Loonie is the unofficial but commonly-used name for
Canada's gold-coloured one-dollar
coin. It bears an image of a
common loon, Canada's national bird, on the reverse. This image replaced the planned image of a
voyageur which was lost in transit to the Royal Canadian Mint at
Winnipeg.
The coin was introduced during the 1980s, but was unpopular until the government withdrew the one-dollar bill from circulation. Both occurred when Brian Mulroney (which rhymes with "loonie") was Prime Minister; hence the coin was in its early years sometimes called "Mulroney's loonie," but tis term has largely died out.
By extension, the loonie (huard in French) is a slang term for the Canadian dollar.
- Royal Canadian Mint (http://www.mint.ca/en/collectors_corner/circulation/index.htm?cookie%5Ftest=1)
Loonie (short for
lunatic) is an inclusive term used by residents of the lunar colony in
The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by
Robert Heinlein.