canniken n.1
(UK Und.) the plague.
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. | ||
Eng. Villainies (8th edn) O: A cannikin mill Quire cuffen. | ‘Canting Song’ in||
Eng. Villainies (9th edn). | ‘Canters Dict.’ in||
Eng. Rogue I 48: Cannakin, The Plague. | ||
‘Canting Song’ Canting Academy (1674) 23: [as cit. 1637]. | ||
Academy of Armory Ch. iii item 68c: Canting Terms used by Beggars, Vagabonds, Cheaters, Cripples and Bedlams. [...] Cannikin, the Plague. | ||
Dict. Canting Crew. | ||
Triumph of Wit 196: [as cit. 1637]. | ||
Lives of Most Noted Highway-men, etc. I 209: He taught his Pupil a deal of canting Words, telling him [...] Cannakin, the Plague. | ||
New Canting Dict. n.p.: cannikin the Plague. | ||
, , , | Universal Etym. Eng. Dict. [as cit. 1725]. | |
Scoundrel’s Dict. 18: The Plague – Cannakin. | ||
, , | Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue n.p.: Canniken [...] the plague. | |
Lex. Balatronicum [as cit. 1785]. | ||
Grose’s Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue [as cit. 1785]. | ||
New and Improved Flash Dict. [as cit. 1785]. |