cann Idiom

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a loose cannon

unpredictable employee, one who may embarrass The President is sensible, but the Vice President is a loose cannon.

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canned

prepared, memorized, a pat answer His answers sound canned, like he memorized them.

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loose cannon

(See a loose cannon)

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cannot but

cannot keep from；cannot avoid 禁不住；不得不
The young man cannot but pity that poorly dressed old man．这个年轻人禁不住对那个穿着破旧的老人怜悯起来。
We could not but stop at the foot of a hill because the road was too slippery．由于路太滑，我们不得不在一座山脚下停了下来。
I cannot but admit the truth of your remarks，although they go against my interests．虽然你的话对我不利，但我不得不承认你所讲的是事实。

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cannot help

can't avoid doing sth．；have no control over 不得不，禁不住（与cannot but同义，但help后要接动名词，but后接动词原形）
We cannot help admiring his learning．我们不得不佩服他的学识。
After hearing the joke，we cannot help laughing．听到这个笑话，我们禁不住大笑起来。

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cannot…too

impossible for a certain state or action to be more than what should be or to be beyond what is desirable无论怎样也不过分
You cannot be too careful．你越小心越好。（你无论怎么小心也不为过分。）
A man cannot have too many friends．朋友越多越好。
The bad habit cannot be got rid of too soon．这个坏习惯改得越早越好。

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A leopard cannot change its spots.

It is not possible for a bad or unpleasant person to become good or pleasant.

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A House Divided Against Itself Cannot Stand

Everyone involved must unify and function together or it will not work out.

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Beggars cannot be choosers.

One must accept what is available in difficult circumstances.

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You can take a horse to the water, but you cannot

You cannot help an unwilling person beyond a certain point.

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The leopard cannot change its spots.

A person's character, especially bad nature, will always remain the same.

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canned heat|can|canned|heat

n. Chemicals in a can which burn with a hot, smokeless flame. Some people use canned heat to keep food warm. The mountain climbers used canned heat for cooking.

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canned laughter|can|canned|laughter

n., informal The sounds of laughter heard on certain television programs that were obviously not recorded in front of a live audience and are played for the benefit of the audience from a stereo track to underscore the funny points. "How can there be an audience in this show when it is taking place in the jungle? Why, it's canned laughter you're hearing."

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canned music|can|canned|music

n. Recorded music, as opposed to music played live. "Let us go to a real concert, honey," Mike said. "I am tired of all this canned music we've been listening to."

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cannot but|can|can't but|cannot

v. phr. To be forced to; can only; must. When the streets are full of melting snow, you can't help but get your shoes wet. When a friend gave Jim a ticket to the game, he couldn't help but go. When a close friend dies, you cannot but feel sad.
Compare: CAN HELP, HAVE TO.

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canned laughter

canned laughter
Also, canned music. Prerecorded sound effects that can be played repeatedly, as in That canned laughter doesn't make his jokes any funnier, or Canned music is greatly reducing the number of musical jobs available. O. Henry had the term in his story, Cabbages and Kings (1903): “We'll export canned music to the Latins.” Canned laughter today is often used in broadcasting to simulate the reaction of a nonexistent live audience. [c. 1900]

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cannot

cannot
see under can't.

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canny

canny
ca' can ′·ny
(kä, kô-)
1) Scot. call “canny”; hence, go cautiously
2) Brit. slowing down at work a ca' canny policy

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leopard cannot change its spots, a

leopard cannot change its spots, a
Also, the tiger cannot change its stripes. One can't change one's essential nature. For example, He's a conservative, no matter what he says; the leopard cannot change its spots. These metaphoric expressions both originated in an ancient Greek proverb that appears in the Bible (Jeremiah 13:23): “Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots?” It was first recorded in English in 1546.