Come from away
Suggest a CorrectionMeaning
A person who is not originally from the Atlantic Canadian place being discussed. Current regional identity term; tone depends on speaker and setting Regional use: Atlantic Canada, especially Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island, and Nova Scotia.
Origin
The ordinary words come from away are older, but Atlantic Canada lexicalised them as a noun, often abbreviated CFA, for an outsider or newcomer. DCHP records the specialised sense in Newfoundland sources from 1979 and finds it across Newfoundland and the Maritime provinces, with the local reference shifting by province or community. It is usually descriptive, though tone and local context can make it welcoming, teasing, or exclusionary.
Variants
- come-from-away
- come-from-aways
- CFA
- from away
Usage Examples
- After twenty winters in the village, Mara still joked that she was a come from away.
- The hall filled with neighbours and a few CFAs stranded by the storm.
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