h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

"I just realized I used an expression that people from outside of Michigan always chide us for using ... that is "up north" to refer to the northern region of our state. Outsiders say it is a redundant phrase as "north" is, naturally, in an "up" direction. What I want to know is how Capers came up with the phrase "down north" which seems to defy logic!"






I'm so glad that you picked up on that little bit of Cape Breton slang. Not so long ago I contemplated the origin of it as well. "Down North" is a slang that has been in circulation since I can remember. I even asked some of the elderly people coming in the pharmacy to see if they used it often. All of them had for all of their lives. So it's safe to say that the person who started it is no longer with us.

It is also a saying that is misused. The "city folk"(Sydney) and the people from "over town" (North Sydney/Sydney Mines {also referred to as “the north side”}) refer to places like Englishtown and St. Anne’s Bay as "Down North". Us Englishtowners let it slide. We are on the border of country and city so we have to take crap from both sides!
Some others believe that Englishtown/St. Anne’s runs all the way up to Smokey Mount. where "Down North" really starts. They must have skipped the Cabot Trail and took a flying saucer from the ferry to Smokey. What ever happened to the "North Shore". Which is the actual name of the small communities between Englishtown/St. Anne’s and Smokey. Oddly enough that stretch of shoreline is not the north shore of CB but the east. Go figure!

So we have the Englishtown/St. Anne’s, which are different communities but we don’t mind being grouped together seeing as how we share a bay/harbor. Then there is the “North Shore”...Indian Brook to Wreak Cove and everything in between. Then there is Smokey Mountain, which is a place like Englishtown, a border between the “North Shore” and “Down North”. They don’t mind being grouped in either/or. Although I believe they lean towards “Down North” because that’s where they get their groceries.

So this is where down north actually starts... Ingonish Ferry the first community after Smokey Mountain. Not to be confused with Ingonish Harbor, Ingonish Center or needless to say Ingonish itself. Which all have different postal codes!! Some of the more refined people from the “Ingonishs” exclude themselves from the “Down North” category. I think this is because there is rivalry between them and the rest of “Down North”, mainly them and White Point /Dingwall. It all started on the schoolyard.

I must mention that “Down North” starts here... it covers the northern tip of CB, Meat Cove and Bay St. Lawrence and as far westward as Pleasant Bay after which the road to Cheticamp begins.

So now you know where “Down North” is. I have to say it is in no way "down". It has the highest elevation levels in Cape Breton (The Highlands). The only thing I can figure is that Cape Breton isn't founded in logic! It's genius actually. Imagine some foreigner/tourist wants to invade us. They ask where is the ski hill. After sufficient torture we say " Down North". They wont have a clue!

I know that this is a little more of an answer then you would have wanted but I’m having fun with it. Last summer I had the brilliant idea to write “ The Down North Dictionary, A Survival Guide for Cape Breton Culture” or “The Down North Dictionary, A Guide to Survive Cape Breton Culture”. I haven’t figured out the last part yet. I wanted to fill the book with maps to the best local beaches, the best little pubs etc. All the while filling the reader in on our sayings, tell them what the most common Gaelic phrases are (Ciad Mille Faillte-100, 000 Welcomes), and why even though we are predominantly Scottish over half of our towns and villages have French names (Big Bras d’Or, pronounced Big Bra Door not Big Brass Door, meaning Big arm/branch of gold).

I just searched the Internet for the phonics of Big Bras d’Or and sadly came across another web page containing advertisements for a new book… “……….” Looks like someone else beat me to it. Oh well their goes my enthusiasm deflated like a balloon. Maybe I’ll buy the book and help the sucker out.