canny
English
editPronunciation
editEtymology 1
editNorthern English dialect, from can (“to know”)[1] ( + -y), from Middle English can, first and third person singular of cunnen, connen (“to be able, know how to”), from Old English cunnan (“to know how to, be able to”). Compare Scots canny, English cunny, Old English cann (“knowledge, assertion”). More at can, cunning.
Adjective
editcanny (comparative cannier, superlative canniest)
- Careful, prudent, cautious.
- The politician gave a canny response to the reporter's questions.
- 1723-1737, Allan Ramsay, "Love Inviting Reason", in The Tea-Table Miscellany
- O ! as thou art bonny , be prudent and canny,
And think on thy Jamie wha dotes upon thee
- O ! as thou art bonny , be prudent and canny,
- 1816, [Walter Scott], The Antiquary. […], volume (please specify |volume=I to III), Edinburgh: […] James Ballantyne and Co. for Archibald Constable and Co.; London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown, →OCLC:
- “Canny now , lads , canny now !” exclaimed old Mucklebackit , who acted as commodore; “swerve the yard a bit - Now - there ! there she sits safe on dry land .”
- Knowing, shrewd, astute.
- The canny lawyer knew just how to get what he wanted.
- 2005 May 8, Paul Harris, “How canny Paris turned into a global business brand”, in The Guardian[1]:
- ‘Paris Hilton is A-list. She's a genuinely really big star,’ said Professor Robert Thompson, a popular culture expert at Syracuse University. She's also a canny money-making machine.
- Frugal, thrifty.
- Synonyms: see Thesaurus:frugal
- canny investments
- 1751, Allan Ramsay, “The Gentle Shepherd”, in Poems by Allan Ramsay, published 1751:
- Whate'er he wins, I'll guide with canny care.
- (Scotland, Northumbria) Friendly, pleasant, fair, agreeable; (sometimes) funny.
- She's a canny lass hor like!
- 1783, Robert Burns, “Green Grow the Rashes O”, in Songs and Ballads:
- But gie me a cannie hour at e'en,
My arms about my dearie O;
An' warl'y cares, an' warl'y men,
Mae a' gae tapsalteerie O!
- (Scotland, Northumbria) Gentle, quiet, steady.
- a canny horse
- be canny with this letter
Usage notes
editIn common modern usage, canny and uncanny are no longer antonyms, although they are not synonyms.[2]
Derived terms
editRelated terms
editTranslations
edit
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Adverb
editcanny (not comparable)
- (Northumbria) Very, considerably; quite, rather.
- That's a canny big horse, man!
- a canny long journey
- canny near home
- (Scotland, Northumbria) Gently, quietly; carefully, skilfully.
- he sits very canny
- drive canny
Derived terms
editTranslations
editReferences
edit- ^ Douglas Harper (2001–2024) “canny”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.
- ^ https://grammarist.com/usage/canny-vs-uncanny/
- Frank Graham (1987) The New Geordie Dictionary, →ISBN
- Newcastle 1970s, Scott Dobson and Dick Irwin, [3]
- Northumberland Words, English Dialect Society, R. Oliver Heslop, 1893–4
- Todd's Geordie Words and Phrases, George Todd, Newcastle, 1977[4]
Etymology 2
editcan (“more or less cylindrical metal container”) + -y
Adjective
editcanny
- (especially of sound) Sounding as if it is coming through a tin can.
- 1998 August 20, Kallel, Four speakers are a pain in the ass ;P, in 3dfx.products.voodoo2:
- The rear sounds sounded canny compared to the front ones. And you also have to adjust the volume so both pair of speakers are at the same level, […]
- 2001 October 8, Philippe, “Antwerp - what a disappointment !!!!”, in alt.music.depeche-mode (Usenet):
- I was approch. 3 meters from the stage and the sound was very good from there. But if you had seats way up at the sides or at the back I can understand that you could have experienced a "canny" sound.
- 2006 March 23, The Chris, “Re: Best Distortion Under $100”, in alt.guitar (Usenet):
- The metal zone is too 'canny'.... Boss has a handful of great distortions - DS-1, Mega Distortion, DS-2, Heavy Metal....
- 2010 May 24, [email protected], “FlipHD Saturday SECTR5 LittleWing”, in alt.guitar (Usenet):
- Not bad.. Although I think the 290 might have a slight edge on video crispness, I think the audio is better on the ultra HD. Hear more low end, and slightly less canny sounding from what I can tell.
- 1998 August 20, Kallel, Four speakers are a pain in the ass ;P, in 3dfx.products.voodoo2:
Anagrams
editScots
editAlternative forms
editEtymology
editFrom the verb can (“to know”), from Middle English can, first and third person singular of cunnen, connen (“to be able, know how to”), from Old English cunnan (“to know how to, be able to”).
Pronunciation
editAdjective
editcanny (comparative mair canny, superlative maist canny)
- careful, cautious, prudent or steady
- comfortable, gentle or cozy
- attractive or pleasing
- skilful, safe to work or deal with
- fortunate, lucky
- frugal, sparing
- (archaic) with supernatural or occult powers
Adverb
editcanny (comparative mair canny, superlative maist canny)
Related terms
edit- English 2-syllable words
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- English terms with audio links
- Rhymes:English/æni
- Rhymes:English/æni/2 syllables
- English terms with homophones
- English terms derived from Proto-Indo-European
- English terms derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *ǵneh₃-
- English terms suffixed with -y (adjectival)
- English terms derived from Middle English
- English terms derived from Old English
- English lemmas
- English adjectives
- English terms with usage examples
- English terms with quotations
- Scottish English
- Northumbrian English
- English adverbs
- English uncomparable adverbs
- Geordie English
- English terms suffixed with -y
- Scots terms derived from Proto-Indo-European
- Scots terms derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *ǵneh₃-
- Scots terms derived from Middle English
- Scots terms derived from Old English
- Scots terms with IPA pronunciation
- Scots lemmas
- Scots adjectives
- Scots terms with archaic senses
- Scots adverbs