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ca'canny

American  
[kah-kan-ee, kaw-] / kɑˈkæn i, kɔ- /

noun

British Slang.

  1. a deliberate reduction of working speed and production by workers, to express their discontent.

ca'canny British  
/ ˌkɔːˈkænɪ /

noun

  1. moderation or wariness

    1. a policy of restricting the output of work; a go-slow

    2. ( as modifier )

      a ca'canny policy
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of ca'canny

First recorded in 1895–1900; literally, “drive gently”; see ca', canny

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

As a catchword they adopted the Scotch phrase ca'canny, to go slow or be careful not to do too much.

From The Armies of Labor A chronicle of the organized wage-earners by Orth, Samuel Peter

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.