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<HTML> <HEAD><TITLE>DICTIONARY: crabeater - cracker</TITLE></HEAD> <BODY BGCOLOR="#ffffff"> <A HREF="a.dic">A</A> <A HREF="b.dic">B</A> <A HREF="c.dic">C</A> <A HREF="d.dic">D</A> <A HREF="e.dic">E</A> <A HREF="f.dic">F</A> <A HREF="g.dic">G</A> <A HREF="h.dic">H</A> <A HREF="i.dic">I</A> <A HREF="j.dic">J</A> <A HREF="k.dic">K</A> <A HREF="l.dic">L</A> <A HREF="m.dic">M</A> <A HREF="n.dic">N</A> <A HREF="o.dic">O</A> <A HREF="p.dic">P</A> <A HREF="q.dic">Q</A> <A HREF="r.dic">R</A> <A HREF="s.dic">S</A> <A HREF="t.dic">T</A> <A HREF="u.dic">U</A> <A HREF="v.dic">V</A> <A HREF="w.dic">W</A> <A HREF="x.dic">X</A> <A HREF="y.dic">Y</A> <A HREF="z.dic">Z</A> <A NAME="crabeater"> crabeater, noun, or crabeater seal,<DL COMPACT><DD> any one of a group of very common seals of West Antarctica, that live among the ice packs and feed on shrimplike crustaceans of the region. They are about 8 feet long. Ex. The crabeater is one of the fastest seals on land or ice. It can move about 15 miles an hour--almost as fast as a man can run (Karl W. Kenyon). </DL> <A NAME="crabgrass"> crab grass, or crabgrass, noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a coarse grass that spreads rapidly and spoils lawns. Ex. Letting good lawn grass grow taller is one simple way of combating crab grass (New York Times). </DL> <A NAME="crabhole"> crabhole, noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> 1. a hole made by a land crab or a crawfish. <DD> 2. the hollow formed from one of these burrows by rain or by a cave-in. </DL> <A NAME="crablike"> crablike, adjective, adverb.<DL COMPACT><DD>adj. 1. like a crab. <DD> 2. suggesting the sideways movements of a crab in walking. Ex. The crablike course of the graph indicates a decline in business. <DD>adv. sideways. Ex. They rowed crablike upstream. </DL> <A NAME="crablouse"> crab louse,<DL COMPACT><DD> a louse which infests parts of the human body, resembling a crab in appearance and having recurved feet, like claws, with which it hooks itself to its host. </DL> <A NAME="crabnebula"> Crab Nebula,<DL COMPACT><DD> a white, expanding gaseous cloud in the constellation Taurus, that is a powerful source of radio waves. </DL> <A NAME="crabs"> crabs, noun pl.<DL COMPACT><DD> See under crab (1). </DL> <A NAME="crabseye"> crab's-eye, noun. =jequirity.</DL> <A NAME="crabspider"> crab spider,<DL COMPACT><DD> any one of a group of short, wide spiders that live on trees and flowers and sometimes walk sideways like crabs. Ex. The wolf spider chases its quarry, the jumping spider stalks it, and the crab spider hides and pounces (Scientific American). </DL> <A NAME="crabstick"> crabstick, noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> 1. a stick or cudgel made of crab tree wood. <DD> 2. a cross, ill-natured person; crab. </DL> <A NAME="crabtree"> crab tree, =crab apple (def. 3).</DL> <A NAME="crabwise"> crabwise, adverb, adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> sideways or backwards, like a crab. Ex. the crabwise movements of wrestlers grappling on the floor (adj.). The author approaches the horrendous social themes crabwise (Saturday Review) (adv.). </DL> <A NAME="crack"> crack, noun, verb, adjective, adverb.<DL COMPACT><DD>noun 1a. a split or opening made by breaking without separating into parts. Ex. There is a crack in this cup. <DD> b. (Figurative.) a flaw or defect; weakness. Ex. There were no cracks in her character. We tried to paper over the cracks in the script's dialogue. <DD> 2. a narrow opening. Ex. I can see between the cracks in the floorboards. (SYN) cleft, fissure, crevice, chink. <DD> 3. a sudden, sharp noise. Ex. the crack of a whip or a rifle, a crack of thunder. (SYN) clap, report. <DD> 4. (Informal, Figurative.) a hard, sharp blow. Ex. The falling branch gave me a crack on the head. <DD> 5. (Informal.) an instant; moment. Ex. We got up at thecrack of dawn. I'll be with you in a crack. <DD> 6. (Informal.) a try; effort; attempt. Ex. to take a crack at dancing. I took a crack at the job and succeeded. <DD> 7. (Slang, Figurative.) a funny or clever remark; joke. <DD> 8. (Informal, Figurative.) a cutting remark; gibe. Ex. If he makes another crack about my singing, he'll be sorry. <DD> 9. unsoundness of mind. <DD> 10. (Informal.) a superior person or thing. Ex. She is a crack at skiing. <DD> 11. a cracking of the voice. <DD> 12. (Slang.) <DD> a. a burglary. <DD> b. a burglar. <DD> 13. (U.S.) an extremely potent, free-based form of cocaine with a short-term effect. Ex. Crack, a highly addictive form of cocaine, is available from most of the 50 drug dealers doing business in Washington Square Park and on Greenwich Village streets 24 hours a day (New York Times). <DD> 14. (Archaic.) a boast. <DD> 15. (Scottish.) a chat; gossip. <DD>v.i. 1. to break without separating into parts. Ex. The glass cracked when I poured boiling water into it. <DD> 2. to make a sudden, sharp noise; snap. Ex. The whip cracked. <DD> 3. to break with a sudden, sharp noise. Ex. The tree cracked and fell when lightning struck it. <DD> 4. to become harsh, broken, or shrill. Ex. His voice cracked with emotion. <DD> 5. (Informal.) to give way; break down. Ex. His mind cracked under the strain of working for three days without sleep. (SYN) fail, collapse. <DD> 6. (Dialect.) to boast; brag. <DD> 7. (Scottish.) to chat; gossip. <DD>v.t. 1. to break without separating into parts. Ex. You have cracked the window. (SYN) split, fracture. <DD> 2. to cause to make a sudden, sharp noise. Ex. The stagecoach driver cracked the whip. (SYN) snap. <DD> 3. to break with a sudden, sharp noise. Ex. We cracked the nuts. <DD> 4. to hit with a hard, sharp blow. Ex. The falling branch cracked me on the head. The boxer cracked his opponent on the jaw. (SYN) smack. <DD> 5. to make (the voice) harsh or shrill. <DD> 6. (Figurative.) to break into. Ex. The burglar cracked the safe. <DD> 7. (Informal, Figurative.) to break through. Ex. to crack the sound barrier. <DD> 8. (Informal.) to tell or say (something funny or clever). Ex. She cracked a joke. <DD> 9. (Figurative.) to figure out the meaning of (a code); decipher. Ex. In wartime, each enemy tries to crack the other's code. She once cracked a Chinese code without knowing Chinese (George S. Kaufman). <DD> 10. to separate (as petroleum or coal tar) into various substances. Ex. The refinery cracks petroleum to make gasoline. <DD> 11. to ruin; damage. Ex. to crack someone's reputation or credit. <DD> 12. to break with pain or grief. Ex. The death of his dog cracked the boy's heart. <DD> 13. (U.S. Informal, Figurative.) to open and use. Ex. He did not crack a book until the final examination. <DD> 14. (Obsolete.) a boast. Ex. Which he ... crackes to be a most soveraigne remedie (Robert Burton). <DD>adj. (Informal.) very good; excellent; first-rate. Ex. a crack train. Buffalo Bill was a crack shot. <DD>adv. with a crack; with a cracking sound. expr. crack down, (Informal.) to take stern measures. Ex. The police cracked down and hauled away cars that were double-parked. expr. cracked up, (Informal.) praised or claimed. Ex. This book is not what it is cracked up to be. expr. crack on, (British Informal.) to go on; carry on. Ex. Big John with his immense experience had things under his personal control ("Crack on, lads!" was a favorite Big John order) (Sunday Times). expr. crack up, <DD> a. to crash or smash. Ex. When the driver skidded off the road he cracked up his car against a tree. The airplane cracked up as it landed. <DD> b. to suffer a mental or physical collapse. Ex. She was in danger of cracking up under the strain of overworking. <DD> c. (U.S. Slang.) to laugh or cause to laugh uncontrollably; convulse with laughter. Ex. And then Fred shouts: "I am the great pumpkin!" The whole room cracks up (Harper's). adj. crackable. </DL> <A NAME="crackajack"> crackajack, noun, adjective. =crackerjack.</DL> <A NAME="crackbaby"> crack baby,<DL COMPACT><DD> a baby born with various disabilities or deformities caused by the mother's use of crack-cocaine while pregnant. Ex. The most widely cited estimate--[of] fetally exposed babies (or "crack babies") born per year--is much too high (Washington Post). </DL> <A NAME="crackbrain"> crackbrain, noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a crazy or insane person. </DL> <A NAME="crackbrained"> crackbrained, adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> crazy; insane. Ex. I cannot summarize here nine hundred pages of allegations that are usually crackbrained when they are not dishonest (Harper's). </DL> <A NAME="crackdown"> crackdown, noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Informal.) the act of taking, or bringing to bear, stern measures or swift disciplinary action. </DL> <A NAME="cracked"> cracked, adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> 1. broken without separating into parts; broken coarsely. Ex. cracked ice, cracked wheat, a cracked cup. (SYN) fractured. <DD> 2. having harsh notes; lacking evenness; broken. Ex. The crying boy spoke in a cracked voice. (SYN) raucous. <DD> 3. (Informal.) crazy; insane. (SYN) deranged. </DL> <A NAME="cracker"> cracker, noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> 1. a thin, crisp biscuit or wafer. Ex. a soda cracker. <DD> 2. a person or instrument that cracks. <DD> 3. a firecracker. Ex. This rowdy element later entered the grounds of Union Buildings ... climbed to the top of the adjoining General Botha statue and threw crackers (London Times). <DD> 4. a small paper roll which explodes when it is pulled at both ends; cosaque. It is used as a party favor and sometimes contains a motto, candy, or other surprise. <DD> 5. something put at the end of a whiplash to make a cracking sound. <DD> 6. (U.S. Dialect.) a poor white person living in the hills or backwoods of Georgia, Florida, or other Southern state (often used in an unfriendly way). <DD> 7. the apparatus used for cracking petroleum, in a refinery. <DD> 8. (Obsolete.) <DD> a. a boaster; braggart. <DD> b. a liar. </DL> <A HREF="crackerb.dic">NEXT</A>