noun
Street Slang
cannon
KAN-uhn · noun · slang
A pickpocket, esp. a skilled professional.
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Definitions
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In American underworld slang a 'cannon' is a pickpocket, especially an expert one. The racket itself is 'on the cannon.'
“He was the best cannon in the city, working the subway rush every morning.”
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cannon In A Sentence
He was the best cannon in the city, working the subway rush every morning.
Origin & Usage
American, early 20th century; a jocular escalation of 'gun' (from Yiddish 'gonif,' thief) to 'cannon.'
People Also Ask
What does 'cannon' mean in underworld slang?
In American underworld slang a 'cannon' is a pickpocket, especially a skilled professional one. The pickpocketing racket itself is being 'on the cannon'.
Why is a pickpocket called a 'cannon'?
It is a jocular escalation of 'gun', which came from Yiddish 'gonif' meaning thief. A cannon is, playfully, a bigger 'gun'.
Does 'cannon' have anything to do with weapons?
No. Despite the word, it refers to a pickpocket, not a firearm, deriving from the slang 'gun' for a thief rather than the weapon.
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