Meaning of "loose cannon"

Question

I would like to ask you if anyone can explain me the meaning of "loose cannon" as referred to a person, and from which the meaning comes.

As you can probably understand, I am not a native english speaker.

Thanks in advance,
marco

Usenet · Accepted Answer

"Marco"
[nq:1]I would like to ask you if anyone can explain me the meaning of "loose cannon" as referred to a person, and from which the meaning comes.[/nq]
A person acting recklessly and without self-restraint as in a cannon gone "loose," firing in random directions.

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]I would like to ask you if anyone can explain me the meaning of "loose cannon" as referred to a person, and from which the meaning comes. As you can probably understand, I am not a native english speaker.[/nq]
From COD10:
loose cannon
· n. an unpredictable person who is liable to cause unintentional damage.

wrmst rgrds
Robin Bignall
Hertfordshire
England

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]I would like to ask you if anyone can explain me the meaning of "loose cannon" as referred to a person, and from which the meaning comes.[/nq]
Think of a gun on a sailing ship 200 years ago.
When the gunpowder explodes and the cannon-ball
is shot forwards, the gun recoils, i.e. equal and
opposite energy attempts to move it backwards.
For this reason the gun is restrained by ropes (or else it might roll backwards and break through the wall of the ship on the opposite siide.)
If the restraining ropes are broken, it becomes
a "loose cannon" as dangerous to its own ship
as to any enemy. This phrase is a metaphor in
politics for men who say such wild things they
are as dangerous to their own side as to the
other side.

Don Phillipson
Carlsbad Springs
(Ottawa, Canada)

Usenet · Answer

Richard Fry schrieb:
[nq:1]"Marco"[/nq]
[nq:2]I would like to ask you if anyone can explain ... referred to a person, and from which the meaning comes.[/nq]
[nq:1]A person acting recklessly and without self-restraint as in a cannon gone "loose," firing in random directions.[/nq]
I can't imagine a cannon doing that; I imagine another etymology. On wooden warships, the cannons were movable (as anyone who's read Hornblower knows). The crew loaded them inboards, then rolled them until the muzzle was outboard, and fired them. Of course, the crew had to lash them down after use. If they didn't do that properly, a cannon might breal loose in a heavy sea, and the heavy metal object would then, devoid of restraint, cause unpredictable damage as it was thrown about the ship.
Cheers
Michael

It's silly talking about how many years we will have to spend in the jungles of Vietnam when we could pave the whole country and put parking stripes on it and still be home by Christmas. Ronald Reagan, October 10, 1965

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]I would like to ask you if anyone can explain me the meaning of "loose cannon" as referred to a person, and from which the meaning comes. As you can probably understand, I am not a native english speaker.[/nq]Cannon on ships in the age of sail were not fixed in turrets as today. They were mounted on carriages with wheels so that they could be rolled inboard to be reloaded (at the muzzle end) and then run out again to fire. A pulley system of ropes ensured they stayed where they were supposed to be at any given moment. If the pulley broke, the heavy cannon could go in any direction, especially if the ship was pitching because of heavy seas.

So a loose cannon was dangerous and unpredictable, which is what we mean when we apply the term to a person - s/he is dangerous and unpredictable, especially to those whom s/he is supposed to provide assistance. Especially used of politicians who start making speeches which conflict with the party line and which could damage the party's chances at an election. See under Letwin, Oliver; Short, Clare ... zzz

John Dean
Oxford

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]"Marco"[/nq]
[nq:2]I would like to ask you if anyone can explain ... referred to a person, and from which the meaning comes.[/nq]
[nq:1]A person acting recklessly and without self-restraint as in a cannon gone "loose," firing in random directions.[/nq]
Thanks!
A very clear explanation!

Meaning of "loose cannon"

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