can of corn

noun

An easily caught fly ball.

“He hits a can of corn to left.”

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Meanings

nouncan of corn (plural cans of corn)

plural cans of corn

  1. idiomaticball gamesAn easily caught fly ball.

    He hits a can of corn to left.

Origin

The phrase, first attested in 1896, refers to the practice of a grocer using a long stick to push a can of goods off a high shelf. (See Seattle Post Intelligencer - Sports Answer Guy article)

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

can of corn. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/can%20of%20corn

MLA

“can of corn.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/can%20of%20corn. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “can of corn,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/can%20of%20corn.

Source: can of corn on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.