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Verb (old).—1. To talk to; to boast. [The verb was once good English, and in the sense of to talk or gossip is still good Scots. The modern form to crack-up, is well within the borderland between literary and colloquial English. The following quots., together with those under crack-up, form an unbroken series].
1597. G. Harvey, Trimming of Nashe, in wks. (Grosart) III., 31. So you may cracke your selfe abroad, and get to be reported the man you are not.
1621. Burton, Anat of Mel., I., II., III., xiv., 199, (1876). Your very tradesmen, if they be excellent, will crack and brag, and show their folly in excess.
1654. Witts, Recreations. And let them that crack In the praises of sack, Know malt is of mickle might.
1785. Grose, Dict. Vulg. Tongue, s.v.
2. (thieves').—To force open; to commit a burglary. [A shorter form of crack a crib (q.v.)]
1837. Dickens, Oliver Twist, ch. xix. The cribs barred up at night like a jail; but there's one part we can crack, safe and softly.
3. (American thieves').—To forge or utter worthless paper. [An extension by analogy of 'to crack,' i.e., 'to force,' and 'cracksman,' a burglar.]
4. (colloquial).—To fall to ruin; to be impaired. Cf., subs., sense 1.
b. 1631. d. 1701. Dryden [quoted in Annandale]. The credit of the exchequer cracks when little comes in and much goes out.
5. (thieves').—To inform; to peach (q.v. for synonyms).
c. 1850, but date uncertain. Broadside Ballad, 'Bates' Farm.' I mean to crack a crib to-night, but pals don't crack on me.
To crack a bottle or a quart, verbal phr. (colloquial).—To drink. Analogous and equally old is 'to crush a cup.' Fr., etouffer une négresse or un enfant de chœur. For synonyms, see Lush.
1598. Shakspeare, II. Henry IV., v., 3, 66. Shal. By the mass, you'll crack a quart together.
1711. Spectator. No. 234. He hems after him in the public street, and they must crack a bottle at the next tavern.
1750. Fielding, Tom Jones, bk. VIII., ch. vii. 'What,' says the wife, 'you have been tippling with the gentleman! I see.' 'Yes,' answered the husband, 'we have cracked a bottle together.'
1817. Scott, Rob Roy, ch. viii. 'You have cracked my silver-mounted cocoa-nut of sack, and tell me that you cannot sing!'
1853. Thackeray, Barry Lyndon, ch. xvii., p. 221. I chose to invite the landlords of the 'Bell' and the 'Lion' to crack a bottle with me.'
To crack a crib, swag, or ken, verbal phr. (thieves').—To commit a burglary; to break into a house. [From crack, to force open, + crib, a house.]
English Synonyms. To stamp a ken or crib; to work a panny; to jump a house (also applied to simple robbery without burglary); to do a crack; to practice the black art; to screw; to bust a crib; to flimp; to buz; to tool; to wire; to do a ken-*crack-lay.
French Synonyms. Faire un cassement de porte (thieves'); faire une condition (thieves'); faire copeaux (thieves': in allusion to the splinters from a forced door); écorner une boutanche or un boucard (thieves') = to enter shops burglariously); faire un vol à l'esquinte (thieves');
