Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

can kicker

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.41 in modern English

Syllables
can -kick-er
IPA
21
Scrabble Score
9
Letters
3
Syllables
7
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

Someone or something who is can kicking or who kicks the can down the road. I.e. someone or something who is adept at delaying things, putting off a difficult issue or decision, typically on a continual basis. For example, 'The US and Europe should be glad to be led by a bunch of can-kickers'.

Etymology

Can kicking attested as an activity of idle urban youths since the late 19th century. Modern sense of "procrastinate" dates from the 1980s.

Inflected Forms

can kickers (plural)

Questions

What does can kicker mean?
Someone or something who is can kicking or who kicks the can down the road. I.e. someone or something who is adept at delaying things, putting off a difficult issue or decision, typically on a continual basis. For example, 'The US and Europe should be glad to be led by a bunch of can-kickers'.
Where does can kicker come from?
Can kicking attested as an activity of idle urban youths since the late 19th century. Modern sense of "procrastinate" dates from the 1980s.

How to pronounce can kicker

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “can kicker”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “can kicker”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “can kicker” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.