ca' canny

noun

ca' can·ny kȯ-ˈka-nē

British

: slowdown

ca' canny intransitive verb British

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Scots, "proceed warily, act cautiously" (imperative and infinitive), from ca' "to call, urge forward, drive, proceed" (Scots form of call entry 1) + canny "warily," from canny, adjective, "prudent, wary" (Scots senses of canny entry 1)

First Known Use

1886, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of ca' canny was in 1886

See more words from the same year