Crack (krăk), v. 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.
Shak.
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.
To crack a bottle, to open the bottle and drink its contents. — To crack a crib, to commit burglary. — To crack on, to put on; as, to crack on more sail, or more steam.