to stand someone up, to bail
Marquei de encontrar com ela às oito e ela me deu o cano!
I arranged to meet her at eight and she stood me up!
The origin of dar o cano is uncertain and disputed. One suggestion is that it evokes something escaping "through the pipe," flowing away like lost water, just as someone disappears without keeping an agreement; other accounts connect it to old slang for cheating.
Create your account to continue with this topic in Falando.
Free account. A1 lessons included. A2–C2 content requires a subscription.
