big C
Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.
Meaning · English
cancer.
Register: slang
Where it’s used:
Used
American English
Examples
You can always count on John Wayne, 57; he never steps out of character. "I kicked the Big C," growled the movie toughie, admitting that it was lung cancer that put him in Los Angeles' Good Samaritan Hospital for surgery last September.
Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30)
Sources & notes
Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30 via kaikki.org).
Common questions
What does “big C” mean?
cancer.
Is “big C” formal or informal?
big C is generally slang.