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can of corn

American  
[kan uhv kawrn] / ˈkæn əv ˈkɔrn /

noun

Baseball Slang.

  1. a fly ball that is so easy to catch that the fielder need only stand under the falling ball and let it drop into their glove.

    That’s the third straight can of corn off a Yankee bat tonight, and the Toronto outfield is not complaining.

Etymology

Origin of can of corn

First recorded in 1930–35; origin uncertain; perhaps referring to a grocer using a long-handled grabber to tip canned goods down from a high shelf into his hand or apron

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.

And after Yastrzemski lined a single, Ohtani induced a can of corn to center from Ramos to complete his 36-pitch outing.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 12, 2025

Judge had his moment later, launching a three-run smash in the third — it was no can of corn, sailing to deep right.

From Washington Times • Aug. 12, 2021

The episode had earned Lauren surprise gifts of corn nuggets from a respiratory therapist and a can of corn from an EMS technician.

From Washington Post • Apr. 13, 2015

B elt follows with a fly out, can of corn, right to A-Jax for the first out, and now it's the slugger, little Gregor Blanco, who had a triple back in the second inning.

From The Guardian • Oct. 28, 2012

The can of corn was still there, holding it open.

From "The Strangers" by Margaret Peterson Haddix

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.