Coins and Their Names

Well, you might have heard that Canadian coins have names to them, but why is this so? There are 7 coins in Canada but only five of them are commonly used. Starting from the lowest cost, it's the penny (1 cent), nickel (5 cents), dime (10 cents), quarter (25 cents), fifty piece (50 cents), loonie (1 dollar), and toonie (2 dollars).

I guess the biggest question is "Why should I remember these names?". Let me answer this question by giving you a small situation. We are going out for dinner and the bill for $10 each comes to our table. You, being the international student, have plentiful amounts of $20 bills. I, on the other hand, am a poor, unemployed, student. I check my wallet and only have $10. In this situation I am short $5 and you have $5 extra.

I frown. But I fear not, for if I beg to borrow $5 from you, we would be able to pay the bill. You do so and now I owe you 5 dollars. A few days later we meet again and you kindly remind me I owe you 5 dollars. I reply "Sure, here's 500 pennies (1 cent)". It's $5 isn't it? You must accept it.
But you have much higher standards than that, don't you? (Yes, you do). You reject the pennies and demand "I want quarters or higher". Darn, now I have to give you a combination of quarters, loonies, or toonies.

So, what did you learn? I hope you learned that the names of the coins represent the type of coin and the amount of coins is the value. If you're asking for a specific type of coin, perhaps in the subway, bus, or vending machine, you would use the name. If you want a total, then use any type of coins to add to that total.

We have talked about coins but what about bills? What is the name of the five dollar bill?
Answer: (Highlight text to find out) Five dollar bill. It's a joke.

Let's have some sample sentences of useful vocabulary shall we?
-Cashiers still accept pennies but they won't give them as change.
-There is a beaver on the nickel.
-The dime is the smallest Canadian coin.
-The quarter, much like numbers, is a quarter of a dollar.
-I like to tip using fifty pieces to confuse waiters for fun.
-The bird on the loonie is a loon.
-Toonies are a cute way of saying "worth two loonies".

-Short: missing, lacking
He was three minutes short of being on time
We are running short on eggs, can you go buy some?

-Extra: more, leftover
I have an extra cookie. Would you like one?
Do you want to do anything extra or is the basic package alright?