Carny vs Canny - What's the difference?

carny | canny |


As a noun carny

is a person who works in a carnival.

As an adjective canny is

careful, prudent, cautious.

carny

English

(wikipedia carny)

Alternative forms

* carnie

Noun

(carnies)
  • A person who works in a carnival.
  • *{{quote-news
    • , year=2012 , date=May 20 , author=Nathan Rabin , title=TV: Review: THE SIMPSONS (CLASSIC): “Marge Gets A Job” (season 4, episode 7; originally aired 11/05/1992) , work=The Onion AV Club citation , page= , passage=Bart spies an opportunity to make a quick buck so he channels his inner carny and posits his sinking house as a natural wonder of the world and its inhabitants as freaks, barking to dazzled spectators, “Behold the horrors of the Slanty Shanty! See the twisted creatures that dwell within! Meet Cue-Ball, the man with no hair!”}}
  • The jargon used by carnival workers.

    • Synonyms

    * showie (Australia)

    canny

    English

    Adjective

    (er)
  • Careful, prudent, cautious.
    • (Ramsay)
  • Knowing, shrewd, astute.
    • (Sir Walter Scott)
  • Frugal, thrifty.
  • (Scotland, Northumbria) Pleasant, fair.
    • She's a canny lass hor like!
  • * 1783 , (Robert Burns), "Green Grow the Rashes O", Songs and Ballads
    • But gie me a cannie hour at e'en,
    My arms about my dearie O;
    An' warl'y cares, an' warl'y men,
    Mae a' gae tapsalteerie O!
  • (Northumbria) Very or much.
    • That's a canny big horse, man!

    Derived terms

    * cannily * canniness

    Related terms

    * uncanny (Note: In common modern usage, "canny" and "uncanny" are no longer antonyms.)

    References

    * * * *

    Anagrams

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