Book excerpt: Based on the critically acclaimed best-selling Canadian Oxford Dictionary, the Canadian Oxford Dictionary of Current English offers a reliable description of Canadian spelling, pronunciation and meaning in a handy, mass-market format. With 125,000 words, phrases and definitions, it features over 900 uniquely Canadian words and senses. Definitions are presented so that the meaning most familiar to Canadians appears first. Each of these entries is exceptionally reliable, the result of thorough research into the language and Oxford's unparalleled language resources. Throughout, it offers authoritative guidance on Canadian spelling, and pronunciations are given for difficult words using an easy sound-it-out system (ie for QWERTY Say KWUR tee). Designed to fulfill users' everyday reference needs, the Canadian Oxford Dictionary of Current English offers Canadians the core vocabulary for everyday use.