Nearby Words

in the can

[kan] Origin

can

2[kan] noun, verb, canned, can·ning.
noun
1.
a sealed container for food, beverages, etc., as of aluminum, sheet iron coated with tin, or other metal: a can of soup.
2.
a receptacle for garbage, ashes, etc.: a trash can.
3.
a bucket, pail, or other container for holding or carrying liquids: water can.
4.
a drinking cup; tankard.
5.
a metal or plastic container for holding film on cores or reels.
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6.
Slang: Usually Vulgar. toilet; bathroom.
7.
Slang. jail: He's been in the can for a week.
8.
Slang: Sometimes Vulgar. buttocks.
9.
Military Slang.
a.
a depth charge.
b.
a destroyer.
COLLAPSE
verb (used with object)
10.
to preserve by sealing in a can, jar, etc.
11.
Slang. to dismiss; fire.
12.
Slang. to throw (something) away.
13.
Slang. to put a stop to: Can that noise!
14.
to record, as on film or tape.

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In the can is always a great word to know.
So is bezoar. Does it mean:
an extraordinary or unusual thing, person, or event; an exceptional example or instance.
a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison.
15.
carry the can, British and Canadian Slang. to take the responsibility.
16.
in the can, recorded on film; completed: The movie is in the can and ready for release.

Origin:
before 1000; Middle English, Old English canne, cognate with German Kanne, Old Norse kanna, all perhaps < West Germanic; compare Late Latin canna small vessel
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

can
O.E. canne "a cup, container," from P.Gmc. *kanna (cf. O.S., O.N., Swed. kanna, M.Du. kanne, Du. kan, O.H.G. channa, Ger. Kanne), probably an early borrowing from L.L. canna "container, vessel," from L. canna "reed," also "reed pipe, small boat;" but the sense evolution is difficult. Modern "air-tight
EXPAND
vessel of tinned iron" is from 1867 (can-opener is from 1877). Slang meaning "toilet" is c.1900, said to be a shortening of piss-can. Meaning "buttocks" is from c.1910. The verb meaning "to put up in cans" is attested from 1871; that of "to fire an employee" is from 1905. Related: Canning. Canned "pre-recorded" first attested 1904.
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Slang Dictionary

can definition


  1. n.
    the head. : Jerry landed one on Frank's can. Frank crumpled.
  2. n.
    toilet. : Restroom? Hell, I ain't tired! Where's the can?
  3. n.
    the buttocks. (Usually objectionable. See also bucket.) : The guy slipped on the ice and fell on his can.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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American Heritage
Idioms & Phrases

in the can

  1. In the lavatory, as in He can't come to the phone; he's in the can. The related on the can means "sitting on the toilet." The noun can is used for both the room and the toilet. [Slang; c. 1900]

  2. Completed, as in About a hundred pages of her next book are in the can. This usage originated in filmmaking to describe a completed motion picture, when film was literally put into a can or canister. [Slang; c. 1930]

  3. As an out-of-the-money finisher in a horse race, where a horse comes in fourth or worse. For example, He had no luck that dayevery bet ended up in the can. [1960s]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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