[f. CANT sb.1; cf. Du. and Ger. kanten in several of the same senses.]
I. trans.
1. To give a cant edge to; to bevel; esp. to bevel off a corner.
1542–3. Act 34 & 35 Hen. VIII., vi. Pinnes … shal … haue … the point well and rounde filled, canted, and sharped.
1791. Smeaton, Edystone L., § 274. The corners only were a little canted off.
1812. J. Hodgson, in J. Raine, Mem. (1857), I. 97. The several pillars which have their uppermost corner canted off.
1851–3. Turner, Dom. Archit., II. ii. 30. The Abacus is square, with the angles canted.
2. To bring or put (a thing) into an oblique position, so that it is no longer vertical or horizontal; to slope, slant, tilt up.
1711. Duncan, Mariner’s Chron. (1805), III. 302. The sea broke in upon us, and the canoe being filled half full, canted her broadside to it.
1756. Winthrop, in Phil. Trans., L. 11. Some [chimnies] were … canted horizontally an inch or two over, so as to stand very dangerously.
1792. Munchausen’s Trav., ix. 30. The wind rose suddenly, and canted our barge on one side.
1826. Miss Mitford, Vill., Ser. III. (1863), 496. She sat … with her feet canted up on an ottoman.
1884. Pall Mall Gaz., 12 Aug., 12/1. If the ship needs a ‘list,’ she can be canted.
b. To turn over completely, turn upside down.
c. 1850. Rudim. Navig. (Weale), 103. Canting, the act of turning anything completely over, so that the under surface shall lie upwards.
1855. Kingsley, Glaucus (1878), 160. Without canting the net over, and pouring the contents roughly out through the mouth.
† c. fig. (?) To incline, adapt with a bias. Obs.
1682. Southerne, Loyal Brother, V. i. 45. Gifted Rogues, That Cant their Doctrine to their present wants.
3. To throw off, e.g., to empty out, the contents of a vessel by tilting it up. To cant off: to decant.
1658. A. Fox, Würtz’ Surg., III. viii. 241. Let it stand in a warm place … then cant of the Aquavitæ cleanly.
a. 1845. Hood, Poems (1864), 265. As vessels cant their ballast—rattling rubbish.
4. To pitch as by the sudden lurching of a ship; to toss, to throw with a sudden jerk.
1685. F. Spence, House of Medici, 120. Back’d by some couragious Priests, had the leisure to joyn him, and cant him into a Vestry, that was accidentally open.
1755. Smollett, Quix. (1803), II. 130. This very innkeeper … held a corner of the blanket, and canted me into the air with great strength and nimbleness.
1791. Smeaton, Edystone L., § 254, note. The boat took a sudden yaw or sheer, which canted me overboard, head-long into the sea.
1805. Naval Chron., XIII. 387. The Ship gave a lurch, by which he was canted into the mizen shrouds!
1816. Scott, Antiq., xvii. That spray of a bramble has … nearly canted my wig into the stream.
1861. G. F. Berkeley, Sportsm. W. Prairies, v. 82. ‘Does the cow-catcher,’ I asked, ‘always “cant” the beef on one side?’
II. intr.
5. To tilt, take an inclined position, pitch on one side, turn over; often to cant over.
1702. C. Mather, Magn. Chr., VI. ii. (1852), 356. It fell on end and then canted along on the floor between two of the children.
1851. S. Judd, Margaret, iv. (1871), 15. It jolted over stones, canted on knolls, sidled into gutters.
1862. Smiles, Engineers, III. 410, note. A loose plank, which canted over.
1858. Carlyle, Fredk. Gt. (1873), II. 88. The celestial sign of the Balance just about canting. Ibid. (1865), II. V. ii. 72. The History so-called of Europe went canting from side to side.
1884. Manch. Exam., 10 Sept., 5/1. The steamer, which had canted over, lay in a very dangerous position.
6. To have a slanting position, lie aslant, slope.
1794. Rigging & Seamanship, II. 301. The upper fluke should cant down.
1882. Nares, Seamanship (ed. 6), 135. The … yard-arm should … cant abaft the yard rope.
7. Naut. To take, move into, or have an oblique position in reference to any defined course or direction; to swing round from a position.
1784. in Nicolas, Disp. Nelson, VII. Add. 7. At 7 weighed: in canting the ship got stern way.
1859. Blackw. Mag., LXXXVI. 655/2. The great length of the Nimrod and Cormorant caused them, when canting or swinging across the Channel, almost to block it up.
1887. Blackmore, in Harper’s Mag., March, 563. The boat canted round towards the entrance of the creek.
Newspaper. The stern of the Andalusian was seen to be canting to the southward.
† 8. fig. To cant with: ? to fall in with, take the direction of. (Cf. 2 c.) Obs.
1656. in Burton, Diary (1828), I. 111. They were all cantings, such as could not cant with my thoughts.
† 9. (See quot. 1877.) Obs. or dial.
1674. [see CANTING vbl. sb.1].
1877. Holderness Gloss. (E. D. S.), Cant, to move about with a jaunty step. ‘Why awd woman gans cantin aboot like a young lass.’
