crack

crack
{{11}}crack (n.) "split, opening," 14c., from CRACK (Cf. crack) (v.). Meaning "try, attempt" first attested 1836, probably a hunting metaphor, from slang sense of "fire a gun." Meaning in "top-notch, superior" is slang from 1793 (e.g. a crack shot). Meaning "rock cocaine" is first attested 1985. The superstition that it is bad luck to step on sidewalk cracks has been traced to c.1890.
{{12}}crack (v.) O.E. cracian "make a sharp noise," from P.Gmc. *krakojan (Cf. M.Du. craken, Du. kraken, Ger. krachen), probably onomatopoeic. Related: CRACKED (Cf. Cracked); CRACKING (Cf. cracking). To crack a smile is from 1840s; to crack the whip in the figurative sense is from 1940s.

Etymology dictionary. 2014.

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  • crack — crack …   Dictionnaire des rimes

  • crack — crack; crack·et; crack·led; crack·less; crack·le·ware; crack·ly; crack·nel; crack·pot; gim·crack·ery; wise·crack·er; hy·dro·crack; crack·er; crack·er·jack; crack·ers; crack·ing; crack·le; crack·ling; gim·crack; crack·lin; crack·pot·ism; …   English syllables

  • 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. [1913 Webster] 2. Rupture; flaw; breach, in a moral sense. [1913… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • crack — crack1 [krak] vi. [ME craken < OE cracian, to resound, akin to Ger krachen < IE base * ger : see CROW1] 1. to make a sudden, sharp noise, as of something breaking 2. to break or split, usually without complete separation of parts 3. a) to… …   English World dictionary

  • Crack — may refer to: Crack cocaine, the freebase form of cocaine that can be smoked Crack, a fracture or discontinuation in a body Crack may also refer to: Contents 1 Music 2 Slang …   Wikipedia

  • crack — ► NOUN 1) a narrow opening between two parts of something which has split or been broken. 2) a sudden sharp or explosive noise. 3) a sharp blow. 4) informal a joke or jibe. 5) informal an attempt to do something. 6) Irish enjoyable entertainment; …   English terms dictionary

  • Crack — Saltar a navegación, búsqueda La palabra crack es un anglicismo que se ha agregado al español para expresar diversos conceptos. En el arte, Generación del crack, un movimiento estético de narradores mexicanos de fines del siglo XX. En informática …   Wikipedia Español

  • Crack — (kr[a^]k), v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Cracked} (kr[a^]kt); 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 …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • crack — vb *break, burst, bust, snap, shatter, shiver Analogous words: split, rend, cleave, rive (see TEAR) crack n 1 Crack, cleft, fissure, crevasse, crevice, cranny, chink are comparable when meaning an opening, break, or discontinuity made by or as if …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • crack — [adj] super, first rate able, ace, adept, best, capital, choice, crackerjack*, deluxe, elite, excellent, expert, first class, handpicked, pro*, proficient, skilled, skillful, superior, talented; concepts 528,542,574 Ant. bad, inferior, poor crack …   New thesaurus

  • crack up — {v.} 1. To wreck or be wrecked; smash up. * /The airplane cracked up in landing./ * /He cracked up his car./ 2. {informal} To become mentally ill under physical or mental overwork or worry. * /He had kept too busy for years, and when failures… …   Dictionary of American idioms

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