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Definition of Loose cannon
1. Noun. A person who is expected to perform a particular task but who is out of control and dangerous.
Definition of Loose cannon
1. Noun. (nautical) a cannon that breaks loose during battle or a storm and causes serious damage to the ship and its crew ¹
2. Noun. (idiomatic by extension) an uncontrolled or unpredictable person who causes damage to their own faction, political party etc. ¹
3. Verb. (idiomatic) To behave in a way such as to cause damage to ones own faction, political party etc. ¹
¹ Source: wiktionary.com
Lexicographical Neighbors of Loose Cannon
Literary usage of Loose cannon
Below you will find example usage of this term as found in modern and/or classical literature:
1. How to Speak in Public by Grenville Kleiser (1906)
"... paralyze a bull, fascinate a serpent, terrify a tiger, and soften the noble
heart of a lion; no resource with such a monster as a loose cannon. ..."
2. How to Speak in Public by Grenville Kleiser (1906)
"... paralyze a bull, fascinate a serpent, terrify a tiger, and soften the noble
heart of a lion; no resource with such a monster as a loose cannon. ..."
3. Wheeler's Graded Literary Readers, with Interpretations by William Iler Crane, William Henry Wheeler (1919)
"Every movement of the loose cannon threatened the ship's destruction. A few
moments more and shipwreck would be inevitable. They must perish or put a speedy ..."
4. Report of the Congressional Committees Investigating the Iran/Contra Affair by Lee H. Hamilton, Daniel K. Inouye (1995)
"At the same time, North had his own reservations that Rodriguez was "something
of a loose cannon" who might reveal the operation.147 On June 8, ..."
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