cant

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cant

insincere; the private language of the underworld; phraseology peculiar to a particular class or profession: the cant of the fashion industry; whining or singsong speech, esp. of beggars; hypocrisy, sham, pretense, humbug
Not to be confused with:
can't – contraction of cannot
recant – withdraw or disavow; revoke, rescind, deny: He recanted his confession.
Abused, Confused, & Misused Words by Mary Embree Copyright © 2007, 2013 by Mary Embree

cant 1

 (kănt)
n.
1. Angular deviation from a vertical or horizontal plane or surface; an inclination or slope.
2. A slanted or oblique surface.
3.
a. A thrust or motion that tilts something.
b. The tilt caused by such a thrust or motion.
4. An outer corner, as of a building.
v. cant·ed, cant·ing, cants
v.tr.
1. To set at an oblique angle; tilt.
2. To give a slanting edge to; bevel.
3. To change the direction of suddenly.
v.intr.
1. To lean to one side; slant.
2. To take an oblique direction or course; swing around, as a ship.

[Middle English, side, from Old North French, from Vulgar Latin *cantus, corner, from Latin canthus, rim of wheel, tire, of Celtic origin.]

cant 2

 (kănt)
n.
1. Tedious or hackneyed language, especially when used sanctimoniously: "a merciless onslaught upon the cant of the age, the cant about progress, equality, [and] universal education" (C. Vann Woodward).
2.
a. The special vocabulary peculiar to the members of an underworld group; argot.
b. The special vocabulary of a profession, discipline, or social group; jargon.
3. Cant See Shelta.
4. Whining or singsong speech, such as that used by beggars.
intr.v. cant·ed, cant·ing, cants
1. To speak tediously or sanctimoniously.
2. To speak in argot or jargon.
3. To speak in a whining or singsong voice.

[Anglo-Norman cant, song, singing, from canter, to sing, from Latin cantāre; see kan- in Indo-European roots.]

cant′ing·ly adv.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

cant

(kænt)
n
1. insincere talk, esp concerning religion or morals; pious platitudes
2. stock phrases that have become meaningless through repetition
3. specialized vocabulary of a particular group, such as thieves, journalists, or lawyers; jargon
4. singsong whining speech, as used by beggars
vb
(intr) to speak in or use cant
[C16: probably via Norman French canter to sing, from Latin cantāre; used disparagingly, from the 12th century, of chanting in religious services]
ˈcanter n
ˈcantingly adv

cant

(kænt)
n
1. inclination from a vertical or horizontal plane; slope; slant
2. a sudden movement that tilts or turns something
3. the angle or tilt thus caused
4. (Building) a corner or outer angle, esp of a building
5. an oblique or slanting surface, edge, or line
vb (tr)
6. to tip, tilt, or overturn, esp with a sudden jerk
7. (Mechanical Engineering) to set in an oblique position
8. (Building) another word for bevel1
adj
9. oblique; slanting
10. having flat surfaces and without curves
[C14 (in the sense: edge, corner): perhaps from Latin canthus iron hoop round a wheel, of obscure origin]
ˈcantic adj

cant

(kɑːnt)
adj
dialect Scot and Northern English lusty; merry; hearty
[C14: related to Low German kant bold, merry]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

cant1

(kænt)

n.
1. insincere or hypocritical statements, esp. pious platitudes.
2. the private language of the underworld.
3. the words and phrases peculiar to a particular class, profession, etc.
4. whining or singsong speech.
v.i.
5. to talk piously or hypocritically.
6. to beg in a whining or singsong tone.
[1495–1505; < Latin base cant- in cantus song, canticus singsong, etc.; see chant]

cant2

(kænt)

n.
1. a salient angle.
2. a sudden movement that tilts or overturns a thing.
3. a slanting or tilted position.
4. an oblique line or surface, as one formed by cutting off the corner of a square or cube.
6. a sudden pitch or toss.
7. Also called flitch. a partly trimmed log.
adj.
8. oblique or slanting.
v.t.
9. to bevel; form an oblique surface upon.
10. to put in an oblique position; tilt; tip.
11. to throw with a sudden jerk.
v.i.
12. to take or have an inclined position; tilt; turn.
[1325–75; Middle English: side, border < Anglo-French cant, Old French chant]
cant′ic, adj.

can't

(kænt, kɑnt)
contraction of cannot.
usage: See can1, cannot.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

cant


Past participle: canted
Gerund: canting

Imperative
cant
cant
Present
I cant
you cant
he/she/it cants
we cant
you cant
they cant
Preterite
I canted
you canted
he/she/it canted
we canted
you canted
they canted
Present Continuous
I am canting
you are canting
he/she/it is canting
we are canting
you are canting
they are canting
Present Perfect
I have canted
you have canted
he/she/it has canted
we have canted
you have canted
they have canted
Past Continuous
I was canting
you were canting
he/she/it was canting
we were canting
you were canting
they were canting
Past Perfect
I had canted
you had canted
he/she/it had canted
we had canted
you had canted
they had canted
Future
I will cant
you will cant
he/she/it will cant
we will cant
you will cant
they will cant
Future Perfect
I will have canted
you will have canted
he/she/it will have canted
we will have canted
you will have canted
they will have canted
Future Continuous
I will be canting
you will be canting
he/she/it will be canting
we will be canting
you will be canting
they will be canting
Present Perfect Continuous
I have been canting
you have been canting
he/she/it has been canting
we have been canting
you have been canting
they have been canting
Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been canting
you will have been canting
he/she/it will have been canting
we will have been canting
you will have been canting
they will have been canting
Past Perfect Continuous
I had been canting
you had been canting
he/she/it had been canting
we had been canting
you had been canting
they had been canting
Conditional
I would cant
you would cant
he/she/it would cant
we would cant
you would cant
they would cant
Past Conditional
I would have canted
you would have canted
he/she/it would have canted
we would have canted
you would have canted
they would have canted
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011

cant

A specialized vocabulary used among a particular group of people.
Dictionary of Unfamiliar Words by Diagram Group Copyright © 2008 by Diagram Visual Information Limited
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Noun1.cant - stock phrases that have become nonsense through endless repetitioncant - stock phrases that have become nonsense through endless repetition
hokum, meaninglessness, nonsense, nonsensicality, bunk - a message that seems to convey no meaning
2.cant - a slope in the turn of a road or trackcant - a slope in the turn of a road or track; the outside is higher than the inside in order to reduce the effects of centrifugal force
incline, slope, side - an elevated geological formation; "he climbed the steep slope"; "the house was built on the side of a mountain"
3.cant - a characteristic language of a particular group (as among thieves); "they don't speak our lingo"
bite - a portion removed from the whole; "the government's weekly bite from my paycheck"
swiz - British slang for a swindle
heist, rip-off - the act of stealing
shakedown - extortion of money (as by blackmail)
power trip - (slang) a self-aggrandizing action undertaken simply for the pleasure of exercising control over other people
nookie, nooky, piece of tail, roll in the hay, screwing, screw - slang for sexual intercourse
dekko - British slang for a look
square-bashing - drill on a barracks square
shakedown - a very thorough search of a person or a place; "a shakedown by the police uncovered the drugs"
caff - informal British term for a cafe
deck - street name for a packet of illegal drugs
gat, rod - a gangster's pistol
Mickey Finn - slang term for knockout drops
nick - (British slang) a prison; "he's in the nick"
dreck, schlock, shlock - merchandise that is shoddy or inferior
cert - an absolute certainty; "it's a dead cert"
legs - staying power; "that old Broadway play really has legs"
soup-strainer, toothbrush - slang for a mustache
bunghole - vulgar slang for anus
bay window, potbelly, tummy, corporation, pot - slang for a paunch
niff, pong - an unpleasant smell
street name - slang for something (especially for an illegal drug); "`smack' is a street name for heroin"
corker - (dated slang) a remarkable or excellent thing or person; "that story was a corker"
hooey, poppycock, stuff and nonsense, stuff - senseless talk; "don't give me that stuff"
baloney, bilgewater, boloney, bosh, drool, humbug, tommyrot, tosh, twaddle, taradiddle, tarradiddle - pretentious or silly talk or writing
codswallop, folderol, trumpery, wish-wash, applesauce, tripe, rubbish, trash - nonsensical talk or writing
skin flick - a pornographic movie
dibs - a claim of rights; "I have dibs on that last slice of pizza"
non-standard speech - speech that differs from the usual accepted, easily recognizable speech of native adult members of a speech community
rhyming slang - slang that replaces words with rhyming words or expressions and then typically omits the rhyming component; "Cockney rhyming slang"
bunfight, bun-fight - (Briticism) a grand formal party on an important occasion
burnup - a high-speed motorcycle race on a public road
nosh-up - a large satisfying meal
hood - (slang) a neighborhood
'hood - (slang) a neighborhood
airhead - a flighty scatterbrained simpleton; "she's a total airhead"; "every airhead on a big salary rushed out to buy one"
babe, sister, baby - (slang) sometimes used as a term of address for attractive young women
bad egg - (old-fashioned slang) a bad person
boffin - (British slang) a scientist or technician engaged in military research
good egg - (old-fashioned slang) a good person
guvnor - (British slang) boss
old man - (slang) boss
out-and-outer - someone who is excellent at something
schlockmeister, shlockmeister - (slang) a merchant who deals in shoddy or inferior merchandise
squeeze - (slang) a person's girlfriend or boyfriend; "she was his main squeeze"
suit - (slang) a businessman dressed in a business suit; "all the suits care about is the bottom line"
tripper - (slang) someone who has taken a psychedelic drug and is undergoing hallucinations
juice - electric current; "when the wiring was finished they turned on the juice"
big bucks, big money, megabucks, pile, bundle - a large sum of money (especially as pay or profit); "she made a bundle selling real estate"; "they sank megabucks into their new house"
key - a kilogram of a narcotic drug; "they were carrying two keys of heroin"
skinful - a quantity of alcoholic drink sufficient to make you drunk; "someone had to drive me home last night because I had a skinful"
juice - energetic vitality; "her creative juices were flowing"
the trots - obscene terms for diarrhea
heebie-jeebies, jitters, screaming meemies - extreme nervousness
4.cant - insincere talk about religion or morals
talk, talking - an exchange of ideas via conversation; "let's have more work and less talk around here"
5.cant - two surfaces meeting at an angle different from 90 degreescant - two surfaces meeting at an angle different from 90 degrees
edge - a sharp side formed by the intersection of two surfaces of an object; "he rounded the edges of the box"
splay - an outward bevel around a door or window that makes it seem larger
Verb1.cant - heel over; "The tower is tilting"; "The ceiling is slanting"
move - move so as to change position, perform a nontranslational motion; "He moved his hand slightly to the right"
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

cant

1
noun
1. hypocrisy, pretence, lip service, humbug, insincerity, pretentiousness, sanctimoniousness, pious platitudes, affected piety, sham holiness Politicians are holding forth with their usual hypocritical cant.
2. jargon, slang, vernacular, patter, lingo, argot He resorted to a lot of pseudo-psychological cant to confuse me.

cant

2
verb tilt, angle, slope, incline, slant, bevel, rise The helicopter canted inward towards the landing area.
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

cant 1

noun
Deviation from a particular direction:
verb
To depart or cause to depart from true vertical or horizontal:

cant 2

noun
1. A variety of a language that differs from the standard form:
2. Specialized expressions indigenous to a particular field, subject, trade, or subculture:
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
رِياء، نِفاقكَلامُ اللُصوص
frázovitá řečhantýrkatlach
floskeljargon
kallistaakaltevuus
kántálásképmutatástolvajnyelvzsargon
hræsnislangur
argoveidmainiška kalbažargonas
liekulībažargons
frázy
argoyapmacık konuşma

cant

1 [kænt]
A. N (= slope) → inclinación f, sesgo m; [of crystal etc] → bisel m
B. VTinclinar, sesgar
C. VIinclinarse, ladearse
cant over VI + ADVvolcar

cant

2 [kænt]
A. N
1. (= hypocrisy) → hipocresía(s) f(pl)
2. (= jargon) → jerga f
B. VIcamandulear
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

cant

[ˈkænt]
n (= hypocritical talk) → discours m hypocrite, propos mpl hypocrites
vtpencher
vipencher
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

cant

1
n
(= hypocrisy)Heuchelei f, → scheinheiliges or leeres Gerede
(= jargon)Jargon m, → Kauderwelsch nt

cant

2
n (= tilt)Schräge f
vtschräg stellen, kanten; the wind canted the boatder Wind brachte das Boot zum Kippen
vischräg or schief sein, sich neigen; (boat)kippen
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

cant

1 [kænt] n (hypocritical talk) → discorsi mpl ipocriti; (jargon) → gergo

cant

2 [kænt]
1. vi (tilt) → inclinarsi
2. vtinclinare; (overturn) → rovesciare
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

cant

(kӕnt) noun
1. insincere talk. politicians' cant.
2. the special slang of a particular group of people. thieves' cant.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.
References in periodicals archive ?
(4) Este es el caso del poema de Espriu "Inici de Cantic en el Temple," como senala Antoni Prats: "Raimon el musica i el divulga, i ara, quan el rellegim, se'ns fa indestriable de la vigoria de l'acoblament melodic i de la veu del valencia" (151).
(55) Likewise, Solomon schools Saturn in the Pater Noster's power by connecting it to the expansive Christian textual tradition: "hafad se cantic ofer ealle Cristes bee / widmaerost word; he gewritu laered / stefnum stered, ond him stede healded / heofonarices" [The canticle [i.e., the Pater Noster] has the most widely famed words beyond all of Christ's books; it teaches scripture, directs voices, and holds a place for them in the kingdom of heaven] (49-52a).
ANTICANTIC opposed to something being 'cantic' (slanted).