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It’s the day after the Victoria Day long weekend here in Toronto and the weather is really heating up! Many Canadians begin preparing for the summer on Victoria Day, planting gardens, having barbecues, opening pools, visiting cottages, setting off fireworks, and perhaps doing some spring cleaning, too! Canadian weather is a bit unpredictable in the spring, so it’s possible to have negative temperatures, frost, and even snow in May, but the Victoria Day long weekend marks the point in spring when Canadians feel confident that the cold weather is behind them.
Well, in Toronto, snow and negative temperatures seem very far away right now! We’re experiencing a bit of a heatwave this week, and today it feels like 34 degrees. I’ve dug my fan out of my closet, cleaned it, and turned it on for the first time this year. Lots of people are enjoying the warmth, wearing shorts and t-shirts and eating ice cream and gelato, but this heat wave will also be a reminder to many Canadians that it’s time to buy or install an air conditioner! I’m one of those still trying to get by without one, relying on my fan to keep me cool as the summers get hotter. Hopefully, I will be able to last a few more years before I have to shell out for AC!
To heat up: When something “heats up,” it gets warmer. We can say that the weather is heating up, that a particular place (like a city) is heating up, or simply that “it” (the weather/air/temperature) is heating up.
To be behind someone: One meaning of this phrase is “to be in the past.” We often say that something is behind us when it is finished and we no longer need to think or worry about it.
Heatwave: A heatwave (or “heat wave”) is a period of unusually hot weather, lasting for several days or even weeks. In case you’re wondering, no, there are no “coldwaves”!
To dig something out of somewhere: When we retrieve something from a difficult to access place, such as perhaps an attic, basement, storage unit, or closet, we may say that we are “digging” it out.
To get by without something: “Getting by” means surviving and living a normal daily life. As summers get hotter, it’s harder for people to get by without air conditioning.
To shell out for something: This phrase simply means “to pay for something,” though it often also expresses the feeling that the price is too high (or more than we would like to pay).
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