rifles]]
|
* The Regina’s<ref name=":2" />
* The John's: from the Second World War most members were from Saskatchewan farming backgrounds ie "Farm John"
|-
|[[Royal Westminster Regiment]]
|
* The Westies<ref name=":2" />
|-
|[[Royal Winnipeg Rifles]]
|
* The Little Black Devils<ref name=":2" />
|-
|[[The Seaforth Highlanders of Canada]]
|
* The Seaforth’s
* The Bullwinkles<ref name=":2" />
|-
|[[South Alberta Light Horse]]
|
* The Sally Horse
* Sally Ho<ref name=":2" />
* Sally H.
|-
|[[Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry Highlanders]]
|
* Then Glens 
* Sand, Dust & Gravel<ref name=":2" />
|-
|[[The Toronto Scottish Regiment (Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother's Own)]]
|
* The Tor Scots
* The Trot Scots<ref name=":2" />
|-
|[[The Sherbrooke Hussars]]
|
* Sher H
* The Sherbie Herbies
|-
|[[Les Fusiliers de Sherbrooke]]
|
* Fuzz de Sher
* The Fuzzy Wuzzies
|-
|[[West Nova Scotia Regiment]]
|
* The West Novas<ref name=":2" />
|}

==See also==
{{Portal|Canada|Lists}}
* [[List of nicknames of British Army regiments]]
* [[List of warships by nickname]]
* [[Lists of nicknames]] – nickname list articles on Wikipedia
* [[Nicknames of U.S. Army divisions]]

==Notes==
{{reflist|2}}

==References==
*Montague, Art (2011). ''Canadian Forces: An Historical Salute To Those On The Front Line''. Lunenburg, Nova Scotia: MacIntyre Purcell Publishing Inc.
*Mowat, Farley (1955). ''The Regiment''. Toronto: McClelland and Stewart.

[[Category:Regiments of Canada]]
[[Category:Lists of nicknames|Regimental Nicknames Of The Canadian Forces]]