Canting


affectedly or hypocritically pious or righteous:
a canting social reformer.
insincere, especially conventional expressions of enthusiasm for high ideals, goodness, or piety.
the private language of the underworld.
the phraseology peculiar to a particular class, party, profession, etc.:
the cant of the fashion industry.
whining or singsong speech, especially of beggars.
to talk hypocritically.
to speak in the whining or singsong tone of a beggar; beg.
a salient angle.
a sudden movement that tilts or overturns a thing.
a slanting or tilted position.
an oblique line or surface, as one formed by cutting off the corner of a square of cube.
an oblique or slanting face of anything.
Civil Engineering, bank1 (def 6).
a sudden pitch or toss.
Also called flitch. a partly trimmed log.
oblique or slanting.
to bevel; form an oblique surface upon.
to put in an oblique position; tilt; tip.
to throw with a sudden jerk.
to take or have an inclined position; tilt; turn.
Historical Examples

The Slang Dictionary John Camden Hotten
Viviette William J. Locke
A Virginia Scout Hugh Pendexter
The Works of Whittier, Volume VI (of VII) John Greenleaf Whittier
The Spy J. Fenimore Cooper
The Avenger E. Phillips Oppenheim
The Development of the Feeling for Nature in the Middle Ages and Modern Times Alfred Biese
The Island Pharisees John Galsworthy
My Lady’s Money Wilkie Collins
A Little Girl in Old Philadelphia Amanda Minnie Douglas

noun
insincere talk, esp concerning religion or morals; pious platitudes
stock phrases that have become meaningless through repetition
specialized vocabulary of a particular group, such as thieves, journalists, or lawyers; jargon
singsong whining speech, as used by beggars
verb
(intransitive) to speak in or use cant
noun
inclination from a vertical or horizontal plane; slope; slant
a sudden movement that tilts or turns something
the angle or tilt thus caused
a corner or outer angle, esp of a building
an oblique or slanting surface, edge, or line
verb (transitive)
to tip, tilt, or overturn, esp with a sudden jerk
to set in an oblique position
another word for bevel (sense 1)
adjective
oblique; slanting
having flat surfaces and without curves
adjective
(Scot & Northern English, dialect) lusty; merry; hearty
n.

… Slang is universal, whilst Cant is restricted in usage to certain classes of the community: thieves, vagrom men, and — well, their associates. … Slang boasts a quasi-respectability denied to Cant, though Cant is frequently more enduring, its use continuing without variation of meaning for many generations. [John S. Farmer, Forewords to “Musa Pedestris,” 1896]

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