in the can
Idioms-
In the lavatory, as in He can't come to the phone; he's in the can . The related on the can means “sitting on the toilet.” The noun can is used for both the room and the toilet. [ Slang ; c. 1900]
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Completed, as in About a hundred pages of her next book are in the can . This usage originated in filmmaking to describe a completed motion picture, when film was literally put into a can or canister. [ Slang ; c. 1930]
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As an out-of-the-money finisher in a horse race, where a horse comes in fourth or worse. For example, He had no luck that day—every bet ended up in the can . [1960s]
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.
Season 6 is already in the can, and Season 7 is due to start filming this fall.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2025
I felt that way about "Fallout" when I left it and everything was in the can.
From Salon ● Aug. 24, 2024
"There's a lot of stuff in the can which is pretty damn good," says Keith, "but it's not an album. It's just a lot of tracks."
From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2023
"It's going to be a patchwork of different genres and whatever they have in the can that they can run," media consultant Brad Adgate said of the broadcast schedules.
From Reuters ● Sep. 7, 2023
He went back to the room, but I stuck around in the can for a while, thinking about old Jane.
From "The Catcher in the Rye" by J. D. Salinger
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.
