Also 6 (chanon), 6–8 canon. [In 16th c. also canon, Sc. cannoun, a. F. canon (14th c. in Littré) = Pr. canon, Cat. canó, Sp. cañon, It. cannone, lit. ‘great tube, barrel,’ augm. f. canna, canne CANE, reed, pipe, tube. The spellings canon and cannon occur side by side down nearly to 1800, though the latter is the more frequent after c. 1660.]
† 1. A tube, a cylindrical bore. Obs.
1588. Lucar, trans. Tartaglia’s Colloq. Shooting, 30. How long the Canon or concauitie of every Peece of Artillerie ought to bee.
1604. E. G[rimstone], D’Acosta’s Hist. Indies, V. ix. 353. It had … through the nether lippe a small canon of cristall, in length halfe a foote.
1611. Cotgr., Trajectoire, the cannon, or taile of a perfuming funnell.
1616. Surfl. & Markh., Countr. Farm, 358. You must make fast the foresaid Canon of the said barke of the new branch.
2. A piece of ordnance; a gun or fire-arm of a size that requires it to be mounted for firing. (The leading current sense.)
The following varieties are mentioned in the 16th–17th c.: Canon Royall, height 81/2 in.; shot 66 lbs. Canon, height 8 in.; shot 60 lbs. Canon Sarpentine, height 71/2 in.; shot 531/2 lbs. Bastard Canon, height 7 in.; shot 411/4 lbs. Demy Canon, height 61/2 in.; shot 301/4 lbs. Canon Petro, height 6 in.; shot 241/4 lbs.
For the various ancient forms of cannon or great guns, see ASPIC, BASILISK, BASTARD, CARTHOUN, CULVERIN, DRAGON, FALCON, FALCONET, SAKER, SERPENTINE, SIREN, etc.
1525. T. Magnus, in State Papers (1836), IV. 325. 5 gret gonnes of brasse called cannons, besides sondery other fawcons.
1545. Earl Shrewsbury, ibid. V. 441. To sende unto Tynmowthe … a cannon, a saker, [etc.].
1570. Levins, Manip., 163. A chanon, gunne, tormenti genus.
1573. Diurn. Occurrents (1833), 330. Thrie houlkis of Ingland, ladunit with ane cannone ryell, four singill cannounis,… with ane Scottis peice les nor ane cannoun.
1600. Shaks., A. Y. L., II. vii. 153. Then, a Soldier … Seeking the bubble Reputation Euen in the Canons mouth.
1604. E. Grimston, Siege of Ostend, 189. Canons of wood, a fadom long, with great bandes of Yron.
1633. T. Stafford, Pac. Hib., xvi. (1821), 387. An other Cannon was brought up, and planted by the Demy-cannon.
1705. Stanhope, Paraphr. (ed. 2), I. 18. They … march directly up to the Mouth of the loaded Cannon.
1750. Beawes, Lex Mercat. (1752), 832. Iron Bars, Cannons, and Bullets of the same Metal.
1858. Greener, Gunnery, 97. Mr. Nasmyth; whose monster cannon … was to astonish the whole world.
1864. H. Jones, Holiday Papers, 219. The Irishman’s recipe for a cannon, ‘Take a long hole, and pour some brass round it.’
b. Also collect. (= ‘artillery, ordnance’), and pl.
1596. Shaks., 1 Hen. IV., II. iii. 56. Thou hast talk’d … Of Basiliskes, of Canon, Culuerin.
1666. Pepys, Diary (1879), III. 495. In the trial every one of the great guns, the whole cannon of seven … broke in pieces.
1760. trans. Keysler’s Trav., I. 184. The largest cannon here are about fifty pounders.
1855. Tennyson, Charge Lt. Brigade, iii. Cannon to right of them, Cannon to left of them, Cannon in front of them Volley’d and thunder’d.
c. Phrase.
a. 1639. Spottiswood, Hist. Ch. Scotl., V. (1655), 239. He was apprehended, and by sentence of the Council of War condemned to ride the Cannon.
3. Mech. a. A barrel or hollow cylindrical piece capable of revolving independently on a shaft, with a greater or less velocity than that of the shaft. b. The perforated barrel of a watch-key.
4. A smooth round bit. Also cannon-bit.
1596. Spenser, F. Q., I. vii. 37. Could manage fair His stubborne steed with curbed canon bitt.
1614. Markham, Cheap Husb., I. ii. (1668), 24. A sweet smooth Cannon bit, with a plain watering chain. Ibid. (1617), Caval., II. 50. The first byt a horse should weare, should be a smooth Cannon.
1617. J. Lane, Squire’s T., 273. The bitt, a canon bytt.
5. The part of a bell by which it is suspended; also called the ear. See also CANON1 14.
1872. Ellacombe, Bells of Ch., i. 4. The ear or cannon on its top or crown, by which it is hung … in the tower.
6. An empty zinc retort; see quot.
1871. Trans. Amer. Inst. Mining Eng., I. 74. Beneath the retorts is placed a row of six so-called cannons to break the heat.
7. Billiards. A stroke in which the player’s ball is made to hit one of the other balls in such a way as to glance from it and strike the second.
(Also called carambole and carrom, of which cannon appears to be a perversion; probably influenced by the notion of a ‘heavy shot.’)
1839. Kentfield, Billiards, 16. Canons … constitute by far the most interesting part of Billiards.
1844. Mardon, Billiards, 4. Scoring canons and hazards.
1850. Thackeray, Pendennis, xxiii. ‘I wish to the doose your wife was dead.’ ‘So do I. That’s a cannon by Jove.’
1863. Miss Braddon, J. Marchmont, II. i. 3. I am afraid she’ll never make a cannon.
1872. Black, Adv. Phaeton, I. xi. 238. Even when he got a good chance of a cannon, the smallness of the balls caused him to fail entirely.
b. ? transf. [The date is early.]
1806–7. J. Beresford, Miseries Hum. Life (1826), VII. ii. Briskly stooping to pick up a lady’s fan when two other gentlemen are doing the same, and so making a cannon with your head against both of theirs.
8. attrib.
1599. Marston, Sco. Villanie, II. vii. 203. His new stampt complement, his Cannon oathes.
a. 1668. Davenant, Siege Rhodes, Poems (1673), 40. With smoke of Cannon-Clouds.
1885. R. Buchanan, Master of Mine, I. xii. 175. Gusts, fitful though terrible—very cannon blasts of air.
9. Comb., as cannon-bore, -breech, -bullet, -casting, -fever, -flash, -mouth, -fodder, -reek, -smoke; cannon-hot, -mo(u)lded, -mouthed, -smoked adjs.; † cannon-roared pa. pple.; cannon-clock, a cannon with a burning-glass so fixed over the vent as to fire the priming on the sun’s reaching the meridian; cannon-fly (see quot.); cannon-lock, a contrivance for exploding the charge of a cannon; cannon-metal, a variety of bronze used for cannon; cannon-mouth, the mouth of a cannon-bit; cannon pinion, the perforated pinion that carries the minute hand of a watch, and drives the minute wheel; cannon-royal (see sense 1); cannon-stove, a stove for heating, shaped somewhat like a mortar. See also CANNON-BALL, -BASKET, etc.
1655. Marq. Worcester, Cent. Inv., § 64. So clear from danger, that … a Pound of Butter did not melt being laid upon the *Cannon-britch.
1605. 1st Pt. Jeronimo, in Hazl., Dodsley, IV. 382. Spleens big as a *cannon-bullet.
1724. Watts, Logic, I. ii. § 4. It is slow when compared with a cannon-bullet.
1833. Edin. Rev., LVII. 381. That … exciting sensation known to military men by the name of the *cannon-fever.
1860. Hawthorne, Marb. Faun, xxix. 229. The last *cannon-flash of a retreating army.
1787. T. Best, Art of Angling (ed. 2), 114. The Oak Ask, Woodcock, *Canon or Down hill fly.
1799. G. Smith, Laborat., II. 297. The oak-fly. Some call this … the cannon-fly.
1567. in Tytler, Hist. Scotl. (1864), III. 264. Knox thundered out … *cannon-hot against her.
1651. Davenant, Gondibert, II. xxxv. Deep *Cannon Mouth’d experienc’d Hounds.
1884. F. J. Britten, Watch & Clockm., 178. A long boss or pipe called the *cannon pinion. The cannon pinion drives the minute wheel.
1598. Barret, Theor. Warres, V. iii. 134. 5000 Quintals or Centenaires of *Cannon powder.
1627. Capt. Smith, Seaman’s Gram., xiv. 71. Serpentine powder in old time was in meale, but now corned and made stronger, and called Canon corne powder.
1599. Nashe, Lenten Stuffe (1871), 91. When the fame of the king of fishes was *canon-roared in her ears.
1813. Sir R. Wilson, Priv. Diary, II. 147. My new order ribbon: it is not in itself beautiful, but it becomes so when *cannon-smoked.
