Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. to stop doing something; esp. in imper., e.g. can that noise! [fig. ‘place it in a can’].

1905		H. Green Actors’ Boarding House (1906) 187: ‘Can that line o’ comedy,’ shouted Miss Gray.
1911		G. Bronson-Howard Enemy to Society 237: Can all this business, marry your little lady, and settle down.
1921		N. Putnam West Broadway 103: ‘I did think of it, but I canned the thought’.
1927		(con. WW1) P. MacDonald Patrol 85: ‘So can it, Israel! ’F yer must spout, do it in yer tit-fer’.
1927		W. Edge Main Stem 83: Aw, can your fairy story, Jack.
1935		(con. 1920s) J.T. Farrell Judgement Day in Studs Lonigan (1936) 565: ‘Can that wise stuff before you get your puss slapped!’ Studs barked.
1944		C.B. Davis Rebellion of Leo McGuire (1953) 240: Then it was lights out and we had to can the chatter.
1958		C. Himes Real Cool Killers (1969) 67: Can that talk.
1962		P. Crump Burn, Killer, Burn! 68: Oh, can that crap, you’re breaking my heart.
1978		(con. 1917–18) H. Berry Make the Kaiser Dance 54: ‘Oh come on, Jim,’ I answered, ‘can that crap, you know it’s bad luck.’.
1984		A. Sayle Train to Hell 67: You can just can this ‘together’ shit, Jack!
1992		G. Disher Paydirt [ebook] ‘Can it, Tobin,’ Snyder said.
1999		Indep. on Sun. Rev. 24 Oct. 25: I’m sure he’ll go down a storm. As long as he cans his constipation gag.
2002		D. Shaw ‘Dead Beard’ at www.asstr.org 🌐 Monica is getting impatient as she fiddles with the camera so I can the natter and give Dionne a lot more of what’s coming her way.
2005		E. Weiner Big Boat to Bye-Bye 173: ‘Can the rebop, fuckwad’.
2013		F. Bill Donnybrook [ebook] ‘Can the lip, bitch’.
2019		A. Parks February’s Son 54: ‘Stevie, I—’ ‘Can it. You’re forgiven’.
2023		(con. 1962) J. Ellroy Enchanters 112: Okay — she’s dead. Can the boo-hoo.

2. (orig. US) to reject, to abandon, to discard, to dismiss from a job, to throw out, to ignore [toss out on one’s can n.¹ (1b)].

1905		H. Green Actors’ Boarding House (1906) 44: Better dig up that little girl you used to work with, and can this thing you got.
1915		R. Lardner ‘Harmony’ in Coll. Short Stories (1941) 196: He thought surely the kid would of been canned durin’ the winter. [Ibid.] ‘Champion’ 117: His mother canned him out o’ the house for bein’ no good.
1920		R.J. Fry Salvation of Jemmy Sl. I i: If I get fired here, I’m sure enough goin’ to get canned there!
1938		R. Chandler ‘The King in Yellow’ in Spanish Blood (1946) 56: ‘Can you think of anything else I should like to say to you?’ ‘Yeah. I’m canned,’ Steve said mirthlessly. ‘Very correct.’.
1941		J.K. Butler ‘Saint in Silver’ in Goulart (1967) 60: He’d canned me once for [...] a black eye.
1953		W.P. McGivern Big Heat 159: They might can a cop for butting into it, but not an Inspector.
1967		(con. 1920s) J. Thompson South of Heaven (1994) 82: He was afraid of getting canned.
1974		(con. 1960s) R. Price Wanderers 74: If he let one more faulty skate go past him again he’d be canned.
1981		J. Ellroy Brown’s Requiem 43: ‘How come you quit the police force?’ ‘They were about to can me.’.
1991		B. Hamper Rivethead (1992) 3: Each time the suds would devour his sense of duty, he’d get canned or simply quit.
2001		J. Stahl Plainclothes Naked (2002) 125: The one who nearly got me canned with her little exposé.
2009		T. Black Gutted 86: Jonny gets canned, you get more time to find Fulton’s killer .
2006		C. Hiaasen Nature Girl 20: I got canned.
2009		L. McIlvanney All the Colours 17: ‘It’s not your arse he’ll be canning’.
2010		(con. 1973) C. Stella Johnny Porno 188: Now you can have me canned, you want.
2017		A. Parks Bloody January 104: ‘Dunlop, the Super, Personnel. Every one of them wanted you canned’.
2019		M. Herron Joe Country [ebook] ‘[T]hat won’t help him if I call him upstairs now and can him’.
2019		C.D. Rosales Word Is Bone [ebook] She’d begun rolling her cage down in the eighth, then the seventh, finally the sixth, before I got canned.
2020		(con. 1991-94) W. Boyle City of Margins 195: ‘Don’t miss school again, huh? Last thing you need is to get canned’.

3. (US) to put in prison; to lock up [can n.¹ (4c)].

1916		J. Lait ‘Omaha Slim’ in Beef, Iron and Wine (1917) 122: I was docked an’ canned.
1917		W.Y. Stephenson At the Front in a Flivver 27 Mar. 🌐 We were all ‘canned’ [i.e. deprived of leave] for the day because so many were late for roll-call (8.30) [...] instead of being permitted the usual afternoon passes, we were all told that we’d have to remain in until 7.30.
1926		Amer. Mercury Jan. 65/2: I got canned for selling wob papers [DA].
1931		M. Gilbert Environment in Hatch & Hamalian Lost Plays of Harlem Renaissance (1996) II ii: I guess you know Rosa Lee’s canned.
1941		V. Davis Phenomena in Crime 130: The ‘hot seat’ is the lesser punishment than being ‘canned in a golf suit’ (wearing convict dress).
1952		W.R. Burnett Little Men, Big World 194: Why did Harry get canned by the D.A.?
1956		H. Ellison ‘Made in Heaven’ in Deadly Streets (1983) 183: Soon as Corks moved out or was canned, Torchy was in line for prez.
1960, 1975		Wentworth & Flexner DAS.
1977		J. Langone Life at the Bottom 192: We canned him for three days.
1989		M. Amis London Fields 181: Thelonius is a joke criminal anyway, riding a farcical lucky streak. What if it all goes wrong, which it will? Keith canned.
1995		L. Stavsky et al. A2Z 17/2: can – 1. v. [...] It’s messed up when they can your man.
2024		X 25 Jan. 🌐 Russian nationalist Ivor Gherkin canned for four years.

4. (US) to have anal sex with; note cit. 1949 is listed as a noun but refers to the past participle [can n.¹ (1b)].

1949

Monteleone Criminal Sl. (rev. edn) 49: canned [N] A sodomite; one having sexual connection by the anus.

5. (US black/drugs) to package heroin for sale [SE can or ? link to can n.¹ (5)].

1968

‘Sl. of Watts’ in Current Sl. III:2.