urchin

[Clai Rice]

This evening I purchased a few ferry tickets from Vancouver
Island to Mayne Island, B.C. The tickets were identical,
though the child tickets were half fare. The tickets were
labeled both "Adult" and "Urchin", with the former term
above the latter but both in the same size font. Considering
the function of the tickets, and the positioning of the
words, we figured that the word "urchin" meant "child." Is
this a standard Canadianism?  The other option is that they
label the tickets each day with an unusual word as a
counterfeit prevention, which wouldn't be nearly as much
fun.  To my surprise, the ticket collector insisted on
taking the entire ticket, so I couldn't keep a copy. But now
I'm thinking of going back to Victoria later in the week, so
I'll be able to  check the tickets and ask the agents if
they think urchin means child.

Not that my children aren't urchins.

Clai Rice

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The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org