Ask UK

Tin of beans

Can of beer

I think you tinnot use them interchanebly at all

Dialects are weird, right? But, personally, if I'm referring to the fictional Belgian adventurer I say tin; if it's the French burlesque dance routine it's can.

Tin: probably food but can be a drink if specified
Can: probably a drink but can be food if specified
Tinnie: beer

Edinburgh calling. Food comes in tins. Juice comes in cans. Yes, you heard me.

https://www.thedailymash.co.uk/news/society/scottish-people-refer-to-all-fizzy-drinks-as-juice-20160219106399

I switch between the two fairly freely. Pretty much always can for drink, but I think I marginally favour tin for food.

I'm in Swindon, which has a fairly mongrel West Country-meets-London-meets-Midlands accent, which probably explains the prevalence of both.

I think I use both interchangably with no logic behind it

Usually tin of food, can of drink. But only with about 80% consistency; sometimes I swap them. I'm from the south-east.

I call them tins when I want to sound British, personally.

Not quite a direct answer, but since watching Mortimer and Whitehouse: Gone Fishing, we've enjoyed referring to things in tins/cans as trapped potatoes, trapped beans etc.

I'll have a tin of spam, a tin of beans and wash that bad boy down with a can of McEwan's Export.

I'm assuming this is about drinks rather than a tin of baked beans, but yeah as a southerner it's a can if it's thinner metal drinks container.

I’m from South-West Scotland, and I’d say tin for drinks and for food. A metallic container of Coca-Cola is “a tin of juice”.

I can I can't??

I always use tins for cupboard food like beans, soup, and tinned tomatoes. For cans of pop or beer I use cans normally but sometimes I use tins. Sometimes up here in the north east you'll hear people refer to tins of beer as tinnies.

American expat in Scotland. I say can. But I understand tin.