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crane
form of the drug COCAINE which is illegally taken for pleas-
ure. It is an ADDICTIVE drug and is a big social problem in
some countries, especially the US.
'crack ,baby n a baby whose mother used the illegal drug
CRACK while she was PREGNANT. Crack babies are usually
more nervous or excited than other babies, and they need a
lot of care in order to develop normally.
crack-brained /'krækbreind/ adj foolish; CRAZY: a crack-
brained idea
crack-down /'krækdaun/ n [(on)] action taken to stop or
discourage a bad activity: a crackdown on drunken driving →
see also CRACK DOWN
cracked /krækt/ adj [F] infml foolish; slightly mad
cracker
paper
hat
cracker
crack·er /'krækər/ n 1 a small thin unsweetened BISCUIT; a
CREAM CRACKER or SODA CRACKER: I'm not really hungry –
I'll just have some crackers and cheese. 2 a FIRE-
CRACKER 3 (in Britain) a tube of brightly coloured paper
which makes a harmless exploding sound when pulled
apart, usually containing a small gift and a joke. Crackers
are used especially at parties, Christmas dinner etc 4 BrE infml
someone or something that is very good; used especially of a
very attractive woman 5 AmE derog a poor white person from
the American South
'Cracker Jack trademark a type of sweet POPCORN sold in a
box with a prize inside it, which is popular with children in
the US
crack·ers /'krækəz||-ərz/ adj [F] BrE infml (of a person) mad:
I'm not going to lend him money – do you think I'm crackers?
crack·head /'krakhed/ n infml someone who regularly uses
the illegal drug CRACK
'crack house n a building, usually someone's house or
apartment, where the illegal drug CRACK is made or sold
crack·ing /'krækɪŋ/ adj [A] very fast or good
crack·le /'krækəl/ v [I;T] to (cause to) make small sharp
repeated sounds: The fire crackled. | Why is the radio crack-
ling so much? | (fig.) The crowd crackled with excitement.
—crackle n [S] the crackle of dry twigs under our feet
—crackly adj
crack·ling /'kræklɪŋ/ n [U] 1 the sound of something that
crackles: the crackling of the fire 2 the hard easily broken
brown skin of cooked PORK
crack·pot /'krækpɒt||-pɑːt/ adj, n infml, often humor (typical of) a
person with very strange or mad ideas: The man's a complete
crackpot. | another of his crackpot ideas
cracks·man /'kræksmən/ n pl. -men /mən/ old-fash a person
who steals things by opening SAFES
crack·up /'kræk-ʌp/ n infml a sudden failure or loss of control
of the mind and feelings; BREAKDOWN
Crad·dock, Fanny /'krædɒk/ (1910–94) a British cook who
was one of the first people to have a television show about
cooking. She appeared with her husband, Johnnie, showing
people how to make different dishes.
cra·dle¹ /'kreɪdl/ n 1 [C] a small bed for a baby, especially
one made so that it can be moved gently from side to side:
She was rocking the cradle. → see picture at BED 2 [C(of)]
usually sing. the place where something began; place of origin:
Ancient Greece was the cradle of Western European cul-
ture. 3 [the+S] the earliest years of your life: to live in the
same village from the cradle to the grave (=all through
your life) | In future, people will place more importance on the
cradle-to-grave lifetime of products. 4 [C] BrE || scaffold AmE
— a frame for supporting something being built or repaired,
or for doing certain jobs: Window cleaners are pulled up and
down tall buildings on cradles. → see also CAT'S CRADLE
cradle² v [T] to hold gently as if in a cradle: John cradled the
baby in his arms.
'cradle-snatch v [I] infml to have a sexual relationship with
someone who is a lot younger than yourself: I hear you're
going out with Jack's daughter- there you go, cradle-snatching
again! —-er n
-craft → see WORD FORMATION TABLE
craft¹ /krɑːft||kræft/ n 1 [C] (a job or trade needing) skill,
especially with your hands: the ancient craft of making
stained-glass windows | the jeweller's craft | traditional village
crafts 2 [C] all the members of a particular trade or profes-
sion as a group 3 [U] skill in deceiving people; GUILE: He used
a certain amount of craft to make the sale.
craft² n pl. craft 1 a boat or ship: The harbour was full of
pleasure craft. 2 an aircraft or spacecraft
craft³ v [T often pass.] especially AmE to make using skill, espe-
cially by hand: a carefully crafted belt | a beautifully crafted
film
crafts·man /'krɑːftsmən||'kræ-/, crafts·wo·man /-,wʊmən/
fem. — n pl. -men /mən/ a person who is skilled in a CRAFT:
furniture made by the finest craftsmen —-ship n [U]
craft·y /'krɑːftɪ||'kræf-/ adj cleverly deceitful; CUNNING: a
crafty idea/politician —ily adv —iness n [U]
crag /kræg/ n a high steep rough rock or mass of rocks
crag·gy /'krægi/ adj steep and rough; having many crags:
craggy hills | (fig.) his craggy face (=attractive in a rough way)
cram /kræm/ v -mm- 1 [T+obj+adv/prep] to force into a small
space; STUFF: to cram people into a railway carriage | hungry
children cramming food down their throats | a busy pro-
gramme, with three meetings crammed into one morn-
ing 2 [T(with)] to fill (something) too full: The box was
crammed with letters. | A huge crowd of people crammed the
stadium to watch the game. 3 a) [(for)] to prepare yourself
for an examination by studying very hard and quickly b)
[T] to prepare (someone) for an examination in this way
,cram-'full adj [F(of)] infml very full
cram·mer /'kræmə/ n old-fash, usually infml a special school or
book that prepares people quickly for an examination. It is
generally thought that students who need a crammer are
either lazy or not very clever.
cramp¹ /kræmp/ n [C(especially AmE);U (especially BrE)] severe pain
from the sudden tightening of a muscle, which makes
movement difficult: The swimmer suddenly got cramp/got a
cramp and had to be lifted from the water. → see also CRAMPS
cramp² v [T] 1 to limit or prevent the movement, growth, or
development of; RESTRICT: Her education was cramped by her
lack of money. 2 to fasten tightly with a CRAMP³ 3 cramp
someone's style infml to prevent someone from doing as
well as they could, or as they wish, usually simply by being
near them: I'll leave you alone with Jenny – I wouldn't want
to cramp your style!
cramp³ n 1 also 'cramp ,iron — a metal bar bent at both ends
used for holding together pieces of wood, metal etc 2 a
CLAMP
cramped /kræmpt/ adj 1 [(for)] limited in space: a cramped
little office | cramped living conditions | We're a bit cramped
for space in this little house. 2 (of writing) written too closely
together
cram·pon /'kræmpən/ also climbing iron n [usually pl.] a
metal frame with sharp points (SPIKES) underneath, fastened
to the bottom of boots to make climbing less difficult,
especially on ice
cramps /kræmps/ n [P] sharp pains in the stomach, espe-
cially (AmE) the pains women often experience during MEN-
STRUATION
cran·ber·ry /'krænbəri||-beri/ n a small red sour-tasting
berry, used especially to make a sweet thick liquid to be eaten
with certain meats. Cranberry sauce is often served with
turkey at Thanksgiving in the US. → see picture at BERRY
crane¹ /kreɪn/ n 1 a machine for lifting and moving heavy
objects by means of a very strong rope or wire fastened to a