Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. a gift [the gift is ‘thrown’ to the recipient].

1842		see back-door cant
1881		Newcastle Courant 2 Sept. 6/5: He was wearing a frock coat of which he had made himself a cant at somebody else’s expense, and below [...] nothing but his camesa and kickseys.
1883		Manchester Courier 24 Mar. 9/7: You can’t cadge a cant o’ wittles in them, there togs.
1891		Birmingham Dly Post 31 Mar. 3/4: I append a few cant words and expressions for those who take an interest in the subject [...] cant (food obtained at a house).

2. (UK tramp) food [that which one ‘cants’ down one’s throat].

1859		Matsell Vocabulum.
1861		(con. 1840s–50s) H. Mayhew London Labour and London Poor III 405/2: The house was good for a cant – that’s some food – bread or meat.
1876		Besant & Rice Son of a Vulcan I 218: The slavey’s been always good for a kant, and the cove for a bob.
1882		Dundee Courier (Scot.) 8 Aug. 7/4: I knew you’d copped a cant up there, you were away so long.
1884		Leicester Chron. 12 July 10/3: The cook [...] gathered up all the scraps she could find, adding a large loaf and a good piece of meat. ‘Scrumptious! There’s a cant!’ said ‘Mumper Duck’.

3. a blow [that which knocks someone down].

1860		Hotten Dict. of Modern Sl. etc.
1864, 1867, 1870		Hotten Sl. Dict.
1873		Sl. Dict.
1882		Sydney Sl. Dict. (2 edn) 2: Cant - A blow or toss; ‘a cant over the kisser,’ a blow on the mouth; ‘a cant over the buttock,’ a throw or toss in wrestling.
1889		Times-Democrat (New Orleans, LA) 9 July 3/6: Prize Ring Slang [...] ‘cant,’ a blow.
1895		Crowe Aus. Sl. Dict. 15: Cant, [...] a blow or toss.
1897		Atchison Dly Champion (KS) 12 Mar. 2/1: Prize-fighters these days never break a ‘claret jug,’ nor do they get a ‘cant on the kisser’.