Hoser is both a slang term and a
stereotypeA stereotype is a commonly held public belief about specific social groups, or types of individuals.The concepts of "stereotype" and "prejudice" are often confused with many other different meanings. Stereotypes are standardized and simplified conceptions of groups, based on some prior...
, originating from and used primarily in
CanadaCanada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
Like the very similar term
hosehead, the term may have referred to
farmerA farmer is a person who raises living organisms for food or raw materials.- Definition :The term farmer usually applies to a person who grows field crops, and/or manages orchards or vineyards, or raises livestock or poultry such as chicken and cows...
s of the
Canadian prairiesThe Canadian Prairies is a region of Canada, specifically in Western Canada, which may correspond to several different definitions, natural or political. Notably, the Prairie provinces or simply the Prairies comprise the provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba, as they are much covered by...
, who would siphon gas from farming vehicles with a hose during the
Great DepressionThe Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
of the 1930s. The expression has since been converted to the verb 'to hose' as in to trick, deceive, or steal - for example: "That card-shark sure hosed me." Hosed has an additional meaning of becoming drunk - for example: "Let's go out and get hosed."
In Canada, hoser was previosly used as a jocular slang term meaning rube by members of the same (working) class in Western Canada and Ontario towards others within the same class.
Hoser is both a slang term and a
stereotypeA stereotype is a commonly held public belief about specific social groups, or types of individuals.The concepts of "stereotype" and "prejudice" are often confused with many other different meanings. Stereotypes are standardized and simplified conceptions of groups, based on some prior...
, originating from and used primarily in
CanadaCanada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
Origins
Like the very similar term
hosehead, the term may have referred to
farmerA farmer is a person who raises living organisms for food or raw materials.- Definition :The term farmer usually applies to a person who grows field crops, and/or manages orchards or vineyards, or raises livestock or poultry such as chicken and cows...
s of the
Canadian prairiesThe Canadian Prairies is a region of Canada, specifically in Western Canada, which may correspond to several different definitions, natural or political. Notably, the Prairie provinces or simply the Prairies comprise the provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba, as they are much covered by...
, who would siphon gas from farming vehicles with a hose during the
Great DepressionThe Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
of the 1930s. The expression has since been converted to the verb 'to hose' as in to trick, deceive, or steal - for example: "That card-shark sure hosed me." Hosed has an additional meaning of becoming drunk - for example: "Let's go out and get hosed."
Connotations
In Canada, hoser was previosly used as a jocular slang term meaning rube by members of the same (working) class in Western Canada and Ontario towards others within the same class. It was not a term used by urbanites, intellectuals, or non-Canadians as a
pejorativePejoratives are terms which have a negative connotation. Sometimes a term may begin as a pejorative word and eventually be adopted in a non-pejorative sense...
, historically.
Today, the word hoser evokes—sometimes sympathetically, with gentle ribbing, and sometimes negatively—a stereotypical Canadian male, typically lower to
middle classThe middle class are any class in the middle of a social schema. In Weberian socio-economic terms they are the broad group of people in contemporary society who fall socioeconomically between the working class and upper class. In Marxist terms, middle class commonly refers to either the...
, white and
English CanadianEnglish Canada is a term used to describe one of the following:# English Canadians, a term usually meaning English-speaking Canadians, as opposed to French-speaking Canadian. It is employed when comparing English- and French-language literature, media, or art...
. He is especially concerned with drinking
beerBeer is the world's oldest and most widely consumed alcoholic beverage and the third most popular drink overall after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of starches, mainly derived from cereal grains—most commonly malted barley, although wheat, maize , and rice are widely...
and watching
hockeyIce Hockey is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use sticks to direct a puck into the opposing team's goal. It is a fast-paced and physical sport...
or
curlingCurling is a team game with similarities to bowls and shuffleboard, played by two teams of four players each on a rectangular sheet of carefully prepared ice. Teams take turns sliding heavy, polished granite stones down the ice towards the target...
. The hoser is understood as a product of a poor and white upbringing, but never from a more cosmopolitan lifestyle—he is more likely to come from a small town or a rural farm community than a big city, although hosers may also exist in the
suburbSuburbs are defined in various different ways around the world. They can be the residential areas of a large city, or separate residential communities within commuting distance of a city. Some suburbs have a degree of political autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city...
s of major cities. He is generally assumed to be
unemployedUnemployment occurs when a person is available to work and seeking work but currently without work. The prevalence of unemployment is usually measured using the unemployment rate, which is defined as the percentage of those in the labor force who are unemployed...
, although he may also be a
farmerA farmer is a person who raises living organisms for food or raw materials.- Definition :The term farmer usually applies to a person who grows field crops, and/or manages orchards or vineyards, or raises livestock or poultry such as chicken and cows...
, a labourer working in primary industry (
manufacturingManufacturing is the use of machines, tools and labor to make things for use or sale. The term may refer to a range of human activity, from handicraft to high tech, but is most commonly applied to industrial production, in which raw materials are transformed into finished goods on a large scale...
,
miningMining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, usually from an ore body, vein or seam. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock salt and potash...
,
forestryForestry is the art and science of managing forests, tree plantations, and related natural resources. The main goal of forestry is to create and implement systems that allow forests to continue a sustainable continuation of environmental supplies and services...
, etc.), a
tradesmanA trade is an occupation that requires some particular kind of skilled work. In historical sense, particularly as pertinent to the Medieval history and earlier, the term is usually applied towards people occupied in most kinds of crafts and small-scale production of goods.The households of the...
or a manual labourer. He is typically not
universityA university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
-educated: if he has any education past high school, it's a college trade program. If he does go on to university, or moves to a city, he will still have preferences for "hoser" food, clothing, music, and sports, and will retain the language inflections of his upbringing.
He's often imagined wearing heavy winter clothing, usually a
flannelFlannel is a soft woven fabric, of various fineness. It usually doesn't have a nap, and instead gains its softness through the loosely spun yarn it is woven from...
lumberjackA lumberjack is a tradesman in the logging industry who performs the initial harvesting of trees for ultimate processing into forest products. The term usually refers to a bygone era when hand tools were used in harvesting trees principally from virgin forest...
shirt, Kodiak boots and a
tuqueA tuque is a knitted cap, originally of wool though now often of synthetic fibers, that is designed to provide warmth in winter. Most tuques are tapered, they sometimes have ear-flaps, and may be topped with a pom-pon, this style of tuque is sometimes referred to as a sherpa...
. He is generally a young adult to middle age, and may be somewhat aggressive given the beer and hockey, but may conversely be passive and amiable, given the beer. In musical culture, he is correlated with
classicClassic rock was originally conceived as a radio station programming format which evolved from the album oriented rock format in the early-1980s...
and mainstream
rock musicRock and roll is a genre of popular music that evolved in the United States after World War II in the late 1940s, from a combination of the rhythms of the blues, from the African American culture, and from America's country music and gospel music scenes...
, particularly with
RushRush is a Canadian rock band originally formed in August 1968, in the Willowdale neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario, composed of bassist, keyboardist, and lead vocalist Geddy Lee, guitarist Alex Lifeson, and drummer and lyricist Neil Peart...
,
April WineApril Wine is a Canadian rock band formed in 1969. According to the band, they chose the name 'April Wine' simply because members thought the two words sounded good together...
,
TrooperTrooper is a Juno Award winning Canadian rock band that developed from a group formed by vocalist Ramon McGuire and guitarist Brian Smith in 1965...
and the earlier, rowdier works of
The Tragically HipThe Tragically Hip is a Canadian rock band from Kingston, Ontario, consisting of Gordon Downie , Paul Langlois , Rob Baker , Gord Sinclair and Johnny Fay .The band is popular and influential in Canada...
. If he goes out socially, it's usually to a
doughnutA doughnut is a sweet, deep-fried piece of dough or batter. The two most common types are the torus-shaped ring doughnut and the filled doughnut, a flattened sphere injected with jam, jelly, cream, custard, or other sweet filling. A small spherical piece of dough may be cooked as a doughnut hole...
shop.
A hoser's flannel shirt may also be referred to as a "Kenora dinner jacket". (Some regional variations of this term also exist, usually substituting a hoser-stereotyped local community's name in place of Kenora.)
A woman who dresses and acts similarly may also be referred to as a hoser, although this is much more rare.
Hoser may also refer more generically to a rude and unkempt person, similar to the more universal terms boor, rube, slob and lout. However, like other such terms (e.g.
jerk) it can also be used in a much more general sense as an all-purpose mild
insultAn insult is an expression, statement which is considered degrading and offensive. Insults may be intentional or accidental...
. The term is also sometimes used outside of Canada as a mocking term for any Canadian, although this usage may be perceived as offensive because of the word's more particular meaning within Canada. (See
Anti-CanadianismAnti-Canadianism represents a consistent hostility towards the government, culture, or people of Canada.-Historical:Voltaire has been quoted jokingly as saying Canada was "a few acres of snow." He was in fact referring to New France as it existed in the eighteenth century. The quote meant that New...
)
Bob & Doug McKenzie defined the term as "What you call your little brother when your mother is in the room."
Hoser may also refer to the pre-
zamboniZamboni is a last name and can refer to the following people:*Anteo Zamboni , Italian anarchist and anti-fascist*Frank Zamboni, American inventor**a Zamboni ice resurfacer machine, named after its inventor*Giovanni Zamboni, Baroque composer...
days when the losing hockey team had to hose down the rink.
Media representations
Perhaps the iconic representations of this definition of hoser in
Canadian cultureCanadian culture is a term that encompasses the artistic, musical, literary, culinary, political and social elements that are representative of Canada, not only to its own population, but people all over the world. Canada's culture has historically been influenced by European culture and...
are Bob & Doug McKenzie of
SCTV Second City Television is a Canadian television sketch comedy show offshoot from Toronto's The Second City troupe that ran between 1976 and 1984.- Premise :...
and
Strange BrewThe Adventures of Bob & Doug McKenzie: Strange Brew is a 1983 film starring the popular SCTV characters Bob & Doug McKenzie, played by Dave Thomas and Rick Moranis, who also served as co-directors. Max von Sydow co-stars...
. This model also profoundly informs
The Red Green ShowThe Red Green Show was a Canadian television comedy that aired on various channels in Canada, with its ultimate home at CBC Television, and on PBS stations in the United States, from 1991 until the series finale April 7, 2006 on CBC, making it the longest running live-action scripted comedy in the...
,
Trailer Park BoysTrailer Park Boys was a popular Canadian comedic mockumentary television series created and directed by Mike Clattenburg that focused on the misadventures of a group of trailer park residents, some of whom are ex-convicts, living in a fictional trailer park located in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. The...
,
Kevin SpencerKevin Spencer is an animated television series developed by Greg Lawrence, aired in Canada on The Comedy Network and aimed at adult audiences. It takes its name from the main character....
,
FUBAR: The MovieFUBAR is a 2002 mockumentary film, directed by Michael Dowse, based on the lives of two lifelong friends and head-bangers living out their lives, constantly drinking beer. Fubar debuted at the Sundance Film Festival in the 'Park City at Midnight' category, which previously launched such films as...
,
Chilly BeachChilly Beach is a Canadian animated series, which airs on CBC Television in Canada and The Comedy Channel in Australia. The series is a comedic depiction of life in the fictional Canadian town of Chilly Beach, described by the producers as "a bunch of Canadians doing the stuff that Canadians do,...
, and some sketch characters on
Royal Canadian Air FarceAir Farce Live, also credited as Air Farce, previously Royal Canadian Air Farce, and Air Farce—Final Flight! for the final season, was a Canadian comedy series starring the comedy troupe The Royal Canadian Air Farce that previously starred in an eponymous radio show on CBC radio from 1973 to 1997...
(e.g. "
Mike, from CanmoreMike, known as Mike from Canmore, was a fictional character from the 1993-2008 sketch comedy series Royal Canadian Air Farce. He was portrayed by Welsh actor John Morgan from 1994 until Morgan's retirement from the program in 2001...
", "A Canadian Moment"), and
This Hour Has 22 MinutesThis Hour Has 22 Minutes is a weekly Canadian television comedy that airs on CBC Television. Launched in 1993 during Canada's 35th general election, the show focuses on Canadian politics, combining news parody, sketch comedy and satirical editorials...
(e.g. Connie Bloor, the Quinlan Quints).
In
The SimpsonsThe Simpsons is an American animated television sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its eponymous family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie...
episode
Thirty Minutes Over Tokyo"Thirty Minutes Over Tokyo" is the season finale of The Simpsons
' tenth season, which originally aired on May 16, 1999.-Plot:...
, Homer calls a pair of Canadians who are competing on the game show he was just on "stupid hosers".
Although set in the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
,
Wayne's WorldWayne's World was originally a recurring sketch from the NBC television series Saturday Night Live. It evolved from a segment titled "Wayne's Power Minute" on the CBC Television series It's Only Rock and Roll as the main character first appeared in that show...
— which was created by a Canadian,
Mike MyersMichael John "Mike" Myers is a Canadian-English actor, comedian, screenwriter and film producer. He was a long-time cast member on the NBC sketch show Saturday Night Live in the late 1980s and the early 1990s and starred as the title characters in the films Wayne's World, Austin Powers, and ...
— also shares some common elements with the hoser archetype.
Cobie SmuldersJacoba Francisca Maria "Cobie" Smulders is a Canadian actress and former international model, best known for her current role as Robin Scherbatsky on the CBS television series How I Met Your Mother.-Personal life:...
's character on
How I Met Your MotherHow I Met Your Mother is an Emmy Award winning American sitcom that premiered on CBS on September 19, 2005. The show was created by Craig Thomas and Carter Bays...
,
Robin ScherbatskyRobin Scherbatsky is a fictional character created by Carter Bays and Craig Thomas for the CBS television series How I Met Your Mother, portrayed by Canadian actress Cobie Smulders.Her last name is a reference to one of the main female characters of Leo Tolstoy's novel Anna Karenina...
, has used the term on the show. Especially in the episode "Intervention".
Videogame character, Bear Hugger, from the
WiiThe is a home video game console released by Nintendo. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of both...
game
Punch-Out!!is a 1984 boxing arcade game by Nintendo. It was the first in a series of successful Punch-Out!! games that produced an arcade sequel known as Super Punch-Out!!, a spin-off of the series titled Arm Wrestling, a highly popular version for the NES originally known as Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!!, and...
uses the term in one of his Title Defense quotes:
"Hey hoser! I'm gonna hit you so hard, you'll be seeing Northern Lights, eh! Heh ha ha ha!"
Other uses
Its use was also popularized in
pokerPoker is a sport from the family of card games that share betting rules and usually hand rankings. Poker games differ in how the cards are dealt, how hands may be formed, whether the high or low hand wins the pot in a showdown , limits on bets and how many rounds of betting are allowed...
circles by Bill Chen, who was once, in jest, famously described by
David SklanskyDavid Sklansky is a professional poker player and author.Sklansky grew up in Teaneck, New Jersey, where he graduated from Teaneck High School in 1966. He attended the University of Pennsylvania, but left before graduation...
as "the World's Biggest Hoser". The word has become commonly used in poker ever since to describe any "fish" or bad player who is a long-term loser at the game of poker.
This term is also recognized as being used to describe something that interferes with or “messes up” something else.
See also
- Eh
Eh is a spoken interjection in Armenian, Japanese, English, Dutch, Italian, Spanish and Portuguesemeaning something along the lines of "Repeat that, please". It is also commonly used as a method for inciting an answer, as in "it's nice here, eh?" Lastly, it can also be used to express indifference...
- Drunk
- Canadian beer
Canada has a rich tradition of beer brewing. While the Canadian beer industry is massive and plays an important role in Canadian identity, globalization of the brewing industry has seen the major players in Canada acquired by or merged with foreign companies, notably its three largest beer...
- Canadian slang
- Canada
Canada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
- Aboot
Similar names
- Canuck
-History:The term appears to have been coined in the 19th century, although its etymology is unclear. Possibilities include:* kanata "village" * Canada + -uc...
- Redneck
- Bogan
The term bogan is Australian and New Zealand English slang, usually pejorative or self-deprecating, for a person who is, or is perceived to be, of a lower-class background. According to the stereotype, the speech and mannerisms of "bogans" indicate poor education, cheap clothing and uncultured...
(Australia)
- Chav
Chav , charve or scally , ned , is a derogatory term applied to certain young people in the United Kingdom. The stereotypical chav is an aggressive teenager or young adult who often engages in anti-social behaviour, such as street drinking, drug abuse and rowdy behaviour...
(UK)
- Naco
Naco is a pejorative word often used in Mexican Spanish to describe bad-mannered and poorly educated people. Recently, however, the word has been reclaimed by Mexican hipsters, particularly in Mexico City and in other places where the word has been popularized in fashions...
(Mexico)
- White trash
White trash is an American English pejorative term referring to individual or groups of lower social class Caucasian people that the speaker considers to lack social status. It is most frequently used as a slur to describe financially, economically or culturally disadvantaged Caucasians...