Meanings
- uncountableEngaging in go-slow as part of an industrial dispute.
1 more example
It was almost ridiculous to watch the amazement of the ordinary man when he saw how rapidly women learned men's jobs, and how, by their patriotic zeal and entire innocence of the trade union practice of ca' canny, their output frequently exceeded, and exceeded largely, the output of men working the same machinery for the same number of hours.
2011, Millicent Garrett Fawcett, The Women's Victory - and After, page 110 - uncountableA general policy of caution and taking one's time in making decisions, in industrial disputes.
Mr. J. R. Scott, our enterprising, famous branch secretary moved the resolution in favor of ca' canny in a concise and practical speech.
1904, United States Congressional serial set, number 4732, page 727
Synonyms & antonyms
Origin
- Scotsca' canny“to go or act cautiously”
- Englishca' canny
From Scots ca' canny (“to go or act cautiously”).
More words from Scots
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
ca' canny. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ca'%20canny
“ca' canny.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ca'%20canny. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “ca' canny,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ca'%20canny.
Source: ca' canny on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.