ashcan
ashcan Lexical Profile
ashcan Game Scores & Validity
• noun
American A large metal receptacle used for holding ashes, garbage, or household refuse.
"The janitor rolled the heavy metal ashcan out to the curb before dawn."
American In the comic book and film industries, a rough, low-budget, or limited-edition prototype produced solely to establish copyright or retain legal rights to a property.
"The publisher printed a dozen ashcan copies of the comic book purely to secure the trademark on the title."
American In naval slang, a cylindrical depth charge used in anti-submarine warfare.
"During the convoy escort mission, the crew readied an ashcan on the stern rack."
• verb
American To discard, scrap, or abandon (a plan, project, or item) as worthless.
"The studio decided to ashcan the entire script and hire a new team of writers."
• Rhymes for ashcan
Word Origin & Etymology
Formed in late 19th-century American English as a compound of 'ash' and 'can', originally referring to metal receptacles for coal and wood ashes. In comic book publishing, the term was adopted in the 1930s for uncirculated prototype issues that were discarded into the trash right after copyright registration.