Crack /(krăk)/

Crack

v. t.

imp. & p. p. Cracked; p. pr. & vb. n. Cracking

  1. To break or burst, with or without entire separation of the parts; as, to crack glass; to crack nuts.
  2. To rend with grief or pain; to affect deeply with sorrow; hence, to disorder; to distract; to craze.
    O, madam, my old heart is cracked.
    He thought none poets till their brains were cracked.
    — Roscommon.
  3. To cause to sound suddenly and sharply; to snap; as, to crack a whip.
  4. To utter smartly and sententiously; as, to crack a joke.
  5. To cry up; to extol; -- followed by up. [Low]

Phrases & Compounds
To crack a bottle
to open the bottle and drink its contents.
To crack a crib
to commit burglary.
To crack on
to put on; as, to crack on more sail, or more steam.

Crack

v. i.
  1. To burst or open in chinks; to break, with or without quite separating into parts.
    By misfortune it cracked in the coling.
    The mirror cracked from side to side.
  2. To be ruined or impaired; to fail. [Collog.]
    The credit . . . of exchequers cracks, when little comes in and much goes out.
  3. To utter a loud or sharp, sudden sound.
    As thunder when the clouds in autumn crack.
  4. To utter vain, pompous words; to brag; to boast; -- with of. [Archaic.]
    Ethoipes of their sweet complexion crack.

Crack

n.
  1. A partial separation of parts, with or without a perceptible opening; a chink or fissure; a narrow breach; a crevice; as, a crack in timber, or in a wall, or in glass.
  2. Rupture; flaw; breach, in a moral sense.
    My love to thee is sound, sans crack or flaw.
  3. A sharp, sudden sound or report; the sound of anything suddenly burst or broken; as, the crack of a falling house; the crack of thunder; the crack of a whip.
    Will the stretch out to the crack of doom?
  4. The tone of voice when changed at puberty.
    Though now our voices Have got the mannish crack.
  5. Mental flaw; a touch of craziness; partial insanity; as, he has a crack.
  6. A crazy or crack-brained person. [Obs.]
    I . . . can not get the Parliament to listen to me, who look upon me as a crack and a projector.
  7. A boast; boasting. [Obs.]
  8. Breach of chastity. [Obs.]
  9. A boy, generally a pert, lively boy. [Obs.]
    Val. 'T is a noble child. Vir. A crack, madam.
  10. A brief time; an instant; as, to be with one in a crack. [Eng. & Scot. Colloq.]
  11. Free conversation; friendly chat. [Scot.]
    What is crack in English? . . . A crack is . . . a chat with a good, kindly human heart in it.
    — P. P. Alexander.
  12. a witty remark; a wisecrack.
  13. a chance or opportunity to do something; an attempt; as, I'll take a crack at it.
  14. a form of cocaine, highly purified and prepared as small pellets, especially suitable for smoking; -- also called rock. Used in this form it appears to be more addicting than cocaine powder. [slang]

Crack

a.
  1. Of superior excellence; having qualities to be boasted of; as, a crack shot. [Colloq.]
    One of our crack speakers in the Commons.