Crack

English

Pronunciation

• /kɹæk/
• Template:Audio
• Template:Rhymes

Etymology 1

From Template:Etyl Template:M, Template:M, from Template:Etyl Template:M, from Template:Etyl Template:M, from Template:Etyl Template:M, Template:M, from Template:Etyl Template:M. Cognate with Template:Etyl Template:M, Template:Etyl Template:M, Template:Etyl Template:M, Template:Etyl Template:M, Template:Etyl Template:M, Lithuanian Template:M, Old Armenian Template:M, Sanskrit Template:M.

Verb

1. Template:SenseidTemplate:Label To form cracks.

   It's been so dry, the ground is starting to crack.

2. Template:Label To break apart under pressure.

   When I tried to stand on the chair, it cracked.

3. Template:Label To become debilitated by psychological pressure.

   Anyone would crack after being hounded like that.

4. Template:Label To break down or yield, especially under interrogation or torture.

   When we showed him the pictures of the murder scene, he cracked.

5. Template:Label To make a cracking sound.

   The bat cracked with authority and the ball went for six.

6. Template:Label To change rapidly in register.

   His voice cracked with emotion.

7. Template:Label To alternate between high and low register in the process of eventually lowering.

   His voice finally cracked when he was four*****.

8. Template:Label To make a sharply humorous comment.

   "I would too, with a face like that," she cracked.

9. Template:Label To make a crack or cracks in.

   The ball cracked the window.

10. Template:Label To break open or crush to small pieces by impact or stress.

    You'll need a hammer to crack a black walnut.

11. Template:Label To strike forcefully.

    She cracked him over the head with her handbag.

12. Template:Label To open slightly.

    Could you please crack the window?

13. Template:Label To cause to yield under interrogation or other pressure. (Figurative)

    They managed to crack him on the third day.

14. Template:Label To solve a difficult problem. Template:Qualifier

    I've finally cracked it, and of course the answer is obvious in hindsight.

15. Template:Label To overcome a security system or a component.

    It took a minute to crack the lock, three minutes to crack the security system, and about twenty minutes to crack the safe.

    They finally cracked the code.

16. Template:Label To cause to make a sharp sound.

    to crack a whip

    • 2001, Doug McGuinn, The Apple Indians

      Hershell cracked his knuckles, a nervous habit that drove Inez crazyTemplate:...

17. Template:Label To tell (a joke).

    The performance was fine until he cracked that dead baby joke.

18. Template:Label To break down (a complex molecule), especially with the application of heat: to pyrolyse.

    Acetone is cracked to ketene and methane at 700°C.

19. Template:Label To circumvent software restrictions such as regional coding or time limits.

    That software licence will expire tomorrow unless we can crack it.

20. Template:Label To open a canned beverage, or any packaged drink or food.

    I'd love to crack open a beer.

21. Template:Label To brag, boast.
    • Template:RQ:RBrtn AntmyMlncly, II.4.1.v:

      Cardan cracks that he can cure all diseases with water alone, as Hippocrates of old did most infirmities with one medicine.

    • Shakespeare

      Ethoipes of their sweet complexion crack.

22. Template:Label To be ruined or impaired; to fail.
    • Dryden

      The creditTemplate:...of exchequers cracks, when little comes in and much goes out.

Translations

• Burmese: Template:T+
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• Finnish: Template:T, Template:T, Template:T
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• Maori: Template:T
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• Finnish: Template:T

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• Finnish: Template:T+, Template:T+

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• Finnish: Template:T+

• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: Template:T

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• Finnish: Template:T+, Template:T+ Template:Qualifier; Template:T+, Template:T Template:Qualifier

• Finnish: Template:T+

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• Finnish: Template:T, Template:T Template:Qualifier; Template:T+ Template:Qualifier

• Finnish: Template:T+

• Finnish: Template:T+, Template:T

• Spanish: Template:T+check
• Telugu: Template:T+check, Template:T+check, Template:T+check, Template:T+check

Derived terms

• bumcrack
• crack a crib
• crack a fat
• crack baby
• crack down
• cracked
• cracker
• crack house

• crack kills
• crack of dawn
• crack on
• crack seed
• crack up
• crack whore
• fall between the cracks
• difficult nut to crack
• hard nut to crack
• tough nut to crack
• what's the crack
• wisecrack

Related terms

• crazed (exhibiting fine-line cracks)

Noun

1. Template:SenseidA thin and usually jagged space opened in a previously solid material.

   A large crack had formed in the roadway.

2. A narrow opening.

   We managed to squeeze through a crack in the rock wall.

   Open the door a crack.

   • Template:Quote-news
3. A sharply humorous comment; a wisecrack.

   I didn't appreciate that crack about my hairstyle.

4. A potent, relatively cheap, addictive variety of cocaine; often a rock, usually smoked through a crack-pipe.
   • Template:Rfdate Whitney Houston:

     I wouldn't use it, if I was going to use it I can afford real cocaine. Crack is wack.

5. Template:Label The sharp sound made when solid material breaks.

   The crack of the falling branch could be heard for miles.

6. Template:Label Any sharp sound.

   The crack of the bat hitting the ball.

   • Template:Quote-news
7. Template:Label An attempt at something.

   I'd like to take a crack at that game.

8. Template:Label vagina.

   I'm so horny even the crack of dawn isn't safe!

9. Template:Label The space between the buttocks.

   Pull up your pants! Your crack is showing.

10. Template:Label Conviviality; fun; good conversation, chat, gossip, or humourous storytelling; good company.
    • 2001, William F. Gray, The Villain, iUniverse, p. 214:

      Being a native of Northumberland, she was enjoying their banter and Geordie good humour. This was what she needed — good company and good crack.

    • 2004, Bill Griffiths, Dictionary of North East Dialect, Northumbria University Press (quoting Dunn, 1950)

      "his a bit o' good crack — interesting to talk to"

    • 2006, Patrick McCabe, Winterwood, Bloomsbury 2007, p. 10:

      By the time we've got a good drunk on us there'll be more crack in this valley than the night I pissed on the electric fence!

    The crack was good.

    That was good crack.

    He/she is quare good crack.

    The party was great crack.

11. Template:Label Business/events/news

    What's the crack?

12. Template:Label A program or procedure designed to circumvent restrictions or usage limits on software.

    Has anyone got a crack for DocumentWriter 3.0?

13. Template:Label a meaningful chat.
14. Template:Label Extremely silly, absurd or off-the-wall ideas or prose.
15. The tone of voice when changed at puberty.
    • Shakespeare

      Though now our voices / Have got the mannish crack.

16. Template:Label A mental flaw; a touch of craziness; partial insanity.

    He has a crack.

17. Template:Label A crazy or crack-brained person.
    • Addison

      I Template:... can not get the Parliament to listen to me, who look upon me as a crack and a projector.

18. Template:Label A boast; boasting.
    • Burton

      crack and brags

    • Shakespeare

      vainglorious cracks

19. Template:Label Breach of chastity.

    Template:Rfquotek

20. Template:Label A boy, generally a pert, lively boy.
    • Shakespeare

      - 'Tis a noble *****.
      - A crack, madam.

21. Template:Label A brief time; an instant; a jiffy.

    I'll be with you in a crack.

Usage notes

• Template:Sense In the last few decades the word has been adopted into Gaelic; as there is no "k" in the Irish language the spelling Template:M has been devised.

Synonyms

• Template:Sense bum crack Template:Qualifier, arse crack Template:Qualifier, ass crack Template:Qualifier
• Template:Sense crack cocaine

Translations

• Armenian: Template:T+
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  Mandarin: Template:T, Template:T+, Template:T, Template:T+

• Czech: Template:T, Template:T, Template:T
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• Georgian: Template:T-needed
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• Japanese: Template:T, Template:T, Template:T
• Kurdish:

  Sorani: Template:T+

• Latgalian: Template:T, Template:T, Template:T
• Latvian: Template:T
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• Malay: Template:T
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• French: Template:T+
• German: Template:T+, Template:T, Template:T
• Greek: Template:T+
• Kurdish:

  Sorani: Template:T

• Macedonian: Template:T, Template:T
• Polish: Template:T+
• Portuguese: Template:T+, Template:T, Template:T+
• Russian: Template:T+
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• Finnish: Template:T+, Template:T+
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• Estonian: Template:T
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• Spanish: Template:T-check
• Telugu: Template:T+check, Template:T-check (1, 2), Template:T+check, Template:T+check

Etymology 2

1793 slang, of Template:Unk. origin

Adjective

1. Highly trained and competent.

   Even a crack team of investigators would have trouble solving this case.

2. Excellent, first-rate, superior, top-notch.

   She's a crack shot with that rifle.

Derived terms

• crack train
• crack troops

Related terms

• cracker-jack

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Finnish

Pronunciation

• Template:Fi-IPA

Noun

1. crack (variety of cocaine)

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French

Noun

1. crack (expert person)

1. crack (cocaine)

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Portuguese

Noun

1. Template:L Template:Gloss
2. Template:L Template:Gloss

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Spanish

Noun

1. crack (variety of cocaine)
2. excellent sportsman