CANNY

cagey, cagy, canny, clever

(adjective) showing self-interest and shrewdness in dealing with others; “a cagey lawyer”; “too clever to be sound”

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology 1

Adjective

canny (comparative cannier, superlative canniest)

Careful, prudent, cautious.

Knowing, shrewd, astute.

Frugal, thrifty.

Synonym: Thesaurus:frugal

(Scotland, Northumbria) Pleasant, fair, favorable or agreeable to deal with.

(Scotland, Northumbria) Gentle, quiet, steady.

Usage notes

In common modern usage, canny and uncanny are no longer antonyms, although they are not synonyms.

Adverb

canny (not comparable)

(Northumbria) Very, considerably; quite, rather.

(Scotland, Northumbria) Gently, quietly; carefully, skilfully.

Etymology 2

Adjective

canny

(especially, of sound) Sounding as if it is coming through a tin can.

Anagrams

• Nancy, nancy

Proper noun

Canny (plural Cannys)

A surname.

Statistics

• According to the 2010 United States Census, Canny is the 31516th most common surname in the United States, belonging to 734 individuals. Canny is most common among White (95.1%) individuals.

Anagrams

• Nancy, nancy

Source: Wiktionary


Can"ny, Can"nei, a. Etym: [Cf. Icel. kenn skilled, learned, or E. canny. Cf. Kenn.] [North of Eng. & Scot.]

1. Artful; cunning; shrewd; wary.

2. Skillful; knowing; capable. Sir W. Scott.

3. Cautious; prudent; safe.. Ramsay.

4. Having pleasing of useful qualities; gentle. Burns.

5. Reputed to have magical powers. Sir W. Scott. No canny, not safe, not fortunate; unpropitious. [Scot.]

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



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11 January 2025

COWBERRY

(noun) low evergreen shrub of high north temperate regions of Europe and Asia and America bearing red edible berries


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The earliest credible evidence of coffee-drinking as the modern beverage appeared in modern-day Yemen. In the middle of the 15th century in Sufi shrines where coffee seeds were first roasted and brewed for drinking. The Yemenis procured the coffee beans from the Ethiopian Highlands.

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