spam in a can

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English

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Etymology

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In reference to the tinned meat product called SPAM.

Noun

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spam in a can (uncountable)

  1. (slang, derogatory) Astronauts whose mission involves confinement in a small space capsule.
    • 1998, Jodi Dean, Aliens in America, page 78:
      The lab rat, experimental object, “Spam in a can” idea wasn't NASA's vision of the astronaut, but this unpleasant dimension of astronaut life did seep into spaces with a claim to public attention.
    • 2011, G. Scott Thomas, A New World to be Won, page 26:
      Many of the 324 candidates [] were convinced that astronauts were going to be “spam in a can,” mere passengers in a capsule controlled by NASA technicians on the ground.

Anagrams

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