We Are Hot Chicks Wednesday: Festival de Cannes

No, it ain't May, and we ain't in southeastern France. We're just chillin' here in the House, feeling nostaligiac about late summer, the back-to-school feeling, the brink of football season, and, well, cannes. We like the French Riviera, and we certainly like movies. Moreover, we're interested in language, such as, how the city got it's name.

Yes. We're interested. We're not sure, but we can always consult Old No. 7's Wikipedias, which tell us that the name possibly comes from the word "canna," known as a reed, which might make sense given that the area allegedly overlooked some swampy grounds when it was inhabited by Romans in the 10th century. More tids and bits of romantic interest, just after the jump.

Having gone back to school a time or two in late August, I learned, among other things, that the word "can" has tons of meanings. For instance, my father's favorite childhood game was "Kick the Can," wherein craftier, more inventive youths than those of our era, played a version of "Hide and Seek," wherein the seeker would hide his eyes while the hiders tried to avoid being tagged "it" and successfully kicking the can before being tagged.

While that sounds like fun, I prefer less complicated uses of the word, like: "I like to drink cans of beer," or "I can not make it into work today." But there are plenty of other meanings behind the word.

Vanessa Raia



"Can" can mean a lot of things, like its role in this sentence, which suggests having the ability to do something, like Vanessa's ability to look the part of the cowgirl.



It can also mean "to have the right to," like Miss Raia's God-given right to purchase, and wear, this swimsuit.



She can also own more than one should she desire,



and she can choose to have this one be just for the home.



She also knows how to boulder, or, she can scramble around on rocks.



The word may also be affiliated with requested permission, such as: "Can I sit down with you here?"



And sometimes, it indicates granted permission: "You can do whatever you like."



Other rarer uses of the word in this fashion suggest a sense of minimalism: "We can, butt we probably shouldn't.

Amanda Brette Pogrell



In other instances, the word might suggest disbelief: "Can you believe your own eyes?"



In still others, the meaning could imply a need for help: "Can you give me a hand with this?"



"Can" also has a lot of slang meanings behind it. In the film industry, the phrase "it's in the can (and ready for release)" is common.



In the military, it can mean "a destroyer,"



or "a depth charge."



In laymen's terms, one might use the word to suggest putting a stop to something, like "You better can that behavior before you get me in trouble."



Contrarily, it serves the purpose of denial, or limitation: "I can not give you anything better than this."



Perhaps a more familiar form of slang regarding "can," is when the term is used to refer to the lavatory, such as the fancy one inhabited here by Amanda Brette Pogrell.

Gabriela Vergara



It's possible that some folks use it to refer to their laundry facilities, too.



The options with this word seem endless. It may imply termination from the work place, like those of you interested in Miss Vergara might wind up if you stall too long inspecting these images of her.



"Can" is also a style of lighting, one that's quite different from the lamp, I might add.



A "can" might mean a bucket, or pail for toting and storing liquids.



Other times it indicates a drinking cup, like a tankard, or even that random vessel of water you use to fill the iron.

Jesse Preston



Sometimes "can" suggests probability or possibility, like when Jesse Preston asks if you can guess what she got you for Christmas.



In other situations, in hints at inference: "I can tell something's troubling you."



Back in the world of subjects, though, a "can" can be an airtight container, one you might use to tote your lunch and dry goods in on a boat trip.



Ever-utilitarian, it is also used to imply recording, like: "Can an image of that beach."



It's descriptive as well, and may be used to describe the quantity contained within something.



Sometimes it's used to refer to buoys, or items with round bottoms and conical tops.

Bethany Marie



As we've shown, the term "can" has many meanings.



Bethany Marie displays one here; allegedly "cans" are slangly used to indicate buttocks.



Also in the slang department, "can" is used to refer to jail, i.e.: A nude romp in the park might get you thrown in the can, regardless of whether or not it was worth it.



Some have even suggested that, when used in the plural form, cans might mean female breasts.



Personally, I cans not think of any situation in which that might occur.

Jamie Bradford



I can tell you this, though,



and perhaps you can and will agree:



There's a reason that Jamie Bradford likes to wear blue.



Our British and Canadian friends use the term in a different way. (Editor's Note: Shocker.)



They apply the phrase "carry the can" to mean "take resonsibility," as in, you can and will be held accountable for your actions in the park with Miss Bradford.

Mellie Zadeh



Finally, with all we've learned today, we can tell that Mellie is cute and playful.



We see that she has the ability to pose as a destroyer,



that she has an old-school tub in her can,



that this outfit might get her canned at her day job,



that we can't imagine being her make-up artist,



that she can, but chooses not to, purchase the next size up,



and in tongues of slang, she does in fact have cans. And cans.

That's all I can deliver today. Thanks to the Gorilla Mask distributors, proud purveyors of cases and cases of #10 cans.