Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. a fig. thrashing, a defeat.

1943		‘Henry Green’ Caught (2001) 82: ’E didn’t ’alf give me a canin’ on dear.
1956		J. Curtis Look Long Upon a Monkey 51: Don’t you get running away with the idea you’ve given me a caning.

2. a serious reprimand or telling-off.

2001

OnLine Dict. of Playground Sl. 🌐 cane, caner n. to be ‘told off’ or to be badly beaten at something (not normally physically). Anything really bad, so to receive a caning is to get told off, ‘He caned you!’, ‘You got a real caning there!’.

3. the act of consuming enthusiastically.

1958		F. Norman in Sun. Graphic 23 Nov. in Norman’s London (1969) 40: We just kept on giving the gin a caning.
1998		M. Newall ‘Sir Gawayne and the Grene Knight’ in Indep. Weekend Rev. 26 Dec. 1: Whereupone theye gayve the shortes a severe caneing.