Elbows Up: A Masterclass in Meaning-Making

On March 1, 2025, on the Saturday Night Live stage in New York, Canadian performer Mike Myers delivered a powerful message to a specific audience, without saying a word. Wearing a t-shirt that read “Canada is not for sale,” he looked into the camera for a few seconds, tapped his elbow twice, and mouthed the words “elbows up.” The gesture, likely meaningless to outsiders, was instantly legible to Canadians. It was a masterclass in semiotic meaning-making.

At a time when Canada faced hostile trade rhetoric and veiled annexation threats from the United States, the phrase “elbows up” became the rallying cry Canadians didn’t even know they were looking for. Based on the idiom “keep your elbows up”, it referenced hockey, specifically Saskatchewan native Gordie Howe, known as both Mr. Hockey and Mr. Elbows, whose raised elbows during hockey games signalled his toughness and strategic defence. Playing with elbows up prevents an aggressive opponent from coming in too close.

The “elbows up” moment reveals how cultural meaning (and by extension, brand meaning) is created. On that March night in 2025, as a Canadian artist performing on an American stage, pictured on screen for a few seconds wearing a certain t-shirt featuring a certain symbol, and mouthing a certain phrase, Myers transformed a series of individual, unconnected signs into a new collective message: Canada is polite, but not passive. Funny, but not foolish. Friends, until you cross us. Nice, but our elbows are up.

And this is how Mike Myers sparked a movement of national solidarity and a tidal wave of subtle defiance, leading to a national consumer boycott and a renewed sense of Canadian pride — all without saying a word.  Elbows up! Sorry, not sorry. CBC News: The Moment 'Elbows Up' became a rally cry against Trump