Word of the Day: CANNY

canny (adj) - clever, shrewd, astute; careful, prudent; (in the UK) nice, good [kan-ee]

• uncanny is not actually the opposite of canny, but rather means mysterious, extraordinary, or unsettlingly strange.

BACKGROUND: The word canny flows from the Scottish and English can, meaning knowing or wise. We also see this influence in the words ken (a range of knowledge or understanding) and cunning (tricky, crafty, or keen). Canny, on the other hand, has nothing to do with cylindrical receptacles.

“Churchill was the canny political animal, very devious, bursting with energy and determination, learning as hard as he could.” —Lord Mountbatten

[Our Wednesday Wildcards are fascinating and important words that are not derived from classical roots.]