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carry corn. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
carry corn, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
carry corn in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
carry corn you have here. The definition of the word
carry corn will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
carry corn, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
English
Verb
carry corn (third-person singular simple present carries corn, present participle carrying corn, simple past and past participle carried corn)
- (colloquial, dated) To (be able to) handle success or prosperity in an equable manner.
2003, Richard Hoggart, Everyday Language and Everyday Life, page 95:'A bad workman blames his tools' is widely taken as an accepted classic truth […] Perhaps French also contains its exasperated partner: 'If you want a thing done well, do it yourself'. One of my relatives had a favourite image for men who failed such tests: 'He can't carry corn'. He wasn't literally expected to, either, not in those parts, but the image fitted well enough. In fact, it seemed to carry a great charge of rejection.
2019, Charles John Cutcliffe Wright Hyne, Kate Meredith, Financier:That man can't carry corn. He evidently gets a heap too loose tongue if you offer him just a little civility.
References
- John Camden Hotten (1873) The Slang Dictionary
- William Carr (1828) “Can't carry corn; this expression is applied to one who is too much elated by prosperity.”, in The Dialect of Craven: In the West-Riding of the County of York, page 86