loose cannonn.

Brit.

/ˌluːs ˈkanən/, U.S.

/ˈlus ˈˌkænən/

Origin: Formed within English, by compounding. Etymons: loose adj., cannon n.¹

Etymology: < loose adj. + cannon n.¹ Perhaps popularized after a phrase used by U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt (1858–1919): see quot. 1946

An unpredictable or uncontrollable person or thing, esp. considered liable to cause unintentional or indiscriminate damage.In earlier use, typically as part of an extended metaphor: see quots. 1889, 1973.

ΚΠ

1889 Galveston (Texas) Daily News 19 Dec. 4/5 It would in no event become, as Mr. Grady once said, ‘a loose cannon in a storm-tossed ship’, for the very reason that it has not intelligence enough to voluntarily stand alone as a class and vote as a political unit.

1946 W. A. White Autobiogr. xlviii. 339 He [sc. Theodore Roosevelt] said: ‘I don't want to be the old cannon loose on the deck in the storm’.

1973 R. M. Nixon Jrnl. 14 Apr. in RN: Mem. Richard Nixon (1979) II. 351 I have a note here saying ‘the loose cannon has finally gone off’,..that's probably what Magruder did when he went in and talked to the U.S. Attorney.]

1977 Washington Post 13 Mar. a1/3 New political soubriquets are heaped upon Young..almost as fast as he breaks into the headlines: the Moynihan of the Left, the loose cannon, the wayward missile, [etc.].

1982 Washington Post 13 June c7/5 The president's men realized that the Patman committee investigation was a loose cannon that might sink Nixon's re-election chances.

1987 Independent 8 July 1/2 Far from being a ‘loose cannon’ or a ‘lone wolf’, he had never acted without the knowledge of his superiors.

1996 Spectator 31 Aug. 40/2 She has been downgraded for no other reason than the wish of the grotesque courtiers who rule within the palace walls to humiliate someone they consider a loose cannon.

2001 N.Y. Times 4 Jan. f1/3 If it wasn't bad enough that the fashions and haircuts of the 1970's are back, now we have loose-cannon gas and oil prices.

This is a new entry (OED Third Edition, September 2001; most recently modified version published online March 2022).

单词	loose cannon
释义	loose cannonn. Brit. /ˌluːs ˈkanən/, U.S. /ˈlus ˈˌkænən/ Origin: Formed within English, by compounding. Etymons: loose adj., cannon n.¹ Etymology: < loose adj. + cannon n.¹ Perhaps popularized after a phrase used by U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt (1858–1919): see quot. 1946 An unpredictable or uncontrollable person or thing, esp. considered liable to cause unintentional or indiscriminate damage.In earlier use, typically as part of an extended metaphor: see quots. 1889, 1973. ΚΠ 1889 Galveston (Texas) Daily News 19 Dec. 4/5 It would in no event become, as Mr. Grady once said, ‘a loose cannon in a storm-tossed ship’, for the very reason that it has not intelligence enough to voluntarily stand alone as a class and vote as a political unit. 1946 W. A. White Autobiogr. xlviii. 339 He [sc. Theodore Roosevelt] said: ‘I don't want to be the old cannon loose on the deck in the storm’. 1973 R. M. Nixon Jrnl. 14 Apr. in RN: Mem. Richard Nixon (1979) II. 351 I have a note here saying ‘the loose cannon has finally gone off’,..that's probably what Magruder did when he went in and talked to the U.S. Attorney.] 1977 Washington Post 13 Mar. a1/3 New political soubriquets are heaped upon Young..almost as fast as he breaks into the headlines: the Moynihan of the Left, the loose cannon, the wayward missile, [etc.]. 1982 Washington Post 13 June c7/5 The president's men realized that the Patman committee investigation was a loose cannon that might sink Nixon's re-election chances. 1987 Independent 8 July 1/2 Far from being a ‘loose cannon’ or a ‘lone wolf’, he had never acted without the knowledge of his superiors. 1996 Spectator 31 Aug. 40/2 She has been downgraded for no other reason than the wish of the grotesque courtiers who rule within the palace walls to humiliate someone they consider a loose cannon. 2001 N.Y. Times 4 Jan. f1/3 If it wasn't bad enough that the fashions and haircuts of the 1970's are back, now we have loose-cannon gas and oil prices. This is a new entry (OED Third Edition, September 2001; most recently modified version published online March 2022). < n.1977
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