can

View more Business & Finance videos

noun

A place for the confinement of persons in lawful detention: brig, house of correction, jail, keep, penitentiary, prison. Informal lockup, pen. Slang big house, clink, cooler, coop, hoosegow, joint, jug, pokey, slammer, stir. Chiefly Regional calaboose. See free/unfree.

verb

1. To prepare (food) for storage and future use: conserve, preserve, put up. See keep/release.
2. To end the employment or service of: cashier, discharge, dismiss, drop, release, terminate. Informal ax, fire, pink-slip. Slang boot, bounce, sack. Idioms: give someone his or her walking papers, give someone the ax, give someone the gate, give someone the pink slip, let go, show someone the door. See keep/release.

Idioms beginning with can:
candle
cancel out
canned laughter
can of worms
can't but
can't do anything with
can't fight City Hall
can't help
can't hit the broad side of a barn
can't punch one's way out of a paper bag
can't seem to
can't wait

See also as best one can; before you can say Jack Robinson; bite off more than one can chew; carry the can; catch as catch can; game that two can play; get the ax (can); in the can; more than one can shake a stick at; no can do; you can bet your ass; you can lead a horse to water; you can say that again; you never can tell. Also see under can't.

v

Definition: be able
Antonyms: cannot

v

Definition: fire from job
Antonyms: employ, hire

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.)  The guy slipped on the ice and fell on his can.
4. n. jail. (Usually with the.)  I had to spend the night in the can, but it wasn't too bad.
5. tv. to dismiss someone from employment.  The jerk canned everybody who played a part in the gag.
6. n. a car.  That's a good-looking can he's driving.
7. n. a breast. (Usually objectionable. Usually plural.)  Man, look at the cans on that dame!
8. n. a measurement of marijuana. (Drugs.)  How much do you want for a can?

---

as in: to be able or permitted to do something
sign description: Both S-hands come downward repeatedly.

---

noun
noun, US

1: The lavatory. (1900 —) .
J. D. Salinger She kept on saying...corny...things, like calling the can the 'little girls' room' (1951).

2: orig US Prison. (1912 —) .
20th Century I'll stand by my man Though he's in the can (1961).

3: orig and mainly US The buttocks. (1930 —) .
J. Mccormick A toilet bowl in the corner with a scratched metal lid that freezes your can when you sit on it (1965). verb trans.

4: orig US To stop doing (something). (1906 —) .
E. Ferrars 'Can that bloody row, can't you?' he grunted (1953).

Previous:	camel jockey, cake-hole, cake
Next:	cancer stick, canned, canned Willie

For a list of words related to canning, see:

• Business and Science of Agriculture - canning: preserving food in airtight containers of metal or glass

---

See words rhyming with "canner."

  See crossword solutions for the clue Can.

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

Dansk (Danish)
1.
aux. v. - kunne, måtte

2.
n. - dåse, kande, dunk, lokum, bagdel, fængsel
v. tr. - konservere, komme på dåse, afskedige, smide ud, holde op med

idioms:

• can of worms    indviklet og uløst problem
• in the can    i kassen, aftalt

Nederlands (Dutch)
kunnen, mogelijk zijn, inblikken, mogen, op de film/band zetten, kan, blik(je), koptelefoon, bak (gevangenis), plee, kont, 100 gram marihuana

Français (French)
1.
aux. v. - pouvoir, savoir, être possible, pouvoir bien

2.
n. - boîte (de conserve), bidon (d'essence), chiottes, toilettes, taule, (US) fesses, (US, Naut) destroyer
v. tr. - (Culin) mettre (qch) en conserve, se la fermer (fam), être bourré

idioms:

• can of worms    problème insoluble (fam)
• in the can    (Cin) dans la boîte (film), dans la poche (des négociations)

Deutsch (German)
1.
aux. v. - können, dürfen, Bescheid wissen, kennen, wissen

2.
n. - Knast, Büchse, Dose, Kanne, Kanister, Eimer
v. - konservieren, eindosen, einmachen

idioms:

• can of worms    (ugs.) eine verzwickte Sache
• in the can    fertig

Ελληνική (Greek)
v. - μπορώ, δύναμαι ( έχω τη δυνατότητα ή την άδεια να), κονσερβοποιώ, (καθομ.) ηχογραφώ, εγγράφω (μουσική κ.λπ.), (ΗΠΑ, καθομ.) απολύω
n. - μεταλλικό δοχείο, μπιτόνι, τενεκές (λαδιού κ.λπ.), κονσέρβα, κονσερβοκούτι, (ΗΠΑ) αποχωρητήριο, φυλακή

idioms:

• can of worms    (καθομ.) πλέγμα προβλημάτων
• in the can    (καθομ.) στη φυλακή/στενή

Italiano (Italian)
potere, sapere, essere possibile, inscatolare, licenziare, avere l'autorizzazione di, avere il permesso di, gattabuia, deretano, cesso, culo, barattolo, latta, lattina

idioms:

• can of worms    un mucchio di marcio, un sacco di problemi
• in the can    completato, in galera

Português (Portuguese)
v. - poder
n. - lata (f), banheiro (m) (gír.), prisão (f) (gír.)

idioms:

• can of worms    questão (f) complexa
• carry the can    assumir a responsabilidade
• in the can    no banheiro, filmagem (f) terminada

Русский (Russian)
уметь, мочь, консервировать, тюрьма, банка

idioms:

• can of worms    куча неприятностей
• carry the can    отдуваться
• in the can    положенный "на полку", все готово

Español (Spanish)
1.
aux. v. - ser capaz de, estar en condiciones de, saber, poder ser, poder, estar autorizado para

2.
n. - chirona, gayola, lata, bote, bidón
v. tr. - enlatar, conservar en lata, envasar

idioms:

• can of worms    problema complicado
• in the can    estar listo

Svenska (Swedish)
v. - orkar, får
n. - kanna, dunk, buren (vard.), soptunna, toalett

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
1. 能, 会, 可以, 可能, 可能会, 必须

2. 罐头, 一罐, 金属容器, 装进罐中, 把食品装罐

idioms:

• can of worms    复杂而难解决的问题或处境, 棘手的事, 一团糟
• in the can    在坐牢, 在监狱

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
1.
n. - 罐頭, 一罐, 金屬容器
v. tr. - 裝進罐中, 把食品裝罐

idioms:

• can of worms    複雜而難解決的問題或處境, 棘手的事, 一團糟
• in the can    在坐牢, 在監獄

2.
aux. v. - 能, 會, 可以, 可能, 可能會, 必須

한국어 (Korean)
1.
aux. v. - ~할 수 있다, 해도 좋다, ~일 수 있다

2.
n. - 양철통, 컵이나 용기, 수중 폭뢰, 교도소
v. tr. - 통조림으로 만들다, 녹음하다, 해고하다

idioms:

• in the can    준비가 다 되어, 옥에 갇히어

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 缶詰, 缶, 金属製容器
v. - 缶詰にする, 首にする, 止める, 録音する
v.aux. - …することができる, …できる, …してください, …してもよい, …のはずがない, …することがある, …のことがあろうか

idioms:

• in the can    用意ができて

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(فعل) تعليب (الاسم) علبه معدنيه‏

עברית (Hebrew)
aux. v. - ‮יכול ל-, מסוגל ל-, עשוי ל-, רשאי ל-‬
n. - ‮קופסה, פחית, בית-סוהר‬
v. tr. - ‮שימר (מזון) בפחית‬

If you are unable to view some languages clearly, click here.