What does the slang word "can" mean?
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Chapters
00:00 What Does The Slang Word &Quot;Can&Quot; Mean?
00:34 Answer 1 Score 4
00:59 Accepted Answer Score 14
01:50 Answer 3 Score 1
02:09 Answer 4 Score 0
02:18 Thank you
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#meaning #americanenglish #slang
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ACCEPTED ANSWER
Score 14
The first two mean toilet or bathroom.
The noun can also means
a metal or plastic container for holding film on cores or reels.
When filming is finished, the film will be put into the can. Therefore, in the can means completed.
[Dictionary.Reference.Com]
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]
[The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms]
Your example:
Finally, our planning is completed and we can begin construction tomorrow.
ANSWER 2
Score 4
The first two examples do mean toilet.
The third example is a totally different meaning. The idiom is actually in the can
- (of a film, piece of music, etc) having been recorded, processed, edited, etc
- (informal) arranged or agreed the contract is almost in the can
Collins
While I do not have a reference, I suspect the latter sense is derived from the former.
ANSWER 3
Score 1
"In the can"--a term for an entire film or a subset of shots that are all finished shooting; also denotes when a director has the take that he wanted.
It refers to any project or plan that is ready to go. Think canned fruit or veggies...
ANSWER 4
Score 0
Extending the slang meaning, a can is also a silencer, or firearm sound suppressor.