English citations of canny

Adjective: shrewd, or pleasant, or gentle edit

  • 1866, Sidney Gilpin, The Songs and Ballads of Cumberland, “Jwohnny, git oot!”, final verse, page 429:
    Well! That’s sent him off, an’ I’s sworry it hes;
    He med ken ‛at yan niver means hoaf ‛at yan says.
    He’s a reet canny fellow, howiver I floot,
    An’ it’s growin’ o’ wark to say Jwohnny, git oot!
  • 1881, Mrs. G. Linneaus Banks & Isabella Banks, Stung to the quick…, page 114 (Abel Heywood)
    Te think o’ yon poor bairn Cuddy (Cuthbert was least seven years her senior), wha is a down-reet canny chap, gangin yont the seas a’ the way te ‘Mericky,’ wi’ nowt but a bit o’ plankin atween him an death, te say nowt o’ th’ wild beasts an savages, an them twee wimmen lyen abed, wi’ neer as mich as a ‘gude-bye’ te him.
  • 2008, Newcastle Brown Ale, 550ml bottle, reverse label, Fact №4 — “Name” (Newcastle Federation Breweries Ltd., Tyne and Wear)
    Did yee knar…
    …The birthplace of Newcastle Brown Ale owes its name to William the Conqueror’s son Richard, who built ‘New Castle’ in 1080 on the site of a Roman fort – it’s a reet royal heritage for a reet canny* beer.
    * rather frightfully good.

Adjective: can-like edit

  • 1998 August 20, Kallel, Four speakers are a pain in the ass ;P, in 3dfx.products.voodoo2:
    The rear sounds sounded canny compared to the front ones. And you also have to adjust the volume so both pair of speakers are at the same level, []
  • 2000 October 17, "Dreamin Man" (username), Lexicon MPX 100?, in rec.audio.pro, Usenet:
    I am using the stereo outs, I am getting nice reverb out of it but the probelm[sic] is the entire sound is like i said like its coming through a can. even when in bypass mode it sound "canny".
    Thank you for your input.
    Stacey
    • 2000 October 17, Barb Roy-Bridges (replying), Lexicon MPX 100?, in rec.audio.pro, Usenet:
      Dreamin Man wrote in message...
      >I am using the stereo outs, I am getting nice reverb out of it but the
      >probelm is the entire sound is like i said like its coming through a can.
      >even when in bypass mode it sound "canny".
      []
      The reverb is, by nature, a bit hollow. It's, IMO, a demo-quality piece that I'd reach for (after my digital delay if I couldn't make that work) to provide for a specific effect that I'd want to show. But, I wouldn't necessarily say that it's sound is "canny" across the board - just, um, not particularly warm or round.
  • 2001 October 8, Philippe, Antwerp - what a disappointment !!!!, in alt.music.depeche-mode, Usenet:
    I was approch. 3 meters from the stage and the sound was very good from there. But if you had seats way up at the sides or at the back I can understand that you could have experienced a "canny" sound.
  • 2006 March 23, "The Chris" (username), Re: Best Distortion Under $100, in alt.guitar, Usenet:
    The metal zone is too 'canny'.... Boss has a handful of great distortions - DS-1, Mega Distortion, DS-2, Heavy Metal....
    • 2006 March 23, "General Specific" (username) (replying), Re: Best Distortion Under $100, in alt.guitar, Usenet:
      The problem here is that the sound of a stomp box is dependant on your amp and how you set up both the amp and the box. Someone said that the Metal Zone is "canny". I'd say perhaps under certain conditions...
  • 2010 May 24, nm...@wt.net, FlipHD Saturday SECTR5 LittleWing, in alt.guitar, Usenet:
    Not bad.. Although I think the 290 might have a slight edge on video crispness, I think the audio is better on the ultra HD. Hear more low end, and slightly less canny sounding from what I can tell.

in the phrase "tin canny" edit

  • 1997 April 4, David F Adcock, Nissan trucks vs Toyota, alt.autos.nissan, Usenet:
    After test driving both, I agree 100% about the Toyota's manual transmission (very nice). I also like the "stiffness" of the Toyota's ride as compared with the more American style "looseness" of the Nissan. The Nissan also felt much more "tin canny" than the Toyota.
  • 1999 June 3, Mike Schriber, Advice needed on REAL 4x4 purchase, in rec.autos.4x4, Usenet:
    I've been looking through the Auto Trader and other rags. Only a few early Broncos. One is outragously priced and the other (a '73) might not be too bad. There are a few Scouts and they're all pretty inexpensive. There are also some Jeeps but they fetch a higher price. The Sammys aren't the cheap and they're a little tin canny for me.
  • 2001 April 2, Charles Alexander, DAW mic pre recommendations (less than $500), in rec.audio.pro, Usenet:
    I essentially plan to record direct to disk using MOTU's 2408 Mk II system and the mics are probably going to be ADK 51 (I love the smooth response of this mic) and Marshall V67G. I'll probably also get a AT4047/SV (I don't like the 4033 - sounds too tin canny to my ears) later. I also plan to add a Mackie 1202/1402 VLZ Pro to the mix at some point.