Definify.com

Webster 1913 Edition

Crack

Crack

(krăk)
,
Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Cracked
(krăkt)
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Cracking
.]
[OE.
cracken
,
craken
, to crack, break, boast, AS.
cracian
,
cearcian
, to crack; akin to D.
kraken
, G.
krachen
; cf. Skr.
garj
to rattle, or perh. of imitative origin. Cf.
Crake
,
Cracknel
,
Creak
.]
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
.
Shakespeare
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
.
B. Jonson.
5.
To cry up; to extol; – followed by up.
[Low]
To crack a bottle
,
to open the bottle and drink its contents.
–
To crack a crib
,
to commit burglary.
[Slang]
–
To crack on
,
to put on; as, to crack on more sail, or more steam.
[Colloq.]

Crack

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

Crack

,
Noun.
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.
Shakespeare
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?
Shakespeare
4.
The tone of voice when changed at puberty.
Though now our voices
Have got the mannish
crack
.
Shakespeare
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.
Addison.
7.
A boast; boasting.
[Obs.]
“Crack and brags.”
Burton.
“Vainglorius cracks.”
Spenser.
8.
Breach of chastity.
[Obs.]
Shak.
9.
A boy, generally a pert, lively boy.
[Obs.]
Val.
’T is a noble child.
Vir.
A
crack
, madam.
Shakespeare
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.

Crack

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

Webster 1828 Edition

Crack

CRACK

,
Verb.
T.
1.
To rend, break, or burst into chinks; to break partially; to divide the parts a little from each other; as, to crack a board or a rock; or to break without an entire severance of the parts; as, to crack glass, or ice.
2.
To break in pieces; as, to crack nuts.
3.
To break with grief; to affect deeply; to pain; to torture; as, to crack the heart. We now use break , or rend.
4.
To open and drink; as, to crack a bottle of wine. [Low.]
5.
To thrust out, or cast with smartness; as, to crack a joke.
6.
To snap; to make a sharp sudden noise; as, to crack a whip.
7.
To break or destroy.
8.
To impair the regular exercise of the intellectual faculties; to disorder; to make crazy; as, to crack the brain.

CRACK

, v.i.
1.
To burst; to open in chinks; as, the earth cracks by frost; or to be marred without an opening; as, glass cracks by a sudden application of heat.
2.
To fall to ruin, or to be impaired.
The credit of the exchequer cracks, when little comes in and much goes out. [Not elegant.]
3.
To utter a loud or sharp sudden sound; as, the clouds crack; the whip cracks.
4.
To boast; to brag; that is, to utter vain, pompous, blustering words; with of.
The Ethiops of their sweet complexion crack. [Not elegant.]

CRACK

,
Noun.
[Gr.]
1.
A disruption; a chinkor fissure; a narrow breach; a crevice; a partial separation of the parts of a substance, with or without an opening; as a crack in timber, in a wall, or in glass.
2.
A burst of sound; a sharp or loud sound, uttered suddenly or with vehemence; the sound of any thing suddenly rent; a violent report; as the crack of a falling house; the crack of a whip.
3.
Change of voice in puberty.
4.
Craziness of intellect; or a crazy person.
5.
A boast, or boaster. [Low.]
6.
Breach of chastity; and a prostitute. [Low.]
7.
A lad; an instant. [Not used.]

Similar Results