• CANK
adj. 1. a1225 obs. – foolish, silly
adj. 2. 1673 Eng. dial. or sl. obs. – dumb, silent
n. 1. a1225 obs. – a fool
n. 2. 1740 Eng. dial. – gossip, chatter; a chat
n. 3. Bk1898 Eng. dial. – a fit of ill-humour
n. 4. Bk1898 Eng. dial. – a gossip, a telltale
n. 5. Bk1898 Eng. dial. – the cry of a goose
n. 6. Bk1898 Eng. dial. – punishment
vb. 1. 1741 Eng. dial. – to cackle as geese; to talk rapidly, to gabble
vb. 2. 1856 Eng. dial. – to gossip, to chatter, to prate
vb. 3. 1866 Eng. dial. – to sit down
vb. 4. Bk1898 Eng. dial. – to be pert or saucy
vb. 5. Bk1898 Eng. dial. – to overcome, to conquer, to overpower
vb. 6. 1944 Amer. dial. – to annoy, to fret
• CANKER
n. 1. 1533 obs. exc. Eng. dial. – rust
n. 2. 1660 Sc. – bad temper, ill humour, ‘bad blood’
n. 3. 1787 Eng. dial. – a caterpillar, a grub
n. 4. Bk1888 – the common Wild Poppy; the dandelion; a toadstool or other fungus
n. 5. Bk1899 Amer. dial. – verdigris formed on the surface of dirty brass candlesticks, etc.
n. 6. Bk1898 Eng. dial. – a crab
n. 7. 1930s sl. – a Jew
vb. 1. c1420 obs. exc. Eng. dial. – to corrode, to rust, to tarnish
vb. 2. 1866 Sc. – of the weather: to become stormy
vb. 3. 1867 Sc. – to fret, to become peevish; to put into a bad temper, to sour
vb. 4. 1879 Eng. dial. – to fester
vb. 5. 1953 Amer. dial. – to begin to decay; to spoil; to become tainted
• CANKERAN
n. Bk1898 Sc. – fretfulness, complaint
• CANKERED
adj. 1. c1440 – infected with evil; corrupt, depraved
adj. 2. 1513 – malignant, envious; ill-natured, spiteful; ill-tempered, crabbed
adj. 3. 1570 obs. exc. Eng. dial. – rusted, corroded; tarnished
adj. 4. 1633 obs. – infected, polluted; infectious, venomous
adj. 5. 1790 Sc. & Eng. dial. – of a wound or sore: inflamed, festered; of the teeth: decayed
adj. 6. 1803 Sc. – of the weather or sky: threatening, lowering; gusty
adj. 7. 1811 Eng. dial. – rusty, covered with verdigris
adj. 8. 1845 Sc. – bent, twisted
• CANKEREDLY
adv. 1535 – spitefully, malignantly; peevishly; in an ill-natured manner
• CANKEREDNESS
n. 1538 – malice, spite; ill-humour; crabbed temper
• CANKERFRET
adj. 1603 obs. – corroded with rust
n. 1. 1618 obs. – corrosion by rust
n. 2. 19C Eng. dial. – a sore or blister in the mouth
vb. 1642 obs. – to rust
• CANKERLY
adj. 1580 obs. – malignant, envious; ill-natured, spiteful; ill-tempered,, crabbed
adv. 1580 obs. – spitefully, malignantly, peevishly
• CANKER-NAIL
n. 1825 Sc. – a painful slip of flesh at the base of the fingernail
• CANKEROUS
adj. 1. 1580 – ill-humoured, crabbed
adj. 2. 1609 obs. – in a state of decay
adj. 3. 1651 obs. – rusty, like rust
adj. 4. Bk1898 Eng. dial. – venomous
adj. 5. 1969 Amer. dial. – worried, fussing, esp. about little things
• CANKERSOME
adj. 1786 Sc. & Eng. dial. – bad-tempered, crabbed, cross-grained, ill-natured
• CANKERWORT
n. Bk1888 obs. – the dandelion
• CANKERY
adj. 1. 1744 obs. – rusty; affected as if with rust; corroded
adj. 2. 1786 Sc. – ill-humoured, crabbed, bad-tempered
adj. 3. 1911 Sc. – of water: stagnant, covered with green slime
• CANKING
adj. 1790 Eng. dial. – gossiping, chattering; whining, peevish
n. 1850 Eng. dial. – gossip, chattering
• CANKING-PLECK
n. 1874 Eng. dial. – a place to chat in
• CANKLING
adj. 1884 Sc. – quarrelsome, wrangling
• CANKUM
n. 1. Bk1898 Eng. dial. – a dryly humorous person
n. 2. Bk1898 Eng. dial. – a prank, a whim, a fit of peevishness
• CANKY
adj. 1850 Eng. dial. – cross, peevish
• CANKYWAMPUS
adj. 1965 Amer. dial. – askew, awry, wrong
• CANNABINOL
n. 1970s US drug culture sl. – phencyclidine
• CANNACKER
n. 1846 Amer. dial. – a Canadian
• CANNAT
n. 1869 Ireland – a sharp, wily fellow; a peddler, a dealer
• CANNED
adj. 1. 1914 sl. – drunk
adj. 2. 1920s US sl. – of writing or information: rote, pre-packaged
• CANNED CATTLE
n. 1930s US prison sl. – corned beef
• CANNED COW
n. Bk1942 Amer. sl. – canned or condensed milk
• CANNED GOODS
n. 1910s US sl. – a virgin of either sex, usually female; the genitalia of such a person
• CANNED HEAT
n. 1910s sl. – a form of crude alcohol, intended for heating purposes but drunk by down-and-out alcoholics who can afford
nothing better
• CANNED HEATER
n. 1910s US sl. – one who drinks ‘canned heat’ (a form of crude alcohol, intended for heating purposes)
• CANNED-HEAT STIFF
n. 1910s US sl. – one who drinks ‘canned heat’ (a form of crude alcohol, intended for heating purposes)
• CANNED MORALE
n. World War II Amer. sl. – a movie
• CANNED SATIVA
n. 1980s drug culture sl. – cannabis
• CANNED STUFF
n. 1930s US drug culture sl. – commercially packaged opium
• CANNED TO THE CROW’S NEST
adj. Bk1942 Amer. sl. – drunk
• CANNED-UP
adj. 1910s sl. – drunk
• CANNED WILLIE
n. 1900s US sl. – corned beef
• CANNEL
n. 1. a1300 obs. – the natural bed of a stream of water; a watercourse; now ‘channel’
n. 2. c1380 obs. – the gutter or surface watercourse in a street, or by a road
n. 3. 1561 obs. – channel, passage
n. 4. 1873 Eng. dial. – the faucet of a barrel
• CANNEL-BONE
n. c1420 obs. – the collar-bone or clavicle
• CANNIBAL
n. 20C US criminals’ sl. – a fellator, specifically a homosexual male
• CANNIBALEAN
adj. 1602 rare – pert. to or characteristic of a cannibal
• CANNIBALIC
adj. 1837 – pert. to or characteristic of a cannibal
• CANNIBALITY
n. 1796 rare – cannibalism; the practice of eating the flesh of one’s fellow creatures
• CANNIBALIZATION
n. World War II Amer. sl. – using parts from one machine to repair another
• CANNY WIFE
n. 1810 Sc. – a midwife
• CANNIKIN
n. 1. 1570 – a small can or drinking vessel
n. 2. 1688 sl. – the plague
• CANNILY
adv. 1636 Sc. & N. Eng. dial. – sagaciously, skilfully, prudently; cautiously, slyly; gently, softly; comfortably
• CANNINESS
n. a1662 Sc. – sagacity, skilfulness, prudence, cautiousness; gentleness, quietness
• CANNING
n. a1555 obs. – being able, ability
• CANNIS
vb. 1854 Eng. dial. – to toss about carelessly
• CANNIS-COVE
n. Bk1891 Amer. sl. – a dog fancier
• CANNON
adj. 1879 thieves’ sl. – drunk
n. 1. 1839 – in billiards: a stroke in which the player’s ball is made to hit one of the other balls in such a way as to glance from it and strike the second
n. 2. 1872 – the part of a bell by which it is suspended
n. 3. Bk1914 pickpockets’ sl. – a pickpocket of indefinite order
n. 4. Bk1914 criminals’ sl. – a revolver
n. 5. 1954 Amer. dial. – a large firecracker
vb. 1. 1844 – in billiards: to play one’s ball so as to make a ‘cannon’; also, of the ball: to strike and rebound
vb. 2. 1864 – to strike with rebounding collision; to come into violent collision with
• CANNONARCHY
n. 1841 – government by cannon; usurpation supported by cannon
• CANNONBALL
n. 1. 1888 Amer. dial. – a fast or express train; also, facetiously, a slow train or branch railroad
n. 2. 1940s US sl. – a superior person or one who claims to be so
n. 3. 1950s US drug culture sl. – a mixed injection, as of heroin and cocaine, or morphine and cocaine
• CANNON-BALLS
n. 1. 1858 political usage – a nickname formerly given to the irreconcilable opponents of free trade in England
n. 2. Bk1891 sl. – the testicles
• CANNON-CRACKER
n. 1871 Amer. dial. – a large firecracker
• CANNON FEVER
n. US Civil War usage – war weariness; a strong desire to get away from front lines
• CANNON FODDER
n. Bk2004 Amer. World War I sl. – soldiers, regarded as food for cannon
• CANNON MOB
n. 20C sl. – a pickpocketing gang
• CANNON REPORT
n. 1923 US Army sl. – an imaginary written report for which recruits are sent as a practical joke
• CANNY
adj. 1. 1637 Sc. – knowing, sagacious, judicious, prudent; wary, cautious
adj. 2. a1662 Sc. obs. or arch. – cunning, artful, wily
adj. 3. 1715 Sc. obs. – lucky, fortunate, prosperous
adj. 4. 1718 Sc. – lucky or safe to meddle with; esp. used with negative
adj. 5. 1725 Sc. – careful, frugal, thrifty
adj. 6. a1758 Sc. – quiet, easy, snug, comfortable, pleasant, cosy
adj. 7. 1768 Sc. – skilful, clever
adj. 8. 1768 Sc. obs. – supernaturally wise; endowed with occult or magical power
adj. 9. 1785 Sc. – careful or cautious in motion or action; hence, quite, gentle, ‘soft’ of speech; free from commotion, disturbance, or noise
adj. 10. 1802 Sc. – agreeable to the eyes or perception, tidy, seemly, comely; good, worthy; very satisfactory
adj. 11. 1816 Sc. – cautious in worldly matters, worldly-wise, shrewd, having a constant eye to the main chance
adj. 12. 1876 Sc. – of humour: quiet, sly
• CANNYGOSHAN
n. 1866 Sc. obs. – one who dwells in the Canongate, Edinburgh
• CANNYISH
adj. Bk1898 Eng. dial. – moderate, fair-sized
• CANNY MOMENT
n. 1810 Sc. – moment of childbirth
• CANNY WIFE
n. 1810 Sc. – a midwife
• CANOE
n. 1. 1859 US nautical sl. – a ship; used derisively
n. 2. 1935 US sl. – a large automobile
n. 3. 1960s sl. – the vagina
vb. 1. 1954 Amer. dial. – to have sexual intercourse; to kiss and caress, esp. intimately; to neck
vb. 2. 1980s sl. – of a cigarette or cannabis cigarette: to burn down on top or one side rather than evenly
• CANOE-CHIEF
n. 1935 Amer. dial. – an American Indian
• THE CANOE COLLEGE
n. 1969 US Navy sl. – the US Naval Academy
• CANOE INSPECTION
n. 1. 1965 US military sl. – inspection of servicewomen’s genitals for possible venereal disease infection by medical officers or medics
n. 2. 1972 US sl. – inspection of prostitutes’ genitals for venereal disease
• CANOE INSPECTOR
n. 1965 US sl. – a gynecologist
• CANOE-MAKER
n. 1970 US police sl. – an autopsy surgeon
• CANOES
n. 1942 US sl. – big feet or shoes
• CANOE U.
n. 1963 US military sl. – the US Naval Academy
• CANOEVRE
n. E19 sl. – an attempt at swindling or a similarly dubious enterprise
• CAN OF BEANS
n. 1940s sl., orig. US – an unpleasant, complex, and unappetizing situation; an intertwined set of problems; an array of difficulties
• CAN OF CHECKERED PAINT
n. 1967 Amer. dial. – a nonexistent item used as the basis of a practical joke
• CAN OF COKE
n. 1990s rhyming sl. – a joke
• CAN OF CORN
n. 1. 1937 US sl. – in baseball: a high fly ball that can be easily caught
n. 2. Bk2006 US sl. – something that is really easy to do
• CAN OF OIL
n. 20C rhyming sl. – a boil
• CAN OF PEAS
n. 1940s sl., orig. US – an unpleasant, complex, and unappetizing situation; an intertwined set of problems; an array of difficulties
• CAN OF PISS
n. 2000s Irish sl. – a term of abuse
• CAN OF VACUUM
n. 1949 Amer. dial. – a nonexistent item used as the basis of a practical joke
• CAN OF WORMS
n. 1927-28 US – a confused, complex, and distasteful state of affairs; a complicated enigma
• CANON
adj. 1879 thieves’ sl. – drunk
n. 1688 – a metal loop or ‘ear’ at the top of a bell by which it is hung
• CANOODLE
n. 1. 1879 Eng. dial. – a donkey; also applied to persons
n. 2. 1944 Amer. dial. – a knitting needle
n. 3. 1976 Amer. dial. – a dalliance; a flirtation
vb. 1. 1859 sl., orig. US – to kiss and cuddle
vb. 2. 1879 Oxford University usage – to paddle or propel a canoe
vb. 3. Bk1891 sl. – to coax
vb. 4. a1800 Amer. theatrical usage – to share profits
• CANOODLERS
n. Bk1942 Amer. sl. – a pair of lovers
• CANOODLING
n. 1859 Amer. sl. – endearments
• CAN-OPENER
n. 1. 1886 US military sl. – a weapon powerful enough to destroy an armoured target
n. 2. 1912 sl. – a tool for opening safes, etc.
n. 3. 1918 US sl. – a cook
n. 4. World War II Amer. sl. – a bayonet
n. 5. World War II Amer. sl. – an aircraft equipped to destroy tanks and other armoured vehicles
• CANOROUS
adj. 1646 – singing, melodious, musical; resonant, ringing
• CANOUS
adj. 1513 obs. rare – grey, hoary
• CAN-PAPER
n. 20C US sl. – toilet paper
• CANS
n. 1. 1929 Amer. sl. – radio headphones, from their resemblance to tin cans
n. 2. 1959 Amer. sl. – a woman’s breasts
• CANSE
vb. 1825 Sc. – to speak in a pert and saucy style, as displaying a great degree of self-importance
• CANSH
vb. 1825 Sc. – to speak in a pert and saucy style, as displaying a great degree of self-importance
• CANSHIE
adj. 1825 Sc. – cross, ill-humoured
• CANSIE
adj. 1917 Sc. – pert, speaking from self-conceit
• CANSTICK
n. 1562 obs. – a candlestick
• CAN’T
n. 1931 Amer. dial. – the darkness before sunrise and after sunset
• CANT
adj. a1300 Sc. & N. Eng. dial. – bold, brisk, courageous, hearty, lusty, lively, merry, hale
n. 1. c1375 obs. – edge, border, brink
n. 2. 1501 obs. – singing, musical sound
n. 3. a1541 obs. exc. Eng. dial. – a portion; a share; a division
n. 4. 1603 obs. – a nook, corner in a building; a niche
n. 5. 1640 – a whining manner of speaking, esp. of beggars; a whine
n. 6. 1663 obs. – accent, intonation, tone
n. 7. 1681 obs. – a set form of words repeated perfunctorily or mechanically
n. 8. 1681 arch. – a stock phrase that is much affected at the time, or is repeated as a matter of habit or form
n. 9. 1681 obs. – the peculiar phraseology of a religious sect or class
n. 10. 1684 – the special phraseology of a particular class of persons, or belonging to a particular subject; professional or technical jargon; always depreciative or contemptuous
n. 11. 1706 – the secret speech or jargon of the vagrant classes – gypsies, thieves, beggars, etc; hence, contemptuously, the peculiar phraseology of a particular class or subject
n. 12. 1725 – one who uses religious phrases unreally
n. 13. 1755 boxing usage – a blow or toss
n. 14. 1790 Eng. dial. – a sale by auction
n. 15. 1790 Sc. – an illusion
n. 16. 1802 – provincial dialect; vulgar slang
n. 17. 1851-61 tramps’ sl. – food
n. 18. 1857 tramps’ sl. – a gift
n. 19. 1876 Sc. & Eng. dial. – gossip, tattle; merry tales; malicious talk
n. 20. 1876 Eng. dial. – a tattler; a gossip; a talebearer
n. 21. Bk1898 Sc. – a trick, a bad habit
n. 22. Bk1898 Eng. dial. obs. – a company or great number
vb. 1. c1440 obs. – to part, to divide, to share, to parcel out, to apportion
vb. 2. 1567 – to speak with the beggar’s whine
vb. 3. 1567 – to speak; to talk
vb. 4. 1592 – to speak the jargon of gypsies, beggars, and other vagrants
vb. 5. 1625 obs. – to use the special phraseology or jargon of a particular class or subject
vb. 6. 1648 obs. – to say or exclaim in the pet phraseology of the day; to use the phrases currently affected at the time
vb. 7. 1652 obs. – to chant, to sing; to repeat in a sing-song manner; to intone
vb. 8. 1674 obs. exc. Eng. dial. – to move about with a jaunty step
vb. 9. 1678 – to affect religious or pietistic phraseology; to talk unreally or hypocritically with an affectation of goodness or piety
vb. 10. 1690 Eng. dial. obs. – to become ‘cant’ or well; to recover strength; to mend
vb. 11. 1720 chiefly Irish – to dispose of by auction
vb. 12. 1776 Sc. & Eng. dial. – to gossip; to tell tales, to backbite, to slander; to scold
vb. 13. 1788 Sc. – to tell merry old stories
vb. 14. 1877 Eng. dial. – to deceive by pious pretenses; to impose upon
vb. 15. 1877 Eng. dial. – to wheedle, to coax
vb. 16. Bk1898 Eng. dial. – to humour, to pet, to make much of
• CANTAB
n. 1750 colloq. – a student at Cambridge
• CANTABANK
n. 1834 rare – a singer on a stage or platform; hence, a common ballad-singer; used contemptuously
• CANTABRIGIAN
adj. 1711 – belonging to Cambridge
n. c1645 – a member of the University of Cambridge
• CANTANKER
n. 1825 nonce word obs. – cantankerousness; an ill-natured, quarrelsome, perverse, or cross-grained disposition
• CANTANKERATE
vb. 1839 Amer. – to provoke to anger, to rile; to produce strife; to make or become cross-grained, ill-humoured or disagreeable
• CANTANKERED
adj. 1862 Eng. dial. – cross-grained, cantankerous
• CANTANKEROUS
adj. 1772 – showing an ill-natured disposition; ill-conditioned and quarrelsome, perverse, cross-grained
• CANTANKERSOME
adj. 1835 Amer. sl. – cross-grained, ill-humoured
• CANTATA
n. a1754 nonce use obs. – a song, chant
• CANTATION
n. 1. 1623 obs. – singing
n. 2. 1656 rare – incantation, magical charm
• CANTATOR
n. 1866 rare – a male singer
• CANTATORY
adj. 1836 rare – pert. to a singer or his singing
• CANTATRICE
n. 1866 – a female professional singer
• CANT-CORNERED
adj. Bk1898 Eng. dial. – not at right angles, oblique
• CANTEEN
n. 1. Bk1892 S. Afr. sl. – a roadside tavern
n. 2. Bk2004 Amer. sl. Spanish-American War era – a liquor store on a military base
• CANTEEN MEDAL
n. 1. c1875 army sl. – a beer or food stain on one’s tunic
n. 2. Bk1891 military sl. – a good conduct stripe for the consumption of liquor
n. 3. c1917 army sl. – a fly-button undone
• CANTEEN MERCHANT
n. 20C sl. – one who serves in the ship’s canteen
• CANTEEN RAT
n. 20C military colloq. – an old soldier who constantly hangs about by the canteen, in order to be treated
• CANTER
n. 1. 1592 sl. – a vagrant or beggar; one who deceives by false pretenses; one who uses ‘cant’
n. 2. Bk1898 Eng. dial. – a slanderer
vb. 1. 1761 – to move nimbly or briskly
vb. 2. Bk1898 Eng. dial. – to scold; to nag; to grumble
• CANTERBURY
n. 1. 1631 obs. – an easy galloping pace; a hand-gallop
n. 2. Bk1898 Eng. dial. – a gossip, a busybody
vb. 1673 obs. rare – of a horse: to canter; to move in a moderate gallop, raising the two fore-feet nearly at the same time with a leap or spring
• CANTERING
adv. 1935 Amer. dial. – in a diagonal manner
• CANTERY
adj. Bk1898 Eng. dial. – grumbling, churlish
• CAN’T-HARDLIES
n. 1969 Amer. dial. – a state of anxiety or impatience
• CAN’T-HELP-IT
n. 1954 Amer. dial. – menstruation
• CAN’T-HELP-ITS
n. 1966 Amer. dial. – an imaginary disease or condition; also, delirium tremens
• CANT-HOOKS
n. 19C Eng. dial. obs. – the fingers
• CANTIC
n. 1483 obs. – a song, a canticle
• CANTICLE
n. 1. c1250 – song; properly, a little song; a hymn
n. 2. 1596 obs. – a canto of a poem
n. 3. 1785 sl. – a parish clerk
• CANTILENA
n. 1867 – a ballad
• CANTILENE
n. 1. 1535 obs. – an old song; silly prattle; idle tale, trick
n. 2. 1635 obs. – a song, a melody
• CANTILLATE
vb. 1864 – to chant; to recite with musical tones
• CANTILLATION
n. 1864 – chanting, intoning, musical recitation
• CANTILY
adv. 1721 Sc. – cheerfully, blithely, cheerily
CANTINESS
n. Bk1888 Sc. – cheerfulness
• CANTING
adj. 1. 1592 – belonging to the jargon of thieves and beggars
adj. 2. Bk1898 Eng. dial. – saucy, pert
n. 1. 1567 – the jargon used by beggars, thieves, gypsies and vagrants
n. 2. 1651 N. Eng. dial. – sale by auction
n. 3. Bk1898 Eng. dial. – gossiping, tale-bearing
n. 4. Bk1898 Eng. dial. – wheedling, coaxing
• CANTING-ACADEMY
n. Bk1921 sl. – a common lodging-house
• CANTING-CALLER
n. Bk1898 Eng. dial. – an auctioneer
• CANTION
n. 1. 1579 obs. – a song
n. 2. 1656 obs. – an incantation, a charm
• CANTITATE
vb. 1830 nonce word – to sing as a bird
• CANTLAX
n. Bk1898 Eng. dial. – a silly, giddy woman
• CANTLE
n. 1. c1315 – a part, a portion
n. 2. c1350 obs. – a nook or corner; a corner-piece
n. 3. c1400 obs. – a corner or other portion cut or sliced off; a shiver, a slice
n. 4. c1440 – a section, or segment, cut out of anything
n. 5. c1475 – a thick slice or ‘cut’ of bread, cheese, meat, or the like
n. 6. 1551 obs. – a segment of a circle or sphere
n. 7. 1592 – the protuberant part at the back of a saddle
n. 8. 1695 Eng. dial. – an indefinite number or quantity
n. 9. 1811 Eng. dial. – the leg of an animal
n. 10. 1822 Sc. obs. – the crown of the head
n. 11. Bk1898 Eng. dial. – a canful
vb. 1. 1607 obs. – to cut into quarters or portions, to divide
vb. 2. Bk1898 Sc. & Eng. dial. – to tilt up; to fall over
• CANTLE-BONE
n. 1746 Eng. dial. – the collar-bone; the projecting vertebra at the base of the neck
• CANTLE-MEAL
adv. c1479 obs. – piecemeal
• THE CANTLE O’ THE CAUSEY
n. 1818 Sc. – the best part of the road or footpath
• CANTLET
n. a1700 – a small cantle, a fragment
• CANTLE UP
vb. 1871 Sc. – to brighten up, to bestir oneself; to recover health
• CANTLING
n. 1674 obs. rare – a small part, corner, section, or division
• CANTLY
adv. 1352 Sc. & N. Eng. dial. obs. – boldly, briskly, eagerly, energetically, cheerily
• CANT-MASTER
n. 1890 Eng. dial. – an auctioneer
• CANTO
n. 1603 obs. – a song, a ballad
• CANT OF A WAY
n. Bk1898 Eng. dial. – a long way
• CANTON
n. 1. 1534 obs. – a corner, an angle; a retreating corner, angle, or nook
n. 2. 1594 obs. – a song
n. 3. 1601 obs. – a quarter; a division of anything; a piece, or part
n. 4. 1609 obs. – one of the divisions of a long poem, a canto
vb. 1. 1611 obs. – to sever or separate oneself; to secede, to withdraw; fig. to digress
vb. 2. 1653 arch. or obs. – to divide a part from, or cut it out of a whole; to separate, to sever by division
• CANTONIZE
vb. 1. 1605 obs. – to separate oneself into, or form, an independent community
vb. 2. 1606 obs. – to divide into portions or parts; to form into cantons
• CANTOR
n. 1609 obs. – a singer
• CANTORE
n. 1673 obs. – office, banking house
• CANTRAP
n. 1830 Amer. dial. – a mischievous trick; a magic spell
• CANTRED
n. 1387 hist. – a hundred; a district containing a hundred townships
• CANTRIP
adj. 1785 Sc. & Eng. dial. – pert. to any real or imagined magical act; magical, witch-like
n. 1. 1719 – a spell or charm of necromancy or witchcraft; a witch’s trick or mischievous device; also jocosely, any playfully mischievous trick; any whimsically mad, eccentric, or extravagant piece of conduct
n. 2. 1816 Sc. & Eng. dial. – a trick, a frolic, a piece of mischief
• CAN’T SAY BOO TO A GOOSE
phr. 20C – is very timid or shy
• CAN’T SAY NATIONAL INTELLIGENCER
adj. Bk1891 Amer. sl. – drunk
• CAN’T SEE
n. 1941 Amer. dial. – the darkness before sunrise and after sunset
• CAN’T SEE A HOLE IN A LADDER
adj. Bk1891 Amer. sl. – referring to a superlative form of intoxication
• CAN’T SPELL ABLE
vb. 1996 Barbados sl. – to be unable to do what you are told to do
• CAN’T SPIN A THREAD
adj. Bk1913-17 Amer. dial. – powerless to act
• CANTY
adj. 1. a1724 Sc. & N. Eng. dial. – cheerful, lively, brisk, active, gladsome
adj. 2. Bk1898 Eng. dial. – on the point of falling; liable to be upset
• CAN’T YOU FEEL THE WIND?
phr. 1965 Amer. dial. – used to warn a man that his pants are torn or that his fly is open
• CANTY-WISE
adv. 1968 Amer. dial. – opposite to
• CANUCK
n. 1835 sl., sometimes derogatory in the US – a Canadian
• CANUCKER
n. 1958 Amer. dial. – a Canadian
• CANVAS
vb. 1. 1508 obs. – to toss in a canvas sheet, etc., as a sport or punishment
vb. 2. 1573 obs. – to knock about, to shake and shatter thoroughly; to buffet; to beat, to drub
vb. 3. 1590 obs. – to ‘thrash’ a person in writing; to criticize destructively and unsparingly
vb. 4. 1599 obs. – to subject to attack or assault
• CANVASADO
n. 1. 1581 obs. – a sudden attack
n. 2. a1626 obs. – a night attack, a ‘camisado’
• CANVASBACK
n. 20C sl. – a harlot; a sexually loose woman; a woman who spends considerable time with her back on a canvas-covered floor, presumably copulating
• CANVAS-CLIMBER
n. 1608 obs. – a sailor
• CANVASS
n. 1. 1608-11 obs. – examination of the ‘pros and cons’; full discussion
n. 2. 1611 obs. – a shaking up; a tossing up and down
n. 3. 1611 obs. – a shock; esp. that of a sudden attack or surprise
vb. 1. 1508 obs. – to toss in a canvas sheet, etc., as a sport or punishment
vb. 2. 1573 obs. – to knock about, to shake and shatter thoroughly; to buffet; to beat, to drub
vb. 3. 1599 obs. – to subject to attack or assault
• CANVASSEENS
n. Bk1891 nautical sl. – sailors’ canvas trousers
• CANYON YODELLING
n. 20C US sl. – cunnilingus
• CANZON
n. 1590 obs. – a song
• CANZONET
n. 1593 – a little or short song; a short song of a light and airy character
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