cane it
British slang meaning to go very fast, work very hard, or use something excessively.
Definitions
British slang meaning to go very fast, work very hard, or use something excessively. In the speed sense, you 'cane it' down the motorway or around a track — giving something full throttle. In the effort sense, you 'cane it' through a workload or revision schedule. It can also refer to heavy consumption — to 'cane it' on a night out means drinking hard. The unifying sense is intensity and lack of restraint. Common in informal British speech across demographics, and has a positive, energetic connotation.
They caned it up the motorway and made Edinburgh in four hours flat.
Comments
British slang meaning to go very fast or to go hard at something — whether driving at speed, working intensely, or engaging in heavy drinking or drug use. The cane element suggests hitting something hard and repeatedly. Context determines whether it refers to speed, effort, or consumption. Common in British casual speech, particularly in car culture and youth social contexts.
He absolutely caned it down the motorway and still arrived twenty minutes late.
Comments
(UK, slang) To go very fast.
"cane it" means: To go very fast.. This is informal slang, common in casual speech, texting and social media, but not appropriate for school work, applications or professional settings. There is no real cause for concern in itself; it is everyday peer vocabulary. If your child uses it, a light comment about audience and register is usually enough — no need to escalate. Context, more than the word, tells you whether to follow up.
"cane it" means: To go very fast.. Register: informal slang, fine in casual conversation, texting and social media but not in academic essays, business writing or formal speech. Note the regional or dialect label (UK) — usage may sound odd outside that variety. A common non-native mistake is to use the word in the wrong register, or to assume one fixed meaning when it is actually polysemous; always check the surrounding register and the audience before producing it yourself. In formal writing, prefer a neutral synonym or a short descriptive phrase, and use this word only when you have heard or read it being used naturally in a comparable context.
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Other words near "cane it" (C)
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Semantically related
- caner72%
Caner has two quite different meanings: in the literal craft sense, a caner is someone who weaves cane into chair seats and furniture — a skilled artisan. In British slang, a caner is someone who goes out hard — drinking, taking drugs, or partying excessively and habitually. The slang sense likely derives from 'to cane it' (to go hard, to abuse substances or stamina). The drug-user sense is the one most likely encountered in contemporary British youth and nightlife slang.
- caner72%
Has two distinct senses in British informal English: the literal craft meaning (one who canes furniture) and the slang sense of a recreational drug user — specifically someone who regularly and heavily uses recreational drugs. The drug-use sense is the more current slang usage, often implying a habitual or heavy user rather than an occasional one. Common in British casual speech.
- caned71%
(UK, slang) intoxicated by alcohol or drugs.