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.
People used to say they could use the down weeks to get sketches in the can, but they don’t do that.
From Salon ● Jul. 5, 2026
Then once we recorded those songs they were in the can, but we didn’t play them.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 14, 2025
"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
We now had forty-eight pebbles in the can.
From "The Cay" by Theodore Taylor
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.
