noun General Slang

Cana

/ˈkana/ · noun · slang

The police, or jail itself, a cornerstone of the tango underworld's vocabulary.

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Definitions

1

The police, the cops (collectively 'la cana'), or a single policeman. The source is debated; the Academia Portena del Lunfardo notes possible links to French argot 'canne' or to 'cana' (gray hair/old guard), without fixing one.

“Vino la cana al boliche. (The cops came to the bar.)”
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2

The verb phrase 'batir la cana' means to snitch or blow someone's cover.

“Alguien le batio la cana a la policia. (Someone tipped off the police.)”
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3

Jail or prison, as in 'estar en cana' (to be locked up).

“Lo metieron en cana. (They threw him in jail.)”
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Cana In A Sentence

Cuidado, ahi viene la cana. (Careful, here come the cops.)
Many tangos lament a malandra who ended up en cana.
Paso dos anos en cana. (He spent two years in jail.)

Origin & Usage

Lunfardo from the early-1900s Buenos Aires underworld and recorded by the Academia Portena del Lunfardo; as a piece of thieves' cant its etymology is genuinely uncertain, with French 'canne' and the 'gray-haired old guard' image both proposed.

Variants canoengancaren cana
Tags #lunfardo#spanish#argentine#tango#argot#crime

People Also Ask

What does cana mean?

It means the police, or, in the phrase 'en cana', jail.

Where did cana come from?

From early-1900s underworld argot; its exact root is uncertain, possibly French 'canne' or the 'old guard' image.

What does 'estar en cana' mean?

It means to be in jail or locked up.

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