Green’s Dictionary of Slang

canniken n.1

also cannakin, cannikin
[? SE canker]

(UK Und.) the plague.

[UK]Dekker O per se O L3: Besides they have their canting word for the ‘Devil’ or the ‘plague’, etc., as, Ruffian for the one and cannikin for the other.
[UK]Dekker ‘Canting Song’ in Eng. Villainies (8th edn) O: A cannikin mill Quire cuffen.
[UK]Dekker ‘Canters Dict.’ in Eng. Villainies (9th edn).
[Ire]Head Eng. Rogue I 48: Cannakin, The Plague.
[Ire] ‘Canting Song’ Head Canting Academy (1674) 23: [as cit. 1637].
[UK]R. Holme Academy of Armory Ch. iii item 68c: Canting Terms used by Beggars, Vagabonds, Cheaters, Cripples and Bedlams. [...] Cannikin, the Plague.
[UK]B.E. Dict. Canting Crew.
[UK]J. Shirley Triumph of Wit 196: [as cit. 1637].
[UK]A. Smith Lives of Most Noted Highway-men, etc. I 209: He taught his Pupil a deal of canting Words, telling him [...] Cannakin, the Plague.
[UK]New Canting Dict. n.p.: cannikin the Plague.
[UK]Bailey Universal Etym. Eng. Dict. [as cit. 1725].
[UK]Scoundrel’s Dict. 18: The Plague – Cannakin.
[UK]Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue n.p.: Canniken [...] the plague.
[UK]Lex. Balatronicum [as cit. 1785].
[UK]Egan Grose’s Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue [as cit. 1785].
[UK]Duncombe New and Improved Flash Dict. [as cit. 1785].